Art fabric: Burda Style 06-2011-106 top, fabric wrestling.

 Last year, my mother took a trip to Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. She had a lovely time, and whilst she was there, visited Injalak Arts, where local people produce, amongst other artworks, screen printed and handpainted textile art.  

Mum had a few things going on after this trip, such as moving house, but a few months ago she arranged to come to my house for a sewing day. She wanted to make a wrap skirt with her fabulous screen print. She then turned up at my house, not only with her skirt fabric, but with another piece, she'd bought as a remnant bargain,  about 60cm of a heavy twill/ light cotton canvas, with quite thick multilayered paint and a wide unprinted margin. The print is by Joe Guymala, and is called Mayhmayh (Different Birds). Despite this title, I am quite sure that there are a kangaroo, an echidna, a lizard and an insect or two in the print as well....

She thought I could make her a top from this fabric.

I tried very hard to persuade her to do something else with this canvas - a gorgeous cushion? A tote bag ?  No, it had to be a top. She was sure that I could manage to make something wearable, even though the fabric was stiff and heavy.

I spent most of the sewing day reading my Burda magazines. Such a hard life that I have.

Eventually, I came up with this candidate, Burda Style 06-2011-106.

 technical drawing from https://burdastyle.ru

It wasn't quite right.

I altered the pattern - small bust alteration, more A line shape, round neck line with back opening instead of a slip-on-over-the-head V, more sleeve overhang. The final version met with  qualified approval.

With some trepidation, I cut out the top, and there was not enough fabric for the length that Mum wanted.

I made the top, mostly, anyway. I made a placket and cloth button loop for the back neck fastening from self fabric. This was tricky to handle in the canvas, so I used bias binding to finish the neckline and sleeves - turned in for the neckline and as a bound edge for the sleeves.

 

The top then hung in my sewing room looking balefully at me every time I went in. 

I kept introducing trim fabric candidates from my stash, but nothing suited.

 

Eventually I took the top to our local quilting shop, and found a tone on tone green that was instantly appealling

 

I hemmed the top, with a side split, in the green quilting fabric.

 

My mother is very pleased with it.

 

 

Frocktober 2, Burda Style 06-2011-102

I have been inspired by Gail's Frocktober posts, but have been a little remiss with my personal application of this idea, as October is in its last gasps. My plan was to try several new frock patterns this month, but the trouble with trying new patterns is that the fitting and sewing can be rather fiddly and time consuming.
Here is frock #2, Burda Style magazine 06-2011-102 in its original version.

As this was an experimental pattern for me, being a different shape from the dresses I usually make, I started with some fabric that I would not miss, should the pattern prove disastrous.



I bought a pale coral and cream linen check about 10 years ago at the Sunday markets, which has fabric only very occasionally. I was rather pleased with it at the time, at about $15 for 3m or so of lovely medium weight pure linen, but unfortunately my husband felt that it looked rather like a tablecloth.
Inspired by Carolyn, who manages to transform rather dull bargains into amazing new fabric, I thought I would try dying it, and after 30minutes of boiling, ended up with a nice blue shade, with no hint of check. The lack of check was a little disappointing, as I had rather fancied replicating the blue plaid beachy version shown in Burda. Here is a photo of the pink silk version, which I had not planned to replicate, not being favourably enhanced by wearing pink.



This dress is cut on the bias. After reading the reviews at pattern review of the top version of this pattern (there were none of the dress when I started) I decided to try mostly size 38 without a full bust adjustment (usually D). I scaled out to a size 40 at the hips.
I did not raise the neckline, even though this is a Burda pattern.
KatherineH pointed out in an earlier frock post that raising the neckline reduces a strong vertical design line in a garment and that a narrow neckline is not so revealing as a wider one. I took this advice to heart, as she is completely correct. I have a terrible tendency to embrace frumpiness when I modify patterns for modesty. This neckline is rather low, for my usual taste, but I do not feel overexposed in it, as the neckline is quite narrow. Keeping the deep neckline gives some unfrumpiness to an otherwise rather concealing and post- Christmas-dinner appearing garment.
I used Mary Nanna's tip for making vilene tape substitute, using bias cut interfacing applied to the armscyes to prevent stretching.

Unfortunately I had no fusible interfacing on hand, but the non fusible stuff seems to work reasonably well also.

I reduced the sleeve gathers to mere essence of gather to allow room for my sturdy upper limbs and to make the puffy sleeves more appropriate for a 40 year old woman.
I am not entirely happy with the sleeves. They are cut on straight grain, which I think might be the reason for the slight puffiness at the shoulder seam,as the body of the garment is on the bias. If I made this again, the sleeves would be on the bias as well as the main body of the frock.
Unfortunately, this fabric might just be carrying a jinx. On first viewing this frock, during an early trying on phase, my husband dubbed it "the sack dress". He rarely comments on my clothes, so this was rather scathing.


I added some embroidery to the neckline. This did not help at all. He recommended something along the lines of "cut your losses" whilst I was working on the embroidery. I persisted, husbands are not always the best judge of clothing.

I rather liked the dress.

It was a little puddly at the lower back, but still? I appealed to the teenage fashion panel.


One of them took this photo, making a point of mentioning that they thought I should see a close up of the stomach appearance in this dress.
Someone mentioned that they felt it was rather late to be expecting a new sibling.
I added some darts, front and back. I was feeling a bit outnumbered.







They like it better now, but have reservations. It is apparently not my best look.

I like it less now, being rather unhappy with the darts in the bias fabric.
It might be a case for the magic wardrobe.