"Waist Knot" Burda knit dress

I'm working away on my Advanced BurdaStyle teaching course, and the first assignment was this dress with the special "Burda twist" feature at the waistline (Burda 101 01/18)

I used a lightweight polyknit from my stash that I bought ages and ages ago, and because it was so stretchy I could leave out the back zip. A more stable knit would require a zip as per pattern but I went with this stash fabric because it was handy. As my sister commented, it made this dress a real "Waist Knot, Want Not" outfit anyhow!

It was a fun challenge, although the air was a little more blue than green when I was trying to figure out that waist knot. You sew one folded piece, leaving a centre opening, thread the other one through and then sew it up. It's fiddly and requires a lot of fabric shifting to get it to work, then there's the zhushing of the twist once it's sewn together. Argh! But I got it to lay properly, and then basted it to the front. It's a great design, though, just narrower than the bodice piece so that when you wear it, it stretches to fit and doesn't sag. 

One thing I didn't think about was how the vertical stretch would lengthen the dress due to the weight of the fabric. The bodice is about 1/2" too long now, especially in the back -- I'd raise and widen the back waistline a smidge if I made it out of a fabric like this again. Or I'd just use a knit without this kind of vertical stretch. 

But I like the actual length of the skirt; this feels like a 30s tea dress to me now, like I should be swishing around doing the foxtrot or something. And surprisingly enough, I think the oversize flowers work. I wore a cropped orange cardigan with this in the same tone as the orange in the flower and it looked quite cheery and festively autumnal. I did wear the long sleeves pushed up all day though - must remember that I much, much prefer an elbow length and/or 3/4 sleeve over a full length one. 

The rest of this pattern was quite straightforward. I like the fit overall, even if the back waist is a bit too narrow for me. I hemmed skirt and sleeves, and finished the neckline, with a twin needle, something I finally learned how to do in this Burda course. I really like the effect and am going to try to keep using this finish when I can. 

This one is an unexpected hit for me -- I enjoyed making it and it was fun to wear, too.