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9.15.2015

The Burda Girl's Flower Dress In Double Gauze

While much of the US is experiencing fall-ish weather, here in south central Texas, we're still having highs up into the low 90s (33 degrees C).  Everyone else might be bringing out the sweaters and jackets, but here we can still wear summer dresses.


Not one to pass up an opportunity, I made this summery dress for Iris, the Girl's Flower Dress #138 by Burda, but in a fallish color.  A nice compromise, I think.



I had actually planned to make this one for Tia.  But there were only 1.5 yards of this double gauze left in the Gnats Shop and I could barely eek out this dress for Iris from that amount.   It took some serious ninja skills to make it work and I had to decrease the width of the skirt pieces.  That actually turned out to be a good move - I think it otherwise may have been a bit too gathered for my taste.


I can see why this fabric was nearly sold out.  It's good stuff.  It feels substantial and has such nice body.  When it's worn, it gets the perfect amount of crinkle to it, almost like linen, but less wrinkly and softer.


I made a few changes to the pattern.  I left off the binding and the ribbon.  I ditched the underskirt and instead topstitched the lace to the skirt's hemline.


Burda patterns require a foundational knowledge of sewing (similar to Ottobre) and there's no hand holding here.  When I read the instructions initially, I was a bit intimidated.  But when I took it step-by-step and line-by-line, I was pretty impressed with the way this little dress came together.


There were some slick finishing details, too.  I kind of love having those moments of awe when you have no idea how something is going to come together and then suddenly it does, right before your eyes.  Even after 7 years of sewing, it's just as thrilling as it was in the beginning.


Iris has recently taken to sleeping through the night.  She'll be four next month.  It reminds me of what my friend, An, posted on Instagram when her 17 month old slept through the night : "What an accomplishment... for a 4 month old."  That made me laugh out loud.


After Hazel was born, Dan would comfort Iris when she would wake up at night since I would often be nursing Hazel.  So, Iris would call out in the night for "Daddy", often repeatedly.  It became the norm for me to find her in the morning clinging to him in her sleep as if they were star-crossed lovers.


I asked Dan how he felt about her sleeping through the night.  He said happy-sad.  After her tonsil surgery, her sleep improved and she called out for him less and less.  So he said he knew it was coming and tried to really appreciate those night time snuggles rather than resent them.


Never fear, though, her love for him has not waned, even in the face of her growing independence.


 She told me last week that Marilla, her imaginary friend and also her sister (because, you know, she definitely needs another sister) told her that she had been talking in her sleep.  Now she used to talk in her sleep a lot, but "Marilla" told her that she heard her exclaim, "{sigh} I'm in love".


She then went on to explain that this was because she was dreaming about me and Daddy and how she planned to stay here with us forever.   Be still, my mama heart.


That would be fine with us, Iris...or maybe right next door.  ;)

18 comments:

  1. Love the dress, and love double gauze too! But your story about her and her daddy is sooooo sweet!

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  2. Oh, and several of my kids had imaginary friends...because they don't have enough siblings either I guess. Someone told me it's a sign of high intelligence, and I'm going with that!!

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    1. I like the way you think! :P But I have read that, too! Also that it's a sign of creativity. We shall see! :)

      And thank you for the sweet comments on the dress! <3

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  3. Thank you for sharing such a sweet story! I love her new dress and she is beautiful!

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  4. This is such a cool dress: I love that it looks old like some vintage dress but has this modern twist because of the fabric and color. The back is amazing. ANd this girl... oh! she is the cutest ever!

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  5. Ooh, Iris is such a cutie! How lovely is she loving her parents (which doesn't surprise me, since I can always read her how much you love her). And hurray for the Fahrenheit-Celsius-conversion, that saves me some time ;)

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  6. Oh, this is just SO DANG PRETTY! I love the color, the ruffles, the little bit of pretty lace!! Perfect! And it would work over a t-shirt or long sleeved shirt as a transitional piece for autumn, too. Iris is, of course, completely adorable. Of course she wants to live with you forever! I recently asked Joe if he would like a "beach house" of his own someday, and he said, "What? No! Because I'm going to stay with you guys! Because I love you guys!" Our hearts went pitter pat. <3 <3

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  7. oh, that bottom photo!! Isn't that just your spunky Iris in a nutshell? Sparkling eyes, mischievous smile . . . love it! And that Dan - such a good daddy! Happy/sad, indeed - as much of parenting is. Independence is something we train them for, and yet when it happens, it's still a teensy bit sad. But there are always new and exciting stages ahead! Enjoy them all, as you are so clearly doing!
    As for the dress, so lovely! The back is so pretty - love the openness of it. I've only sewed one Burda pattern and ended up making a lot of it up as I went as I couldn't' wrap my mind around what I was being instructed to do. Give me diagrams (a la Japanese pattern books) anyway!

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  8. Very pretty dress and color! And when it gets colder it will look equally cute with leggings or tights and a ling sleeve tee underneath!

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  9. Such a sweet dress! And the story is adorable. I love that her imaginary friend's name is Marilla. It is not a name you hear often! Have you guys been reading Anne of Green Gables?

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  10. Gad! I said how much I liked this dress but now I have seen the back I must say again that I love it. The back is so gorgeous! Not that I have seen another version, but the amount of gathering of the skirt is perfect. We must have similar weather to you here, our early autumn can be the hottest part of the year. Iris seems so sweet and she is just as sweet in her dreams. My Jude firmly believes that he will be living with his Mummy and Daddy forever :)

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  11. Ohhhhh this dress is seriously beautiful. The color, the cut, the details....WOW stunning! And so is the girl wearing it. And I'm happy to see she got her cast off again. Our oldest is also saying she is definitely never ever moving away from home and literally tears up if we say that she is welcome to stay home forever but she will probably change her mind one day. Nope, she says. So right now we have the agreement that we are all moving with her to college....hahaha, could you imagine LOL.

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  12. What a lovely dress, and the stories of your children are always so wonderful to read. E had some great imaginary friends and I'd forgotten how fun they were. I also immediately wondered if you read Anne of Green Gables!

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  13. Oh Rachel, I love this dress, and especially on Iris! That color is perfect on her! Looooove the trim too. She is such a sweetie, that story about Dan is wonderful. :*

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  14. This is just pretty, pretty, pretty. Love the colour and the pattern. On Iris with those pigtails and it's all just fabulous!

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