Tropical Shift

Summer is almost here! This is my second time using this dress pattern, this time I added fish eye darts to the back and used a border print.

Pattern: BurdaStyle 09/2012 #107

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Fabric: A tropical border printed cotton, possibly stretch sateen, from SR Harris – meaning I have no idea what it actually is but it’s awesome. The lining is bemberg rayon from Evil JoAnn™.

Design Likes/Dislikes: Obviously I like this pattern in general since I made it 2 times, with the aim being to finally use my precious Marimekko fabric. But I’m starting to think I don’t like the sleeves. They have a shoulder dart that causes some weird puckering and bulk around the shoulder seams, which of course you can’t really see in the pictures. Maybe I just need to taper my dart more gradually. It does give you lots of room to move though.

Sizing and Fit: The back still feels a little too big even with the added darts, I think I need to take in the center back seam 1/2 inch because there are some angled pull lines. I wouldn’t want to take it in too much though because this is not a fitted dress.

Changes: As mentioned above, I added some back darts which I think help quite a bit. I also did some creative cutting to get the print to “wrap” around me and I think it has a really fun effect. I only lined the body of the dress this time, not the sleeves since this dress is more summery.

Potato the Cat helpfully showing off the lining and hem tape…

For Next Time: With a few more tweaks I think this pattern could be a great canvas for lots of different prints, color blocking, embroidery, or even fabric paint. And I think I’m ready to use my Marimekko fabric.

*JoAnn isn’t so bad but it just feels so corporate, even compared to the now defunct Hancock. I try to just buy patterns and notions from JoAnn. They make you take a number to get fabric cut! Heathens.

~Molly