Burda Sweater in Grey Merino

 

This week I finished a very warm top made from some merino wool jersey. It's a lightweight, two-way stretch fabric, which I received from Our Social Fabric in Vancouver as part of their Sew & Show program. Once you've joined, they select a specific deadstock fabric every couple of months, and you can opt in if you want to participate in that round. You can make what you like with it -- this was my first project for them. 

I've never sewn with merino before so I had a hard time deciding which pattern I was going to use. But I knew I wanted a comfortable top that had a little more oomph than a t-shirt. I finally went with a Burda magazine pattern, 131 from the August 2013 issue. 

The fun part of this pattern is that there is an integrated scarf, sewn into the front piece. You then wrap that around your neck and tie as wished. It was a bit puzzling to lay out but once I found enough room to do so it went smoothly. This pattern has four pieces: the really large front, a back, raglan sleeve and neckband. It sewed up really quickly and easily! 

I had a hard time figuring out how to cut the scarf and the front seam that attaches it all together. Should I add seam allowance to this part? Thinking about Burda patterns, I realized they are always a little wide in the neck for me so I didn't add seam allowance to the scarf and centre seams, thinking that would narrow it just enough for me anyhow. And that worked. I added on 1/2" seam allowance everywhere else, as I usually do. 

Back is pretty plain - please excuse this strange pose 😄

The only other alterations involved shortening the sleeves - as always for me. I took off a full 2" here, and they ended up just right. This is a lightweight fabric, and I was wearing it with my poly knit skirt and poly acrylic cardigan so it did get a little bit staticky. Sorry for the wrinkles here, I hadn't shaken it out properly. 

Otherwise, this was easy to sew and comfortable to wear. It was very light on but also very warm. I found the scarf really comfy, it laid nicely and didn't pull at all once it was tied and arranged. A heavier fabric would probably hold the shape of this top a bit more, but I found it nice in this merino and enjoyed the little bit of extra puzzle to the pattern. I did worry a bit whether the wool would bother me as a base layer like this, but it was soft and easy to wear, not scratchy at all and as it turned out, I found it very comfortable and airy. A really nice experiment for me!

All styled up! 

Burda Blouse: Black & White & Red all over

I tried out a Burda pattern for a simple top that I've been meaning to make for quite a long time! It's Burda 112-01-2020, the cover image for that issue (and I've wanted to make it since then). I found a fun black & white print rayon at the thrift a while back, so thought I would try it out first in this fabric to see if I liked the pattern enough to make it again in a rich purple fabric that I was hesitant to cut up for an unknown pattern! 

I made a few little changes to this straightforward pattern. The back is cut in two pieces, with a neckline opening at the back to get it over your head. I tested the facing and determined that I would need that slit but didn't want to cut the back in two pieces, because of this regular print. So I cut the back on a fold, and changed the back facing to a deep one and just made a slit by sewing it in. I used a small elastic loop and sewed that in as I was going, since I dislike thread loops for a button, I never seem to get them the right size. This seemed to work well. 

I also narrowed the front and back centre with a 1/2" wedge at the neckline, and shorted the top half of the sleeve by one inch. I had to also shorten the bottom, full part of the sleeve by an inch because I was out of fabric! But it worked for my short arms. 

Other than the neckline change and the inherent shiftiness of this fabric, this was a pretty quick and easy project. The bottom part of the sleeve has a pleat where it attaches to the top half, and this was the most difficult thing of the whole project. The fabric kept wanting to shift, so I didn't get a perfect match, there is a small gap where it should meet, but it's not really noticeable in this print, especially with the fullness. And I didn't want to work over this fabric too much, it's quite delicate. So I left it as it was. 

Otherwise, I enjoyed this one and I like the fit of it. I think I would adjust the sleeves a little more -- shorten the top bit just a little more, and make sure I add back that inch to the bottom of the sleeve on my next go. It's a flowy shape and I think it works well in this fabric. 

Basic Black with Burda

November brought a new contest challenge over at PatternReview, the Mini Wardrobe challenge, in which you were to make 5 coordinating items in 5 weeks. I was thinking about it for a while, and realized it would be very unlikely for me to make that many things in such a short time frame. However, I did put together some fun ideas, the initial one being the Merchant & Mills Factory top that I just shared. The whole concept was built from that piece. 

I thought of making a red blouse, a cream sweater or jacket, and a black skirt to go with it, and maybe a fun print dress. Of course I just finished the top, but now have completed the black skirt. The other projects will have to have their turn another day ;) 

But I am very pleased with the black skirt that I chose for this outfit. I had just enough black twill left from another project to make a new Burda pattern - I used #117 from the Dec 2022 issue. This skirt has everything I like - slash pockets, a waistband that sits at the natural waist, and a lining. I was able to make the whole skirt from fabric from my stash, which was an added bonus. I realized after I'd cut the waistband that I added seam allowance to it, as with all the other pattern pieces - but the waistband is a rectangle that already includes S.A. so I had an extra wide and long piece. But this worked out in my favour! 

The front of the skirt has two pleats on each side, just before the pocket openings. This is quite nice. I did find the pocket bags a little shallow and will extend them if I make this again; I like to be sure my keys aren't going to fall out. 

The zip closure is at centre back, and is supposed to be a 9" invisible zip that goes up to the top of the waistband. I find that messy sometimes, though, so I used the 8" zip that I had and inserted in only in the skirt piece. 

This is where the excess waistband came into play. Because my waistband had extra length, I was then able to create a 2" underlap on the left side, and add a skirt hook and eye. I prefer this closure over trying to force a zip up past a bulky seam. Plus I like to add the waistband after the skirt and lining are sewn/basted together, as I find it's a much neater finish, for me. It worked out perfectly but I do find in wearing that the back is a little tight and so I have wrinkles - should have added another inch to the back width. Still wearable though, especially if I iron it before taking pictures ;) 

I also lengthened it by 2" but because there is a slight A-line shape to it, I didn't have to add a walking slit to the back (the shorter length wouldn't need it so there wasn't one in the pattern). I actually love this skirt a lot and would definitely make iy again. I love the way it fits (slightly higher waisted to work with shorter tops like my Factory top) and the pocket/pleat combo sits really nicely on the body, no puffy bulges to worry about ;) I can always use a basic black skirt, and this pattern might just be my new winner. It's comfortable, pretty easy to sew, and I like the details. Very happy with it. 

A Real Green Dress, with Burda May 2023

 

I feel so thrilled by the fact that I have actually made something else on my 2024 MakeNine list! And I even used the fabric I had intended for this pattern :) I cut this Burda 115 from the May 2023 issue from a linen blend that's a bit heavier than I'd recalled. 

This fabric, from the sale table at Fabricland, was just okay -- when I washed it and laid it out, I realized had a few discoloured areas where an almost shadowy bluer dye was splotchy on the surface. Thankfully I was able to cut around most of these bits, but it did mean I used more fabric than technically required, and oh boy does it crease quickly. Lots of pressing ahead!

But the colour, when clear, is wonderful & I really enjoyed making this. The front tucks were what first caught my eye about this pattern & I had fun with that detail. I have been wanting to add some extra elements to some of my projects, and these tucks convinced me to try this pattern. 

There are also integrated pockets in the side panels, which are nice. Pay attention to the pattern pieces when you are cutting this out though, to be sure to connect the pocket bags to the body and cut together, or you'll have to add an extra seam.

I cut it at my usual Burda size of 42/44 but think I could have done 44 all through. It's much closer fitting at the shoulders and bust than the cover image on the magazine makes it seem -- I think the model may be wearing a size larger than her measurements might call for. Or maybe it's just my fabric choice.

Overall I feel like this was a good project, and I'm happy with the results. I don't like how to darts are fitting - they are not pressing firmly and giving a weird crease. But other than wanting to fix up the darts a bit I do like this one. When I adjust the darts I think I'll like it even more! 

Burda Knot Front top

PatternReview is running an upcycling contest this month, and that gave me the push to try a project I've been thinking of for a while. I received quite a bit of fabric, including a few finished projects, from a friend a year or two ago. One item was a gorgeous blue shift dress in a linen/cotton or rayon blend, I think - anyhow it's beautiful. I tried just fiddling with it a bit to see if I could make it fit me but it never worked. The neckline & shoulders were just too big, and the hip area too small. 

So I took the plunge and cut it up! I laid out a few simple tops but found that this Burda top (109-08-2021) worked best with the available fabric. Plus it has this very cute knot feature at the neckline, which I have wanted to try for a while now!

I cut everything out except for the armhole facings; I ran out of enough fabric to cut these longish pieces. I could have pieced the remaining bits and probably had enough, but didn't want a bunch of seams on the arm facings, might be uncomfortable. I looked through my stash of vintage bias binding and found one pack of a perfect blue. So the armholes are finished with binding instead!

Another change I made was to cut the back piece across the existing back seam of the dress. There is a back neck slit in the pattern but I sewed together the neck facing and tested it to see if I could get it over my head without unpicking the back piece to get an opening. It fit very easily. So I didn't put it the back slit. I always hate that fiddly button loop anyhow, haha. 

I cut this in my usual Burda size, 42 at the neck and 44 at the hip. There is not much leftover scrap fabric from this one, and I'm so pleased that I can wear this glorious fabric now. It will be a great piece for summer days! 

Burda Swing Top in leafy print

The Make a Garment a Month Group on Instagram had a January challenge -- "Jungle January". I really wanted to make something as I had two excellent fabric choices in my stash. After some waffling, I decided to reuse a pattern for a swing top from Burdastyle magazine which I've made before (Burda 115-11-2018). I had just enough fabric for this easy top. 

My fabric is a light and stretchy knit, so I used straight stitches on the shoulders to try to keep them from stretching out too much. There is supposed to be a bit more gathering on the shoulder seams but I found that the weight of the shoulder seam has reduced the effect a bit. I'm thinking of going back in and stitching a small piece of elastic to the shoulder seam to regather and hold the gathers too! 

Otherwise this was a quick and fun make. I'm used to the pattern now, with all my adjustments (mainly adding 3" to the hem length) even if it does look a little different in each fabric I've used. I love the bright green (more vibrant in real life) and the rayon knit is super soft to wear. 

This is a fun silhouette and I do love an oversized top with a straight skirt. I'm wearing my staple knit skirt, the free Lindy Skirt from Itch to Stitch (with added pockets) which I wear constantly. Burda does have some fun designs and I'm glad I saw the IG sewalong to give me a bit of a boost to make this top. I got it done on the last day of January, so just squeaked in to the sewalong, but would definitely would not have finished without a deadline! Do you enjoy contests/sewalongs/challenges? I often find them stressful, but in this case, I had something in my long-term queue that fit into the challenge and this gave me enough of a kick to get going on it. I'm finding I like these deadlines more and more ;) 

Anyhow off to swish around in my flowy new top! 

Hot Pink Burda Blouse

I had a lovely holiday, lots of reading, sewing, eating and visiting. And now I'm back with my first post of 2024! I thought I would share the blouse that I finished just before the end of the year, so that I can share my roundup of favourites of 2023 later this week -- this blouse will be a part of that :)

I thrifted some hot pink cotton (maybe a linen blend?) at my local thrift in 2022, and had been intending to use it for a blouse all year. I hadn't gotten around to it, though, until PatternReview's December Fitted Blouse contest rolled around. I thought it was the perfect time to finally make it! (and you can go on over to PR if you're a member and vote for me there now, until the 10th,  if you are so inclined!) 

I cut it out in early December but got distracted by Christmas sewing, so really got to sewing it up after Christmas Day. I used a pattern I've made before, Burda 105 from the April 2018 issue. I liked my first one and thought that the unusual darts and design of the blouse would show nicely in this solid fabric.

Of course, in the solid I had to be a lot more careful to have everything lined up so that the dart ends and waist seam would be even across the middle. That was the only really fiddly part. 

Sewing with solids is not my usual habit, so I had to add some print in! I used the scraps from my summer Barbiecore dress for the inner yoke and collar band; it was the perfect pink match. I was going to use some high contrast black buttons, but I discovered an amazing match in my stash. I had purchased some half-pink buttons of the right size in the bargain bin at Fabricland a month or two ago. I really needed another card to have enough and thought it was pretty unlikely to find any more in the random sale bin so much later. But I headed down to the the store to check, and like magic, found two more cards after sifting through the bin a while. It was meant to be! 

This one isn't very difficult, but it does take some time. Lots of little bits to get right. I really like the darts in the front, but also the narrow yoke in the back which adds shaping and some width to the back as well. I also really like the two piece sleeve, with the lower section more gathered. I didn't adjust the body very much but I had to take 3" off the sleeve length, split between the two sections. 

There is quite a bit of topstitching, on the collar, cuffs and button band, so I was glad to have my quarter inch foot to keep my stitching straight. I edgestitched all those areas, preferring a narrower line than a 1/4" topstitch. The foot really makes it so much easier.

I love how the colour of this really jumps out at you in natural light. The shape is great, the fit is very nice, and I just love the whole thing. It's the bright pink blouse of my dreams! 

I'll be sharing some of my other 2023 favourites shortly, and some more New Year kind of thoughts as well. Hope your holidays were restful and that you are ready to face 2024. 

Burda Sweater in Black

It's funny how I never think about making basics, but when I saw this Burda sweater (#102) in the Sept '22 issue I immediately pictured it in black, as an elevated basic.

I love the tie feature on the neckline, and wanted a pullover basic black top to wear with my coloured and patterned skirts. So this one became a project on my mind, to complete before the weather warms up! This week was chilly, so good incentive to finally get this underway.

I had this really nice sweater knit in my stash -- it's medium weight, and quite stable, perfect for a comfy squishy sweater. It was easy to cut and sew; it took pressing well despite its poly content, and ended up being a very easy and quick project, just what I needed. It reads as more silvery than black but I can always make another ;)

I made a few changes to suit my style preferences. The pattern has full length sleeves that are quite wide, but I don't like a lot of fabric at my wrists, so I shortened the sleeve to 3/4 length. And then I added length to the body of the sweater, as I didn't like the waist/high hip length of the original. So I've changed the proportions of the sweater quite a bit but kept the bell sleeve shape and most importantly, the tie neckline. 

I sewed this up using a narrow zigzag on my regular machine (I don't have a serger). This sweater knit is super forgiving anyhow, and you can't see the stitches at all (more reason to be careful so I didn't have to try to unpick any stitches!) The neckline feature was actually very easy to put together, you just have to remember to carefully mark the notches on the neckline and the tie so that they go together easily. 

The sizing is generous on this one. I made it in my regular 42 but it is roomy, so if you want a closer fitting sweater more like the magazine photo I would recommend going down a size. Personally this loose fitting shape is just what I was looking for. And that neckline finish adds some fun to the design as well as keeping the back of your neck warm too! Love this comfy top.