MY BLUE & WHITE ZEBRA SUMMER DRESS

I wanted to make this summer dress for a long time because it seemed like an easy and quick summer project and it's the kind of dress that is great for hot weather - long and flowy. 

Some inspirational pictures:

I made this: 

It's from Burda 3/ 2014; mod. 125; size: 40.

The top is doubled, made of light viscose jersey. At first I made a mistake of sewing the side seams together and then I read German instructions (and typed them in Google translator to be more sure) and realized that I should sew the neckline and armholes first. Sooo *#?$*, I unpicked the side seams and did just that. And after that is done, you just sew the side seams together, you lie them flat and you do a long side seam.

I bought the fabric for the top here: (an on-line Slovenian shop): https://www.liupka.com/Metrsko-blago/Jersey/Viskozni-jersey It was priobably around 6 or 7 EUR (?).

I used my brother coverstitch CV 3550. I did a thin decorative stitch with blue metallic thread around the neckline and just some white one around the armholes. 

I used zebra chiffon for the skirt (100% poliester) and a lining of course. It's not a fast sew but it's not too difficult. I didn't do any other adjustments except the length of the top and skirt. I shortened the top for 10 cm. I'm short so I have to adjust that otherwise my torso would look too long and my legs too short. I think the top is great, it's great to double it so even though it's white (ecru, actually) you can't see a black bra underneath. So, again, the fit of the top is great but I'm not sure about the length I made. At first I thought that It's great for my height but it kind of sits on my belly and it looks horrible in the pictures. I need to lose weight fast. Oh, I actually made the bottom part for the skirt differently than suggested in Burda magazine. I made it less wide, it's made of 1 rectangle (not 2), I took the width of the fabric for my skirt and that's it, I adjusted the length. I made a seam in the back center (not on the sides). I have some fabric left for a bolero jacket, I guess.

I made a strange band on the skirt bottom because it seemed too short for me. The fabric for the skirt was bought here, on-line: (a Croatian shop) https://mattex.hr/ I don't remember the exact price, perhaps it was 7 EUR a meter (?) or maybe just 5. I'm not sure.

It's a great summer dress, a blend of two different fabrics - the stretchy one and a non-stretchy one - a flowy one. When you know what you are doing it can be done fast. I will make a USEFUL post on my coverstitch (brother CV 3550) because it can be difficult or great, it depends.

COMMUNION CLOTHES FOR MY SON

My son had first communion in May 2025. So, yeah, I like every sewing opportunity that I can get. I decided I would make a short-sleeved shirt and some fancy trousers for him, because he always wears tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie to church. So I want to change that. He can have these clothes for Sunday service.

So I made this shirt and these trousers:

When the actual event was, it was so cold that he wore just the trousers and a hoodie under the communion robe.

I used Burda pattern from 3/2022; mod. 132; size 134.

When I held the paper pattern to his body I noticed that the size was very big for him (he's small and thin) so I decide to do my usual trick - I added only 0.5 cm of seam allowance when cutting but then I sewed 1.5 cm of allowance (around the collar I sewed only 1 cm). It turned out the perfect size. I don't dare to cut patterns without seam allowance so I use this trick - I add less and sew more. And usually the size that comes out is just right.

 The fabric is 100% cotton - poplin: 1.20 m/ 9.98 EUR, bought in an on-line Slovenian shop Liupka:  https://www.liupka.com/Metrsko-blago 

I used a very useful video on YouTube - the burrito method for sewing back yoke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pINDBq-xmuM&list=LL&index=5 

I enjoyed sewing this shirt, cotton is always a really nice material to sew. Even the button holes were fun.
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I did these trousers from Burda 3/ 2016, mod. 141, size: 134.

I used blue bengaline fabric - very stretchy but lengthwise. 

It consists of 77% viscose, 20% polyamide, 3% elasthane. I took 2.20 m an it cost me 21,42 EUR (9.73 EUR per meter). It was bought at the same shop already mentioned above - Liupka (Slovenia).

I made pockets, a zipper and inserted elastic in the trousers' waist band because I wanted a really nice fit. They fit great. I ironed a permanent crease.

The material is a bit funny, very stretchy. At one point I ironed it too much because I had a feeling that the iron needs to be hotter and it got stuck to the iron - dear Jesus. I hope to make similar trousers for myself: slim leg, pockets, a zipper and elastic in the waistband. The material was OK to work with but when washed it is very creased.

It's not connected with this topic but I have been blocked from Sewing Pattern Review site and I don't know why. This happened some time ago. I've noticed that my site gets more attention but I just don't understand why that has happened. I have to write a letter of complaint to their administrator because I used to love posting there and watching other people's projects. (But there is a silver lining 😁: I concentrate on my website more and I publish more regularly. Before that my attention was more scattered all over the place.)

WOVEN RED-STRIPED BLOUSE – it's not a uniform

I remember that when I first saw this blouse in the magazine I thought no way, this was going to be to complicated, I want simple. But then I saw the makes of others and everybody said that it was not difficult at all. So I gave it a try.

I made Burda pattern: from Burda 7/2016, model 114, size 38.

I had only 1 meter of this striped fabric. According to Burda I would need 1.50 m. I always do this and it works out OK because I carefully consider how to place all the pieces. The material is poplin. It cost me 9.90 EUR (for 1 m) in Svet metraže (Slovenia).

I used this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbbzPO3qAYM  (from Saturday Night Stitch) for more information.

The changes I made: - size 38 (instead of 40)

- I shortened the length of the blouse (because of the material shortage)

- I shortened the sleeves a bit

- I made a bias binding out of scraps 

- I  used only 1 cm of seam allowance

I must say that everything is easy to make, the most difficult part for me was making buttonholes. I have a huge fear – nightmares – when I have to make buttonholes. I actually avoid making them. I use snap buttons or nothing. That's probably because I started sewing on my mum's old sewing machine (Yugoslavian danica bagat) when I was a student and it made horrible buttonholes. The machine was not bad at all but making buttonholes was a nightmare. This continued with my next sewing machine – it was bernina bernette 75 – but still ... half of the buttonhole was fine, the other half was horrible.

BUT !!! Now I have elna excellence 680 and it's great. (I'm not sponsored by anybody.) It's not bad. It's actually quite good. Buttonholes are scary because it's not easy to go back to undo them, you have to do them right the first time you do it, otherwise you just give yourself a headache.

buttonholes

a mess - but I was able to correct it

My husband commented that it looks like a McDonald's uniform ?!? Why? I checked it on Google, they don't have this kind of uniforms. I guess that stripes can look like a part of a uniform. So you have to style it right.

I plan to sell this blouse on my facebook page (which I still have to create, my non-existent page  😊) for 45 EUR. I quit my job 1.5 years ago and I started my small business (I'm self-employed). Most of the time I teach English (I work for a language school and I do private tutoring) which is fine but I really want to devote more time to my favourite hobby: sewing (my) clothes and then selling them. It is really difficult to start because I don't know what to sew for others but I have come to a conclusion that I will sew things according to my taste (and my stash, of course) because everything else is just overwhelming. I can't follow the trends because I don't even like them. I have my own style and taste. I don't know if anybody is going to buy anything from me BUT I don't really care. I can keep the clothes for myself or give them to my friends and relatives. I just enjoy the sewing process and that's enough for me.

Let the pictures talk.

weaving

It's a bit time consuming but it's worth it. At first I didn't do mirror image of the two pieces but I took the time to correct this. Because they have to be a mirror image of each other.

my bias binding: made of scraps 

the collar

Finishing

I will post a picture of myself wearing it.

So, the pictures are here: