dressmaking

Burda 104C 02/2017

Culottes are something I never imagined I’d want to wear. I hesitate to say they’ve come back into fashion because I wouldn’t know, but they have certainly started to look appealing recently. It may just be the effect of swapping fashion magazines for Burda and pattern catalogues.

These ones are Burda 104C 02/2017. They are a very high waisted style with front pleats and a tie belt. They are more like cropped wide legged trousers than what I normally think of as culottes. Dr T made a great version of this pattern that moved them right to the top of my sewing list.

Mine are made in viscose crepe from Truro Fabrics. It’s more drapey than I think the pattern is designed for but it’s what I had in the stash. The fabric requirements say ‘trouser fabrics with some body’. The crepe gives them wonderful movement but some of the details like the belt loops and the high waist would have been better in a crisper fabric.

One slightly odd detail is the fake back pockets. I think trousers usually look better with some sort of detail on the backside but there’s something not quite right about these. I think they’re a bit too small and also need to be higher up. But that might not be the pattern’s fault: the whole garment is sitting lower on me than it should. This style of trouser cannot stay in place if there’s any ease in the waist at all; I should have realised that and traced the waist a size smaller than I did. As it is the whole thing slips down a few inches on me.

The really good thing about these are the huge hip pockets. They look fine even when fairly full of junk because the style is so voluminous. The tie belt is nice too although it’s come out much longer than I expected. I usually cut them a little longer than the pattern suggests but I don’t remember adding that much length. Unless I tie a bow the ends are down by my ankles. Dramatic, but not the most practical of features.

I interfaced the waist facings and fly underlap with Vilene F220 and used a mystery lightweight stretch woven interfacing on the pocket edges. I could have done with putting lightweight interfacing on the fly facings too and maybe the hem area.

I doubt I’ll make this particular pattern again soon but I love the wide legged silhouette. I’ve got my eye on a few other Burda patterns with a similar shape.

Hidden gem: Vogue 9064

Vogue 9064 is a pattern that’s been lurking in my stash for so long it went out of print before I sewed it up. That’s not quite as bad as it sounds as this one seems to have had an unusually short shelf life. It was released in winter 2014. I’m not sure exactly when it went out of print but we’re now in spring 2017 and it’s definitely no longer available. I guess it didn’t sell well because I can’t find any reviews of it online. Which surprises me, because I loved it as soon as I saw it. Here’s my favourite view from the envelope art. The top is the piece I was drawn to, but the skirt is included as well. There’s also a pair of simple elastic-waist trousers.

I’ve been trying to sew from my stash lately so I didn’t have a lot of fabric choice for this project. The grey and black linen I used was left over from my Vogue 1390 dress. There wasn’t enough of either colour left to make the pattern up exactly like the envelope. I’ve made the sleeve bands much deeper and cut them from the contrast colour, and added a deep hem band to match. There’s no collar either.

It looks like a very simple kimono sleeve top at first glance but it’s a little unusual. The sleeves are kimono sleeves (cut in one with the bodice) at the front but regular sleeves at the back. You have to set in half a sleeve on the back bodice, which gives you a t-shaped back to go with the t-shaped front, and then sew front and back together along the overarms and underarms. I don’t understand why it’s designed like this because it seems to give the worst of both worlds in some respects; the baggy fit of a kimono sleeve with the aggravation of having to set in a sleeve. Having said that it’s very comfortable to wear, and there wasn’t a lot of ease in the back sleeve seam so it was more straightforward to set in than I expected. Maybe someone who knows about pattern cutting can explain the choice?

I’m slightly surprised the front contrast panel doesn’t go around to the back. I’m not sure if I like that or not. I wasn’t bothered enough to alter it though.

The linen frays like nothing on earth so I flat felled all the seams except the centre back. I’ve somehow avoided ever making flat fell seams in the past and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t difficult, even on the curved seams. I did the slightly easier version where you sew the fabric right sides together first so all you see on the outside is a top stitched seam. It also helps that linen presses well.

The centre back seam has a zip so I pressed that one open and overlocked the seam allowance edges. I could have bound the edges instead to get a really clean finish throughout, but didn’t think of it in time. The zip itself isn’t absolutely needed but it certainly makes life easier when getting dressed. I might skip it in a stretch fabric. It’s a centred zip because that’s all I had handy. Don’t look too hard at my topstitching.

I made my usual Vogue size, which is one smaller than the pattern envelope suggests. I checked the ease before picking the size and it fits fine but I really wouldn’t want it any smaller than this. Doesn’t help that I didn’t lower the bust darts so they’re not in quite the right place.

I’m pretty happy with the end result. I’d like to make it again in something warmer for winter: boiled wool maybe, or melton.

Construction notes

Black and grey linen from Truro fabrics
Size 90 universal needle and black thread
Vilene F220 interfacing on the neck facing and along the zip seam
Flat fell seams throughout except centre back
Next time bind the centre back seam and lower the bust darts

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Cognitive dissonance – Burda 103-07-2010

I usually blog about projects very soon after I’ve finished them; often before I’ve worn the garment in ‘real life’. These trousers are an exception I finished them a couple of weeks ago and have lost count of the number of wears they’ve had. They’re one of my current favourites. And yet, when I come to look at the photos, they just aren’t quite right.

The pattern is my tweaked version of Burda 103-07-2010, which I’ve made many times before. They are jeans style trousers with the side seams shifted a long way forward and a section seam down the back of the leg. I have lowered the rise about 5cm from the original pattern, and added a bit around the hips. The fit is all kinds of wrong and has been in every version I’ve made. Lots of excess fabric under the bum and the legs are too long.

I am forever cursed to make trousers that are too long because of years of not being able to find RTW with sleeves and legs long enough. I’m so afraid of cutting anything too short that I always end up erring on the other side.

The fabric is unusual: a blackish stretch denim with some dark gold metallic threads. Unfortunately the metallic threads are a bit irritating to the skin so I always have to wear leggings underneath these, but it was easier to sew with than many metallic fabrics I’ve tried. It washed beautifully and didn’t mind being pressed even on a high heat. The fabric was unusually narrow for denim and I needed every scrap of two metres to make these. I bought it on Goldhawk Road last year. The sparkle is fairly subtle in real life; these pictures were taken in glaring sunlight.

The fly front on these gave me no end of trouble. I’d shortened the rise on the original pattern, but I think I must have forgotten that when I consulted Burda’s instructions to find out what length zip to buy. The zip is far too long and that led to me ripping out the fly and restitching it some ridiculous number of times. I don’t notice it when I’m wearing it but you can probably see it’s out of proportion in the picture below.

So they were massively aggravating to sew, they don’t fit right, and if I’m honest they’re not exactly the most flattering pair of trousers I own. I don’t think the unusual side seam position is doing me any favours. But I suspect I’ll carry on wearing them a lot; they’re comfortable and practical. I think it might be time to move on from this pattern at last and try one of the many other Burda options for slim trousers next time though.

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Third time’s the charm: Drape Drape 2 no 6 Pattern drape dress

The Drape Drape pattern books are very hit or miss for me. The things I’ve made from them either get worn to death or else never leave the wardrobe. This dress is an adaptation of style number 6 from Drape Drape 2. It’s my third try at this particular pattern and I think this one is going in the firm favourites category. The first two versions, eh, not so much.

The sample in the book is sleeveless, very short, and made in a striped knit. My first version followed it exactly, even down to the striped fabric, and can be seen here. I like the photos we took of it but I never wore it. Too short and too fussy.

Version 2 came about last year when I was very pregnant and trying to make clothes suitable for after the birth. The deep cowl neckline looked perfect for breastfeeding; all I needed to do was lengthen the skirt and add sleeves and pockets. The pockets were easy to do: put a horizontal seam across the skirt front and stick inseam pockets in there. The sleeves were a bit harder because the original has very cut in armscyes and the shoulder seam is set backwards, so they required some adjusting. I dug out my copy of McCalls 2401, a simple closefitting dress with long sleeves, laid it over the Drape Drape pattern, and traced off a combination which had the McCalls armscye and shoulder seam but everything else from Drape Drape.

I sewed version 2 up in a peacock blue polyester doubleknit I’d had lying around in the stash for years. It took an amazing three metres of wide fabric what with the sleeves and the cowl.

The end result wasn’t good. I’d somehow managed to put the pocket seam far too low in the skirt and make the skirt too long as well. I’d also forgotten that the McCall’s pattern was originally designed for woven fabrics, so the shoulders and sleeve came out huge when made in a knit. I was short on time, so I made it wearable by inserting a casing and elastic at the original hip level and using that to hitch the skirt up so the pockets were at a reasonable height. It got me through the first few months but I wasn’t happy with it (and no photos, sorry!)

Convinced there was a great dress in there somewhere I had another go. This time I used Winifred Aldrich’s closefitting knit block for the shoulders, armscyes and sleeves. I moved the pockets up and shortened the skirt. Another length of polyester doubleknit came out of deep stash; a dark grey found on Derby market many years ago. And this time it came out as I’d imagined it.

The only thing I’m not so keen on is the back view, which is very plain.

But the cowl hangs nicely in this knit and it’s very warm to wear.

Can’t see me making another one of these. It’s a fabric hog and also very distinctive; who needs two? But I love the one I’ve got.

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Leftovers: Vogue 1247 skirt

Vogue 1247

I always seem to overestimate how much fabric I need for any project and end up with a piece left over that’s too big to throw away but too small to do a lot with. The skirt from Vogue 1247 (sadly now out of print) is a great use for such leftovers. I got this one out of a 70cm length of 150cm wide grey denim left over from my Burda 115 12/2009 trousers. Come to think of it, exactly the same thing happened with the leftovers from my previous version of those trousers. The denim was from Truro Fabrics but is now sold out.

Here’s the line art. I have never made the top, but the pattern is worth tracking down for the skirt alone. It is a simple style but beautifully implemented. Most importantly, it has pockets! And they are not an afterthought but an integral part of the design. Incidentally I’ve just noticed that the line art of the back view has a mistake. The zip doesn’t actually run to the top of the waistband. Instead the waistband has an underlap and closes with a hook and bar. The zip stops just below it as you’d expect.

Vogue 1247 line art

The original skirt pattern is seriously short. My version is lengthened by something like six inches. Admittedly I’m pretty tall but I don’t normally have to add length below the waist on any Vogue pattern. The original also has next-to-no ease. If you’re making this, check the finished garment measurements before picking a size; I found I needed to go one bigger than I usually do.

The original skirt has seams finished with bias binding throughout. It’s a beautiful effect but very time consuming to do. It’s much quicker to line the skirt than bind all the seams and in fact I prefer it lined. The first time I made this pattern I did the bound seams but that version of the skirt sticks to my tights and rides up. The lined versions don’t. This one’s lined with a large scrap of black satin lining I had left over from another project. I think it might be The Lining Company’s acetate/viscose satin.

I also used the lining fabric for the front pocket bags. The back pocket bags were cut out of the denim. The original pattern has the back pocket bag pieces cut in one with the skirt yoke but I cut them separately to save fabric. I also interfaced the front yoke just above the pockets to try to avoid any sagging and it seems to have worked.

Vogue 1247

I added some yellow topstitching to this version of the skirt. It’s just about visible in the photos. The grey denim needs the extra interest. I topstitched the yoke seam on the panels before inserting the zip or sewing the side seams so I had to be very careful about matching the topstitching lines up afterwards. Later I realized that I could have done it the other way around, sewing one continuous line of topstitching around the yoke starting and finishing at the centre back zip after I’d put the skirt together completely. This would probably have been easier to do. The eye is drawn to the topstitching and not the seamlines so it also would have disguised any failure to match the seamlines precisely at the side seams and centre back.

Vogue 1247

I expect I’ll make another version of this pattern any time I have a suitable leftover piece of fabric. The pockets are nicely roomy, it’s comfortable to wear, and if you skip the seam binding it’s a pretty fast sew.

Vogue 1247

Notes:

Vilene H250 interfacing on waistband, zip seam allowances, and front yoke above pockets. It was probably too heavy for the zip allowances.
YKK invisible zip, somewhat longer than the original pattern called for
Size 90 denim needle for main seams
Size 100 denim needle and Gutermann 968 denim gold top-stitch thread for top-stitching
Single row of topstitching on yoke seam and hem. Double row on side seams. None on waistband because it’s such a high waisted style it’s not visible

Never say never again: Burda 115-09-2012

Last year I rashly said I was done with a particular pattern – Burda 115-09-2012. I’d made two versions, one silver and one green. Neither was a perfect fit and I was fed up of fiddling with the pattern and wanted to move onto something new. But come 2017 I found myself looking for a pattern for a practical pair of trousers; something with pockets that you can wear with boots and sit on the floor in. It’s much easier to use a pattern you’ve already traced so out came 115-09-2012 for a third try.

Here’s the line art for 115 and the variant style 116. My latest version is a cross between the two styles. They have the same main pattern pieces but differ in details. I took the horizontal in-seam pockets from 115 and the top-stitching and belt loops from 116. I made the pockets larger than the ones on the pattern in order to be able to fit my phone in.

There are no side seams on this pattern below the hip; the curved panels swoop around to the back and there’s a seam down the back of the leg. I went for contrast top-stitching to make the seam details stand out. The fabric is a lightweight non-stretch grey denim from Truro Fabrics (now sold out) and the top-stitching thread is Gutermann top-stitch in shade 968, “denim gold”. The fabric could have done with being a touch heavier, or perhaps just more tightly woven. I didn’t iron the trousers for the photos, and they’d had two days of wear so they’re a little creased and baggy at the knees.

The top-stitching was quite time consuming. It really helped that I had my second machine set up for that so I didn’t have to keep switching thread colours and needles on the main machine. I made good use of the ditch-stitching foot for many of the straight lines, but those back yoke curves had to be free-handed which took a couple of attempts to get right.

Here’s a closeup of the front. There’s a little bit of puckering on the waistband seam that I couldn’t quite steam out. It’s only on one side so I guess I accidentally stretched the yoke out there.

And the back. I’m pleased with the way it came out.

I’m much happier with the fit on these than the previous two pairs. However the pockets are gapping a bit. I wish I’d interfaced the front yoke as that might have helped. I do have things in both pockets in these photos though which contributes to the gapping. People who can manage with trousers without working pockets could sew them shut but I’ll take gappy working pockets over perfect fake ones any time.

I’m very happy with these. I might even make another pair one day if the right piece of denim comes my way! A few notes:

Vilene H250 interfacing on waistband and fly facing
Size 90 denim needle for main seams
Size 100 denim needle and Gutermann 968 denim gold top-stitch thread for top-stitching
Size 90 stretch needle for overlocking
YKK 13cm lightweight metal trouser zip (size 3 teeth)

Vogue 1378 leggings in grey scuba

There are a lot of garments in this picture – that’s winter for you – but the one this post is about is the grey scuba knit leggings. I cut these out in October and have been sewing them up a tiny bit at a time when the baby is safely asleep. You might think that this is a very long time to take over making a pair of leggings even given that constraint, but in my defence these are not ordinary leggings. There’s a lot of decorative lapped seaming and topstitching which makes them quite a big project. They’re based on the trousers from the discontinued Vogue 1378 Donna Karan pattern. Line art below:

You can’t really see it in the line art but the pattern has a vertical opening at the bottom of the leg where those four parallel rows of topstitching are. I’ve always thought that looks a bit odd so I eliminated it. The previous time I made this pattern I did it by overlapping the two pattern pieces for the lower leg and cutting them as one, but I didn’t like the end result because the topstitching fades into the background without a seamline next to it. For this version I cut the two separate pieces but sewed the opening shut by doing the topstitching through both the layers. That way the seam and topstitching matches the other decorative lapped seams in the garment.

These are my usual size in Vogue, which is one size down from what the measurement chart would suggest I make. I normally find that works out fairly well. These have zero ease at the hip on me. I had to add some extra width below the knee to make them go over my large calves. I wish I’d taken them in at the ankle because I intended these as leggings not trousers, hence the skirt over the top. The other adjustment I made was to raise the waist. As drafted these came up much lower on me than the intended one inch below the natural waist.

My fabric is a scuba knit from Tissu Fabrics (long since sold out or I’d link it; they have other colours of scuba available though). It was easy to sew but tricky to trim evenly for the lapped seams. You can probably see the edges look a bit ragged in the picture below. It’s also a little too stretchy for the design; I’ve popped a bit of the topstitching since making these. My previous pair in neoprene worked a lot better because it’s that little bit more stable. The neoprene is also thick enough that I can wear that pair without a skirt over the top; the new pair are far too clingy for that.

So, probably not my most perfect or flattering make but they are warm and washable so I’ve worn them quite a lot since finishing them. You can’t say fairer than that.

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