Jacket from Burda November 2025 - part 2

The jacket is coming along nicely, but I don't have photos yet of a more complete jacket. Days are getting shorter so light to take good photos is more difficult. So a few more photos of details and observations on the pattern instructions.

This photo shows an extra detail of the sharp corners that have to be clipped to the stitch line. Burda advises to add a fusible interfacing at that point. I fully agree on that but have added small stitches in that corner as extra "insurance", especially for my fraying fabric. Using a small stitch length makes that the fabric remains stable. The corner is exact, the other stitches are within the 1.5 cm (5/8") seam allowance.

Clipping the seam allowance of the neckline. Clips are not made to the stitch line, but remain at a small distance from it (2 to 3 mm). This makes sure that there is enough room to have a nice smooth neckline when turned without any sharp corners. When you clip to the stitch line a sharp corner could be the result. A remark on Burda's instructions: they say to be "extra careful when you use knitted fabric". Why?? You should always be careful when clipping corners, not just knitted fabric. 

Which brings me to another issue: the instructions tell you to use only stretch/knitted fabrics. I really don't understand that and is wrong in my opinion. You probably can use a stable knit like a ponti di roma but it's perfectly fine with a woven fabric like mine.

Then something that is really strange, especially in a pattern that is shown with "step by step" instructions. In the cutting instructions they tell you to add 4 cm (1.5") for the hem of the sleeves. HOW?? The sleeves are tapered and have a rounded hem!! They don't tell you how to cut the hem allowance.

These are the three pieces that construct the sleeve. The red line is mine, not part of the pattern. If you would cut 4 cm in a continuous line, would turn it up you are missing a significant amount in circumference as this sleeves is tapered (quite a bit). And because it's round it wouldn't be easy to do either. 

My solution is to make a facing for the sleeve hem, the red lines indicate where I want that to end. I will trace these parts and cut a separate facing. 

I really love Burda patterns and don't mind their limited instructions. But adding  4 cm and then just tell you to fold it over and sew it would not work.

This jacket is unlined but I prefer a lining. Making the lining is my next step. 

Jacket from Burda November 2025

My current project is a jacket (or cardigan jacket) from the latest issue from Burda, November 2025. It's the cover project and lovely in the fabric they used for it. As I am trying to use stash for a while (cupboard overflowing 😳), my version is made from a fabric that's at least 10 years old. Well matured! I made a pencil skirt from it and always meant to make a jacket from the fabric too, but as things go, it was forgotten.

Today I used for cutting and preparing. Normally I don't use wide seam allowances. This fabric is very loosely woven so I did use 1.5 cm (5/8 inch) seam allowances and used a handy tool to mark them (Burda magazine patterns don't include seam allowances). 

 

This Prym tool has a larger wheel that you hold along the paper and a smaller wheel with a dispenser to mark a line with tailor's chalk. The default markings are 1.5 cm, 2.5 cm and 4 cm. I would have loved it even more  if there had been a possibilty for 1 cm allowances, but alas. It comes in handy though when I want the 1.5 cm seam allowance. Mostly I use carbon tracing paper to mark the actual stitch line, but with fabric like this that's hardly visible, if at all. 

On parts that I want to be exact, the darts, the points that have to be clipped,  I basted the stitch lines. After cutting out, I serged all edges, to prevent the fabric from fraying. 

In the video you can see the use of the tracing wheel. 

Willowdale bra and Isabelle

Sometimes it takes a while before I get to writing things down. These two bras have been finished a while ago and only now I'm taking the time to write a blog post about them. But... still trying to keep the blog alive. 

First: the Willowdale bra with the changes. A more narrow bridge/center part and increased height under the armpit. 

It looks worse on the dressform than on me but there are some wrinkles on me as well. The lycra on the cup has more stretch than the lining. I have adapted for it and made the lycra a bit smaller but apparently not enough. I'm happy with the bridge part now. Next time I will increase the height at the side even more. It's definitely wearable. 

A few photos from the inside. I didn't have the sheer lining in the right colour and opted for this beige instead. 

The other bra I made is the Isabell from Sewy, a German brand. (Sewy.de). I've been using patterns from this brand for a very, very long time now and I think they are still the best fitting bras for my figure.  I used the cup size I've used before which is also very true to RTW sizing in Europe. The only thing I changed was the width of the band. I made it smaller.

Must do that for all patterns and I get the feeling the designers forget that the hook/eye closure adds extra length to the band. Whatever the reason, it's not a difficult change when it's not the first bra you make. 

Next week is "Sewing week", my annual meet-up with my sewing friends where we sew together. One of the highlights of my year! I will be sewing one of the kits I bought and showed in the previous post. 

 

Continuing the quest

Time to take up the quest for a bra pattern that fits. Getting closer but not there yet. I made the Willowdale bra again with a larger cup. The fit of the cups was much better but there was still something not looking good and the cups are a little too low at the armpit. 

When trying it on I was fiddling around with the bridge part and realised it needed to be narrower. 

How is it that you forget these things? I have done such a change in the past and it makes a lot of difference for me! I didn’t want to unpick (would have been a lot) and have sewn a seam and will wear it to see how it feels during the day. 

 

In the next two photos the changes I made to the pattern for the next one. First the center front/bridge  

The second change is to make the bra a bit higher at the armpit. 

A photo of the two kits I bought. I want to be sure I use these with a pattern that fits, so they won’t be used for the next one.  I bought these at Small bobbins

Two bra patterns

 I am in need of a few new bras. My lingerie drawer is full of old and worn items, or items that don’t properly fit any more. Or even never fitted well, which made them unloved and unworn. Those items now have been removed. I ‘harvested’ some hardware and to the bin it was. 

As I love trying a new pattern and hadn’t tried a new bra pattern in ages I bought two new patterns. The Gunsan bra by Bwear and the Willowdale by Cashmerette.

The line drawings are from the respective websites. Very different styles with the Gunsan having one pattern piece for the cup and shaped through a dart and the Willowdale with 4 pattern pieces for the cup and thus more subtle shaping. 

With the Willowdale I was rather disappointed by the way you define your size. On the website they say ‘step by step instructions for choosing your ideal bra size’. What they do is what most pattern companies do: take full bust measurement and underbust measurement and the difference defines your size. Nothing special at all, and as so often (spoiler) not correct for me. A company like Lilipadesigns does include bottom cup depth and hemisphere for example. Much more step-by-step.

First I tried the Gunsan bra. Sort of knew it wouldn’t be quite right for me but had to try. I used all the materials I always do and as described. The fit is not too bad actually, but there is too much of and east-west pointing on me. Not posting full photos online of me wearing the bra so it’s not properly visible, but I think you can see it a bit  

With the Willowdale you get all sizes which I like when I want to use this pattern for my daughter or daughter in law.  I did use the size as defined by my measurements but ended up with a bra that is really too small.  The band is more or less okay, though I have to use the tightest setting on the hook and eye closure, which should not be the case actually. I can live with that and easily alter that in a second version. But the cups are too small. So much so that I am wondering whether to go up one cup size or two. 

Really irritated by this as I had high hopes from this pattern, the brand has a specialisation for patterns for curves and the shape looked promising. I will try again in a few weeks time. A few other priorities now. 

A bra

Another make for my daughter. About two years ago  I saw a bra online made in a lovely lace that I thought my daughter would really like. As it wasn’t a rtw bra I looked for the lace and found it. But it was sold by a shop outside my country and shipping costs were so high that I didn’t buy it. I forgot about it until I saw a very similar lace at Suzanne’s lingerie supplies. A shop in my country! So I bought it and made this bra. The lace is not mirrored so it was not possible to make it symmetrical, but it’s okay. 

This bra pattern is a copy from a rtw bra. The black one is my first iteration. The cups fit perfectly but the band was a bit too narrow to my daughters liking. Must have been the material. Probably the powernet I used didn’t have the same stretch as the original. So I made the band a bit wider on this new one. Hope it’s good, the bra has yet to be given to her.

It was nice to sew lingerie again, haven’t done that in a long time. My lingerie drawer should get a serious update though.  I bought a new bra pattern for myself months ago and have yet to make it. Perhaps I should get myself work on that. 

Sewing for my daughter

I have been sewing quite a bit for my daughter. I joked when I called her recently that I she spoke with her personal dressmaker😆

Joking aside, she loves wearing the garments I make for her which makes it a joy to sew for her too. We went fabric shopping recently and she chose this striped linen for the combination below.

The shorts are a Burda pattern. She showed me a rtw pair she loves and this Burda pattern was very similar. Size 38 withouth changes, never happens to me.

Below the steps for the slant pocket. I always interface the edge because ir’s cut on the bias. 

When pressing I make sure the outside fabric is folded a bit inward, so the edge is less visible. 

After topstitching ready for further construction

The gilet is inspired by a rtw piece too, of which I don’t have a photo. Base for this was a gilet from an Ottobre issue.

In the meantime this ensemble has been with my daughter a few weeks now and she loves to wear it.