Work wardrobe miss, Burda Style 03-2012-122 Long cardigan

I  was making a long line cardigan to throw on over my new work clothes for the walk there and back, which can be a bit chilly (for wimpy persons who are used to hot weather). I was very taken with the lovely knit jackets Sew Jean Margaret wore during Me Made May, hence the plan, but alas, my knit cardigan does not look very good with my work clothes. My cardigan is unfortunately reminiscent of a bathrobe, when worn over trousers and a business shirt, so initially I was fairly unpleased with this project.

 I do like it though, over a knit dress for wearing on the weekend, so all is well!

 The pattern is from Burda Style, 03-2012-122, and I've made it before (the alterations are described in the earlier post), in a very fine gauze merino knit - it was terrific for travelling, rolling up to next-to-nothing, but the gauze did not hold up very well to regular wear and ended up being turned into a wildly successful scarf.

technical drawing from http://www.burdafashion.com

This time I used a fine, but not gauze, merino knit, again from The Fabric Store and I think this slightly more robust fabric will hold up a bit better. However, it seems significantly more stretchy than the previous version, and has ended up oversized, despite some drastic reducing action at the side seams.
What I like about it particularly, is that although not magically slimming from behind, it is far more shapely than most long-line knit cardigans in this view, due to the darts and waistline shaping.

As in my last version, I have reinforced several seams (waistline, neckline) with clear elastic, and the shoulder seams are reinforced with woven selvage.
The tie bands are rolled sections of the knit.
It is just as comfortable as a bathrobe.

stashbusting statistics, about 1.5m of merino knit, 2013

Hot, hot, not - Burda Style 03-2012-108 floaty frock

January weather is always sundress inducing where I live. This year, despite abnormal levels of non-sewing activity, I have an extensive list of sundress patterns on my sewing list. This is an enabling a fortunate effect of having the northern hemisphere seamstresses try out all the Burda patterns for me during our winter.



Burda Style 03-2012-103 was brought to my attention by the Selfish Seamstress. Now you might think that a sensible woman with areas of considerable bodaciousness would steer firmly away from any frock modelled by a  petite size 34 ballet-dancer-in-her-spare-time, but Selfish not only looked her usual elegant self in her photographs, but was so persuasive in her description of this pattern being adjustable once worn, and was backed up so enthusiastically by the 5 of the 6 other reviewers of this pattern at Patternreview that I rashly got out a bit of cotton lawn stash fabric (London, 2010)I had earmarked for pyjama pants (I am reckless and extravagant at times) and tried it out.

(Technical drawing from French BurdaStyle site)

Keeping to my rash theme, I performed minimal pattern adjustments prior to construction, despite this being drafted in the Burda tall range. The reviewers were 5/6 in remarking that no bodice length adjustment had been required for persons not in the "tall" range. The adjustments I did make pre construction were to widen the back skirt from the hips up, and add darts to the back waist of the skirt, as the one reviewer  who mentioned the back of the dress offered a description of "hot mess" due to "no shaping". I also cut out the skirt to my knee length, which is very fabric saving compared to Burda's.



During constuction I followed the Burda sewing lesson instructions, adding bias binding  finishing to the facings, and eliminating the back bodice lining, as I was short of fabric (I also pieced the back facing for this reason).I topstitched the armscye edges and back neck edge.



  I found that the back bodice did not line up with the front bodice at the waist, which is unusual for Burda's excellent drafting, so I assumed this was operator error until I saw that Judy Williment had also mentioned finding this when she made up the pattern.
I sometimes need to shorten above bust bodice height in regular Burda patterns. For this pattern, after construction I found that I needed to shorten the bodice between shoulder and bust/shoulder blades both front and back.  I also had to lower the armscye and the back neck after my shortening.
I did not do a full bust adjustment, something I am always keen to avoid despite frequent fitting disasters. I must be lazy. This lack of FBA looks fine in the photos, as the outer bodice has plenty of fabric which is designed to fall into folds over the bust, but unfortunately, although the facing extends only to the upper bust, the lower bust folds are backed by a standard bust size lining/stay, which is not drafted for a D. I was able to retrofit for modesty by widening the empire line bodice gap through which the upper bodice is passed, and tacking the overlap with the original folds moving over a few centimetres to extend the lining so that the neckline crossed higher and further across, but in retrospect, adjusting the lining for bust size,  would have made this fit better.



Post construction, I took the upper bodice in at the back waist, and added lingerie keepers at the shoulders, as there was considerable strap peekage.

I was quite happy with the dress. It is a different shape for me, but so cool and light to wear. In fact, I thought it was perfect until one half of the teenage fashion panel plead with me not to wear it out of the house, and the other half did not try at all to smother her giggles.
Hmmph!

Here is the flattering side view.
 

Here is a more realistic side view.

 

I appealed to my occasionally diplomatic husband but he gave it a definite thumbs down as well. So I am not  making another one, which was my original plan.
However, despite the side view problems, I am very happy to have a cool, floaty, albiet unflattering and maternity looking dress to wear about the house (and outside, as you can see here) in this very hot weather.

Burda Style 03-2012-122 cardigan

I have been in a terrible sewing slump. It has been rather depressing.
Fortunately for my considerable investment in fabric, the sudden thought that I needed a warmish top to wear during an in-law visiting trip to the Hunter Valley inspired a 3 hour sewing effort immediately prior to our flight last Thursday, despite sewing nothing for a whole month prior to this. There is nothing like a deadline and a wardrobe omission for removing dithering.


I was inspired by the March Burda. I had been wanting one of the ubiquitous drapey front cardigans for some time, but every time I admired one on someone else and then tried one on in the shops, the effect was exceedingly fattening, as are all boxy styles on me.

Burda, however, published a pattern of a drapey sort of cardigan with actual bust darts and high waist shaping, and not only did this,but showed the garment in a gauzy pink knit (linen) which was a dead ringer for some gauzy pink merino that I just happened to have in my stash (Global Fabrics, Wellington, March 2011).This was terribly exciting, despite the unfortunate fact that I had half a metre less of the fabric than was required by the pattern.


Can you see my artful piecing? I pieced the bottom corner of one skirt piece, and the underarm of the left arm.
I made a few adjustments to the pattern,for fitting - square shoulder adjustment,full bust adjustment and generous backside adjustment.I made major adjustments to the sleeves - widening by about 10cm and lowering the sleeve cap by 6cm.
I used clear elastic as reinforcement in the shoulder seams, waist seam and neckline. The back neckline is bound using the binder on my coverstitch - although I basted the binding by hand first as the gauzy fabric was rather unco-operative. I also hand basted all the darts, and hand sewed the upper front neckline facing over the back neck binding at the inner shoulder seams. The rest of the garment was sewn using the overlocker, on a 3 thread stitch.

I am very pleased with the garment, although in retrospect I have made the sleeves too baggy in the upper arm. The front waist tips down in the technical drawing, so I don't think this effect is due to my alterations.

I had wanted a light, warm garment for layering during travel, and this was extremely useful, fitting tidily in a small handbag when not needed, and being almost wrinkle free.
I wore this garment frequently during the trip, and was forced to aknowledge that delicate gauze and I are not an excellent combination. There are a myriad of tiny holes developing in the cardigan already. I am not sure if these are due soley to pulling and stretching, or possibly to an unfortunate altercation
with a paddock full of cobblers pegs.

I may need another one in a more robust fabric.