Only Five Left To Go!

Why I never get anything done:


Supervisor Cat is on the job!


But in spite of "Supervisor Cat's" impediment, I did get another garment done. Soon, I will finish the rest, and then I can get back to starting a whole batch of new projects to abandon later!

Today I completed the Burda 7775 dress. If you remember, I made the shirt version of this, and had some issues with it, among them the tendency for the top to ride up and and the facing to flip out. I think that the "riding up" will be remedied by the additional weight of the skirt, and as for the facing, I cut this version with a very deep facing, especially in the back (thanks to Linda T and her suggestion).

Here is the finished product:


On this version, I used little round buttons that look like beads:


I'm not entirely happy with the topstitching. Besides it looking like it was done by the same crew of drunken monkeys that do my pad stitching for me, the thread I used was a poly thread and slightly shiny. Why did I use that thread? Because it was the only one that matched the fabric. Did I even take into consideration what it would look like in the top stitching? Of course not!!

Like in my original version, I also used flat-felled seams instead of topstitching:


This did make it a little more difficult to match the seams on the top and the seams on the skirt, as well as inserting the belt loops:


There was one thing that I did not like, though. Two of the gores on the skirt are gathered where they attach to the top. And of course, it is the one right on the hip:


Had I read ahead in the instructions, I might have thought far enough in advance to cut that extra fabric out of there so the piece would lay flat. But, I didn't think to because the gathering was not illustrated in the line drawing:

One of the nice things about the pattern is that the sleeves fit perfectly. In both versions the sleeves have set incredibly easily:


See? No tucks or creases! I do have a little trick for this, though. Most patterns with set in sleeves will direct you to ease-stitch the sleeve caps. I much prefer the quick shortcut of "crowding" when the sleeve cap is not gathered. To crowd the sleeve cap, place your fabric so that you can make a line of stitches in the seam allowance. I just use the side of the presser foot as a guide:


Then place your finger against the back of the presser foot, and hold it there while you begin sewing:


The fabric will build up, or "crowd," behind the presser foot:


This is what it looks like when you are finished:


The crowding creates a perfect curve to the sleeve cap, and makes it super-easy to set in the armscye:


Overall, I am happy with how the dress turned out, but I am going to take a break for a while from these crazy Burda patterns with 45 miles of topstitching in every one. I hardly ever sew Burda patterns, but the last two that I have done have been super-tedious.

This morning I did cheat a little and work on a new project, but it was just tracing a pattern, and it was only because I was awake three hours ahead of my husband and needed a SILENT project. I decided to trace this vintage shirt:


It was one of the patterns that came from a lot of 20 that I purchased from Ebay, and I was excited to find that not only were all the pieces there, it was still in its original, factory folds. It was never used!

As I start to play with these vintage patterns, I am really surprised by the amount of information that is included in the instructions. Here is a section on fitting the pattern:


And here they show you how to make tailor's tacks:


Patterns of this era were not printed, but were pre-cut. Here is the back of the shirt:


All the markings are indicated by a series of holes in the paper. Fortunately the instructions tell you how to "read" the holes in the paper. Two large holes show where the pattern should be cut on the fold:


Other smaller holes indicate darts and other markings. After tracing the pattern and doing flat pattern measurements, I was pleased to find that the size is not too far off. I do need some additional space around the bust and the waist, but a standard full bust adjustment will take care of that. The dart is even at the correct height already! I think I will add the FBA, about an inch across the hip in back, and adding just a touch of room in the bicep and I will be ready for a muslin.