Burda Style For people who sew
Description
The name comes from the fact that I made this dress out of a pair of curtains (green curtains even!). Even though it’s not nearly as involved as it’s namesake.
It was originally two vintage curtains (the fabric looks kinda 60s or 70s) I found at a charity shop. They had the ruffle at the bottom and I was able to preserve that as the hem of the dress. The top I just shirred to make it fit.
Material Notes
cotton curtains
Difficulty
Novice
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Jul 18, 2010, 02.28 PMby laura oprea
Super cute! Love the fabric, the color.. Excellent idea!
Jul 7, 2010, 03.42 PMby bunnyflower
This dress is freaking adorable, and I love the fabric choice, and how you named it. :D
Jul 7, 2010, 03.41 PMby bunnyflower
matticrafts: She made the pattern as her bust width, and then cut out two of them, so she ended up using fabric that was twice her bust width.
Jul 7, 2010, 01.40 PMby nadyalm
I’ve not had much success so far, I think my ancient machine may be the reason.. If I loosely wind elastic on bobbin the elastic doesn’t stretch when I sew. Do you think I need to tighten the bobbin so it comes out more slowly and creates the stitch whilst the elastic is stretched? Or do I just need a (better) modern machine? I’ve used so much elastic just trying to get it right! Any advice please :)
2 Replies
Jul 7, 2010, 06.25 PMby designsbyamber
wind the elastic without stretch, sew in a normal stitch then you iron with steam and the elastic shrinks up. the secret is in the ironing after ;)
cheers and good luck!
Jul 8, 2010, 11.23 AMby nutmeg1
designsbyamber: That is a neat trick! I will have to try that sometime.
nadyalm: You might want to play around with the tension on your machine if you haven’t already. I don’t adjust it on my machine but maybe that has something to do with it on your machine (how old is ancient??). Other idea: are you using your largest stitch length?
Jul 7, 2010, 08.11 AMby misslove
did you just use a rectangle or was there a pattern to the fabric?
1 Reply
Jul 8, 2010, 11.14 AMby nutmeg1
No pattern, just 2 rectangles. The ruffle at the hem was already attached to the bottom of the curtain.
Jul 6, 2010, 07.36 PMby sungreen13
Super cute! Those curtains were meant to be a dress, it’s just so perfect! ;) *shirring takes time getting used to. the tutorial posted above by threadbanger is GREAT!
Jul 6, 2010, 07.18 PMby mpw081096
How many rows of shirring did you use? It is really a lovely dress! I just passed up a shirred dress at Target because I have tons of fabric and elastic thread at home, and I m determined to master this technique rather than drop $17.99 on a cheap version.
1 Reply
Jul 8, 2010, 11.15 AMby nutmeg1
I think I used about 20-21. Once you get to about 15 start holding it up to yourself every row or two to get an idea of how it will look on you and stop when you’re happy!
Jul 6, 2010, 07.04 PMby mrsmg08
Really cute dress! I absolutely love it.
Jul 6, 2010, 04.07 PMby noadove-1
That is so fun and cute! Perfect job on the elastic too!
Jul 6, 2010, 11.26 AMby laurwyn
Yeay for curtains! I am the same when I go to charity shops or flea markets, I always look at the weird stuff! You managed to make it look cute and stylish even if it is very comfy too!
Jul 6, 2010, 10.30 AMby nikkishell
lovely!
Jul 6, 2010, 05.33 AMby Nessa *
This is a really lovely summer dress, and you would never know it used to be a pair of ol’ curtains! Great job!
Jul 5, 2010, 08.12 PMby violetsky
I love it when people recycle, making redundent things into amazing creations. I love the colour, it looks fantastic against your skin.
1 Reply
Jul 6, 2010, 01.20 AMby nutmeg1
Thanks! I’m really getting into upcycling for that reason exactly!
Jul 5, 2010, 07.10 PMby momsgotanewhobby
This is so cute and an excellent example of up-cycling!
Jul 5, 2010, 07.08 PMby anniekmcn
This is so lovely, but I am also at a loss to understand how you do the shirring. Could you explain or maybe Burdastyle could do a How to (please please!)
3 Replies
Jul 5, 2010, 07.10 PMby momsgotanewhobby
Shirring is fun once you get the hang of it, lot’s of tutorials out there. Look in the learning area on the site for info on shirring and also at places like e-how for video tutorials.
Jul 5, 2010, 10.36 PMby nutmeg1
Thanks for the comment! Shirring is easier than you think, I promise! Check out this tutorial that helped me get started: http://www.threadbanger.com/episode/THR_20080801
The key to shirring is buying elastic thread (probably in the notions isle of your craft store). You hand wind that onto your bobbin and put regular thread in the top of your machine, and after that all you have to do is sew straight lines 1/4" away from each other. Use a long stitch length and be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end!
If that doesn’t help I will be happy to post a tutorial here, just send me a message!
Jul 8, 2010, 06.12 PMby anniekmcn
Thanks for the directions to tutorials! I am definitely going to try it – have some fabric set aside for a summer top and really want to use shirring on the back to help the fit. Hopefully it’ll be a success!
Jul 5, 2010, 06.33 PMby rifka
I love the shirring effect. I haven’t had much luck using elastic thread myself. Do you pull it tight when hand winding the bobbin? I’d love some tips as well!
3 Replies
Jul 5, 2010, 10.40 PMby nutmeg1
Thanks! I didn’t wind it tight when I put it on the bobbin and it seemed to work well. Another tip that I got from a fellow Burdastyle member was to stretch out the previous gathers as you sew your next row of shirring. Sew it using your longest stitch length. Also, be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end!
Jul 6, 2010, 07.52 PMby ghiadean
Best is to wind it pretty tight! Once you have sewn in about 5-7 rows depending of course how many you really want to add then pressing the elastic thread area with a steaming iron pulls the thread closer together! Check my blog for other sewing tips! www.whimsycoutureboutique.blogspot.com/
Jul 6, 2010, 08.17 PMby matticrafts
nutmeg1, that’s a terrific tutorial. The only part I didn’t get — she said she used her bust measurement for the width of the pattern. Huh? Seems like I’d need to make it wider. Help?
Jul 5, 2010, 06.31 PMby rifka
I love the shirring effect. I haven’t had much luck using elastic thread myself. Do you pull it tight when hand winding the bobbin? I’d love some tips as well!
Jul 5, 2010, 05.51 PMby moonstar
I like it!
Jul 5, 2010, 05.38 PMby Laura Chirita
How do you sew a top like that? with wlastic thread? I wanna do dresses like that for a long time,but I feel so ignorant that I don’t know the tehnique..can you give me some tips please:)
1 Reply
Jul 6, 2010, 01.18 AMby nutmeg1
Yes you are right – the elastic thread goes on the bobbin (you have to hand wind it). Put regular thread through the top of your machine, set it to a long stitch length and try a row of shirring!
Here is a good tutorial: http://www.threadbanger.com/episode/THR_20080801
Jul 5, 2010, 05.06 PMby aggelicat .)
pretty pretty pretty! fantastic job:)