Sewing Update

I desperately needed to make a dress for my last competition, Emerald Ball, and I didn't really have time document as I went. I followed the Burda pattern and am glad I did it without taking you all along with me, because I ended up not liking how they have you construct the garment.

I basically made the dress following their directions, was not happy with the way it fit or felt, so started over and constructed the dress using the Burda pattern but with my own techniques that I had mostly learned from working with the Kwik-Sew Swim and Actionwear book. And look at the results:

Stay tuned, I plan to make a dress for demonstration/teaching purposes and blog all about it here starting after I get back from Blackpool in June.

Preparing to Sew

Once you have your pattern and your fabric, you have to prepare them both for sewing.

Unless you are using a stretch fabric that could be prone to running, I sincerely suggest washing it first. Use cold water, just a little detergent, and a gentle cycle. Dry it on medium or low without dryer sheets or fabric softener. Washing the fabric helps it to all shrink evenly if it was stretched out in shipping, gets off any surface dirt picked up during manufacturing and shipping, and handles any color displacement that might occur.

You can wash the chiffon or georgette if you want, but I rarely bother to because the cut ends will ravel.

To prepare the pattern, start by taking out the instruction sheets. On the first page you'll see a list of pattern pieces with the "view" they correspond to. We are making view B. Carefully unfold the pattern tissue sheets and cut apart (but don't cut on the actual pattern lines) all the pieces you will be using. Notice that in one corner of one of the sheets there is size/measurement information, and also cutting layouts. Put these with your instruction sheets. Put anything you aren't using back in the envelope.

Set your iron on low, and gently iron all the pattern pieces you will be using. For accuracy's sake, you want the pattern pieces to lay flat when you are cutting out the fabric. Notice that pattern pieces 7 and 8 in the skirt have to be attached to each other. Attach them as directed, using tape or glue stick or whatever. Just do it neatly so everything lines up and doesn't ripple or wrinkle. Now put all the pattern pieces aside where your cats won't get them. One of mine delights in shredding pattern tissue.

Now comes the difficult part: taking your measurements. Start by putting on whatever undergarments you intend to wear under the dress. This pattern covers a regular bra, and as such does not include instructions on how to deal with bra cups (this is partly why this is a good starting garment for beginners, and is also BYU-friendly).

Using a tape measure, take the 11 measurements listed on the sheet. It's best to measure three times, and then average the results. It's even better to have a friend do this rather than trying to measure yourself, but I measure myself all the time and have never had a real problem with it.

By the way, this dress is designed for someone who is 5' 6" tall. I will discuss making adjustments as we go.

Once you've taken all your measurements, circle the place on lines 2, 3, and 4 that match your measurements. If you are between sizes, select the smaller size. Hopefully you will find that all three of these are in the same size column. If not, don't worry, we can make adjustments. We're just trying to determine your "base" size for the purpose of this pattern.

Now this is where it gets a little weird. We ballroom dancers like our dresses to fit snugly. So, whatever your base size is according to the charts, you should cut the dress one size smaller. So, if it comes out that you are an 8 in the pattern size (that's about a 31 1/2" bust, a 24 1/2" waist, and 34" hips) then you will cut a 6. I base this on experiment I did with the pattern a couple of weeks ago -- I think the pattern as designed is more roomy than we like.

Do not fret about the numbers. Ready-to-wear clothes sizes have lost all relationship they ever had to pattern sizes. It's just a number. Pretend it's a letter or a mysterious Prince-like symbol if that helps. My ready-to-wear size is about three sizes smaller than my pattern size! That said, if you are already small (smaller than 31 1/2" bust, 24 1/2" waist, and 34" inch hips) it might be tricky downsizing this pattern enough for you to use.

Take a look at the pattern pieces. You will see that all the sizes are drawn on the same sheet. If you are one base size, then use a highlighter to mark the pattern in a few places to remind you where you're supposed to be cutting. But don't cut out yet :)

If you are not one size (say your hips are a size or two bigger), then we have some adjusting to do. We also might have some adjusting to do based on your measurements on on lines 5, 8, and 9. Making these kinds of pattern adjustments, plus adjustments to the neckline, back, and armholes, will be the topic of my next post.

Fabric and Notions

Now that you've purchased your pattern, it's time to talk about fabric and notions. "Notions" are those things that aren't fabric that go into the final garment.

Let's start with the biggest question, fabric.

The top part of this dress is made with a two-way stretch fabric. It is vitally important that the fabric stretch both across and up-and-down. It is best if it stretches in equal amounts in both directions, because this gives you the most options in laying out the pattern for cutting. The pattern recommends lycra jersey, which is what I will be using for this project. You can use swimsuit material, or a stretch matte jersey lycra blend like the Chrisanne "dance crepe" stretch fabric.

The skirt is made from two layers of chiffon. I do not suggest working with silk unless you already experienced with this beautiful (and expensive) material. Get a nice basic polyester chiffon instead. The pattern also recommends the use of georgette, which is a heavier weight version of chiffon with a slightly crinkled surface texture. If you are only going to do two layers, then the georgette is a much better bet to ensure that the skirts aren't too see-through. If you are going to use chiffon, seriously consider adding a third layer. You will need to purchase an additional 5 yards of chiffon, beyond what is recommended on the pattern envelope under BII, for this third layer.

Your simplest option: If you're like me, and have little to no hope of finding chiffon that will match the rest of the dress, then simply don't bother and make the skirt out of one layer of the same material that you are using for the top. You will need to purchase 5 yards more than what is listed on the envelope back under BI. Going this route will also save you from having to cut, sew, and hem three circle's worth of chiffon!

I do not intend to follow the directions on the pattern for floats. I will answer questions about that, of course, but I prefer a different float shape. The float in the pattern is made from a rectangle of fabric that is 53 1/2" long and 48" wide. If your chiffon is only 45" wide, I am certain that will work. The fabric requirements on the back on the envelope supposedly include this, but I always worry about not having enough fabric. My thinking is that if it takes about 10 yards to make the two-layer skirt, then where is the fabric for the float coming from? Far better to buy an extra 1 1/2 yards of chiffon and be sure of having enough, than running out. If you making the skirt out of lycra, you'll need 1 1/2 yards of chiffon for the float in the pattern. Two yards should be enough if you're going to go "freestyle" on with the floats and worry about them later, like me.

Aside from the fabric, you will need thread to sew it all up. If you can't find a color that matches exactly, get as close as you can. Some people think it's better to go a bit darker, some lighter. My best advice on this is that it depends on the fabric. Just choose what you think will work the best. Get lots of thread, because it's completely awful to run out in the middle of a project -- just make sure you can return any unopened spools. My thread of choice is Gutermann, which is available pretty much everywhere. You might want to bring the pattern to the store and talk to someone to get help on deciding how much thread to buy, since Gutermann comes on several different sized spools, depending on color.

You will also need 1/4" wide elastic. I prefer the soft "natural color" cottony-feeling elastic, but the stiffer so-called "braided" elastic is also fine. The pattern suggests 48"-56", depending on size. I suggest getting two yards, since elastic isn't expensive and I'd hate to make a mistake, have to redo something, and run out in the middle of the project. If you can't get 1/4" elastic, I often use 3/8" and that works fine.

If you are making the skirt out of one layer of stretch material and want to add some "oomph" to the hem by stiffening it a little bit, you will need 8 yards of polyester "horsehair braid." This comes in several widths, I like 3/8" or 1/2". Using the horsehair braid also makes it very easy to make a very nicely finished hem.

The leotard part in this pattern has a snap crotch. I am a lazy and impatient sewer, and don't trust snaps, so I will not be making a snap crotch. If you decide to go this route, you will need three snaps. Ask for advice in the store -- you don't want some wimpy snap that will pull apart while you are dancing.

You should also make sure you some basic tools to aid in construction:

• iron
  
• ironing board
  
• ball-point needles (for sewing the stretch parts)
  
• universal or sharp needles (for sewing the chiffon or georgette)
  
• marking pens (the purple ones that disappear are pretty good)
  
• yard stick
  
• measuring tape
  
• dressmaker's design ruler or French curve
  
• pins (LOTS, and a magnetic "grabber" pin cushion to keep them organized)
  
• medium-sized safety pins (LOTS, for fittings)
  
• small scissors for snipping threads
  
• good scissors for cutting the cloth (I prefer a rotary cutter myself, but regular scissors are still necessary)
  

Okay, time to go shopping! And of course, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Sew along with Laura: Burda 7879

Want to sew your first ballgown?

Interested in 'watching' me sew a very simple but nice ballgown?

Follow me here as I use Burda pattern 7879 to make a dress!

As I go, I will explain what I am doing, including providing pictures of my work-in-progress. If you follow along at home, you can post questions here or join the discussion on Dance Forums. I'll also be giving personalization tips as we go!

If you're going to join in and sew along with me, you'll need a few things:

1) A basic background in sewing. I'm going to assume that people following along have sewn before.

2) Burda pattern 7879. I got mine online at SewingPatterns. I've also seen Burda patterns for sale at JoAnn, but the stores don't always carry the full line so you might end up having to order it.

3) Basic sewing materials: a regular machine that can do zig-zag, good scissors, pins, needles, fabric marking pens, a place where you can cut things out, rulers, a French curve or dressmaker's curve, a measuring tape, etc.

Don't worry about materials specific to the dress just yet. I'll cover selecting materials in one of the posts here.