Well, I seem to have got off to a quick start this month with my February BurdaStyle project (makes a change then!) I really wanted to finish my (red, of course :))sweater shift dress in time to wear for a Valentine’s date night with hubby so time was of the essence…I reached my deadline though, thank goodness. We’ll be going to a local gastropub/wine bar where the food is fab. It’s just as well my dress is a forgiving silhouette and a bit stretchy, lol!
Anyway, so this dress pattern is number 111 from January 2019 collection of Burda patterns and it was the first design to jump right out at me as I was deciding what to make this month. I really loved the shape and 60’s vibe of it.
**{Disclosure:
Under new UK laws for bloggers and influencers, I now have to declare this post as an AD. As in previous months, I was provided with the PDF version of my pattern free of charge as part of my year-long collaboration with BurdaStyle. All opinions are my own and I only work with brands that I love. It’s no secret at all that I love Burda patterns! Please read my disclosure policy for more info.}**
Back to the pattern though…The main design features of the design are ¾ sleeves, a raised neckline, side front seams and of course…pockets! Lol!
I love all of these details, but I still felt my creative urges flowing when I was preparing to sew my dress and I wanted to add a bit of customisation with some kind of border feature. As you can see I did a checkerboard pintuck effect and I’ll talk you through the process later, so stay tuned and keep reading.
In the meantime, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of pattern and fit. I cut my dress in a size 38 (sometimes I can go a smidge smaller) and I did a few fit tweaks for my personal figure foibles. Firstly, I did a bit of a forward shoulder adjustment by making the back shoulder seam a little higher and less sloped, whilst I made the from shoulder seam a bit more sloped. I also added a small dart at the back on the shoulder seam to accommodate rounded, prominent shoulder blades.
Lastly, I added a small bust dart because I found that my dress picked up a bit at the front and it needed the extra bust depth.
A pattern design note though: I notice, on me at least, that the front neckline seems a bit high. It might not be a problem for everyone but for me, I had to scoop it down a bit, so bear that in mind if you try this style for yourself.
I really like the skimming fit of my dress. It’s not meant to be bodycon and I love the way it seems a bit 60’s in style. Now, my red Ponte knit fabric is one that I got from Barry’s Fabrics in Birmingham and it’s a fairly stable knit, but I actually think a woven fabric with some stretch would work really well too. By the way,
Talking of the centre back…there’s actually a zip down it which is needed whatever fabric you use because of the small neck opening. Other than that zip though, the rest of the dress goes together really easily.
Trust me to always make extra work for myself though and I’m talking about those pintucks… To be honest, they really aren’t that difficult to do. They just look it! They were the most time-consuming part of my make though…
So, starting with a long section of fabric, I marked all of the vertical lines at 1.25” intervals using a chalk pencil.
Next, I made the tucks by folding along each chalk line and stitching very close to the edge.
I gave these vertical tucks a good steam press.
I then marked the horizontal lines, again with a chalk pencil, and did the same edge-stitching.
A final press and there you have it…a lovely checked effect! Quite easy really 🙂
Oh and by the way, if you’re intrigued by the idea of using pintucks as a decorative effect in your projects you might want to check out this other post of mine with 10 ideas for pintucks.
I’m always happy in dresses with a neat straight silhouette and I’m loving this one. I’ve made it unique with my little design feature and it feels really comfy. I love it with my knee-high boots and I can’t wait to wear it out!
PSA: Before I go, a quick announcement:
My blog posts are just not being picked up regularly by Bloglovin and it looks like there will continue to be problems…I once went for 5 weeks with no posts picked up. I’m afraid customer service from them is not the best and I’m running out of patience with them. I’d like to urge you instead, to follow my blog posts via email. You’ll always be guaranteed updates each time that I publish a fresh new post. You can either use the pop-up form or head across to the sidebar on the right and fill in the form there. I wouldn’t want you to miss out! 🙂 Cheers!
Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the interwebs…see you soon!
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Beautiful! Those pintucks really do add just the right amount of detail – without them the plain fabric would have been, well, plain. Lovely!
Author
Thanks ever so much Irene!
Diane, this is just lovely! The texture given by the pintucks makes the dress. That side panel looks like it would enable fitting the dress very well. And I love it in red!!
Author
Thank you so much, Cherie! It’s funny but I used to wear read a lot and then I didn’t make anything red for ages and it phased out. Think I’ll add more 🙂
Your creativity is sky high in this dress. Outstanding job – elevating plain fabric. Thanks for sharing & inspiring!
Author
Thank you Kate! It means a lot to me to hear that you feel inspired 🙂
Beautiful dress for Valentine’s Day! Thank you for that suggestion/tutorial on pintucks – I always associate them with ceremonial clothing (wedding, christening etc) and forget they can add such a lovely embellishment in the right place. When I first saw your photo of the dress I wondered how you found the exact fabric, colour etc in a different texture 🙂
Author
Thanks, Kathleen! Yes…so many uses and ideas for pintucks!
Those pintucks really add to the dress. The red is a lovely color on you.
Author
Thank you, Celeste!
love the extra details, what a great dress!
Author
Ahh, thanks so much, Beth! x
Lovely version of this dress, Diane! The pin tuck details is so fun!
Author
Thanks Linda! We both have a red cersion of this pattern now 😊
the pintucks are really the icing on the cake! Thank you so much for the little tutorial, I really think I might do this as it’s so effective on a plainish make. Another triumph Diane!
Author
Thanks, Sue! Yes, exactly…it’s nice to elevate a plain fabric. I always think Ponte knit is a particularly plain fabric with no texture whatsoever, so it’s an ideal candidate.
Wow such a beatiful dress. I love it.
Author
Thanks so much, Liselotte!
So elegant Diane! The pintucks really ‘make’ this outfit. Beautiful! 🙂
Author
Aww, thank you! That’s so kind of you Lisa xx
Wow! That checkerboard effect is amazing! It looks so high-end.
Author
Oh, that’s a lovely thing to say. Thank you!
Love this look and color. How did you finish the hems? I see a line of stitching at the bottom of the dress and sleeves. Is this a fold line and the back of the tucks is solid fabric all sewed into the seam connecting the tucked band to the dress? I think that might make a bulky seam.
I want to try this and looking for ways to finish the hem.
Author
Hi Deb. Good question…yes there is a small row of stitching at the bottom on sleeves and hems. This came about a little by accident as I was originally having one more row of tucks at the bottom of the dress and decided against it so I just used the tuck as a natural fold line. The hem behind that is only about one inch deep and I hand stitched it in place level with the first horizontal tuck. I agree with you that if it were double right up to the point where it joins the dress body it would be way too bulky. Hope this helps!
Wonderful dress, Diane! Love the forward side seams for pockets — it adds to the simple shift style — but your additions to hems with pin tucks really adds to the design: just my kind of style for going to dinner (and eating!). Lovely craftsmanship, and I enjoy seeing how often you pick up needle and thread to finish edges neatly.
Author
Thank you, Joan! I agree, the ideal sitting and eating dress 🙂 And I do love to hand finish so thank you for noticing.