March Burda of the Month Project 03-2014-104 skirt

More scrapbusting! I am so proud of myself. This is a terribly self congratulatory post, I am warning you now if this is a problem, so you can click over to someone in a more modest mood .

 These are the very nice tropical wool in a subtle plaid left overs from the trousers I made for Daughter the first, in a really cute skirt for Daughter the second (for work), so not only have I used up every-little-bit, I have also prevented any hint of sibling war clothing construction imbalance (unless one is a boy, and does not participate in clothing battles care for clothes anyway).
In another stride forward for my sewing goals, I have used a March 2014 Burda Pattern, putting me only 2 months in arrears. Skirt 03-2014-104

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

See how perfect this is for scrapbusting with all that piecing? You could be excused for completely  missing this pattern, as it is only photographed worn under a boucle jacket, with the model sitting down, and I had to do quite a hard sell for pre-approval.

 

The diagonal pieces in the side panels are not shaped seams, so this could easily be converted to a more simply constructed skirt. (The lining has you cut out the side panels in one piece) I chose to cut the upper pieces on the cross grain to give some interest to the panels - I can't see the point of seaming without some reason for giving the area attention, and besides, it was easier to cut out the skirt from my remnants that way.

 

 

You can see that the skirt is actually quite simple to sew, with no extra need for seam matching as the diagonal panels are in opposite directions at the side seams.

I think the direction of the panels changing between front and back also gives a more shapely appearance when the skirt is worn.

 

I made very few fitting adjustments to the skirt. Basically it is a size 36 with the waist taken in at all seams. I possibly should have taken a little bit more off at the front. My daughter is  petite 162cm (I am pretty sure that is whilst wearing heels), and the skirt flounce just covers her knees, which we find quite work appropriate, but it is probably designed to be shorter.

I applied selvage of the wool fabric to the waist seam, stretching it a little as I did so to help prevent loosening of the waist with wear. I may have overdone this, looking at the back waist, but I don't think this will be a problem when the skirt is worn with a woven blouse for work.

I offered to be very modern, and leave the edge of the flounce unfinished as per the pattern (this is a great concession), but amazingly my daughter thought it would look much better with a hem. I must have more influence than I thought - the hem is done with my rolled hem foot, and still allows the flounce good movement.

Scrapbusting statistics - 0.8m tropical wool plaid ? 2011 and 0.5m synthetic lining .

February Burda, 02-2014-111, cropped top

Clearly my Burda-a-month project is building up steam ;). This one was inspired by my new stashbusting goal - no dratted scrappy pieces in the stash. You know the sort of fabric I am talking about, too big to throw away, but not quite enough for any pattern you actually lay out on the fabric. These sort of stash lurkers can absorb valuable hours of sewing time if they come out often enough, and the more luscious the scrap, the more tempting it is to see if you can squeeze the pieces on to it about once a week!
Due to the fondness I had for the fabric, I could not had some difficulty with my brief intention to throw away the largish pieces of the pleated silk crepe left over from the birthday dress. Not only were they a bit odd in shape, but they have to be laid out with the pleats folded all the same way. A sleeveless top seemed like a good candidate, but the pieces were not long enough for a regular shoulder, so in a slightly desperate move, I thought I'd try a raglan style

technical drawing from http://www.burdafashion.com/fr/Magazines/burda_Style

I was amazed that I could get sleeves on a top from my scraps, but BurdaStyle 02-2014-111, whilst quite boxy, is actually not much of a fabric hog, due to the raglan sleeves and lowish square neckline. Naturally, making a size 34 (for Daughter the first again) helps considerably with fabric requirements, as does leaving off the ridiculous no doubt highly fashionable, flouncy sleeve ends. I did a tiny bit of piecing at the lower side seams with some left over lining fabric, but I need not have, as the top is very, very loose - even with the bust dart pinched out due to laziness.
Here is the top in its original disappointing state at the first fitting.

Dowdy.
It almost went in the bin at this point, but a drastic hemming action has made it much more appealing.

Apparently, this is now a perfect top to wear with jeans...if you are 19.

I was much more lazy with the construction on this second go with the fabric. I did pipe the neckline again, but the top is unlined. Inside seams are finished on the overlocker, then hand stitched to the underlayer of the pleats, as the seams were very bulky, particularly at the shoulder dart (Burda doesn't use a shoulder dart for 111, having you cut the sleeve in two at the end of the dart, but I did not have enough fabric for another pair of seam allowances, and saw that Burda is happy enough to use a shoulder dart for exactly the same sleeve pattern piece in dress 113).

The neck facings are from silk habuti again, clean finished with the interfacing as shown here.
Happy scrapbusting indeed
Actually, there was a tiny bit left.

 




These are dolly clothes for my nieces.

I know, I have to get better at throwing away my scrap fabric.

Burda Style 01-2014-127 (128) Man's shirt January Burda project

I have big ideas. Actually, other bloggers have big ideas, and I shamelessly copy them. Kristy of Lower Your Presser Foot sewed up something from every Burda issue last year, and is doing it again this year! I was very impressed, and put stickers all over my January issue with the full intention of making something every month in order to stretch my sewing with a side serving of getting real sewing value (rather than mere imaginary sewing value as I read it) from my subscription.
Wait, its April, how did that happen? Feel free to snigger in the privacy of your end of the internet. I might even catch up.

Here is my January Burda project, mostly shirt 128, but shirt 127 is not very different.

Images from http://www.burdafashion.com/image

I have a standing request from my husband for a new shirt, so this was a perfect opportunity to have a little break from boxy Vogue shirts and try a new pattern for this somewhat dutiful task. I had been wanting to try a slimmer cut for him, and thought this pattern had possibilities, with the darts in the back . I also fancied trying a french cuff. Unfortunately, my husband does not participate in fitting, so I had to wing it by his measurements and my trust in the reliability of Burda's fitting matching their size chart. I made a size 48 according to his chest measurement. Burda oddly gives the neck measurement for this shirt, then says equivalent to... their regular sizing - why not just use regular sizing???

By the measurement chart for size 48, I had to do quite a bit of lengthening - 5cm in both the body and in the sleeves. My husband is not particularly tall , but the Burda mens' sizes increase in height, not just girth, and his chest measurement apparently goes with a height of 174 cm, which is not the case for this individual.

 The fit is a bit loose at the waist, which would be correct according to the Burda measurement chart, where my husband is one size smaller than the standard 48. I should have trusted the chart a bit better ;(. 

So far, in fitting, I was pretty happy with the pattern.

I fancied trying a few more of the features of the pattern, but was restrained by my client. He did not want french cuffs.

 

These are the bottom half of the Burda cuff, with nice rounded edges, but paired with a long placket from David Page Coffin's shirtmaking book, as I could not make head or tail of Burda's placket insertion instructions, and the placket piece looked skimpy to me. My husband wears his shirtsleeves rolled up, so I  used a contrast placket. I also used contrast fabric for the small piece joining the bottom of the side seams at the hems, which I failed to finish neatly or evenly. I did not fix this, as the shirt is worn tucked in, and I am very lazy.

As the side seam is slightly shaped, and there is this addition at the bottom, I did not flat fell the side seams. Instead the seam allowances are turned under twice, and topstitched from the outside. The sleeve seams are flat felled as usual - David Page Coffin again - Burda doesn't mention seam finishing.

I used contrast fabric for the inner yoke and inner collar stand. I shaped the collar according to David Page Coffin again - it is such a useful book, and also used his instructions for collar and stand construction. Burda's instructions included a lot of hand basting.

The Burda collar stand has one rounded, and one straight edge. I thought this was another detail that would be vetoed, but it was allowed to proceed, and is not particularly noticeable, with the added advantage of not having to fuss with perfectly matching the two curves as in a regular shirt.

 

The chesterfield front, with concealed buttons, sits perfectly on this shirt, unlike on the Vogue one I made a few months ago, and does not need to be stitched down between the buttons, demonstrating to me that this is a much better fit. I hope my husband agrees.

For my own interest, I have again used a two part yoke so that I can chevron the stripes at centre back. I am pleased by small things when making a shirt.

Fabrics and Stashbusting wagon jumping confession -  2.5 metres New, ie 2014, and allegedly 100% cotton Tom Ford shirting fabric that appears to have some lycra. Shame!, with the contrast fabric being allegedly 100% cotton shirting with no branding that appears to be as advertised. Vendor Michael's Fabrics. Shipping has gone up a lot, which possibly serves me right for buying more fabric when I am on a fabric diet (6m, 3 for him, 3 for me - he picked his own.......is that an excuse?)