#summersewing

Cousin to The Seven Year Itch Halter Dress, Butterick 6938

There is a famous scene in the 1955 film, The Seven-Year Itch, a movie set in a hot summer in New York City when air conditioning was still rare. Marilyn Monroe is standing over a subway grate and the whoosh of a train blows up the skirt of her white halter dress giving some relief from the heat.

This re-issued 1950s pattern from Butterick is the cousin to that famous white dress. There are differences--Monroe’s dress by Travilla had a pleated skirt, a waist-tie, and no buttons in front--but they share a silhouette of fitted bodice with a halter neck and a full skirt.  Indeed, you could alter this pattern to make it look more like the iconic dress, but the ensemble here is both charming and practice.

The buttons on the front bodice appear on the little jacket as well. And the jacket is a nice addition since air-conditioning can create a chill on many a summer evening out.  While the buttons are functional, you get into the dress with a side zipper.

The dress and jacket take 6-7 yards of 45″ fabric, and they suggest crispy cottons like chambray, broadcloth or pique, or fancier silks like taffeta or shantung.  I  would either test muslin the bodice or add extra-large seam allowances (3/4″), so that you can tweak the close fit. You need to take into account the shape of the shoulders, the bustline and the waistline and how they relate to each other, are you long-waisted, short-waisted, etc.

Realize the skirt will be WIDE, and you may prefer to pleat it rather than gather it at the waist to reduce bulk. The 1950s designers loved the fitted bodice with the enormous skirt, but many of us find it overwhelming to the eye.

BurdaStyle Magazine, August 2023

This issue has a range of transitional clothing and some successful and not so successful novelty pieces. Dress 124 in blue and white stripes, which you see here, takes the maritime look and makes it more playful by setting the stripes in various directions while keeping and envelope neckline. A good choice, if you have some striped jersey and want to have fun with a nice casual dress.

As you can see in the pale peach Top 119, the draped cowlneck here does not succeed because the knit fabric is too stiff. They also show this in a much drapier knit as Dress 118, see the sketches, but the results are sloppy looking. The cut of a draped cowlneck takes some care and can be very graceful when done right. I put that top on par with the Sleeveless Trench Coat 126, see the sketches, which is silly because the point of trench coats with their double-breasted front is to keep you safe from the elements. Taking off the sleeves is like cutting a hole in your rain boots. Not the best idea.

But we do have success with the Designer Pattern dress 129 with princess seams, ruffles, and sheer gathered sleeves by the brand Thisiskachi. For the romantic type, this would make a lovely dress for a special occasion or an evening event.

A far simpler make is Long Blouse 109 which they did in a blue and white toile print. If you look at the sketches, this is a simple collared, button-front blouse elongated, but the print makes it quietly dramatic. It shows you how a print can do most of the work. It has knit cuffs for some reason, but you can put on matching cuffs if you like. Of course, you could easily shorten this pattern too.

The cover has Skirt 102 which has deep pleats and pockets which comes in a shorter version as well. If you look at the sketches, you will also see several dresses, some cut close to the body and others more full in the skirt. All come in a wide range of sizes, and all are included in the master pattern sheets which you must copy from. Instructions are limited to words, but the Long Blouse and Jacket 114 come with full sewing lessons.

Blue Watercolor: Vogue 8013

This is the second time I have made this pattern and I like it better each time. It has the popular fit and flare silhouette of the 1950s, the slightly higher hemline of the late 1950s, and an easy in sewing and wearing despite its many details. For example, it has raglan sleeves, which are much easier to sew than set-in sleeves, yet it has turned back cuffs which add a sportier air. The cuffs also shift attention upward & broaden the mass of the upper half of the dress which helps to balance the dress from top to bottom.  

I did alter some elements: adding a side snap placket and ending the buttons at the waistline for design reasons, interfacing the front bodice facing for constructions reasons, and removing the pockets in the side seams for wearing reasons. Because the print is the highlight of the dress, I chose dark blue buttons which blur into the print as they are the same color and size of some of the blue spots of color.

Because this linen/cotton/spandex blend has a naturally crinkled texture, working with it posed some problems. Every time I pressed a seam, I flatted out the texture which, with time and humidity, would then reappear. So I needed to take care not to temporarily stretch a piece of fabric that would eventually snap back into a smaller shape; I opted not to interface the collar as I had wrinkle problems no matter what kind of interfacing I tried. Crinkled gauzes in cotton and rayon pose even greater problems. You need to take care when you cut and sew to work with the crinkles and not temporarily distort the fabric. This is why many crinkled cottons garment are made in simple shapes.

BurdaStyle April 2023

This issue has us moving into the summer season, so if you are not already sewing for hotter weather, you will start thinking you should be. There are sleeveless tops and a fuller skirt and pants for the seasonal look.

See Skirt 127 for one with a shaped and fitted yoke and then gathered below the show it in a striped terra cotta print, and various border prints might work well too. Since gathers can create mass, a rayon challis or a silk crepe or some other fabric with lots of drape would be a good idea. Trousers 125 A and 125 B would also work well in drapey fabrics as they have multiple pleats. You do want to wear them cropped as they show you as very wide legs worn long will catch on your feet at you walk.

You can always shorten Maxi Dress 119 if you don’t want such a long hemline. In fact, they shortened it into Top 120. Both have little pleats at the front neckline, and then gathers at both the collar and the waistline which has a drawstring. Again, gathers mean that a soft fabric with drape will work nest and also show off the little flounce in the sleeve. The pleats and the sleeve flounce do not exactly harmonize, so you might want to swap out a different sleeve, or simply take the sleeve and use it elsewhere.

There are sleeker looks as well as you can see in the sketches knit Dress 111, pleated Dress 116, and Top 109.

All of these patterns are included in this issue, printed out in overlapping lines on the pattern sheets. You then copy your garment and your size onto your own paper. Most of these come in sizes from 36-44 and some come in a few more sizes on either end of the size scale.

BurdaStyle Magazine, July 2023

This issue has a lot of sportswear, but I want to focus on the dresses as they can keep you cooler in the summer.

The first one is on the cover, Dress 101, a fitted dress whose playful print almost obscures the top stitching that runs along the shaped front band and the shoulders straps. A looser long style is Dress 102 shown in another playful print, this one has giant parrots, which has tied straps. Dress 106, shown in a print for work, has a closed back, while its sister Dress 105, shown only in the sketches here is another long dress for play with criss-cross straps in the back.

A more sophisticated look is the draped sheath Dress 121 down here in green, a nice look for an evening out to a formal event. While Dress 120, shown here in a busy print, has a v-neck front and back and a shaped bodice which would also look nice in a solid.

As the sketches show, there are both loose and simple active sportswear pieces from tops to shorts, and then fitted, stretchy sportswear. Be willing to take care with the fit of these; try extra-large seam allowances, baste and try on, before you settle on how you want them to fit. Although the elasticity of knits can cope with a range of sizes, a comfortable fit for your measurements is a necessity.

There are two small projects thrown in-- a zippered cosmetic bag and a head wrap for after a shower--plus fashion news. All of the patterns are included and most of them have written instructions and sketches of the pattern pieces only. They chose two patterns each issue to fully instruct, a great help to the novice dressmaker. The patterns must be traced out from mastersheets with overlapping lines.

Try your local fabric store, or find it online here:

BurdaStyle June 2023

This issue starts with a sundress on the cover, Dress 103, which is perfect for border prints as it is made of gathered rectangles of fabric. You can opt out of the ruffle on the strap if that is not your style. Dress 110 is another sun dress which they show in yellow with a flounce around top edge and a short feature offers some tips on sewing flounces.

One of the full, illustrated sewing lessons features knit T-Shirt 121 which has a knotted, draped front as you see in dark red, but it doesn’t appear to be a successful design: wrinkles appear in all the photos along the shoulders/neckline; a reminder that draping is tricky especially when it involves a tight fit. Far more successful as a top is the new little sleeveless Blouse Top 123 which has a keyhole neckline front and back and which you see here in a woven of white with black stripes. Also successful is the simple Dress 106 which they show here as a tunic. It needs a fabric with lots of drape to create the graceful look with the large, flowing sleeves. I think it also needs that obi belt in order to cover up the gathered elastic which gives the dress its shape. Elastic gathers always remind me of children’s wear; the obi belt brings the dress some sophistication. 

The last image shows the interesting Jacket 112 with a shaped pieced front which closes with an inside and outside tie. They show it as evening wear over a fancy dress which fits with its dramatic shaping.

There are more dresses as you can see from the sketches, three skirts, and some DIY projects. A pair of wide-legged pants which I would advise to cut to a cropped length as otherwise your shoes may catch the hemlines, especially on stairs. There are also plenty of simple tops; if you want a fast project, opt for a simple cut and let an an interesting print fabric do the work for you.

BurdaStyle, May 2023

It is summer already in sewing patterns and sun dresses abound, but so do sleeved dresses for parties or every day. You see here strapped Dress 102 in a playful print while Dress 124 in stripes has sleeves, front banding, and a shirttail hemline. Both come in a range of sizes, including plus sizes, as do all of the women’s clothing. Dress 101, a variation on 102, is offered as a sewing lesson as well.

For more sophisticated looks which would work for more formal occasions, see Dress 123, in the black and green print, which takes the bodice of 124 and adds cuffed sleeves and a flared and ruffled skirt, and adds contrast piping as well. Dress 123 has a full sewing lesson included in this issue. For a barer look, try Dress 121 (which can also be a top) It offers a draped “corsage bodice” and uses boning and elastic to achieve it. You will be surprised how simple the garment pieces look; the complexity lies in the manipulation and sewing of a fabric with some body. If that seems a challenged, remember that even the simple, fitted shirt dress, see Dress 109, can become more formal when done in white lace, a reminder that sometimes the fabric can do most of the work for us.

There is also some work wear including Blazer 104 with a novel yoke and collar which they show with a matching Skirt 114B, both made in a smaller, grey plaid.  Blouse 113 shown in a blue and white stripe, has a peplum and smocking at the cuffs. And the latter is a feature you could borrow for other garments as well.

As you can see there are more dresses, more tops, some children’s fashions which could easily be made into party wear with the right fabrics, two fitted vests, and both wide and skinny legged pants. All of the patterns are printed on the master pattern sheets and need to be copied off of them. There are written instructions for all the patterns, then some sketches to explain various more complex techniques, such as inserting a zipper. So a lot of patterns, and instructions, but you do need to copy the pattern pieces.