60er Jahre Kleid Burda 9/2012/108 - 60s Dress Burda 9/2012/108

Hallo, hallo,

zum Me-Made Mittwoch stelle ich mein neuestes Projekt vor, das Titelkleid der BurdaStyle 9/2012. Ich kriege nicht die Kurve, meine Handarbeiten alle vorzustellen, und so kann ich nur den Initatoren des Me-MadeMittwochs danken, die mich wenigstens ab und zu inspirieren, zu bloggen und zu teilen!

Mein Kleid ist nicht aus Spitze, sondern einem sehr stretchigen Baumwollstoff, gefüttert mit unstretchigem Viskosefutter.

Ich habe zugeschnitten in 38-38-40 und musste oben noch ein bisschen wegnehmen und unten die Nahtzugabe auslassen. So sitzt es gut und hat Luft und, mit dem etwas kürzeren Saum (bei mir sonst meist kniebedeckt) – ein bisschen 60s-Flair.

Meine Änderungen:

Ich habe die Ärmel nicht gefüttert, so dass ich die Kante unter dem Arm mit dem Futter verstürzen konnte, was mir besser gefällt als die Versäuberung mit Schrägstreifen. Den Besatz habe ich weggelassen und bis zur Ausschnittkante gefüttert. Den Reißverschluss habe ich von Hand eingenäht, obwohl ich lieber mal Nahtreißverschlüsse üben sollte!

Zuletzt habe ich endlich mein Problem gelöst, dass Kleider gerne im Nacken etwas abstehen, indem ich einen kleinen Keil zwischen Ausschnitt und Schulterblatt herausgenommen habe.

Macht einen Zwischenstopp beim Me-Made-Mittwoch, lasst Euch inspirieren und näht schön!

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Well hi there! I made something AND I'm blogging about it, which is more than I can say for most of my projects in the last years... Does anyone have a foolproof catching-up strategy?

I made the cover dress from BurdaStyle 9/2012, using a fabric I'd had in stash forever (woven cotton with lots of stretch) and a rayon lining (no stretch).

I used sizes 38 on the bust and waist and 40 in the hips. I then took out a bit more on top and especially the waist and used minimal seam allowance from the hips down.

I didn't lengthen the bodice this time, and the bust is sitting a bit high but still o.k. I think. I straightened the shoulder seam for my square shoulders and, for the first time ever, took out a small wedge in the upper back from nape to shoulder blades, because my dresses often gape a bit in the nape. This worked a charm!

The dress is a bit shorter than I usually make which emphasizes the 60s silhouette and looks quite nice I think. The only other adjustment I made is not lining the sleeves which gave me the option to cleanly finish the lower armhole without using a binding. I omitting the facings and lined the neckline right to the edge. I also handpicked the zipper, although I should really get comfortable sewing invisible zips one of these days.

More me-made goodness on Me-Made Mittwoch right here.

Happy sewing!  

Rock/Skirt Burda 7/2009/111

Hallo Ihr Lieben,

ich habe gar keine Zeit, aber

1. Ich muss endlich wieder bloggen.

2. Ich trage ein ungebloggtes Kleidungsstück.

3. UND mein Reader verrät mir, es ist Me-Made-Mittwoch (an dem ich sowieso mal teilnehmen wollte).

Diese Konstellation freundlicher Gestirne kann und will ich nicht ignorieren. Hier also mein me-made, roter Cordrock:

Soff: Feiner Stretch-Cord aus der Stofferia in Köln.
Schnittmuster: Burda 7/2009/111.
Änderungen: Knopfleiste und Taschen weggelassen, Abnäher vorne auf zwei (statt vier) reduziert, verdeckten seitlichen Reißverschluss eingenäht. Seidenfutter (müsst Ihr alle! sofort! ausprobieren! Es gibt kein besseres Gefühl!) und Aufhängeschlaufen hinzugefügt.

Das ist so ein Schleppteil geworden, so war es auch gedacht, das bei fast jedem Wetter, zu fast jeder Gelegenheit getragen werden kann. Näht schön!

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To my English speaking readers: I made a skirt. From red corduroy. And I have to go. ;-)

Happy sewing!

Skirt/Rock Burda 12/2009-123

Fishing for compliments in my last post proved quite successful; thank you so much for the nice comments! A few of you commented the dress might look more chic or current with a different shoe. While you're certainly right that just isn't realistic in my life. I have feet that are hard to fit and I don't have the lifestyle for heels at all. Last time I wore the dress, for instance, I biked, took a walk through a muddy path to the playground, stood in the sand, stood on the grass. If I didn't wear my "nice" clothes on these occasions I might not wear them at all!

Onwards to the last garment in the queue.

(The pictures are nothing to write home about; as much as I love taking photos, I hate staging a photo shoot.)

I made this skirt in a quite thick linen blend and lined it in a thin cotton poplin. It's rather substantial now; I've found that I love how I feel in substantial skirts and I've been wearing it all the time!

I added a lapped zipper per Gertie's tutorial here; it's quite different from the lapped zip techniques I've done before, and I'm not sure it can be used for every kind/placement of zipper, but it's rather simple and worked very well on this skirt.

I handstitched the hem because I had to ease in quite a bit of fabric. It turned out well and I took a photo to show you how invisible it is from the right side.

I can recommend the pattern, especially for a pear. The flounce visually balances out the hips; also it gives a great range of movement (hello, bike riders!). Although I hadn't expected the flounce to stick out as much as it does, I like it and think it's really pretty.

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Danke für die netten Kommentare zum letzten Post! Ihr habt natürlich recht, mit anderen Schuhen sähe so ein Kleid viel besser aus. Leider habe ich weder die Füße noch den Tagesablauf für schicke Schuhe; letzten Sonntag musste das Kleid mit mir Fahrrad fahren, spazieren gehen (durch den Matsch, überall Matsch, hört es noch mal auf mit dem Regen?), auf den Spielplatz in den Sand. Da gehen leider nur vernünftige Schuhe.


Weiter geht's zum letzten fertigen Kleidungsstück.

(Die Fotos sind mal wieder unter aller Kanone. Ich liebe fotografieren, aber ich hasse alles Gestellte.)

Der Rock ist aus dickem Leinen (-mischung) von Stoff&Stil, gefüttert mit dünnem Popeline. Den fertigen Rock kann jetzt nichts erschüttern, aber ich habe mal festgestellt, dass ich mich in solchen stabilen Röcken sehr wohlfühle. Der Rock wird z.Zt. jeden zweiten Tag getragen, das ist doch wohl ein Zeichen!


Den Reißverschluss habe ich einseitig verdeckt eingenäht und mich an dieser Anleitung orientiert. Hierfür gibt es auch andere Techniken, und ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob das Tutorial auch z.B. bei einem rückwärtigen Kleidverschluss funktioniert, aber für den Rock war es simpel und sieht gut aus.


Den Saum habe ich von Hand genäht, weil so viel Volumen unterzubringen war. Ein Fotobeweis, dass er wirklich "unsichtbar" ist:

Den Rockschnitt kann ich uneingeschränkt empfehlen; insbesondere die beliebte Birnenfigur profitiert von dem optischen Ausgleich durch den aufspringenden Volant, und die Bewegungsfreiheit (hallo Radfahrer!) ist auch prima. Ich musste mich erst daran gewöhnen, dass der Volant an der Seite so stark aufspringt (liegt vielleicht auch an meinen Stoffen), aber jetzt gefällt er mir sehr!

Girl's Dress/Mädchenkleid Burda Style 6-2010-149

I needed this. Life/mothering has been a bit hard since DS started school last year; last week another school year began. I'm almost starting to envy those who are able to homeschool (illegal in Germany), though I'm sure that isn't a piece of cake either...

Ich brauchte etwas, um meine Laune zu heben. Das neue Schuljahr hat begonnen, und unser Sohn ist nicht gerade glücklich darüber. Ich finde es schwer auszutarieren, was ich in dieser Situation für ihn tun kann, und wo meine Grenzen sind. Nicht einfach, das Ganze.

To elevate my mood, I made a fall dress for DD out of some small wale corduroy we bought in the Netherlands three years ago. I looked for a very simple pattern and found this one. I took off the button placket, added a centered back zipper, lengthened the sleeves, put some elastic in the sleeve cuffs, and fully lined the dress. I kept the four little folds at the neck and the neck binding (and forgot to bind the lining as well. In the end I handstitched it in.)

Was mache ich da? Nähen, natürlich! Ich habe das Schnittmuster etwas abgeändert; Ärmel länger und mit Elastik, Knopfleiste weg und dafür Reißverschluss nach hinten, ganz gefüttert. Die Fältchen am Ausschnitt und der Halsabschluss durften bleiben; leider habe ich bei letzterem vergessen, das Futter mitzufassen und durfte es dann von Hand annähen. Der Stoff/Babycord ist vom Restverkauf bei Oilily; erstanden in Alkmaar  vor drei Jahren.

Before you start feeling sorry for me, last week was my birthday, and DH and I had breakfast here:

Damit Euer Mitleid sich in Grenzen hält, hier ein Bild der bescheidenen Hütte, wo ich letzte Woche mein Geburtstagsfrühstück genossen habe:

Life is good. Happy sewing!

Alles wird gut. Viel Spaß beim Nähen!

Blouse/Bluse Burda 5-2009-115

Thank you for the lovely comments on the pirate pants! I have been sewing down even more stash; this cotton lawn was bought when DS was little and DD not yet here, so about six years ago. I definitely overthought what to make with the fabric, and it took Me-made June to finally get to it.

Me-made June? Well, I haven't even signed up, but I'm trying to keep up with the "lite" version, and enjoying it, too. It would be terribly repetitive to post pictures, so I'll probably spare you.

I made my usual adjustments to the pattern: Sizes 38 on top, 40 on bottom, enlarged lower sleeves, square shoulder adjustment. It fits very well although it is not exactly form-fitting or figure-flattering (the infamous "Does this make me look pregnant?"-effect).

I don't care, I really like it and the neckline is one of the most flattering I've sewn so far. It is also very light and breezy on hot and humid days like we're having at the moment. A winner!

I made one change to the pattern which is drafted for a back zipper. I omitted the zipper but kept the back seam, leaving the top 5 inches or so open and adding a fabric loop plus button.

Danke for die netten Kommentare zur Piratenhose! Ich bin immer ganz glücklich, wenn mir eine Jungssache gelingt, die nicht grau und öde ist.

Ich habe gleich einen weiteren Oldie aus dem Fundus verbraucht, ein Batist von Alfatex ca. 2005. Gestern war ich sehr froh, in der Schwüle etwas so Luftiges zu tragen!

Den Schnitt habe ich angepasst wie üblich (oben 38, unten 40, Ärmel erweitert und Schulter begradigt). Die Passform ist gut, auch wenn das eine oder andere Baby (nein, nicht schwanger!) noch darunter passen würde. Dazu muss man stehen bei diesem Stil und das tu' ich gerne, zumal ich den Ausschnitt ganz fabelhaft finde.

Hinten habe ich den Reißverschluss weggelassen, die Naht bis auf ca. 12 cm geschlossen und einen kleinen Schlingenverschluss nebst Knopf angebracht. Gefällt mir!

Happy sewing!

MMMF 4+5

Zum Wochenende gibt es heute eine Doppelvorstellung, MMMF gestern und heute.

Gestern habe ich mein Knipmode-Top und die engen Jeans ausgegraben. Das Top hat einen ähnlichen (nur viel besser sitzenden) Schnitt wie das vom Freitag, ich hatte aber leider keine Idee, wie ich den Schnitt in langärmelig umwandeln kann, und deshalb den Burda-Schnitt probiert. Ach ja, und ich hatte unterschlagen, dass ich natürlich einige Änderungen vorgenommen habe bis es so saß, wie ich am Donnerstag gezeigt habe.

Vielleicht mache ich mir noch die Mühe und überarbeite den Schnitt von Grund auf; ich werde das Ergebnis dann hier zeigen.

Yesterday's outfit: My Knipmode shirt that I wear so much I think I need to make another polka-dot top. The pattern is quite similar to Thursday's Burda shirt and a much better fit, but I wouldn't have any idea how to alter this pattern for long sleeves.

Zum Thema MMMF wollte ich auch ergänzen, dass ich diese Woche wie immer ganz brav meine selbstgenähten Ballettsachen angezogen habe. Ein Foto gibt's nicht, aber wenn es Euch interessiert - und Ihr den Post damals verpasst hattet - die Besprechung ist hier.

I also wore my me-made ballet clothes this week (as always); while I still feel a bit conspicuous in my raspberry-colored leotard that doesn't keep me from wearing it, and I must say it's holding up really well!

Heute trage ich mal Schulmädchen-Look - jetzt keine Bemerkungen über's Alter bitte :-) !! Aus Faltenröcken und Karo-Pullis werde ich wohl nie rauswachsen. Der Rock ist ein Burda-Modell, siehe hier.

Today I'm channeling my inner preppy; I might be too old for this look but I love this skirt (and argyle!) so much I'll just have to live with it.

Zum Schluss noch ein selbstgenähtes Weihnachtsgeschenk, das ich ein bisschen verspätet bekommen und deshalb dem Blog vorenthalten hatte: ein Milchkaffee-Glas-Wärmer. Süß!

Last but not least here's a handmade belated Christmas present that I received: A latte glass cozy. Cute!

MMMF 3 plus Shirt BurdaStyle 1-2011-129

Neat how I made a bilingual title with only one sentence, huh?

Fällt Euch was auf? Der Titel funktioniert auf Englisch und auf Deutsch. Das muss ich jetzt öfter machen; diese vielen Posts fressen meine Zeit!

Das bin ich heute: /This is me today:

And here's my new shirt:/Und hier mein neues Shirt:

I could rant about the pattern, the neckline, how it really needs to be re-drafted to work with any but the most skimpy underwear straps. In the end, I tacked the neckline together a bit more, took in the side seams quite a lot, and will probably wear it a rather often.

Der Schnitt hat sich bei mir nicht beliebt gemacht; der Ausschnitt geht bis unter die Achseln und das ganze Shirt war (nach meiner üblichen Burda-Größe) viel zu weit. Da ich aber den Stoff gerne mag und sowieso meist Strickjacken drüber trage, wird es bestimmt noch öfter ausgeführt.

Fröhliches Nähen!/Happy sewing!

Merry Christmas (Dress)!

This is the sad state of my current Christmas dress.

What is taking me so long?

First, I resolved not to add to my to do-list by planning to sew another dress.

- As I've hinted before, knowing how to sew for me leads to delusions about having to DIY pretty much everything, especially during the Christmas season. I made decorations, photo calendars, a photo book, cards, gift tags, pillowcases, gingerbread houses, cookies, and we recorded a family Christmas tunes CD (complete with CD cover artwork). Phew. -

Then, I thought scrap that, after making all sorts of stuff for others I really deserve a dress for myself. I even found a suitable wool-mix crepe in our town's tiny, obscure, remnant-roll-filled fabric shop. And a real silk lining.

- When I asked about the fabric content of the crepe (I thought it felt like wool), the shop's little saleswoman cut off a small piece, whipped out her lighter, and made the famous burn test (that I'd never seen nor done). Wool with poly, she says. -

I really, really wanted to make the infamous tulip skirt dress from BurdaStyle 8-2009, but couldn't for the life of me find that magazine (which I have!). Time was slipping away from me, so I settled on BWOF 11-2008-112 and got started. I try to steal an hour here and there which might not be enough to finish by Thursday night (Christmas festivities commence early on Christmas Eve here in Germany).

What do you think, dear sewing friends?

Can I get the dress done?

And are you a creative specialist yourself (only sewing) or a jack-of-all-creative endeavors?

I would like to thank all of you, my readers whom I consider my sewing friends and who have made my year so enjoyable, and wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Teaching, Fudging and Old Dresses

This post shall be about teaching and fudging, mainly, but since I don't have pictures of either, and a sewing post just isn't all that attractive without pictures, here's a Christmas dress I made, uh, ten years ago or so?

(Sorry for the ten-years-in-the-closet wrinkles.)

It's a BWOF pattern that I made after having loved 60s style dresses for quite some time, and deciding it was time to make one. I didn't sew regularly then (although I believe this was the Christmas I cranked out the dress, a girl's tartan Christmas dress and two fleece pullovers). The interior finishing is terrible, definitely fudged, but I'm not going to show it to you!

I also have acquired two sewing students. One is my husband's niece who just turned 11. When I show up at her house, armed with pattern magazines and an idea how to proceed slowly - you know, one session to choose and copy the pattern, one to cut and prep the fabric, one or more to sew - she informs me she would like to make this (pulling out an RTW garment) in whatever fabric, today.

Thus, last session, I made my first pattern copied from a finished garment (who's the student then?), in this case a very simple shrug with long sleeves. She cut it out, sort of leaving seam allowances, sewed it together, sort of straight, hemmed it and happily wears it now. Definitely fudged, but she had fun, likes the result, and who am I to say sewing a garment should take longer than a scant day?

My other student is my age, has taken a sewing class and made a couple of garments before, and likes to quiz me on "the right way" to do the next action. Half the time I have to admit that I just sorta, kinda do it like this or like that, and yes, fudge it. She is undeterred and says that she hopes a less perfectionistic approach to sewing will mean more fun and more frequent sewing for her!

What do you think? Would you prefer a perfectionistic sewing teacher, or a more laid-back approach?

Festive Girl's Dress

Sewing therapy, anyone?

One simply can't maintain the blahs or blues when sewing yards and yards of pink duchesse satin, rose-embroidered taffeta and deliciously rustling silk organza!

(Front)

I reviewed this season's "social calendar" (mostly consisting of family birthdays, holidays and, yes, my ballet recital!) and, in a spur-of-the moment sewing decision, resolved to sew DD an all-out party/"princess" dress. Here it is!

(Back)

DD, if I haven't mentioned it before, is a very girly girl. No pink is too sweet, no glitter too bright, and no day too ordinary to put on a sparkly crown.


I think this hits the nail on the head!

(Note the stylish leggings and socks!)

Since my stash of satin and taffeta is rather small, I hit the nearest department store and paid double the fabric market price, boo. I also used some silk organza originally bought for the legions of Chanel-style jackets I will make someday (right). While I own some silk garments, I hadn't sewn with silk before. The incomparable sound of rustling organza made every Austen novel I've ever read come alive!



Some info:

I used Burdastyle 11/2010/151 for the bodice pattern, width graded down, length graded up, and added almost 3 inches on the bottom because the pattern has a strong empire line.
The sash is made of two bands sewn of both fashion fabrics and sandwiched between the front and back bodice pieces when sewing the side seams.
I then gathered all available width of skirt fabric (about 140 cm) and sewed that to the bodice.
I fully lined the dress, with a light blue polka dot cotton on top and twice the skirt width of organza on the bottom. I also bound the bottom of the underskirt with a pink lining fabric so it would look pretty when peeking through!

(Inside out, and from below.)

I also took some technique inspiration from the beautiful dresses seen around the internet and added a lapped, pickstitched zipper and understitched the neckline so the satin would lie as smoothly as possible.

DD reserves her right to wear things her way. In this case, bow in front ("Much prettier!").

Happy dress. Happy girl. Happy sewing!

Blouse Burda "Frankenpattern"

Three's a charm, so here's my third, best-fitting blouse so far:

The inspiration:

Fall fashion previews made me crave a flowered blouse to wear with chunky cardigans when the time comes. As usual, I'm fastest when I begin to sew after inspiration strikes. I thought of this on Thursday, decided on a stash fabric (intended for pajamas!) and sewed the bodice on Friday and finished it up today.

How I did it:

I started with pattern Burda 8/2007/114 that I made this blouse from. Since that was a bit snug in the bust and billowy in the waist especially in back, I tried it on and decided to add a good inch in front. To take out the front width in the waist, and to further take in the back, I took the back darts of the original pattern (2 of them) and tripled them - 4 in back, 2 in front. I looked at a RTW blouse and positioned the front darts about 1/2 inch down and towards the middle from the bust darts' tip, the back darts were just spaced somewhat evenly. I lucked out, the fit is great:

(Worn with skirt Burda 4/2009/101 reviewed here.)

Other changes made to the bodice front and back:

I made the bottom curve more shallow and as usual (I have a long torso) a bit longer.

The armholes were cut a bit deeper.

The shoulder curve was straightened by about 1/3 inch. I did this by taking a bit off at the neck side of the shoulder since I have a slim neck and didn't want to tighten the armhole.

I just "re-drafted" with my shears, so I don't have a pattern of the changes I made. Hopefully I'll remember to look it up here next time!

I then took the sleeves and collar from pattern 3/2010/124 which I made here. I made the sleeve band according to my arm circumference not the pattern. I didn't redraft the sleeve after changing the armhole because this sleeve has a lot of ease which took care of any differences.

After not quite liking the collar (and doing it upside down) last time I did a lot of measuring and a bit of re-sewing this time to get it right. Sewing collars still isn't my favorite, but it worked! I also added shell pink buttonholes and button thread. Why? Because I could!

One last question:

I think this fabric is called "dotted Swiss cotton" in English (I love how light and transparent it is! See the gratuitous "lightbox" shot above.) What is it called in German? (I think I know more English sewing words than Germans by now, thanks to all the English sewing blogs!)

Here's to sewing when everything goes just right!

Skirt Burdastyle 2/2010/104

Thank you for the lovely feedback on my swimsuit! It's very satisfying to find out that almost anything can be sewn, even by a home sewer with limited means (technique and machines). FYI, I did use a stretch needle, but I think the blue fabric was so thick and luxurious any needle would have had a hard time poking through!

After the swimsuit, I took out a piece of fabric I'd bought at IKEA some time ago with the intention of making a bag. Well, with the current heat wave I'm in need of more summer bottoms, so I thought I'd give the Burda pattern, a slight A-line with front pockets, no lining, a try. I cut out the short length (didn't have any more fabric), but I just don't like the mini length on myself anymore. My legs are alright I guess, but I don't like how a mini skirt looks so terribly wide on anyone above size 36. So I cut into a favorite piece of green linen, hoping that the rest will still be enough for the envisioned shirt dress, and added the border. Incidentally, I really like the skirts with a contrast border that have been around for a few years but never owned one.



Now I'm proud to report the skirt goes very well with the rest of my "Craving Color Wardrobe" that I started last summer and still wear heavily.

(As always, sorry for the blur!)

I think the skirt has a bit more hanger appeal than in real life, and looks a tiny bit like an apron on (and I don't wear aprons for fashion). DH says it's the border and I should cut it off ;-) I think it just takes getting used to and some creative combining.



Happy sewing!

Scrap Busting and Swimsuit Sewing

I made DD another sun hat from the same pattern I've used before. Didn't retrace, although her head has grown; I just cut the pieces a bit bigger and it's fine.

If you're looking for a pattern I really recommend this one (BWOF 4/2009/142). It can be worn brim up or brim down, and when it's down provides good shade for the eyes, which can get important when children are too little to wear (or keep on) sunglasses. Besides, it's cute! And, as the title says, perfect for using up scraps.

This girls' top wasn't made from leftover scraps, but all the same used so little fabric that there's a couple of tops left in those fabrics for me. I didn't use a pattern, just cut around an existing top. DD started giving me that "Where's the pink and violet, and where's my glitter??" look, so I hastened to add a yoyo. Now I want the same top for myself. Too bad I'm not four anymore.

(Seeing this I realize I also made DS a sleeveless tee but forgot to take a picture. Oh well. Not half as cute. Poor, poor boys.)

Speaking of age, I must be this town's oldest H & M shopper (other than in the kiddie department), but I'm always very lucky (although I'm not buying a lot these days) and their stuff fits me. The same used to be true for their swimsuits. Well, not anymore. All of a sudden I loathe all their designs and colors. What ...? The same thing happened a couple of years ago with popular music radio stations. A sign that middle age is encroaching, I guess. What's a sewer to do?

Right, spend several hours of beautiful summer weather that will never return, staring at the screen researching swimsuit patterns and supplies. I ordered from no less than three sources and spent 50 € which doesn't sound so bad unless you consider that I got two suits for 10 € each at H&M last year. This had better become the suit of suits, so to speak. (FYI, I'm making the more covered view A. Yes, DH would also be very happy with the others. I'm saying I'll make those for DD in a couple of years!)

Let's hope I didn't jinx the project by making a public announcement beforehand... But I'd love to hear your input and tips if you've sewn a swimsuit before. Other than that, please wish me luck!

Blouse Burdastyle 3/2010/124

Whenever I finish a post, I think, "Next time I'll write it up better. With good pictures."

Whenever I finish a garment, I think, "Finally it's done, let's get a post, any post, out there and be done with it."

Just so you know why my often-promised improved photography is so slow in coming!

(To clarify any color confusion: I am not this pale. And the blouse is navy blue with aqua dots and light blue buttons.)

Would you believe I mulled over the collar, something's not quite right, why is it standing up at such a sharp angle... and even ripped it out and redid it, without figuring out I'd sewn it together wrong? Because I hadn't sewn a stand-up collar before, I automatically sewed together the collar pieces on the short side... And I'm ashamed to say I did not go back and do it over. It's a bit victorian now, but fine by me! (I also didn't have any fabric left to recut the collar, having squeezed out 1.25 metres worth of blouse out of 1 metre fabric (and a light blue poplin for the inner yoke). Design challenges...

This blouse has a hidden buttonhole placket from the middle down, but shhhh... Burda doesn't let on, not even in the German version. Only after reading the instructions about 100 times I understood. Pretty, though.

All in all it's a bit prim and proper, and I'm not sure I love it. I laid it on top of a pair of DH's faded jeans, and it looked just right. Sadly, I neither have nor wear distressed denim.

I'm also not sure I'll continue with the blue SWALP. It's such a different colorway from all my other clothes, and not my best color at that. Maybe there are ways to get a little variation without changing my color style so much. On the other hand, I have everything on hand for the planned navy trenchcoat. (And there's even a Trenchcoat Sew-Along going on! If only I could figure out how to get in...) Hmm. Opinions, ladies?

Me-Made-May and Skirt BWOF 8/2007/116

This was my 14th M-M-M outfit:

Me-made: Tangerine tank top.

(Note the 90-ish necklace: hand-crocheted by DS. He's trying to learn to crochet, has dabbled in hand-embroidery and created a "pattern" for a bag he wants to sew. Be still my heart.)

As to yesterday: I have to admit I just threw on the same outfit again. Anyone else doing this? Sometimes dressing has to happen in not under 5 minutes, but 5 seconds. I'm sure you understand.

Last night (as in ten o'clock and the rest of the world was asleep) I got this bug into my head I wanted to finish a skirt I'd started on our winter vacation. Just a couple of details to take care of. Sure.

At 10.30 this morning I could finally get dressed because I had - sort of - finished the skirt:

(Find the difference!)

I was unable to decide how far up to sew the front folds closed. The only mark I found on the pattern sheet was about 2/3 down. At first (left above) I opened the folds parallel to the lower corner of the side "triangles". Side and back detail:

After I thought I saw some pulling across the front, I opened the seams some more. I like it a bit better in real life, although the folds open up pretty much. Seeing the pictures I'm not sure.

Since this skirt is still a work in progess (wearable work-in-progress, how is that?) due to a bubbling side zipper (and a badly needed pressing), I may change the folds again. What do you think?

What I gained from MMM today: If unsure what to wear tomorrow, dig for an UFO. If still UFO the day after, wear it anyway!

This is a well loved Burda issue. I made the blouse no 114., the jacket no. 115, and this skirt no. 116 so far. Do you have a favorite Burda issue? I'd love to hear about it!