Friday 9 April 2010

Burda Style Magazine 03-2010-106 skirt

This skirt should have been very easy. What could be easier than a straight (well, nearly straight, I think it is slightly pegged) skirt with no waistband. I even left off the welt pockets.

SAM_0498

SAM_0499


It looks OK here, but let me tell you my sad story.
This skirt has a fly front. I am not accustomed to sewing fly fronts with no waistband, so I followed the Burda instructions. At least, I thought I followed the Burda instructions. This is what I ended up with.
SAM_0488 Bodgy on the outside, but the true disaster can only be seen on the inside.

SAM_0489

Obviously I have failed to understand the instructions.

I took the scissors to the facing, cutting an L shape into the left front, unpicked a bit, and tidied it up so the outside waistlooks straight at least, and the inside can be fastened more easily.
SAM_0516

SAM_0517
I felt that the outside top fastening was insecure and wobbly looking, so added a snap. You can see here the ravelliness of the fabric - I zigzagged that edge twice.

SAM_0519
I am not unhappy with the fix, despite my daughters telling me it didn't look any different! Fellow seamstresses will understand that it looks far, far better now.
Does anyone have a tutorial for this sort of fly front? My 1960's sewing instruction book has let me down badly here, and Australian Stitches can only offer me a lapped zipper with facing instructions.

As the fabric has quite a bit of stretch, I used a zig-zag blind hem instead of a regular blind hem stitch, and again used the overlocker to finish most seams. This skirt is a straight size 38 Burda, with two additional darts at the back to take in the waist, and a little off the side seams. The fabric is an expensive piece of stretch jaquard from Kerryn's Fabric World (mercifully, as I bought it several years ago in a What was I thinking? moment, I can only remember that it was over $40 per metre).It was such a small piece that exact pattern matching was not possible. This was almost a quick project!

SAM_0497

14 comments:

Carol said...

It turned out nicely in the end. In fact, I think it's lovely. I am never brave enough to buy fabric like that, but I wish I was because it's made a really nice skirt. I am stunned by how much your daughter is like you, she even stands like you and her feet look like yours.

Sharon said...

Great skirt and you have done a great job on fixing it.

Sorry can't help with the tutorial but will keep on the lookout.

KID, MD said...

Nice save! It looks very nice on the outside, and I do think your fix improved the way it lies.

angie.a said...

Now that was a good save! I can't help you on the zip, I don't think I've ever seen instructions for a faced fly front. Your daughter is BEAUTIFUL! She looks like the Gibson Girl!

neighbourhood.gal said...

Really fabulous and it goes with the blouse so nicely. You have a very well-dressed daughter!

sewing spots said...

I think the skirt looks beautiful! I love the word bodgy-what a great word (although I do think your zipper turned out quite well--we are all our own harshest critics). I could not find this, but does bodgy rhyme with dodge, but with the added 'y' on the end?

Mary Nanna said...

great looking skirt - you daughter looks lovely, and how nicely the blouse goes with the skirt. But I'm sure you planned that, didn't you?

Burda fly instructions are awful to decode. Much trickier when you have to tuck a facing over somehow - I've struggled with the same thing myself.

Vicki said...

That fabric is just gorgeous. And I don't think you need to match a pattern like that (at least I can't see any non matching). And your fix looks much better...we understand :)

velosews said...

Great skirt and the fabric choice is stunning. I think Burda failed you on the fly front zip, but you've done an excellent job on it.

Uta said...

Beautiful! I love brocade/jacquard fabrics, and the blue colors suit your daughter very well.

Liz said...

Cute skirt, love the fabric! I tried to follow Burda mag's instructions for this type of zip once and they had left out a very important step, like sewing the left side, lol, so they probably misled you as well. Find a pattern for this waist finish in one of the Big 4, they do exist and some of their instructions are quite good.

LisaB said...

Great save! Yes, we definitely understand that your fix is an improvement.

Since fly front zippers are essentially lapped zippers, I would start with Kathleen Fasanella's lapped zipper tutorials. You can find them here.

http://www.fashion-incubator.com/tutorials/

I think you could easily adapt your pattern to this method.

gwensews said...

Great save! Love that fabric! The skirt turned out really well.

Pascale from Paris said...

How cute!
I love this outfit on your daughter, especially the color coordination.
It's look very good from the outside, you di a great job on fixing the skirt.