Burda Classics - Jacket 0007

Back around 10 years ago, Burda published a couple of special issues they called Classics. I don't think they continued with the concept beyond the two magazines. This jacket is a modification of style #0007 in the first issue. 

This fabric was listed as a wool flannel, so I was surprised when it came and was more like a Shetland wool. It's coarser and more scratchy than flannel. O, the perils of online ordering, but what are you going to do? What I thought was going to be a relaxed flannel blazer had to become something else. 

I did need a warm jacket and have been seeing barn jackets in the shop windows - not so different from the shackets of the last few years. I really like my Logan shacket, but didn't want that volume in this fabric. The perfect pattern didn't exist in the whole of my pattern stash.

This Burda design, though, was pretty easy to modify. I had made it before, and knew that it fit and did not have extremely extended shoulders. It had darts. Most importantly, the sleeves of the previously-made jacket hung nicely. Sleeves with folds in them are my latest pet peeve, but now I know from my Knipmode big shirt and the Logan shacket, that even extended shoulder styles don't have to have them. 

Pattern modifications: Borrowed the collar and neck opening from a previously-made Ottobre utility jacket. Lengthened the body and added a center back seam with a little bit of shaping. Drafted facings and lining. Patch pockets were added, too.

The collar is made of velveteen for a no-scratch neckline. It doesn't match any color in the plaid, but does tone in very well. It was used to bind the buttonholes as well. That velveteen is the oldest piece in my fabric stash and it would be nice to finally make it up this winter - I'm thinking of a bomber jacket. 

The underlining is a shocking pink cotton/linen blend that was another online ordering surprise. I'm glad to have found a use for it. 

The lining is a black bemberg resembling what used to be sold as Ambiance.

Buttons - Califabrics has some bags of buttons that I took a chance on and they turned out to be a good value. I got a bag of mixed colors and a bag of metallics, and there were plenty of usable sets in each, including a good choice for this project in the mixed colors collection.

I put shoulder pads in, too, since the jacket was going to have some structure due to the underlining and the pads would be hidden with the lining.

There was a lot of hand basting involved making this, and careful sewing, but mercifully very little seam ripping. It took most of the month of November to complete and it will be a while before I want another long term project! However, cold weather is here (it's been four days and I've already had enough) and it's good to have a nice warm jacket.

Style Arc Carlisle Jeans

Pants photos are so difficult. While these pictures are not inspiring, I am really happy with this pattern. The Carlisle jeans are the type I like: high rise, with the base of the waistband at the natural waist, and loose straight legs. The pictures have been adjusted to try to show a little bit of detail in the dark indigo denim. 

I also think they are more flattering than these close-to-the-mirror photos show. The top is tucked in only for illustration purposes. Never in real life!

Pattern notes: 

These jeans are really long. As drafted, I think a person who wears heels could wear their very tallest with them and still be OK.

Size was chosen using Style Arc's charts and my full hip measurement. A one-leg muslin, top down center out style, was the starting point and indicated that my usual jeans fitting problems would have to be solved. The rise needed to be adjusted (mine is very short), more width needed for thighs, and there was major back waist gaposis.

When I was messing with the rise adjustments there was a lightbulb moment that will help me with all pants fitting going forward. Previously, I always shortened the front and lengthened the back in various ways. Drag lines in the back could be minimized but never truly went away.

This time, it suddenly made sense to shorten all the way around, front and back. That keeps the horizontal balance lines horizontal. After the length of the rise was correct, I could make adjustments to the back to carve out room for the rear. This made a huge positive difference! I ended up extending both the front and back crotch points a bit, scooping where my fullness is (not at the bottom of the curve), and adjusting the side seam to account for the scoop. When these changes were complete, the back waist actually reached up to my waist, without adding to the top or spreading via wedges.

I changed the construction so that they could be sewn up like men's dress pants with a seam in the center back waistband. That center back seam was sewn after the inseams, outseams, and center front; and after the waistband was attached. That way the center back could be contoured to fit and snug up to my waist. They are very comfortable to wear.

This pair is actually the second I made. The first pair resulted in some sewing drama and that story follows.

This denim is from Fashion Fabrics Club. They have a selection of Japanese selvedge denims that I have used before and liked very much, but there was a lesson to be learned with the first cut.

I did not pre wash that first cut.  In the past, I've had several pieces of denim that got abraded in the washing machine when doing the pre wash, leaving faded streaks all over that couldn't be cut around. The fabrics were ruined, and they were from reputable sources and not cheap. So I sewed the first pair up, true fly and topstitching and all, leaving them long and unhemmed. The idea was to hem after washing/shrinking. Except that when finally washed they shrank to capri length! Oh Regret, thy sting is sharp indeed.

But I was so motivated to get Carlisle in my wardrobe (and besides, all the fitting work had already been done) that I immediately turned around and made this second pair. With pre washed fabric. And then went on a denim shopping spree so there will be more. A black pair is up next.

Burda 4.2024 #116

Here is a simple little jacket that is an uncomplicated take on those Chanel lady jackets. It incorporates a couple of nice features: it falls nicely in front thanks to the bust darts, and the back shoulder has a dart converted to ease. Simple little things like that back shoulder easing is not always included in patterns now, and I wonder why. It helps give the wearer room to move and drive. The little bit of shaping really makes a difference on a pattern that is essentially only three pieces - front, back, and sleeve.

This is meant to be a lined cardigan with patch pockets and no closures. The original had trim inserted between the body and facings.

My fabric is a loose sweatery woven blend that came from Fashion Fabrics Club last year. The right side has a kind of tweedy boucle look, and the wrong side is a bit slick so it will slide over other layers without a lining.

Traced size 44, the size that corresponds to my full bust measurement.

Alterations: It's a short jacket, and I am tall, so I added 1" to the length. Added 1/2 inch width at the hip on front and back pattern pieces, for a total of 2" hip circumference. I'm happy with the fit.

It is supposed to be a lined jacket, but the facings as well as the lining were omitted. I bound all my outside edges with french terry left over from a top. It co-ordinates pretty perfectly.

I did make an error - did not remove the seam allowance added on back neckline. This really didn't make any difference except that the back comes up a little higher on my neck but that will keep my neck warmer and is fine with me!

This was quick to sew and will be a great fall layer in my part of the country. Since I'm paying attention to sewing complete outfits again, I'm now working on a pair of Style Arc Carlisle jeans in blue denim that will pair nicely and keep the jacket from looking too formal. After that will need to make a top (pattern, color, and fabric to be determined) to complete the ensemble, and then I'll try to get a photo of the whole thing!

Burda Magazine - expanding the size range

 Back when Burdastyle was Burda World of Fashion, they published a method for sizing their patterns up or down. Most of the time I fall into a range where I need to size many of the regular patterns up or size the plus sizes down, so I've used this often and feel confident about grading up to two sizes different. Beyond that, I'd be sure to make a muslin to check that the pieces go together as they should, just in case there was an incremental error that got compounded.

Here's a quick illustration and explanation of how to do it. In the photo, I am sizing down the pink pattern piece by one size. (It's the center back piece of a princess seam garment.) I've made my markings in black. Ignore the black curve labelled 5 on the right...that's another pattern.

Draw lines connecting all sizes at the seamline intersections. They will be diagonals at all kinds of angles. Extend those lines into the interior of the pattern piece if you're going smaller, or to the outside. 

Now eyeball or measure the distance between the sizes and start to draw your new seamline the same distance from the closest size. You want to echo their lines - so notice that the black line I've drawn for the neck starts out farther from Burda's line at the center back fold, but gets closer at the shoulder, just like all the other sizes do.

When your line reaches the next diagonal that you drew, that's where you will change direction and start another seam line.

Remember to add your seam allowances before you start cutting.

This post was written so I'd have a photo to share on Pattern Review to answer a member's question. It's such a simple concept, and not hard at all to do, but difficult for me to put into words. Maybe it will also help someone else.

Style Arc Bonnie

Style Arc is really making me happy these days. Their Bonnie pattern has two views - one is a plain and very versatile top with darts - like this one here. The other has dolman sleeves that are gathered up with tabs at the shoulders, no darts. Both button down the back.

The size 16 in this pattern line has been fitting me really well for tops and dresses. Technically I should be using a 14, but I like my things looser. The only fit alteration on this one was lowering the darts by 3/8". Because of a fabric shortage, the back opening was eliminated and replaced by a center back seam. It would be absolutely possible to make this simple top even simpler by cutting the back on the fold. It pulls on over the head easily.

The hem is finished with a facing that they recommend you interface. I left it off in this case but depending on the fabric used for future tops, might put it in. An invisible hand hem finishes it off.

The facings are supposed to be stitched down about an inch and a quarter from the edge, which would look great in something like a linen, but this fabric is a fine lawn and so I opted to just do a narrow topstitched edge. 

The pattern as drafted hits below my waist but is quite short. To my eye and on my body, this length looks great with wide pants (or any wide bottom) and is a good companion for the Style Arc Bob pants.

The shoulders fit well, but the armholes are a tad big and can show a little too much when I move around. I'm not likely to wear this in public without a jacket, so I will fix that for next time and not worry about it on this one.

Here's a closeup of the had-to-have-it print. Da Vinci, Seurat, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Manet, the gang is all here! When I ordered it, I thought it was going to be a quilting cotton and I only bought enough to make a bucket hat. It's a lovely fine lawn, though, and by adding a center back seam there was just enough to make this top. According to Style Arc's calculations, you can sew this up with as little as about 3/4 yard of 58" fabric.

No drag lines. With a few tweaks this will become my basic sleeveless shell. Redrafting a slightly tighter/higher armhole and lengthening by about half an inch ought to do it!

I've been sewing a lot lately and am way behind on doing the write-ups on the summer-y stuff. These blog entries are my notes, so I need to get caught up. The first cool weather item has already been sewn!

A 14-piece travel wardrobe

We have not done any real traveling since before 2020, but are headed for Europe soon for a two week excursion. One suitcase and one carry-on are plenty for me to wrangle. I really admire people who can go for that long with a carry-on alone, I just can't pare down that much. Shoes changes alone would fill up a carry-on bag, and frequent changes of shoes makes such a difference when you will be doing a lot of walking.

Anyway, here is what I intend to take. It is mostly sewn by me - some made specifically for this trip, some pulled from the closet, and a few store-bought pieces.

I originally thought the colors would revolve around indigo, classic color for jeans and one that I happen to look good in, but when shopping for jeans, I ended up buying stretch twill. One pair is teal and the other natural. To my surprise, I had enough things that would work with both of them and ended up with a gray/natural/teal color palette. 

Tops: 

The first two are knits, pulled from the closet. The teal Knipmode one is a medium weight rayon blend with princess seams and grown-on sleeves. The Ottobre one is a narrow natural/black horizontal stripe, boxy with set-in sleeves.

The others are all woven.  That Ottobre vertical stripe doesn't bear much resemblance to the original pattern, which fit so nicely and had just the right amount of ease that I have changed it up again and again. The Ballad and Marley were sewn to round out this wardrobe. Both are lightweight cottons. The Aria also came from the closet and is a cotton oxford cloth.

 

Pants:

Pictures of pants on hangers don't convey a lot of information. The first two Simplicity have flat fronts and gathered back waists. The leg is just barely on the slim side. The black pair is cotton/poly and the gray is a light cotton that will be good on the hottest days.

The Burda pair is from an old magazine and is my all-time most sewn pattern. Whether I gain or lose weight, my basic shape does not change and all I have to do is trace off a different size of this pattern and it fits. These are straight leg, made in a gray RPL and will probably be worn for the days on the plane.

The next two are the purchased stretch twill jeans. They fit pretty closely, with a straight leg. I really like the current fuller leg pant styles and especially the funky barrel leg ones, but I can't wear the same tops with them that I wear with jeans, so none of them are going on the trip. For a condensed wardrobe like this, you get more mix & match versatility if you stick to one silhouette.

The last pair is tan RPL, made in case I want a nicer pair of pants for dinner some evenings. They are made from Sewing Workshop's Helix pattern, with the legs cut just a little bit wider so they are not a skinny pant, although they have a close and neat fit at the hip and waist.

Layers:

Rain-repelling hooded jacket from REI. Plenty of zippered pockets.

Light-weight linen topper was sewn AGES ago from an out-of-print Cutting Line Designs pattern. I have worn this for decades and it shows that good quality linen just keeps getting better and better. I really should make this pattern up again because this jacket gets worn so much - not because it is worn out.

Shoes - two pairs of sandals and one pair of sneakers, all with super arch support.


Happy end of summer to anyone reading!

Style Arc Marley

 

This is my second attempt with Marley and this time I didn't throw it in the trash!

The first experience was pure frustration. I was trying to follow the instructions which don't seem to match the drawings. The situation was complicated by the contrasting topstitching I was trying to do, so unpicking was a chore and left my fabric looking raggedy. That part was my own fault.

A clue for the future - the notches on the collar do not match to the notches on the body. They match to the shoulder seam, and the notches on the body match to the little half collar stand.

But I still liked the style and it was the type of top that fit perfectly in my travel wardrobe. I tried it again without any fancy touches. The instructions for the collar and center front still didn't make sense, but this time I just set them aside and did what needed to be done. 

Style Arc means for this pattern to be used either as a top or a light jacket. I will be thinking of using it whenever I want something sort of like a camp shirt. It has more shape (Style Arc describes it as boxy, but it does have gentle shaping) and is cuter than a camp shirt, but I would pair it with the same type of bottoms that a camp shirt would go with.

Shaping is achieved with a center back seam, bust darts, and side seam shaping. There are splits in the sleeve seams and at the sides like in the second photo. 3/4 sleeves. The collar has a little half-stand that is inserted in the back only. This is a touch I've liked on several Burda patterns that helps the collar stand up in the back. Thumbs up for that!

The pattern has a small extension at the center front that folds to the inside to make a narrow band. Unless it is buttoned all the way up, the wrong side of the fabric shows where the collar opens, something to keep in mind when choosing material. It would also be easy to draft a front facing that would cover that area.

My fabric is a seersucker from Miss Matatabi. The print is actually a darkish gray on off-white, which is nice. It gives the effect of black & white, but easier to wear for those of us with low-contrast coloring.

Alterations: lowered the bust point and added width at hip level on side and center back seams. Added width at the bicep, too. The sleeves were narrow, especially for something that you are supposed to be able to wear as a little jacket.

This is such a useful style that I'm sure I'll make again. Glad I gave it a second chance!

good length for Bob & Barry pants