One of the advantages of living near flea market is popping
there every couple of days to see if there’s anything interesting.. I always
try to control myself to buy only things I really need, mostly sewing supplies..
There I’ve found so many great and quality fabrics, and Burda magazines from
past several decades.. I have a rule when it comes to prices.. I already have a
good collection of vintage Burda issues passed on to me by my aunts.. I really
don’t need more of them, except if the price is next to nothing.. For Burda magazines I would give up to 50 RSD per
issue (less than 50 euro cents).. That was the case with this one I found all
alone surrounded with books and records.. You wouldn’t expect much in an
issue from July 1995.. I took a look at technical sketches of the patterns and loved at
least 5 patterns only at a first glance.. Then I browsed the magazine and saw
all the dresses with open back, shirt with lace insertion, dress with a scalloped
neckline, and I felt like I hit the jackpot!! This issue is like made for me..
You can see couple of my favorites on my ig post, and I scanned technical
sketches for dress patterns for you to see here (last photo)..
Before I even started pattern tracing my faves, I wanted to
try a simple dress pattern #104 from this issue.. I wasn’t sure about the fit
of ‘90s patterns.. On models garments look like they are at least a size or two
larger, and the fit is weird.. If I hadn’t seen a technical drawing of this
simple dress I would never try to make it.. As you can see on a photo below, it
looks like a white oversize baggy dress.. On a sketch you can see all the
beauty of the pattern – bust darts that create interesting V line, curved under
bust seam, half circle skirt, V neckline at the back.. This issue from 1995 is
from those years when in Serbia Burda magazines were black market goods.. From
that decade German issues are most common, but I’ve also seen Greek ones, and
this is my first Hungarian.. That was the situation when I started sewing back
in high school.. Also, that’s one of the reasons I don’t have a habit of
reading the sewing instructions.. All I ever needed to know were those four
words which determine the color of the pattern I want to trace (black, red,
blue and green).. I googled kèk, which means blue and I was ready to start this
project..
The fabric is a lightweight cotton, a remnant bin find.. I
loved the color, and weird print the fabric has.. To me it looks like there are
at least two different prints mixed on this fabric.. I included a close up
photo for you to see what I’m talking about.. Since this was a test version I
didn’t see the point of making a double layer skirt that original pattern
suggests.. I was in a hurry to sew this dress and see the result.. I used all
the supplies I had at home at that point.. You can see that the zipper is very
bright shade of pink, which I don’t mind.. In the end, it took me four hours
top to make this dress, from tracing the pattern, figuring out which fabric to
use, sewing it all together, and finishing the dress.. I was very proud of
myself.. And very happy with the result!!
I made this dress in size 36 and the fit is perfect.. It’s
not oversize, I have enough ease to move my hands.. I’m in love with the body
flattering shape this dress has.. It’s also very comfortable to wear and I want
to make at least one more for myself.. Just a perfect spring-summer dress :) Now I can't wait to find time to sew other summer dresses from this Burda issue..
Behind the camera - Moj Matija
les découpes de cette robe sont très intéressantes et flatteuses pour la silhouette.Un bien joli modèle et une belle réalisation .
ReplyDeleteWow! I love this so much! Such an interesting detail and a really flattering cut.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great knack for finding pattern treasure!
thanks :) I hope I'll find time to look through my Burda collection and make notes about interesting patterns.. Who knows what I'll find ;)
DeleteLooks really summery and fresh, 90s minimalism at its best! :)
ReplyDeletethanks :)
DeleteMy mum used to bring German Burdas to her sister in Belgrade when we visited from London. Great dress
ReplyDeleteI was a kid-teenager in the 90s, but I remember how hard it was to get many things that were normal to the outside world.. Everyone who had family and cousins abroad was considered very lucky ;) thanks :)
DeleteThat's a really unique design! That Burda was a good find :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you :D thanks :)
DeleteWhat a gem - I agree about Burda even today - Very often the line drawing reveals so much interesting design that is lost in their photos/examples!
ReplyDeleteI guess that's the case with most of the patterns.. When you look at the line sketches you can see all the seams, and how the garment is created.. Of course, garments on models are also important.. In Burda's case, they put only one photo, rarely more photos of a garment, and often it's hard to see all the details..
Deletethanks :)