1969 Burda Dress

Sewing, , 49 Comments

Remember the bundle of Burda Moden’s I picked up recently?  This is my version of Model 8107 from the July 1969 issue.  I chose some sky blue stash-fabric-of-mysterious-composition to cut into, which is a bit cardboardy to be honest.  This has it’s advantages and disadvantages – the bow sits nicely:

…but the darts have a mind of their own!  Burda chose a pink floral for their version – maybe I should whip up another in my new sheets?!

The back, for the record:

I’d rather the skirt was a bit longer, the unhemmed length felt perfect.  The skirt is rather weird actually – shaped only with darts, two at front and one at back.  Well my side isn’t flat, and my abdomen doesn’t need two darts!  Now I look back at the magazine image, I wonder if the skirt isn’t meant to be a slight bell shape,and I’m filling it out to it’s capacity!  I cut the size 38/40 – and I’m really a size bigger in the waist and hips.

Can you see those instructions – just a few lines!  I didn’t really use them, but I did search for ages through the pile of magazines trying to locate the just the right issue to check how they made the belt, and it said: “Make belt. Make bow and sew on” – helpful!  I decided to make my belt fasten edge-to-edge with a couple of hooks and eyes, and the bow loop slides across to conceal them.  It’s quite nifty!
I’m planning on letting the hem down to it’s max and giving it a false hem – but I need to find something suitable first.  And I took some photos when I was hemming the pleat area – so expect another tutorial soon.  
Happy Sewing!

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49 thoughts on “1969 Burda Dress”

  2. This looks great and fits you so nicely. Seeing your post this morning made me laugh because I just finished and posted a dress with a very similar silhouette for Julia Bobbin's Mad Men Challenge.

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  3. It's very pretty. Sherry thanks for including so much good information. I agree about the length. easier to sit in. Funny about the bow instructions, it came out looking perfect, I am glad you will be doing a hemming tutorial. looking forward to any tips in this area of sewing.

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  6. wow Sherry, I love it! That colour is great on you. I think the length suits the dress and looks good, but if your not comfy you probably won't wear the dress I guess. Beautiful work 🙂

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  7. The colour is great on you and I think the design is also really lovely. I admire the fit – wish I could achieve something close to that.

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  8. I love the French blue colour. I think it's a pretty dress and it definitely looks nice on you, but I agree it would be even nicer if it was an inch or so longer. I like skirts hitting just the top of the knee rather than an inch or so above. I've made a few things lately that I would have preferred if they had been just a tiny bit longer.

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  11. It is perfect 1969…all you need is your hair to be in a “flip” style ala Marlo Thomas in “That Girl” on TV. You really tamed that fabric into a beautiful dress and I'm looking forward to the next tutorial!

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  17. Looks absolutely gorgeous and fits beautifully. I have a fair number of the vintage Burdas you bought, including this issue, which has some lovely patterns, and have even traced this pattern ages ago but not made it up – your version is making me think I should get to it.

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  25. It is very pretty on you. I think the fabric looks great. It may be a bit cardboardy now but perhaps it will soften up with time? I agree about the length, it is easier to sit in. Also, I am glad you will be doing a hemming tutorial. You really scored with that bundle of Burda from the 60s.

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  27. It's absolutely adorable! And big pat on the back for having to trace it off – it must have been a nightmare of lines! (those old Burda sheets are enough to put anyone off sewing forever!)

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  28. Beautiful job you did on the dress! It's perfectly authentic in that crisp fabric, and that color. I think the bust darts may reflect the different shape defined by the bras of the 60s, which made the bust apex higher and somewhat closer to center front.

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  32. This dress is lovely on you. The Patternsheets of Burda are easier nowadays but in that time they were much better than many others. There were occasions where you had to do a search the whole afternoon before you had found what you were looking for
    Marieke

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  33. Sherry, it's so pretty…looks like you're ready for spring.

    I have noticed on older patterns that they expect the sewist to have a lot more knowledge; more modern patterns have more detailed instructions.

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  35. We used to go to the shop and we bought a set containing the material for the back of the belt and a buckel and some eyelets and instructions how to fix it. Even a tool to fix the eyelets was in the package. So it was sort of not Burda's concern how we fixed that belt.
    So do not overestimate our skills in that time.
    Marieke

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  39. I don't know much about 60s fashion or fitting issues, but I think this dress looks fantastic on you! If it was roomier in the skirt, I wouldn't think it would pull open the pleat as much, which would be a shame. I think the length looks great too. There needs to be a word that means youthful-izing, if you get what I mean. This dress would totally go into my weekly rotation!

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  42. I love box pleat skirts and keep wondering if they'd work on me (have yet to try!). For some reason I often have trouble figuring out the best hemline with a-line skirts.

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  49. Pingback: Whatever Happened to All Those Things? | pattern scissors cloth

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