Dress Burda June 2018, construction picture

Once in a while a pattern shows up in a magazine that I want to make immediately. This Burda dress from the June issue is one of those.

It’s mainly the linedrawing that’s interesting, as the fabric they used for the magazine issue is not really showing the design lines. There would have been better accent options for the piping they uses.
If you’re like me and in general don’t look at the Burda instructions but do it by experience or your way anyhow, DON’T go on autopilot with this one.
Sleeveless dress: I close shoulder seams at the last possible moment. Not here, as you have to sew the bias band in between the center and side parts. The band has no seam (and I wouldn’t add one, too many layers of fabric), so the shoulder has to be sewn earlier than I’m used to.
Darts: I was inclined to sew all darts as first step and realised really just in time that the front dart is taking up the edge of the band. Front and back band! I was stupified why the angle of the band was not matching the side seam, until I studied the line drawing again and realised the edge was taken up by the dart too. Which as you can see in the photo has a very special effect on the side seam.



It’s a pattern that’s drafted very carefully and very beautifully. Would be awesome in a striped fabric, using stripes in different directions too. This time my advise is to use the instructions or at least think about how to construct this before starting sewing.
In my photo you can see a bit of gathering in the back. The band is cut on the bias and has to be attached stretching it to match the back pattern. It will probably help with the fit, getting it closer to the body.
Even though I love this pattern, it might be put on hold for a few weeks. My agenda is very full before we go on holiday and I don’t want to rush this.

Update July 2018: Though the fit was good, I didn't like the light blue colour as a dress on me. I dyed it but I didn't like the result. It's been tossed in the bin. Wrong choice of fabric. Maybe one day in another fabric?

A basic collection of (mostly) Burda patterns

A month ago I published a post about planning some production sewing and having cut 5 garments. I challenged myself to finish them in 2 weeks…. good plan, no surprise really that it didn’t work. But….I’ve finished all garments and there’s not one left as a ufo. Which is what has happened to me more than once when I’ve cut multiple garments.

So today is un update post on those 5 items and a little extra that I did prior to those. More record keeping than very interesting I guess, as these are more or less basic items.

1 pants / trousers

The grey one was done earlier, the other two were in the set of 5. All linen, all from this Burda pattern from the March 2012 issue. This pattern has a nice fit for me, though I made the leg width significantly smaller.

For the white version this was my inspiration:

I’m a little disappointed about the visibility of the pockets, as I lined this pair. I think/hope it will be a bit less visitble in real life, as I think photos accentuate more.

2 skirts. The one on the left has the pockets that I showed earlier. It’s a pattern from March 2010. The pattern has a zipper center front; I changed it to a zipper in the back and no seamline center front.

3. Tops

The first one is Burda April 2010, I made it twice before and worn those two a lot. A nice basic with special sleeve detail. I made the collar less pointed.

A shirt that I made soon after the Burda February was released (2018 issue), but never blogged about. The pattern comes with a detachable bow which I don’t like so didn’t bother about. I used variegated thread for topstitching, which is not visible in the photos, but a nice variation.

Finally: a t-shirt for which I used a StyleArc pattern. Changed the neckline but otherwise this is just a t-shirt.

With the blue/white jacket and the skirt I made last weekend this brings the total of the past 3 months on 10 garments. It’s been a long time I sewed so many garments in a relatively short time. My wardrobe has some good basics in it again.

Now it’s time for a bit of holiday sewing. We’ll be going to the south of France in a couple of weeks and I’d like to make one or two summer dresses and will try not put everything in one post again.

Burda skirt–May 2012

Browsing BurdaStyle online I saw a skirt pattern I liked very much, but from an old issue that I don’t have. I tried to buy the pdf pattern but their system blocked (tried it twice, called my bank and they saw I tried to pay it and assured there was nothing wrong at their end). Then a sewing friend came to the rescue who has this issue and traced it for me (Viv, again a huge thank you!).

It was not in my set of patterns I cut in a batch a few weeks ago, almost finished those and update on those items soon. With warmer weather finally arrived here I just had to make this skirt, sewed on the buttons last night and am actually wearing it now.

At the time I might have thought this was not a skirt that was very current, at least I don’t remember seeing wide skirts for a while. They definitely are around again and this is a great pattern. Burda often is fashion forward!

The pocket is very easy, no need for a single welt construction here. It’s between two seams so you just sew the pocket to the bottom pattern piece and lay that on top of the upper pattern piece.

 

Fabric is a bit prone to wrinkling. I already sat down in this skirt, which is visible in the back picture.

I’ve not subscribed to Burda for a long time, but as I eventually like patterns from issues that I dismissed before, having used quite a few patterns from more recent issues AND having seen the preview for June with some great patterns, I will subscribe again.

Jacket Vogue 1439

Over a month ago I showed this jacket in a nearly finished state. Took me two weeks to finish it for real and took another two weeks to get pictures.  The fabric doesn’t behave very well in pictures but I’m happy with the spring vibe it has. Having worn one of my self drafted jackets today and seeing these pictures now I can see that this jacket is too wide in the shoulder area and could have been a little better fitting in general. Sometimes I just don’t want to do all the drafting, but for jackets I really should take the trouble of drafting or make a muslin. This time it was the collar part that I was unsure of and wanted to start and use a pattern. I’ll wear this, it’s just a little moaning amongst sewing friends that it could have been better.

The upper part of the back is too wide as well, the lower part is fitting well.

For those who have the pattern and might want to sew it: the pattern pieces and instructions for this were a little strange in my opinion. There’s a separate facing for the inside that extends further than the part that’s on the outside. It makes for a more difficult way of construction as also the lining then has a more difficult corner. I didn’t see the need to construct it like this and thought it would be enough if I just cut the outerpart as a facing too. Worked very well and was so much easier in sewing it together. I used the other front pattern pieces for the lining as well, and only used the separate back pattern piece.

The pattern has a sleeve with a vent and buttons/buttonholes. I omitted those.

One caution on the collar: if you sew on autopilot, you can very easily sew the collar the wrong way! That’s what I did in any case. I did sew the two collar parts together as if it was a lapel collar and closed and trimmed the wrong side. I was lucky to have enough fabric to cut it again.
I’ve lengthened the body and sleeves significantly. 5 cm in the body, 3 cm in the sleeves (I like longer sleeves anyhow).

This pattern is out of print, but very current I think. I’ve seen this style of collar/neckline a lot in patterns recently.

Welt pocket with angled seams

It was fun to read your answers to the post with the picture of the strange pattern piece. Very good those of you who were close or knew the answer!

The welt is also called “origami welt”, I believe Kenneth D. King calls it that. Its main feature is that the seams are not at the sides of the welt, but as you saw in my previous post, on the back. It makes for a welt with less bulk.

Below the steps I took to make the pattern piece for it:

This is the original pattern piece, with foldline and straight of grain indicated.

On the part that will be the back of the welt, two lines are drawn where the seam lines will be. To clarify I’ve marked the seams with line notches.

The seam lines are cut and added to the front part of the welt

The final pattern piece, in paper and in fabric as shown in my “riddle” post. The fabric one is the mirror image, with seams added.

Sew the seams, matching the notches (I added 1cm seams to the pattern piece and made the edge match)

Trim to the points and press.

Turn the welt and press.

Two welts, ready to be inserted in the garment.

The answer is …

A welt for a pocket! It makes for bulk free edges. I’ll write a post on how I did this later.

A riddle

To do something different I have a picture for you of a pattern piece, cut out in fabric.

Without further information, can you guess what this is?