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A Floral Silk Charmeuse Dress [Burda 7907]

Hello, friends!

 

silk panel 1

How do you like my new dress?  This is honestly one of the most sumptuous fabrics that I’ve ever had in my sewing room.  It’s a stretch silk charmeuse panel print by Catherine Malandrino.

silk panel 2

This was one of my impulse buys from Fabric Mart that when I saw the fabric, I just had to have it, with no real idea of what I would make with it.  This is a panel print, but thankfully, the panels are not separated by lines or frames or anything — they blend into each other.  That made it significantly easier to cut out.  However, the flower print is large and I didn’t want to lose their beauty, so I racked my brain when I thought of what pattern to use.  I figured it would be best in a fabric with few pattern pieces and since this Burda pattern is only two, is made it much easier to showcase the beauty of this fabric.

[source: Pattern Review]

This is Burda 7097.  It’s a simple dress with kimono sleeves.  It pretty much looks likes a caftan without a belt, but as the model on the pattern envelope has a belt on, I assumed that it was meant to worn that way.  My only problem is that the belt likes to move up on my silky fabric, so it’s a lot of adjusting throughout the day.

silk panel collage

I lined this dress with a nylon lining I had in my stash, which makes this dress pretty hot.  I’ve worn this twice already — once to a sanjeet and also to an event in San Francisco.  Both times I was hot…. I tell you what, I’m really hoping and praying for the cool weather and rain to hit us VERY SOON.

silk panel back

I attempted to try and match the print on the side seams, but it wasn’t going to work with only two large pattern pieces.  I sewed French seams in both the dress and lining and hand-stitched bindings on the sleeves.  The neckline does not seem to sit as nicely as I’d like on the V.  I under-stitched it and it did not seem to lay flat even with clipping the seam as I generally do, so I unpicked about half the neckline and with a good iron, it goes the way I want it to.  This pattern was supposed to have a binding on the neck as well, so I imagine that would have alleviated that problem.  Of course, I have to do things my own way…

silk panel 3

This pattern is super simple to sew and generally doesn’t take long to make.  It took me a little longer as I have lining and French seams in mine.  I’m so in love with the fabric and look forward to wearing this often.  Even with the irritation of the belt moving up and the hot lining, it’s super silky and glorious feeling to wear.  I have a little more of this fabric left and am looking forward to making something with that. 🙂

silk panel collage 2

The jersey dress and the top that are also in this pattern look like they’d be fun to make as well.  I am so picky about buying knits these days that those will have to wait until I find something super awesome to make them with!

silk panel 4

Happy sewing!

  • Dress:  BurdaStyle 7097 in Catherine Malandrino panel print silk charmeuse, made by me
  • Shoes:  Stuart Weitzman
  • Belt:  Macy’s
  • Earrings:  Bauble Bar
  • Sunglasses:  D&G

Comments

  1. Absolutely Lovely! You look so great in that dress. I’m tempted to try that pattern myself.

  2. I LOVE this dress!! I bought that same fabric and I’m so scared to cut into it. I need to find something similar to this. Only a few pattern pieces so I don’t have to cut up the print.

  3. Why, why, why did I not buy some of this fabric??? It’s even better in dress form! You placed the flowers perfectly. Wear this one to shreds!

  4. Oooo. So pretty. I can see why you couldn’t resist this fabric. I’m always a bit stumped when it comes to panels. I know they’re just fabric, but something about the discontinuity of the pattern repeat throws me. I would never have guess that this was a panel fabric. It came together seamlessly!

    • Thank you, Michelle! Yes, I know the feeling. The last panel print I had I gave it to my MIL as I couldn’t wrap my head around how to cut it out! And she, of course, made a beautiful dress out of it. I’ve since learned to find a pattern that works with your panel and not the other way around.

  5. The dress looks absolutely fabulous, it’s a great look on you. It’s too bad the lining makes it hot – it’s definitely the lining doing it, as real silk, even multi layered, is really nice to wear in summer because it keeps you cool

  6. Awesome job. Love the fabric & pattern combo. Perhaps you could make little black chain link belt loops on each side to keep the belt from sliding around on the silk. Cant wait to see what you make with the leftover silk 🙂

  7. I love it!! Looking for a pattern that I can make a comfortable staple dress in, and this looks like it could be the one! Fabric is gorgeous too 🙂

    • Thank you! It is such a nice fabric. It would be even better without a lining or with a stretch lining so you can get the full use of what the fabric has to offer.

  14. I love the dress and you used the fabric perfectly!! I also bought some of this fabric…and didn’t realize the scale of the flowers until it arrived on my doorstep, once I get motivated I’ll be coming back to look at this again 🙂

    • Thanks, Carrie! I had no idea what to do with it either, but I just found it so beautiful that I had to buy it! I hope you find something gorgeous to make with it!

  16. OMG that fabric is the business! I love that you just went for a simple silhouette – really shows it off so well. And great pattern placement – would have been easy to go wrong. What a great dress to have in your wardrobe!

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Mrs. Hughes: A retro inspired, vintage garment sewing and plus-size dressmaking blog by Tanya Maile Hughes.