Burda Style 7220 – Version A

This is where my sewing journey began, but it sure did take a while for me to get my act together to make this shirt, which I wear as a shirt dress. I first bought the Burda Style 7220 pattern on sale at Lincraft around 2015, and only completed the shirt in 2018! That’s procrastination for you!

I was very inspired, and still inspired by Ivy Arch’s Burda 7220 shirts. She has made both Version A and Version B. Version B is still on my to do list, maybe one day I will get there.  Like Ivy Arch, I see the similarity between the Version B of this shirt and Issey Miyake’s style, I also have an Issey Miyake pattern that may have been an inspiration for Burda. I also took inspiration from Sweet Shard’s floaty version of the Burda 7220 – Version A. 

Carolina Herrera fashion design

As always, I tend to research the style I am thinking of making in a broad way. I am not very good at visualising the finished product. For this dress, I pinned quite a few flowing stripey shirt dresses and was particularly taken by this one below that has cross directional stripes.

For a long time I didn’t know what fabric to use for this dress, but I found this striped fabric at the op shop in Kyneton and quickly realised I had stumbled onto a gold mine. I am not sure if its satin or silk, but my friend who works with bridalwear clients says probably silk. I was quite intimidated by it for some time, and felt precious about cutting into it, as I had bought from the op shop and couldn’t risk any mistakes because I couldn’t buy more.

I underlined the yolk section on both sides. The pattern calls for a lining on the back, but I felt that I needed some lining on the front because of the sheerness of the material. I used a Microtex needle, and at times also a walking foot and tissue paper on the seams then ripping it off, to be sure it wasn’t running through the machine unevenly.

I changed the shirt sleeves to use a 1970’s style cap sleeve. The inspiration is probably from Tessuti’s Alice tops that were on Instagram everywhere when I first joined insta. I think that the final product may be similar to the Alice top, but I didn’t use the Alice top pattern, as I already have a 1970’s vintage pattern that has that type of sleeve.

Overall I am really happy with the end result. I wore it out on the Sunshine Coast for my brother in law’s 40th birthday with tights. In Victoria we only get a few weeks of the year that something like this really works for our climate, so I might hang on to it for those occaisions. I would also like to make a black mini to wear under it, as I have thigh shame and don’t wear tights in summer.

Hopefully this blog post finds a few more people out there that have this pattern hoarded away in the closet. I know that I hoarded it for many years before taking some action. I will definitely try Version B in a more winter style fabric that can be more versatile for the changeable weather we have in Victoria, Australia.