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. 

Weekend Review: Sewing Basics for Every Body

 

Sewing Basics for Every Body / Wendy Ward
London: CICO, c2020
159 p.

This is the latest addition to the books by Wendy Ward in my collection. I picked it up a while ago, and have been looking through it although I haven't yet made anything from this set of patterns. The concept of the book is intriguing -- there are 5 basic patterns, with 4 variations each, and each pattern is non-gender-specific. The measurement guide in the opening of the book has a "chest" measurement rather than a bust measurement, and also includes a page on making a full bust adjustment if you need one. 

The top patterns are rather loose fitting so this may work for most readers. The measurements for the included patterns run from a 32"-49 3/4" chest and 34"-51 1/2" hip. Models throughout the book are both genders and a couple different sizes and ages. 

The five patterns included are:

• Felix Sweatshirt
• Harper Pants
• Rowan Shirt
• Kim Jumpsuit
• Dylan Coat

All of them are on trend and have enough variations to create a fairly large everyday wardrobe. I have no interest in making a jumpsuit, but the other items are more appealing to me. I think I'm most likely to make the Rowan Shirt, a button down with nice collar options, and a dress length extension too. 

The opening section of the book covers basic sewing info -- darts, waistbands, pleats, collars, seam finishes, etc. But there's also a page on how to print on your fabric; she uses her own printed fabric in some of the projects, which makes it seem simple and a fun idea to try. As with all her other titles, there is a lot of information in this, and the book is well organized and thorough.

All the patterns are traceable from the inserted pattern sheets in the back. These sheets are pretty crammed full so if you're not already used to tracing off Burda patterns, say, you might want to take a little extra time to go over which lines you'll be tracing before you start. If you're used to magazine tracing you should be good!

You can find out a lot more about this book and its contents at Wendy Ward's blog, including a good look at all the patterns and variations.

I'm intrigued by this book and think it's a great addition to the sewing world. Now to get the Rowan traced! 

Weekend Review: Sew U, the Built by Wendy Guide

Sew U: the Built by Wendy Guide to making your own wardrobe /
Wendy Mullin with  Eviana Hartman; illus. by Beci Orpin
NY: Bulfinch Press, c2006.
202 p.

I have had this book for quite a long time -- whenever I see any of the books in this series I snap them up. I love the aesthetic & the illustrations. This is the beginning of the series, a basic introduction to sewing clothes for new sewists. 

Does it succeed at that goal? Well, mostly. It's broken up into sections -- Chapters 1-5 are all about setting up your sewing room, tools you'll need, understanding fabric, notions, and patterns, and lots of quick shortcuts and DIY inspo. Chapters 6-8 go over the three basic patterns that this book comes with, an A-line skirt, blouse, and pants. All three of these patterns are essentially blocks and there is then lots of discussion about how to take a basic like this and shake it up, remixing and hacking it to make it your own. She also includes Chapter 9 -- take it to your tailor -- assuming you live somewhere with a handy tailor, and have lots of design ideas but not the skills to build out your plans. 

The details on things like sewing on a button or sewing room organization are great. Really thorough, and aimed at newbies who are also the kind of person who is good at just going for it and figuring things out. This book will be inspirational and most enjoyable for that kind of person -- someone who can take the basics and run with them. 

The three patterns are included in the back on the book, as regular tissue patterns. The sizing is narrow, running from XS - L, or from a 31.5 to 38.5" bust, 24 - 31" waist, and a 35 to 42" hip. Any variations will mean that you'll need to be a good enough sewist already to make sizing adjustments.

Overall, though, I like this book. The illustrations are really cute, and the ideas on small changes to a basic pattern are solid. Lots of creative inspiration here. 

I love the way she takes the classic button-down, for example, and shows how you can change a sleeve, a hem, leave out a dart or two, add trim, use or not use a collar -- and totally change the look of your starter pattern. She makes it seem easy and obvious that you are not stuck using a pattern line by line. This gives a sense of freedom and agency to this sewing habit, I think! An excellent lesson for someone just starting out. 

The author writes a foreword about how she got into sewing, doing in it home ec and then sewing through college and selling her creations at indie record stores and the like, even working at one while at fashion school later on. I think that kind of free-form indie creativity is clear in this book, and it is very much to my taste. Perhaps if you are the kind of maker who prefers a bit more rule-focused hand holding, this wouldn't be so useful to you. But there are lots of excellent sewing guides that are more along those lines, like the Reader's Digest Guide or a Vogue Sewing Book and the like. (and I also really enjoy those!) 

I think it's a great start to a sewing career, and it's modern and youthful feeling enough to give to a younger person interested in beginning to sew their own clothes. It was one of the earlier books in this new wave of instructional books and I think it's still a good one. I'll be talking a little more about some of the other books in this series later on this month, and sharing some of my favourite things about them too.

Basic Black

Sometimes you've just got to make something that you really need, even if it seems like boring sewing! I really needed a new black skirt -- my default RTW pair are both getting old and tired, and somehow they don't seem to fit well anymore...

Instead of going shopping, obviously I checked my stash of patterns and fabrics. I found this Butterick 5466 and matched it up with a remnant in my stash, a fairly sturdy stretch woven that I'd picked up cheap because it had some markings on the wrong side. With this panelled skirt I was able to cut around most of the markings and make something useful!

I chose View E, and didn't make many alterations. I cut the waist at 18 and the rest at 20, basted and tried it on and then decided to add some side seam pockets. I used scraps of cotton broadcloth for lightweight pockets. They mostly worked; the right side sags a bit so I'll be unpicking the pocket seam and redoing that side, just snugging it up a touch to make it lie more smoothly.

Otherwise, it fits quite well, and I like the higher, faced waist. I decided to use a bit of bias binding left from the scraps of an earlier project to cover the bottom edge of the facing. I can't stand skirt patterns drafted to fit below the waist -- they don't work on my body, I'm always wanting to pull them up.

I didn't shorten the pattern pieces, so I just decided what length I wanted to hem it at once it was done. I like this length and think that this basic will be very useful. Not an exciting or pretty make, but one that was much needed!