I fell in love with this dress the second I saw the pattern on burda. So, when I was going through all of my project to-do’s trying to decide on what I wanted to add to my summer sewing list, this one was at the top. I love the way it looks in this vintage floral fabric, and the contrasting lining looks so cute popping out of the pockets. I truly am happy with the way this turned out! I love low/cut out backs and I have to keep my self from wearing this all the time, and pairing it with pops of red really adds a fun flare.
The pattern is the Open Back Dress from BurdaStyle. As with most of their patterns I made a few fit adjustments (I never am sure what size I am in euro sizes), along with some other design adjustments which I will explain in more detail below. – oh, and be kind with my sketch… I’ve been making myself bust out the markers to keep my drawing muscles flexed, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself an artist. 🙂
The main things I changed with this pattern is I chopped off the hem (obviously). Those tea lengths are tough on me because I am a shorty (5’4″), also I thought with my fabric choice it would look a bit little girl-ish being long. I took a wide hem (about 4 inches) because I love shape a wider hem gives the sweep of the skirt. I added pockets – a must in all my dresses, and I only made a single-layer skirt. The pattern calls for a whole second layer underneath, but in this vintage cotton print I didn’t really need it.
For fit I ended up taking two pleats in the front bodice to adjust for some gaping. I will have to remember to adjust that on their patterns in the future as I have read that this happens a lot. Although, I am actually happy with the pleats, they enhance the vintage-y feel of the dress and add a nice detail in the front which was sort of plain before. I also lowered the neckline about an inch – more for preference than fit – I hate anything too close to my neck. This may have also been a cause of the gaping.
I made the sash that goes with it (not pictured) about 2″ thinner than the pattern called for. This was partly because my fabric is a bit thicker and less drape-y than the fabric the pattern calls for, but also because I didn’t have a whole lot of this print and had to make due. I have worn it with the sash, but I really love the way it looks with a bright belt! Also, I did some construction-magic on the dress where the straps and ruffles connect, so no raw edges are showing. This was quite tricky and I am smacking myself for not taking pictures of the process but at the time I was so engrossed in figuring it out and I thought it would be too tricky to explain.
I finished the hem with some vintage hem tape that I had in my stash to match the contrasting fabric (also from my stash) I used for the pockets and bodice lining. I really need to be better at taking pictures of the insides of things!
So, I think I will pretty much be wearing this every summer for the rest of my life! Its so fun and girly and classic I just love it! And the best part… it cost very little to make. I got every little thing from my stash, and I don’t remember how much the blue fabric was, but I know it was crazy-cheap at some flea market. The yellow fabric was given to me and all of the other notions I had… if you ask me, this dress was practically free!!
I’d love to hear your thoughts & comments below!
Happy Sewing!
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That is one beautiful dress! Love the open back. You are one talented lady. 🙂 Love the pop of red as well. Found you via Thrifters Anonymous Link up. <br /><br />- Sukhi<br />http://happinesswinner.blogspot.com/
Thanks so much Sukhi!
Absolutely love the dress. The fabric is adorable and goes so well with the red accents. Your lining is such a great choice. Love this all the way around. Beautiful work. 🙂
Thanks Jessica! I love doing something fun and sneaky with linings… its like a secret present to myself 🙂
This is very cute! And great visuals on your photo too!
Thanks so much Sue!
I love your dress–it's so sweet and charming, especially in that vintage fabric, and then you turn and around and BOOM! Sexy open back! Beautiful.
Thanks so much Beth! I'm a sucker for patterns with open backs!
Lovely dress! And I love the red accents! I have choose red shoes for last week's challenge (If the shoe fits) @ Project Sewn. 🙂
Thanks so much! There is actually a matching sash in the self fabric but I prefer the belt – not only is it a pop of color but it adds some modernism too.