Happy Friday everyone!
Please excuse my absence last week. In working on Burda 6452, I underestimated the timing of making the pattern. However, I’m here today. So I’ve had Burda 6452 for awhile in my stash and it presented a new challenge for me. I wanted to make this pattern specifically because of the separating zipper.
Burda 6452 Pattern Description
Burda 6452 has two views. I chose the first view for the reason mentioned above. The dress is midi length with a zip front, high collar, and narrow sleeves. The second view has the same collar and sleeves, but with a circle skirt that zips in the back. The view that I made doesn’t come with a belt, but I opted for one to give the look a slightly chicer feel. Fabric options are lightweight wools, crepe fabrics, and woven blends.
Fabric Choice
Originally, I was going to make Burda 6452 in a black wool crepe suiting. Don’t get me wrong, I love black and I think it’s a fantastic option for the dress, but it didn’t feel right. I opted for a plaid viscose blend suiting fabric from Minerva. After plaid matching for McCall 7438, I thought this would be a piece of cake. And wow – I was completely off the mark. I kid you not, it took me 4 hours to get all pieces lined up and at the same color square. It was worth it though. Since one of the notions is a separating zipper, I got mine from Wawak. I’d also like to give a special shout out to Savannah from customer service for helping me pick the zipper. Savannah will probably never see this, but she is greatly appreciated.
Burda 6452 Construction
To be completely honest, the most difficult part of this dress if being done in a plaid is the pattern matching. Other than that, it’s a beautifully patterned dress that could be great for a beginner looking to expand their skillset. The pattern starts with the darts in the bodice. There are quite a few in the front and the back, but like I said, it’s great practice. Secondly, the bodice pieces are sewn together. The one thing I will say that threw me off was the seam numbers. The pattern uses seam numbers instead of notches. I spent some time going back to the pattern paper to make sure I was doing it correctly. Next up are the skirt darts and sewing the back skirt pieces together. Then the bodice and skirt and attached. Finally, the separated zipper is attached.
Separated Zipper
Attaching this zipper was been the most pleasant zipper experience in my sewing journey. I think it’s because it was literally one side at a time. Word of caution though, make sure the collars are lined up once both zippers are done or else prepare to unstitch. My collar sides aren’t perfectly even, but I don’t plan on wearing the dress all the way zipped up, so it doesn’t bother me too much.
Final Thoughts
I like this pattern a lot. I’m toying with the idea of making it again in a solid color, but only time will tell. As I mentioned above a slight con against the pattern is the lack of notches. I also wish that the pattern came with pockets, but there are so many tutorials on how to add pockets, that it’s an easy hack. Overall, the dress is a winner.
Happy Sewing!
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