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Endless summer....stash busting with Burda 7231.


It was last day of school holidays today and my son and I went to see Shaun the Sheep, have some sushi and gelato down our suburb (we live 10 minutes walk in opposite directions to two independent cinemas so it's cheap and close!). I wore my new dress ... I've been struggling to feel it is finished so I hadn't worn it till today.

I made Burda 7231 about 4 weeks ago for our seemingly endless summer. Looks perfect for a long hot summer but it is deceiving. Maybe I should have taken more notice of  "young" on the envelope. I made it from some rayon I bought late last year at East Coast Fabrics. I really love the purple/grey with the flowers... one of my 4 sisters (or was it my niece?) said it looked like curtains! Hmph! No hand made things for them. 


The dress is a very loose fitting, blousy halter top with elastic in the back. Seemed so easy - and it is to sew it up - but the top part does not fit well at all, and I cannot see how to make it fit better. The bodice crosses over and it gapes at the neckline. If I pull it a bit tighter it just pulls under my arms and feels tight. Ive put the elastic in twice. Once looser and this time tighter, but neither way has made the top fit better.

I've tried pinning the bodice closed (how it is now), with the ties tied up at the front, pinned it with cross straps at the back but it just doesn't want to sit nicely.  Due to the looseness of the dress didn't need an FBA but what it needs I do not know.


I didn't have enough fabric to make the skirt as per the pattern so I just made a gathered rectangle of the width of the fabric and then I put the leftover length as a frill on the bottom. This frill makes the dress fun to wear... swishing very nicely when I walk.  So really other than the bodice I guess it isn't really this pattern.


My son took the photos and directed me to get the "swishing" of my dress. I'm really happy with his photo taking skills and if I can convince him, I'll get him to do more of my photography as it is better than my attempts at the piano or back deck. These look like I feel I look... instead of the stiff unnatural ones I take.

It was 30 degrees today (as I sit here at 10.16pm it is 27 degrees!) so it is indeed an endless summer but one that will cool down tomorrow if the forecast is correct.


See the gape and tightness at the arms. I've pinned the front together to see if I should just sew it down or maybe I'll just make it a strapless and be done with it.


 The dress swishing at my feet!

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Comments

Sarah Liz said…
The bodice does sit differently. But that may not be a problem - your top still looks nice, and other than you, no-one will know. so wear it, and enjoy it :). When the time comes, you can always use the bottom again and make a skirt or something else.
20 April, 2015 07:24
kbenco said…
It looks beautifully cool and delightfully swishy. No curtain vibes here and your son is clearly a budding photographer.
Re fitting, I think the upper bodice is too long for you - horizontal dart above the bust tapering to nothing at the armscye, but I wouldn't bother with this version, it looks fine pinned at the front, and better than most RTW
20 April, 2015 08:04
Summer Flies said…
Thanks ladies! Good advice. I'm not know to go back and fix stuff but maybe next summer I'll try again and shorten that bodice.
20 April, 2015 08:13
BeaJay said…
Lovely summer dress. You'll need to wear a cardi with it soon... brrrrrrr. Try some hat elastic threaded through the neckline. See if that helps. Thread it through and anchor it at the end of the tie. Don't pull too tight. Might work - might not.
20 April, 2015 09:08
Summer Flies said…
Good tip BeaJay! Now you say it I remember reading that a while ago... maybe on your blog? I'll try it and let you know.
20 April, 2015 13:31
colesworth said…
lovely swishiness - I'm finishing my last summery dress this week ;o)
20 April, 2015 14:54
katherine h said…
The colours in the fabric look so good on you...so nobody will notice the fit....enjoy wearing it.
20 April, 2015 16:13
Patricia said…
I love your fabric, it is so pretty, and prefer your skirt design to the one in the pattern. My suggestion re the neckline is similar to the hat elastic idea. You could hand stitch with a matching thread, a line of running stitch along or just inside the edge of each side, then carefully draw it up and see if it settles the problem. I see what you mean about the armhole - it pulls up too tight if you try to pull it up too much. Good luck, it is a great dress.
20 April, 2015 21:16
Symon said…
Love the dress, and the fabric is so summery :) I've had this problem before; on the flat pattern you take out a wedge the same amount as your excess and then true the grainline but since this is already sewed up, you can pinch out a dart along the neckline to smooth the excess fabric, and the pattern should hide it pretty well - quick fix! :)
30 April, 2015 04:26
Unknown said…
Love the colours and the style. You look like you are really good fun.
26 June, 2015 16:22
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