BurdaStyle 10/2016 - 102 Knotted Dress: I cracked the code!

Wait! 2 pattern reviews in the same week after a long blogging hiatus!!! 

I rarely make a pattern twice because there are way too many patterns on my to-do list. This burda dress proved me wrong. This is the first time I want to make several versions of the same pattern.

The October issue of BurdaStyle magazine had quite a few patterns that I really like and wanted to make.For instance, I was smitten by the long sleeve knotted dress and top when I received my copy. I was immediately intrigued by the construction because of the front knot. I set out to read the instructions and feared I might have to give up on it if they were too difficult to understand.

Burda has a long reputation for instructions that don't make any sense. Being a French speaker, I usually get the French issue of the magazine and I can attest that even the French instructions hardly make sense. This time however, I had a light bulb moment after spending some time reading them. Luckily, I remembered to snap a few pictures of the construction. Keep in mind that English is my second language, so bear with me as I try to explain how this worked. In this case, a picture is worth a thousand words! Lol

The top is attached to the skirt by the back seam only, the front is not. The back bodice is longer than the front bodice and that extra part is attached to the back skirt.  The picture below shows the back skirt pinned to the back bodice right sides together leaving the front skirt and bodice free.

The back skirt has to be stretched to match the width of the back bodice before stitching them together.

The next picture gives you a better idea of the rest of the construction. Once you secure the back side seam  by topstitching it down to the skirt side seams, you can fold the seam allowance wrong sides together, press and stitch it leaving an opening for the elastic. The rest is pretty straightforward after the elastic is in. I hope this helps! Feel free to ask questions if it's not clear enough!

To make things more complicated, I added pockets to both my versions. For the first one I used a heavy weight striped cotton spandex and for the second, a lightweight animal print ITY. They're both from my stash so this is a major stashbusting!

Now, the whole process didn't go as smoothly as I thought! You would think that a seasoned sewist like myself would not give into excitement and check measurements before cutting something and sewing! Anyway, I learned the hard way not to sew blindly again. I cut a size 42, which is my usual burda size, sewed the whole thing up in time for a party we were going to, only to realize how big and droopy it was!

Not the look I was expecting! I sadly had to wear another me made that night. So make sure you compare your measurements with the pattern's before you cut. I think Burda intended it to be loose and therefore put a lot of ease in the pattern. In the magazine, the top is quite loose on the model and the sleeves are pulled up on the dress so it's hard to guess. The final 2 versions are size 36.

After making the second version with the ITY knit, I noticed it wasn't as loose on me as the striped version, so I would probably size up to a 38/40 next time if I choose a lighter weight knit. I also reduced the sleeve length by 3 inches for a more fitted look.

I can't wait to make more versions. I'm thinking of a colorblocked one, a sleeveless one or just a plain 2 pieces version so I can mix and match the top and skirt easily. Oh the possibilities!!!!

These 2 dresses have been in heavy rotation in my wardrobe. And to think that I didn't like making a pattern twice. Oh well!!

Leaving you with another close up of the inside of the dress!

Until next time!