BurdaStyle Challenge May 18

Just getting in at the last minute to post my challenge for May.  I am loving this challenge set by Saturday Night Stitch, though it definitely hasn't been plain sailing.  First my magazine didn't arrive and I had to pick one on-line and then buy the pdf (still that did mean no tracing!).

I do love this dress, great shape, infact Burda suggested it as an option to copy Amal Clooney's royal wedding dress and she looked fab!  If it meant George might turn up I'd wear it every day.  I think this is the shape that probably suits me best.





The fabric is great; a stretch cotton by John Kaldor, originally I got it from Minerva Crafts but it seems to be sold out.  Still available on ebay though.  If you do work with stretch cotton, one thing I would advice is to do a lot of staystiching (ask me how I know this), or like me you will get a stretched neckline.  The stretch makes it incredibly comfortable.
  

I love the sweetheart neckline, though I would not make one like this again, you probably can't see but you make a separate shape a bit like an eyemask and then insert it at the neckline.  Easier said than done, as it just want to poke out!

Now if I'm on a journey in my dressmaking with Chanel as my goal, and hoping I might almost have got to Marks and Spencer, this is definitely only Primark.  I really did wing it.  It is supposed to have a lined bodice, but when my stretch lining came I didn't really like it, and I didn't know how to sew it in anyway, so I just started improvising, and it sort of ca.me out alright, though I think it won't have much longevity.

I cut a size 40, but had to make lots of adjustments.  Took at least 1" from the waist.  The princess seams meant that were lots of places for tweaking the fit.  I raised the waist by 1/4".  Reduced the sleeve width by at least 1", 1" from the centre back.  It really was a nightmare to fit, but in the end I got there.

It's also the last day of MeMadeMay and here are the final outfits.  It's been pretty easy to wear a different outfit every day, but the obvious gap for me is trousers.  I do need to get trousers cracked.