Burda Magazine 10/2011-146

Myra was having a really tough day a few days ago, so I let her in to my sewing room (a big treat!) to choose some fabric for a dress. Naturally, she chose this craptastic old jersey sheet that was on its way to the thrift store...

Fortunately, it turned out really cute. The kid has a great eye.

She actually inadvertently chose the pattern as well. We were sitting on the couch, flipping through Burda back issues together, when she spotted #146 from the 10/2011 issue and asked me to make that dress for her. The smallest size was a 104 and she is still a 98, so I thought I'd peruse my Ottobre collection to see if there was something similar in her size, but there wasn't anything I liked as well, so I decided to just make the 104 and call it room to grow. I know, I could have graded down the one size. I'm lazy.

The dress is simple, but with some really cute details. It has a high waisted bodice with a set in sleeve, which is long in the magazine, but I shortened for summer wear. The neckline was to be finished with a simple turned and stitched hem, but I decided to bind it instead. The skirt is a simple dirndl skirt at about a 3:1 ratio, so there is plenty of volume for twirling. The neckline is high and wide - almost a boatneck.

The shoulder is buttoned rather than seamed and the buttons are functional, which makes it easy to get over Myra's melon head. Burda's instructions for creating the button placket were totally incomprehensible - something to do with twill tape. I just made it up as I went along, backing the buttonholes with extra wide bias tape and binding the underlap seam allowance with the same and turning it under. It works and it looks fine, but I'm pretty sure Burda had something else in mind. There was also no marking for the shoulder point, so I have no idea where it was supposed to overlap. I managed to get the sleeves in, so I must have been in the ball park with my guess, but who knows?

Size-wise, the 104 is definitely roomy, but the neckline is fine, so it is very wearable. The length is really good, hitting Myra just below the knee. Since there is plenty of room in the bodice, I suspect that once she outgrows it as a dress, I can get an extra season out of it as a tunic.

Myra's favorite part (and I admit, mine as well) is the little velour decal of a deer I added to the bodice front.  It blends a little with the crazy print, but Myra loves it. It's soft and fuzzy. She's calling the dress her "deer dress" in honor of the decal.

Overall, I am pleased with my first attempt at a Burda kids pattern. Aside from the typically useless Burda instructions, the pattern is great and Myra really likes her new dress.