Catching the Wave

July is "dresses" month for the Stashbusting Challenge. I made a matching top and skirt my July Burda Challenge. If I wear them together, an innocent observer might think they were a dress. But I wanted to sew something that was really on theme, so here is the real deal.

This is the wave dress from the May, 2012 issue of Burdastyle (dress #107c).

My version, in blues

Actually, it looks like they called it "luminous," which makes sense considering the colors they chose.

Burda's version, more luminous than mine

One of my sewing goals has been to try some color blocking. Does this pattern not cry out for color blocking? In fact, I can't imagine fussing with that insert pattern piece if you weren't going to color block.

I've dipped my toe into the color pool by combining black and gray for some undies, but I couldn't scare up the confindence to pick fabric for a garment meant to be publicly displayed. I'd pull bolts off the shelves, lay them next to each other, start to hyperventilate and leave with nothing.

The answer was to drag my artist friend, Martha, along with  me to Hart's for a shopping spree. If you look in the dictionary, under "eye for color," you will find Martha. Under her direction, I picked a Kaffe Fassett shot cotton in blue along with a batik with some blues, grays and browns in it. Mission accomplished!

I liked this pattern when it first came out but I was intimidated by the front insert. Looks like princesss seams on steroids, doesn't it?

I considered my approach carefully. I ended up stay-stitching at 1/2 inch along both edges of the insert and both wavey edges of the side fronts. Then I just went slow and did some easing and everything went fine. I had to clip in a couple of places to help with matching those opposing curves, but I tried to leave the seam allowance alone as much as possible so I'd have maximum options for finishing.

After the seams were sewn, I presssed, trimmed the allowances, and finished with my overcasting foot. That Kaffe Fassset cotton has a bit of a loose weave, but I think that should keep everything in place.

I put the pattern together just like Burda suggested, except I moved the zipper from the side to the back. Zipper pulls in my arm pit always kind of bug me. That meant cutting the back as two pieces, rather than on the fold. If I were going to do this dress again (and I might), I'd add a little shaping to that back seam. Burda calls this a sheath dress, but it's pretty loose-fitting.

Back view - wow, that shot cotton kind of does a moire, doesn't it?

I'm planning on taking this dress along with me on our road trip to the Southwest in August, so the airy fit will probably be just the ticket.



My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.