The “Violin Recital” dress
The Facts
⁃ Fabric: polyester lace, black cotton, white muslin
⁃ Pattern: Burdastyle Magazine 05/2011 #128
⁃ Year: 2011
⁃ Notions: zipper, self-made bias tape
⁃ Time to complete: 5 hours
⁃ First worn: January 22, 2012
⁃ Wear again? Who knows?
⁃ Total price: about 15 euros
The dress to recreate
I’ve been a big fan of the “Make This Look” posts since the beginning, they’re so inspiring! I myself keep a “Modcloth” folder on my desktop where I save images of the dresses I like the most from the shop and that I eventually want to make for myself.
I must admit I really underestimated the task of finding a pattern to recreate a certain dress, because, man! I had a hard time finding one to match the Violin Recital dress.
What I was looking for were: peter pan collar, princess seams, short, gathered sleeves and skirt with inverted pleats. I have A LOT of patterns in my collection, more than I’ll ever need, but I could not find one with all those features.
After excluding the possibility of buying a new pattern, I had to make do with what I had. At first, I decided to use Colette‘s Peony, but then I realized that this Burda pattern would have required less alterations. No princess seams, no gathered sleeves, no inverted pleats but at least it had a peter pan collar.
If you’re considering buying this pattern… DON’T! The fit of this thing is TERRIBLE and it’s much easier to draft a peter pan collar for a pattern with a better fit. I made an FBA and added darts to the back (that is basically a droopy sack) to make it acceptable. I didn’t use the skirt part of the pattern, I used two rectangles the width of my hips and then created the inverted pleats at the waist.
Since I wasn’t too sure about the result, I used a very cheap poly lace that is a bit whiter than the one of the original dress (should I try tea staining it?). I must say that, for being so cheap, it’s quite cute. I underlined the whole thing with white muslin.
I decided to keep the scallops of the lace selvage for the hem, although I might chop them off in the future because the dress is already a bit too frou-frou. Another alteration I’m considering is narrowing the skirt a bit to make it more similar to the inspiration dress.
In conclusion, it’s not an exact replica, but I’m quite proud of the result. I don’t know how many occasions I’ll have to wear a white lace dress (I guess it’s a bit First Communion, perfect to attract strange looks), but you never know!
A detail of the bound neckline - no facings for me, thanks!
I think you have done a fantastic job with this dress, it looks great. Wearing it with the black tights etc makes it look quite funky – definitely not a “communion” dress! Great job.
Thank you so much! The black tights seemed the only way to go for me.
It looks great! I agree with Deb, paired with the black, it looks much less frou-frou or First Communion. (I made a white lace sundress this summer and paired it with black accessories too.)
Thank you for the advice!
I had simular problems with patterns so far, I think you did a great job of modifying yours.
Thanks, this pattern was a nightmare!
Oh I think it’s gorgeous! I think you should definitely wear it again – and not just for Church related activities. ;) Good to know about that pattern though – thanks for the heads up!
Thank you! a terrible thing about living in a small town is that if you wear something unusual, you’ll get strange looks from everyone…
A beauty! Way to tough it out against the Burda pattern!
Thank you, Cheryl!
I think it looks lovely with that scalloped edge, but I can see how some might consider it too frou-frou. Love that patterned bias binding inside!
Thank you! I like to put funky bias tape hidden inside my garments, it’s a fun touch!
Agreed, my favorite part is the scalloped edge!
i think the way you styled it, using black tights to balance the black peter pan collar, makes it very wearable. just embrace it and have fun :-)
Thank you! I need to forget what others think when I wear it in public and I’ll be fine.
I adore it with the black – very non Communiony, but very stylish and eye catching! Personally, I love the scallops on the hem – very classic. Well done!
Thank you so much! I like them too, but I still have to figure out if they’re too much…
I love this dress. I don’t think you should tea-dye it at all! This is something that will transition nicely to spring/summer with little effort!
Thank you! I don’t know how I’ll make it work in summer with no tights or cardigan, I guess I’ll have to experiment a little.
Great adaption, Anna! I’m intimidated by lace fabric and you conquered with lovely results.
I was too, a bit, but the results are so cute that it’s totally worth trying.
Fantastic Anna, I love the black and white contrast, it’s a shame the pattern was such a pain to work with, your clever modifications worked out a treat. I think she is darling, well done.
Thank you so much, Kazz!
This is really super cute! Well done battling the monsters of a poor fit- it’s worked a treat :D
Thank you! it was a struggle, but I won. It’s always such a satisfaction!
Tea staining so like Avery interesting idea.
Yup, I think it might make the dress more wearable. White is so in your face!
I absolutely love this dress, Anna! Your modifications really did the trick, as it looks wonderful on you. Not First Communion-esque at all!
Thank you, Mary!
I love it, if I owned it I would wear it all the time. Seriously. I also love the scalloped lace, please don’t cut it off!
Thank you so much! I’m so indecisive about the scallops, I love them too!
I think it’s gorgeous! I love tea staining personally b/c I love a vintage look but it’s pretty the way it is too.
Thank you so much, I still have some decisions to make about this dress…
I love the white and black combi! I’m making something very similar to yours, a peter pan collar dress in black (the dress) and white (collar) too!
It’s probably my favorite colour combo. Looking forward to see yours!
It’s lovely! I think the black collar prevents this from being to ‘frou frou’ or like a first-communion.
Mega thanks for the warning about the burda pattern. It’s too bad since it looked like a good one.
Thank you! I was so disappointed with the pattern, I’ve been buying the magazine for years and this is one of two ot three pattern with a peter pan collar, but it reallt sucks.
It’s a sweet dress but I can see what you mean by the pattern’s failings. i do like that you persevered and completed it.
I couldn’t fail my Sew Weekly entry! :)
Gorgeous!!! I love the hem and the collar and the little sleeves, I just love the whole thing.
Oh please don’t chop off the scalloped hem! It’s perfect.
So cute, especially with black tights – not first communion at all!