After a day of hiking boots, fleece outerwear, fresh air, sunshine, socializing with other humans, and rigorous exercise, all counter to the Selfish Seamtress’s natural tendencies, there’s nothing she loves more than unwinding with painstaking precision sewing and a little alliteration. Hence the plum poplin and pintucks:
This is the beginnings of BurdaMag 12-2006-108, the tux dress pattern that I posted about earlier:
I’m planning on making several changes to this dress- making the collar band a little less tall, eliminating the waist bow, doing the whole bodice in one color rather than with a contrast bib, skipping out on the prescribed tulle petticoat (Petticoat with an A-line skirt? Hrmmm.), and ditching the pockets. I’m not so keen on pockets right over my belly on a dress. I’m also finding that the bodice of this dress is super short even though I didn’t make any petite adjustments to it at all, so I’m going to drop the waistband a smidge. And I’m going to skip the bodice lining as well. It makes sense for BurdaMag’s original fabrics (moiré and taffeta!) but not so much for the lightweight poplin shirting I’m using (leftover from Dan’s Valentine shirt and the still-unfinished Camicia #9).
Here’s where I am so far:
I’m planning on doing the skirt in some dark gray herringbone rayon suiting that I purchased in Germany back in 2007 and have had in my stash forever (somehow or other 6 meters of it seemed like the right amount to purchase at the time):
Anyway, that’s what I’ve got going on now. What are you up to?
24 comments
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August 8, 2010 at 8:04 am
lakaribane
You just killed me!!!! I LOVE IT. You are giving me ideas, sister.
August 8, 2010 at 8:04 am
Sandi
Love the purple and herringbone combo. That will look really sophisticated. I’m still in the midst of styling up my 3y.o. DD, but after my mom bought a fabulous leather jacket that looks just like one of the new McCall’s patterns, I really want to make one of those for myself.
August 8, 2010 at 8:51 am
Ellen
This is looking beautiful! I’m excited to see how it comes together. I’m hoping to get started on a muslin for a pencil skirt tonight. I recently purchased this beautiful Ralph Lauren wool and just can’t wait to begin sewing with it. Boring muslin first though!
August 8, 2010 at 9:01 am
Kerry
Your dress is reminding me of this one from Kate Spade:
Cloey Dress from Kate Spade
It is sort of a hybid of your coffee date dress design mixed with the Burda pattern and your fabric choices.
I cannot wait to see it finished.
August 8, 2010 at 9:42 am
Pammie
Those pin tucks are fantastic selfish! Seriously, I am all about making polartec for an Alaska trip – I love the detail and finish you put in all your projects – I like to think of it as you are “selfish” about your sewing – putting ALL your energy in to make them perfect:)
August 8, 2010 at 10:34 am
Robin Denning
Those colors and textures will be wonderful together. Now I understand that pattern. You are making sense out of it.
August 8, 2010 at 12:22 pm
~Sherry~
I like the look of this!
I’ve just started a Chanel-style jacket – the lining is quilted to the main fabric, and there is lots of hand sewing…..
August 8, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Sewing Princess
I love the top and the precision of those pintucks. I have been spending my weekend on some pintucks for a top myself…I thought it was going to be an afternoon project and it turns out I spent the whole weekend on it…
August 8, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Sarah
That is going to be one luscious dress! I’m finishing up a pair of slim trousers in linen made from vintage Butterick 7762.
August 8, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Gail
I know this dress is going to be a winner. The plum colour is quite edible!
August 8, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Emmy
Oh lord, I’m in awe of your pintucking! I hate it and will avoid if it all possible, so kudos. The colour combo is gorgeous, looking forward to seeing the finished frock.
I’m not sure what to do with myself at the moment, as my overlocker spazzed out on me yesterday, keeps breaking needles and needs to be taken for a good seeing to. I might delve into my copy of the Armstrong-Jones Patternmaking book and draft some stuff for autumn while I wait for the machine to come home to mummy.
August 8, 2010 at 4:50 pm
tumblina
I totally agree about the pockets – I put ones just like that into a 6 gore skirt and the darned things opened up each time I stepped or sat down, even if they managed to lay kinda flat when I stood still (difficult over a belly!).
I just so happen to have a pleated-front blouse cut out – I’m thinking of adding the blind-hem-mock-hand-stitch detail described in a Threads magazine.
August 8, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Jacinta
Ohhh ohhh ohh, love the purple colour. Those pintucks look amazing.
Can’t wait to see it finished! :)
http://modelmumma.blogspot.com
August 8, 2010 at 4:59 pm
sewsister
Like everyone, I love the plumb and herringbone!
We’re off to Germany in October — Bremen, Munchen, Rothenberg ob der Tauber and Berlin with a 10 hour layover in Amstedam. Please let me know where the great fabric stores are located!!
No new sewing here, after successful garage sale’ing, we’re recovering teak dining room chairs, refinishing the table with tung oil and reviving a vintage Eaton’s Viking (made in Japan).
I need a weekend to recuperate from the weekend!
August 8, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Fourth Daughter
That does indeed look like an operation that requires the precision of a scientist, so it’s lucky you ARE a scientist.
Not much sewing-from-scratch happening here, I’ve been customising boots and trying to work out how to use my massive stash of kimono material to make a fashions-on-the-field-worth outfit for the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival in October but am all out of enthusiasm, inspiration and motivation. Help would be appreciated!
http://stylewilderness.blogspot.com/
August 8, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Elizabeth
It’s gorgeous. Pintucks. Purple. My favorite things!!! Can’t wait to see it finished.
August 8, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Trudy Callan
Purple is my best color. Your pintucks look great.
Trudy
http://www.sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com
August 9, 2010 at 4:03 am
senaSews
Fantastic fabric choices. Love that plum with the tweed!
August 9, 2010 at 10:15 am
Susan - KnittersDelight
The color and texture combination is flawless!
August 9, 2010 at 10:42 am
Misty
I can’t wait to see the finished product! Funny you should ask what I’ve been up to — driving across the country for 4 days moving from CA to GA, and wishing I could read Selfish Seamstress all day instead of staring at endless miles of road in front of me.
August 9, 2010 at 11:39 am
Angela
It’s going to be so beautiful! Love the fabric pairing!
August 9, 2010 at 2:41 pm
amber
That dress is off to a fantastic start!
I spent most of the weekend cutting out baby clothes for gifts (I know, I know, I can feel your disapproving looks from all the way over here) and sewed up most of a quickie racerback dress for moi. The dress sort of makes up for all of the SWAG stuff, yes?
August 9, 2010 at 6:22 pm
urbanjill
Looks good so far. I’m organizing the stash so that when school starts for DD in a week I’ll be ready to sew like crazy.
August 10, 2010 at 9:14 am
Burda vs. Selfish Seamstress: I win. « The Selfish Seamstress
[…] think the photo of the skirt material I showed in the last post about this dress gave the false impression that I was using a rather coarse herringbone tweed. That’s not the […]