Burda 1/2025 #116 again

Here's the second time for this easy to sew pattern from BurdaStyle magazine. The first one was a lengthened version in terry toweling that was made to be a robe/swim coverup, and here's a link to the post.

This time, the pattern turned out to be a great solution for a problematic fabric. I'm pretty sure when I bought this that it was labeled 100% cotton. When it came, I was happy with how rich looking it was, a melange of different colors, with the burgundy predominating. It was flat and smooth like a heavy-ish shirting, and that was what was planned. But look what happened when it was pre washed! It drew up into a texture a little like a large waffle weave which made it even richer to look at, but that dashed my plans. By process of elimination (couldn't be a shirt, couldn't be a dress, couldn't be pants...) it was destined for jacketry.

It was also clear that to preserve the texture there was going to have to be a lot of hand basting and sewing, so I needed a very simple pattern. This little cropped jacket was the winner because with its extended shoulders and deep armholes, it would let me wear dolman tops underneath. I didn't have anything like that.

whole lotta texture

There was indeed a lot of hand sewing. The little patch pockets had to be totally done by hand. All of the seams that weren't vertical or close to it had to be hand basted. In most cases I did two rows of basting - one inside the seam allowance, and one outside. After checking that the seam length still matched the pattern (it was easy to draw up the lines of basting if the seam line had gotten too long), I stitched between the basting lines on the machine. Hems were all done by hand as well as the inside of the front band. I decided to leave off buttons and buttonholes.

I was surprised at how much I like this cropped length. Photo shows it with pants that I would never actually wear it with 😄, but gives an idea of the general look. One of the fabrics Burda recommends for this pattern is sweatshirting, and I'm thinking when fall rolls around I might whip one up using that material. It would be super cozy and comfy, and that one would be quick to make!

I've been on a bit of a sewing jag lately - lots of sewing but no documentation on the blog. Catch-up posts are forthcoming.

Burda 7/2024 #116

Quick project and just a quick note to document it. I have a pile of things that have been culled from the wardrobe that I would like to be able to re-cut and wear. A simple sleeveless shell pattern seems like the way to go for at least some of the old fabric. I have not had much luck trying to piece and/or color block with my out takes.

Surely the old Burda collection would have something? I didn't find a simple shell in my archives, but it was easy to envision lopping off the bottom of this mini dress and having the solution. Sleeveless, a neckline a little larger than a typical jewel neckline, diagonal bust darts. The dress is supposed to have a back zipper, but I was able to pull the top on without it. Yay! 

The fabric for my test garment was from stash. It was a tad rich for my blood when I bought it, so I skimped and only bought a yard. It was just the right amount for this shell. 

Fitting adjustments: forward neck and lowered the dart, done during the pattern tracing phase. I cut huge seam allowance on the sides, so the garment could be basted and let out as much as needed at the hip during construction.  Then modified the pattern for future use.

The neckline and armscye are finished with narrow bias facings from a co-ordinating scrap fabric. I'll draft facings for the future so there will be the option to use them. 

Fits fine. Super fast to sew. Will help me save some favorite fabrics from the scrap heap. The other TNT I need is a sleeveless top with princess seams that would enable me to squeeze the pattern pieces onto narrower scraps. That's on the to-do list!

Burda Caftan 5/2024 #122

For a long time I've wanted something loose and cool to slip on after a hot bath and for some reason never got around to making it - opting to settle for my flannel robe. When there just happened to be the right color thread already on the machine, along with a full bobbin, it seemed like the right time to finally find a pattern and make the thing.

It went together quickly and painlessly, just like a two-dot pattern should. The only tricky part is being precise when stitching in the placket pieces.

There are a couple of features that make this pattern a little different. The two bold placket pieces cross over each other, which gives a little interest. (The original in the magazine has some lovely tone on tone embroidery on the plackets.) The shoulder seams, which are quite extended, are curved rather than straight. I wasn't sure how the curved seams would work out, but they seem to hold the garment on my shoulders securely.

While this is relaxed and loose fitting, it's not oversized.

Alterations - This pattern is drafted pretty much straight up and down. I was not drafted that way so I altered the side seams for an A-line. Added length as the original is just below knee length. Shortened the sleeves to 3/4 length. Did a 3/8" adjustment for a forward neck & shoulders.

there are side vents

The placket pieces are drafted so that if you use the grainline provided, it matches up and continues the grainline of the front. I wanted a change of direction for the stripes of the seersucker I used. My only regret with this project is that I didn't interface the placket pieces. That's not a biggie, though.

I'd very much like to make this again using the placket pieces for the blouse that is made from the same basic pattern. The blouse has some pleating on the plackets, just the kind of detail I really like.

There are some other Burda caftans I'd like to make from older issues that have multiple vertical seams - enough that they'd really add some interest for a plain fabric, as well as fitting opportunities. These wouldn't have to be relegated to at-home wear. I like folkloric type styles and would absolutely wear them around town. Maybe they'll happen some time this summer.

Vintage Butterick 3573

My favorite place to shop for patterns now is Half Price Books. The selection at my store changes all the time, and they are usually older patterns, so it's always fun to browse through them even if there's nothing that I want to buy. That's where I found Butterick 3573, also sold as P150, which has a copyright date of 2002. That may or may not actually qualify for a "vintage" description. Anyway, I picked it up because it's a single layer jacket, finished with binding, that could be used for quilted fabrics.

I was intending to sew up another Half Price find, and pulled a stash fabric that had a table cloth-y look that I thought would make a nice heavy shirt. When pre-washed, the fabric had changed from table cloth-y to more of a textured bedspread-y look. Not a shirt fabric, but a great fabric for testing this jacket pattern. In the scrap pile I had enough cotton jersey to bind the edges. The buttons are just for show. While I could wear it buttoned, I did not take the trouble to add reinforcement to the buttonholes, so I won't be using them.

What a sweet little jacket! I didn't go crazy with fitting adjustments because I did want to see how the pattern actually fit. I pivoted out from the underarm on the side seams to add a little extra with to the hip and shortened the sleeve. That's it. I like the length, I like the amount of ease.

The pattern has some nice features. There are shoulder and elbow darts that would be easy to just ease in if using a loosely woven or spongey fabric. In addition, there is some extra length to the front pieces that is eased at the bust area, providing a little shape there. It's not enough for a full-busted figure, but it's nice to see that shaping in such a simple jacket. There are dots on the sleeve caps that direct the ease to the very top of the cap. How long has it been since I've seen dots to mark the easing? Seems like a long time. The shoulder is not extended and that bit of ease gives a small touch of definition.

I'm really happy with the easy fit and have plans to use this pattern as a block to make a more standard jacket. I'll add a dart, facings, and a collar.

Ready now for spring and summer with my little jacket. Also ready because of that huge winter storm that has pretty much shut us down for now. The white stuff in the photo is all sleet, not snow. We are fortunate that we haven't lost power with this storm. It's cold, everything is closed, and it's a good time to make soup and do some much-needed tidying around the house.

Style Arc Sloane

 

I thought I needed a blazer, but maybe I didn't. Sloane didn't work out exactly the way I thought it would. It does give me a couple of options, though.

From the pattern illustration, I was anticipating a relaxed, boxy, casual blazer. Mine ended up looking a lot dressier, and while it is boxy, the fit seems really slim.

The fit was almost a pleasant surprise. The shoulder width is pretty close to mine, much neater than expected. I picked the correct size for my bust, but there is not much ease there. That's unusual for an unfitted jacket.

Altertions I made to the pattern: shortened sleeves by 1-5/8 inches. They are long! Added 5/8 inch to each side seam at the hip for a total of an extra 3-1/4 in circumference. There are pattern pieces for welt and patch pockets. They blend in, but there are patch pockets on my version.

Comments on the pattern: There is shaping in the back seam, which is nice. The sleeves hang well, with a nice curve that follows the arm. There's a back vent. I might have totally misread the directions, but it seems like the way Style Arc has it finished, the interfacing shows. I made a little facing for the underlay so that it would be covered, and opted to miter where the vent joins the hem.

showing the curve of the sleeve

Sloane is unlined, and the front and back facings are the type I like on an unlined jacket, extending all the way to the armscye. This gives more structure to the chest and shoulder, and a sharper look overall. The pattern has shoulder pads as optional. I wanted to include them, but the ones I had on hand were too thick and didn't work. I may try a thinner pad if I can find where to get a few pair without having to order a dozen.

I took the time to do a hong kong finish on the seam allowances so here are the insides to show them.

The main reason that the blazer doesn't look the way I thought it would is due to my fabric choice. It's a cotton with the merest touch of stretch. It looks way dressier than I thought it would, reminding me of some silk dupioni jackets I wore to the symphony back in the day. So I'm not sure of how I'll wear it. 

I could leave it as is and have it for art openings. I'm a mixed media painter, and when I'm in a show I never seem to have the right thing to wear for openings. You want to have something that sets you apart and lets the crowd know you are the artist, but I'm not comfortable in flamboyant clothing. If I wore all black with this blazer, that would be a look I'd like. Downside of this choice is that it would only be worn a few times a year.

Alternately, I could do some topstitching on this to make it look more casual. It would probably get more wear that way.

Right now I'm inclined to keep it for dress-up.

If I ever make this again, I think I would size up and add darts, and make it in a fabric with less crispness. But now that I've made it, I wonder if a blazer really works for the casual life I lead.

Updating a TNT shirt pattern

it will probably never see an iron again

One of my most used patterns has been the shirt that appeared in the 5/2012 issue of Ottobre Woman, style #7 called "Gardener".  I made it back in 2012 and with a few modifications it was my TNT shirt for years. Even though I can still wear the shirts from years gone by, it was time to do a little refinement for my current body so that it can be my TNT again. In my TNT file there is a Knip Mode pattern that's a good basic for a very oversized shirt, and a Burda that is a little oversized. This one is even a little less oversized; call it merely relaxed. A chill fit.

I started from the beginning with a fresh tracing of my size based on the full bust measurement. Then began the customization to include the features I like to have in my shirts. Last, I did a wearable test to be sure that all my slicing and dicing worked.

schematic from the magazine

Here's the starting point.

And here's the preliminary pattern work that needed testing. This work was a lot easier to do on a pattern without seam allowances - one of the reasons I like the magazine patterns.

1. Chopped off the top of the back to create a yoke and rotated the shoulder dart into the yoke seam.
2. Replaced the separate front band a cut on one, adding extra width for cut on interfacing. Handling long skinny pieces of interfacing is a pain, and most of the time I don't want to do it.
3. Lowered the dart
4. Small rounded back adjustment
5. Forward shoulder adjustment, including pivoting the sleeve head for the forward pitch of the shoulders
6. I need extra width at the hips. Part of this was provided by adding to the side seams. The remainder comes from a box pleat added at center back.
7. A minor change - the pocket in the pattern is too dainty for me, so I drafted one a bit larger.
8. Another minor change - shortened the length. I am fairly tall, but Ottobre designs are often long on me.

To prove out all the alterations, I made up my tester without a lot of the details. Just the collar band, no actual collar. No cuffs or sleeve placket. The fabric is a heavy weight linen from deep stash that I'd begun to wonder if I would ever use. 

I'm pretty pleased with the results. The sleeves hang nicely and I don't need any FBA or any more room at the sides. My test is very wearable and lets me know that a bit more forward shoulder adjustment and just a little narrow shoulder alteration would get this pattern all nice and finessed to where I like it. 

A shirt TNT is a great start to the new year. I really enjoy making and wearing them!

Itch to Stitch Bainbridge

We are having a La Niña winter, which means warmer than usual where I am. In fact, I’m writing this post out on the sunny patio in a cotton blouse and jeans. But I made this fleece pullover anyway in case it does get colder, or we take a trip this spring. 

Bainbridge is a cute pullover because it combines fleece or a stable knit with a woven placket and bias bindings, so you can trim it up with any of your pretty woven prints. I used part of a dress that I never wore for my woven bits. It happened to be a fantastic coordinating color for my light weight fleece. The embossed design fleece had the brand name Rainbeau, and it is ultra soft as well as being warm. 

This design has bust darts, so the fit is a little more refined that most RTW of this style. The lower front is a separate pattern piece, which makes the placket easy to sew. Pockets are also easy to sew.

The pattern also calls for snaps, and I had just enough of my old Snap Source supply left to do up the front. Snap Source is no longer in business, so their snap setter tools are now in the trash. I wish that didn’t happen so often. 

Alterations: the bust dart needed to be lowered, and I needed extra room at the hip. In the instructions they cover how to blend sizes, but the procedure seemed really convoluted to me. I just slashed and spread the pattern lower front and back to gain the extra room. The thing to remember is that then the pocket needs to be redrawn so that the bottom edge matches the bottom edge of the lower front. They both end up being bound together with bias tape. 

Would I make this again? I don’t know. For some reason, after cutting this out, I wasn’t excited about working on the project. This is not the fault of the pattern; I think I just don’t like working with fleece. But I have a rule I’ve stuck with for a couple of decades now: I don’t get to start another garment, not even cut it out, until I finish what I’m working on. This has kept me free of UFO guilt, which is so easy to lapse into. Beginning something is fun and exciting. Finishing is tedious and hard. 

Anyway, I know I’ll be glad to have this top the next time we go to Big Bend in the winter. It’s super soft and snuggly.