Sweet + simple: Burda 11/2019 #105

As the world is slowly emerging from Covid-19 social isolation bubbles, I am still working full time from home and will be for the foreseeable future. My employer, the NSW Government has decided that all back office public servants will keep working remotely to reduce the pressure on the public transport systems. Which suits me, because I quite like working from home especially now that my kids are back at school and my husband is back at his office!

I did re-evaluate my sewing plans because I don't need to be making corporate clothes since these days it's all casual. However I realise that what I like sewing the most is tailored and structured garments, so I'm going to keep on making them even if I won't be wearing them for a while yet.

I recently made three simple long sleeve blouses that will be perfect for layering under a blazer when I'm back in the office, but also work well for video conferencing even I'm wearing them with sweat pants. First version is from a very soft cotton voile with white polka dots:

Then I made a much brighter version in a glorious emerald green linen floral:

And finally a version from a jumbo sized navy gingham which I cut on the bias for a bit of a difference:

The pattern is Burda 11/2019 #105 which is a really simple top with three pattern pieces - the front and back on the fold and the sleeves:

For each of my tops, I shifted the neckline opening to the back and drafted a facing instead of self fabric binding for the neckline. I find making and sewing binding for necklines really fiddly and I prefer the cleaner look of a facing.

I really like the elastic cuffs to the sleeves - it brings in the volume of the sleeve nicely at the wrist which means it doesn't flap around and makes it possible to get the sleeve into a jacket when needed.

For the navy gingham version, cutting it on the bias made it slightly more difficult because I tried my best to pattern match. For some reason, I managed to get a good match on one side but not the other! I don't know how that happened, but as we all know hardly anyone else ever notices these things so I'm not too worried.

It's not often that I make the same pattern multiples time in a row, but this pattern seriously takes about 2 hours to make and only uses up slightly more than a metre of fabric so it's a good way to quickly turn fabric from the stash into something wearable.

Simplicity 8014: my new favourite shirt dress

Earlier this year while it was still summer here in Australia I finally got around to making a pattern that had been in my stash for a while - Simplicity 8014 shirt dress. If you google this pattern number it throws up many great dresses made by lots of other ladies, so I really don't know why I waited so long to make it.

This is quite a simple pattern with a few great variations:

I particularly like view A and B because that waist seam is a god send for those with sway backs, and the flared skirt is also great for a pear shape.

I did a slight narrow shoulder and forward shoulder adjustment which I do to all patterns, and graded out from the bust to two sizes larger at the hips - all of which are pretty standard changes for me.

I've made this out of black heavy weight linen from The Fabric Store - it's really great quality and didn't lose any colour when I did a hot pre-wash to shrink it before sewing. Being linen it did wrinkle after a full day of wear in the office (back in the good old days when we went into our offices on the regular), but nothing too outrageous:

Before I made this version though I firstly made view B which is essentially exactly the same but it just has a mandarin collar made by leaving the collar off and just sewing on the collar stand. It makes it look quite different without a collar, probably because it seems natural to wear it buttoned up completely instead of open like the collared version:

This fabric is also linen, bought online from Super Cheap Fabrics that I bought during one of their sales. It's also great quality - the colours didn't run when I washed it and it has a great weight and opaqueness for a dress.

I didn't try to pattern match at all, but it's not obvious in this busy print. And even without wearing a belt this one sits nicely around my waist and the two small waist pleats (not darts) don't fluff out too much.

Please excuse the dirty pool in the above photos - these were taken in February while we were still having those awful bushfires and the slight amount of rain we got washed all the ash and dust into the pool and everywhere else. We're now having a wet May and with all else that has happened last summer feels like a lifetime ago.

So overall this is a really great pattern that I can highly recommend. I'm thinking about trying the other view as well because I think it would be a more casual style which would definitely suit these current times, but I'm not so sure it will look as good on my pear shape.

I'm back! Meet Burda 11/2015 #112

When my enthusiasm for blogging petered out last year, I thought that would be the end of my blog. But someone emailed me recently to ask about a pattern I'd made many years ago and as I was scrolling through my old blog posts to find it I realised that I missed recording my rants and raves about various patterns as well as other snippets of things going on in my life. Instagram is good for a photo, but obviously you just can't capture the details of a pattern and project in that space, so here I am again!

These are strange times aren't they? I am very thankful that I am healthy and I still have my job when so many others have lost theirs due to the COVID-19 shutdown but I am busier than ever with work, two children to homeschool and a dog demanding pats all the time! Working from home has also forced a rethink in my wardrobe, as I don't have enough smart tops to wear and I can't be bothered putting on a dress for the camera.

Enter my latest project - a simple funnel neck top with a neckline zipper which helps get it over my head and adds a bit of interest. This fabric - a Marc Jacobs wool bought from the Fabric Store in Surry Hills a few years ago - has had a long journey into becoming this project. Firstly I made this fabric into a shapeless sweater dress but I really should have known better that shapeless looks like a literal sack on my curvy body so I pulled it apart and instead made it into a fitted dress with darts. Which was great until the next wash when the fabric shrunk a little more even though I did prewash and it became too tight to wear.

Finally, I've made it into a top using Burda 11/2015 #112 and I plan to hand wash and stretch it into shape from now on in case it still has a bit more shrinking to do.

images from burdastyle.com

The only changes I made to the pattern was to lengthen it by 5cm as it is a cropped length and I graded out to the next size below the waist. I really like the centre back seam even though I had to pattern match the plaid because it made it easy to get rid of that sway back pooling I often get.

Although it's a simple pattern the Burda magazine has illustrated pattern instructions in the magazine. However (and here is my rant!) I don't think the method for the neck zip is the best way of doing it.

Essentially you sew cut the seam allowances off, sew the zipper tape on top, then hand sew the ends of the zipper tape together and sew the ribbon over the top of the zipper tapes. Doing it this way leaves a gap between the end of the zipper tape and the shoulder seam, unless my zipper tape is unusually short because I'm sure I transferred the mark from the pattern where the zipper stop goes correctly. I had to sew a small square of fabric to the underside to fill in that gap. I think a better method would be to sew the seam from the shoulder edge to the mark for the zipper stop, and then install the zipper as an exposed zip with a welt pocket type opening instead - this would hide the zipper tape, leave no gap at the end and keep that shoulder seam strong too. Or at lease use a zip longer than the magazine recommends!

Ironically it turns out that I should have narrowed the shoulders anyway because this sits off my shoulder point - that would have solved the problem of that little gap! Although looking at the pattern I think it's designed with an extended shoulder.

Because of my forward rounded shoulders (thanks to being a side sleeper and having poor posture) I'm getting a fold of fabric across the front below the neckline. For my next version I would do a forward shoulder adjustment by taking a bit of width out of the front and adding it to the back instead.

So if you're still here reading - welcome back and thanks for sticking around! I hope to get into more a regular routine with my posting. So many projects to catch up on....

Vintage Vogue 1489: giant collared suit

After what seemed like an endless summer and non-existent autumn Sydney is finally having some cold weather. I love winter - wearing chunky knits and not having to worry about getting a sunburn from being in the sun for three seconds is definitely my thing! So it's timely that I finally finished sewing a new wool suit for work - actually I finished this about 3 weeks ago but it took me some time to find the right buttons and then get around to sewing them on.

When it comes to collars on suit jackets, I usually prefer no collar at all except it seems when the collar is HUGE! This is a 1960 Vogue pattern that is a pretty simple style except for that oversized notched collar.

Luckily this was a fairly simple project to sew because in true vintage style there was only one page of instructions for the entire jacket. I followed the vintage techniques as well, including hand basting in canvas interfacing instead of using fusible, and pad stitching that giant collar to support it.

I also lengthened the sleeves because my wrists get too cold to wear bracelet length. Apart from that I didn't make any changes - I even put in some slim shoulder pads. I used premade ones though - no one has time to make their own! I'm not sure about those shoulder pads though, they make me feel really bulky around the shoulders and I think my neck looks really short and stumpy in this.

The back view is fairly plain - darts at the shoulders and vertical darts to give waistline shaping. If only I had better posture and stood up straight then I wouldn't have those annoyng drag lines on the back! 

It took me a while to find some buttons, and I was very nearly going to make some fabric covered buttons when I stumbled accross these simple angled buttons in Spotlight of all places. I didn't do the bound buttonholes because I thought there was a high risk of stuffing them up and ruining my jacket when it was practically finished. The buttons cover the buttonholes though, and those buttons really make the jacket. At nearly $5 each they are the most expensive part of the jacket, because the fabric I've used was picked up from a Sydney Spoolettes fabric swap last year. It's a gorgeous wool, so I can't understand why anyone would give this away, but I think I've made very good use of it!

The skirt I've made to go with the jacket isn't from this pattern - I just used my favourite Burda high waisted pencil skirt because I know it fits me perfectly. This is Burda 2/2018 #119, which I've made a few times before, including this cute version in green floral barkcloth that I wear all the time.

Overall I really like this suit even if it makes me look like a football quarterback with those shoulders. Maybe one day I'll undo the lining and remove the pads, but knowing me I'll probably just keep wearing it as it is and just think about doing it everytime I wear it

Vogue 9021: it's all about the sleeves

I'm still playing catch up to blog all my completed projects - here's a dress I finished in January and have worn quite frequently since then. This is Vogue 9021 - a simple fitted sheath dress with rather dramatic cut on sleeves.

Those sleeves are my favourite feature of this dress, but unfortunately if you make this pattern according to the pattern the armholes are so low they practically extend down to your waistline and give a clear view of your chest every time you lift your arms. When I made this dress previously I extended the side seam up much higher, so I did that adjustment from the outset this time.

Those sleeves however make it difficult to wear a jacket or cardigan over the top so I'm not sure I'll wear this dress much over the winter. The fabric is an Atelier Brunette viscose that I bought online from the Maai Design on line shop after seeing so many people use this fabric. The fabric is a lot thinner than I expected, and a bit transparent so I fully lined this dress in a thin navy blue cotton poplin.

I have to admit that I bought this fabric purely because of FOMO - I saw so many great garments popping up in my Instagram feed that I simply had to have some. But now that I've made it into a dress, even though it's a pattern that I love, I just feel a bit blah about it. I can't quite decide whether it's because the print feels a bit 1980s to me or whether I just feel a bit frumpy in this, but either way I don't love it as much as this palm print version I made from a cotton sateen last year:

I didn't buy much of this fabric because it's on the pricier side, so I didn't have enough fabric to spare to pattern match at the seams. It's such a busy print that I doubt it's noticeable at all to someone who doesn't sew.

 
In terms of the pattern it really is very simple and definitely deserves to be in the Very Easy Vogue category. I did grade between sizes as usual - smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, and thanks to the waistline with darts it is easy to get a close fit at my sway back.

 

Vogue 8667 - finally got there

Every so often I glance at my UFO pile and think about finishing some of those projects languishing in it. Well finally I have finished one after several attempts and it is such a relief to get it done to a wearable stage!

This is Vogue 8667, a princess seamed dress with a rolled collar and a skirt options. Looks pretty simple right? I had originally set out to make view E - the straight skirt and short sleeved version.

I don't know why it took me so long to finish this - I just kept losing steam at every hurdle. Firstly I should have measured the flat pattern pieces more carefully to make sure I sewed the right size, because it turned out way too big. So I set it aside for a while to think about it. A few months later I picked it up again and pin fitted it while wearing it - I had to take the dress in quite substantially at the sides to make it fit across the bust. I also flattened the bust curve to make a faux small bust adjustment.

But once I had made that change the sleeve would no longer work - it was too big to fit into the now much smaller armhole opening, but making the sleeve narrower made it too tight to fit my arms! So away it went again for a few more months. Finally in January this year I decided to either finish it or scrap it, but thankfully it worked out. I changed the sleeve to a cap sleeve so I could get the shoulder coverage but not the tight feeling around my bicep - it all worked out in the end phew!

But the real star of this dress is the rolled neckline. I love the wide neckline and stand up collar - I feel very ladylike when wearing this, but it does make it hard to wear a jacket or cardigan over it.

I've left the collar at the back to splay open above the top of the zip. It is meant to have a hook and eye at the collar roll line (ie at the halfway point of collar) to make it stand up slightly, but I knew from past experiences with this type of collar that the hook and eye never stay closed and my hair tends to get caught in it instead.

The other design aspect I like about this pattern is the waist seam - it helps get a neater fit for my swayback. It causes pattern disruption at the waist line of course, but in a busy print like this it's barely noticeable but you can see from the side view that the fit is quite tailored.

The back view is rather plain and simple, with just a small walking vent

So even though it took me a very long time to finish this dress, I'm glad I didn't give up on it and preserved until the end. I really can't explain why I had no enthusiasm for this particular project - the fabric is a lovely double knit from the Remnant Warehouse in a great teal and lilac coloured print and I do love the design lines of the pattern. I guess that sometimes you just need to be in the right frame of mind.