BurdaStyle 05/14 Shirred Dress

I have really enjoyed some of the recent BurdaStyle issues. I've previously been known to walk into a newsagent's, pick a BurdaStyle magazine off the shelf, flick though it and put it down again, wholly uninspired. However, surprisingly, since buying the March issue I haven't left out a single issue and have been buying and looking forward to them every month. I have traced several patterns off already, that are waiting in the sewing queue, but have only gotten around to sewing up one: the shirred dress from the May issue.

This dress is great. You only trace four fairly small pattern pieces off the incredibly confusing pattern sheets and you are ready to start cutting out and sewing. Of course, I have made some changes. I made an FBA and my tried-and-trusted anti-neckline-gaping fix. I also decided to make armhole facings, instead of using bias binding as suggested in the instructions.

To be honest, I did not follow the instructions at all, because the dress is easy enough to sew up without, and Burda mag instructions are just notoriously confusing to follow: "Turn it topwise and stitch leftwards!"

This was also the very first time I have done any serious amount of shirring. But hey, it was easy and my light-weight linen-y fabric shirred like a dream.

I wasn't very successful at keeping my rows parallel, but nobody really looks that closely.

All in all, a super successful and easy project. Great to wear in the summer, just pull it over your head and you are done.

Have you tried any Burda mag projects recently?