Burda World of Fashion 03-2009-105 pleated skirt

I am still working from March 2009 Burda Magazine. I liked this skirt as soon as I saw it in the magazine, and even more after I saw a few reviews. I think this was the skirt from which I took Quilt Sew Sue's brilliant button tab-at-the-top-of the zip tip.


Mary Nanna made an interesting comment about Burda's use of a slightly older model for this issue. I think this particular skirt looks smart on this model, much better than the belly gather blouse, but agree with Mary Nanna that not everything the model is wearing in the magazine seems to fit properly. This really shows up design issues for those of us with post teenage figures. However, as I made this skirt for my teenage daughter, I did not need to worry about such issues for this project :).
I find this photograph very amusing. My model was waiting for me to get organized, with her library book. Does anyone else find it odd that the Burda model has an English language newspaper?

My main concern was that this skirt, selected by my daughter in the full knowledge that it was to be made from navy blue cotton twill, would look exactly like a school uniform skirt. My daughter has no particular dislike of navy blue, (her school uniform being a green and white plaid) and she assures me that the nifty pockets and knee length remove this from school uniformishness. (Her school uniform has to be worn at mid calf length - highly unflattering, but I digress)


The skirt went together quickly. I made a straight 38, then took in all the pleats and the side seams at the waist. I used Sharon's recent tutorial for the invisible zip, so naturally, for about a 1/1000 chance, I did not need to move the zip (Sharon's tutorial lets you do this easily). Burda had a whole extra page with illustrations for the pocket, so this was easy too.


The only change I made to the pattern was to bind the facing, and to edgestitch only near the waist seam instead of topstitching at the bottom of the facing.


I finished the hem as Burda suggested, but if I was to make this skirt again, for someone who will not grow out of it in 3 months, I would blind stitch or handstitch the hem, as I can see it. This is piece 4 of my daughter's work SWAP.
Oops, nearly forgot the materials cost
Fabric: Cotton herringbone twill from Michael's Fabrics @$AUS12 per metre, 1.3m =$16
Button and zip recycled (that would be why the zip is dark purple, but hey, it is invisible) =0
Interfacing, call it 10c, Pattern, free as second use of magazine,scraps for binding, free, thread $3.
$19.10

BWOF 03-2009-109 blouse,

This blouse is one that caught my eye straight away when I first saw the March 2009 issue of Burda World of fashion, but not in a good way.

I really dislike the isolated gathers below the bust. The magazine photograph looked horrid and unflattering IMO.

(Photographs from Burdastyle website)
However, when my daughter and I were looking through the Burda magazines for SWAP ideas, she fancied the neck and placket on the line drawing. She asked, could I gather the whole front? She has good ideas. Normally, I make a small bust adjustment for her, gathering from above the bust instead worked nicely IMO, and was much less trouble.

Here is the blouse worn loose, over the 12-2009 trousers I already showed you.



I have used machine embroidery (mode3, #68 on Janome 6600) in pale grey thread on the neckline and placket. I have also tried to make the fastening snaps invisible from the right side, rather than use them as a decorative element as shown in the magazine.

I also used machine embroidery on the cuffs. Neither of us liked the ties in the magazine, so the cuff is just sewn in the round.



I like the blouse best worn tucked in.



Materials Cost:
White cotton shirting fabric, about 160cm wide I bought the end of a roll at a closing down sale for about $6 per meter. Call it $7
Pattern - the first use of this magazine, so $10.55
Thread, one roll of white, one roll of grey, $6
4 snaps, at $1 for 20 pairs, and a smidgeon of interfacing
Total, approximately $24.