finished projects

Franken-patterned Burda 013-02-121

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inspiration-jigsaw-sweaterNext on my write up list is this attempt to recreate a beloved but shrunken sweater with a 60ish vibe. It  always reminded me of this scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. And who can resist anything from that film right?

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Knitting would have taken too long and require skills that I don’t have. So sewing with a sweater knit fabric it is then.

The Pattern

I went through my growing collection of patterns and of course nothing match exactly. So I had to resort to Franken-patterning. This one from Burda comes closest to what I want…

 Style Shots & Mug Shots

4-style2-10 4-style2-14-style2-4  4-style1-4 4-style1-3  3-mug1-1F 3-mug1-3B3-mug1-4SR

Fabric & Notions Used

Size Used

I graded down to a size 34, ignoring standard instruction for a 38.

Changes Made

Fitting changes

You’d thought a loose-fitting garment would be easy to fit. But I actually find it harder. All my reference points – the darts, the bust point, etc – all gone. Where do you begin? (And anyone who thinks a sack is a good idea should read fit for a queen‘s recent “Let’s Be Honest” blog post.)

So I tried a variety of things. And of course the project end up taking longer than it should.

First was comparing it to my WIP woven sloper. No idea how to align the sloper against the pattern. It doesn’t help that Burda never has bust point indicated on the pattern. In the end I tried aligning the underarm levels and roughly check the widths to ensure they’re at least as wide as my almost easeless sloper.

As insurance, I tried tissue fitting too and ended up with this:

2-pattern-alt-1a 2-pattern-alt-1b
…which seemed alright. It has some ease, but it wasn’t like a tent or anything.

2-fit3So I started sewing it up. But when I tried it on after basting the sleeve & side seam, I decided it was a bit too loose for the design I wanted, and the shoulder point was neither here nor there, so over all a bit frumpy.

I decided to take it in from shoulder point through the armscye and down the side seam. And also shorten it a bit in both bodice and sleeves.

But oops, I forgot that with the shoulder seam shortened, the sleeves will be shorter too. So in the end I had to sew back in a fake cuff to make up for my over-zealous shortening.

Here’s the final pattern with the final seam lines in light blue.

2-pattern-alt-2a 2-pattern-alt-2b

I won’t go into the usual tedious details of all my changes. The only one really worth pointing out is how massively wide the original sleeve was. I must have taken in at least 2″ with the vertical tucks.

Design changes

Apart from shortening and making it slightly more fitted at the bust, the key design changes are obviously…

  • Changed sleeves to standard narrowed sleeves.
  • Adding the cowl / giant turtle-neck collar. This is simply a rectangle the width of my head circumference and about 9″ in height + seam allowances. The finished height is 4-1/2″ double-layered.

Verdict on the Instruction

Again instruction ignored because of my design changes. If I didn’t have to make fitting changes half-way through this would have been sewn up in no time. I was terrified of the fabric because I’ve never sewn a sweater knit. But it was in fact a dream to sew with. For this one I used only Bernie the serger and finished the hemming by hand.

Here’s how I constructed this one:

  1. Overlocked shoulder seams with clear elastic stabilizer, collar CB seam, sleeves and bodice hem edges. Shoulder SA finger-press towards the back.
  2. Overlocked collar to neckline in the round, collar CB seam matching bodice CB. SA finger-pressed downward & hand back-stitched in place. (Could have machine top-stitched in place instead.)
  3. Overlocked sleeves to bodice armscye. Finger-pressed SA towards bodice.
  4. Overlocked sleeve and side seams. Finger-pressed SA towards back.
  5. Catch-stitch sleeve & bodice hems.

And there you go!

Except for my cuff extension of course. As it was a fix for a boo-boo, there’s no point going into how I did it. The result isn’t bad, but given the choice I’d left it as regular hem.

Would I sew it again / Would I recommend it to others

Hell Yeah. Especially if I find another lovely sweater knit in that weird shade of grayish white like the original sweater I shrunken. This one is a keeper.

And I think I will also try the pattern as originally designed – a tunic with front slit and hem slits and border and all!

Heavenly Burda 2012-09-123 wrap up!

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Finally! The write up about my Dolce & Gabbana inspired embellished Burdastyle 2012-09-123 T-shirt. I was debating whether to hold off until I make a matching gold A-line skirt to do style shots with. But that’ll take too long and I’ll have forgotten all my construction details. So here goes…

The Pattern

I chose this because I wanted a T-Shirt sloper from Burda to gauge the fit of Burda knit tops. This one is perfect because if you join the front yoke to the front bodice, it’s a very basic T-shirt. The neckline is high enough to be jewel neckline that you’d expect of a sloper. The style is fitted enough. The fitted long sleeve again makes it a good baseline to gauge design variation.

The only thing I’m not sure about is the ease in the sleeve cap. Is that really necessary in a T-shirt made from stretchy material?

The Embellishment Inspiration

Style Shots & Mug Shots

4-bs201209123-style1-54-bs201209123-style1-2
Worn here with my Bird & Blossom Taffeta Skirt.
3-mug2-1F 3-mug2-4SR 3-mug2-3B2

4-bs201209123-style2-1 4-bs201209123-style2-9

4-bs201209123-style2-15

4-bs201209123-style2-19 4-bs201209123-style3-1

4-bs201209123-style4-3 4-bs201209123-style4-5

4-bs201209123-style5-1

This last one is with fabric for the matching gold A-line skirt
that I hope to make some day soon!

Fabric & Notions Used

Size Used

Size 34. Going by sizing chart instruction I would be a 38. Going by FFRP‘s instruction (chest/high-bust used as bust & choosing smaller size when in between) I’d be a 34.

Changes Made

1-pattern-alt
Fitting changes = T-Shirt Block
  • Removed 3/4″ from front & back shoulder seam. (1/4″ of the front amount was done at the front yoke seam to preserve neckline curve. The armscye curve no longer match the original, but matches the curve adjustment below quite well.)
  • Sloping Shoulder Adjustment: removed additional 3/8″ from front & 3/4″ from back shoulders at armscye end. Lowered armscye 1/2″.
  • Wide Shoulder Adjustment: extended shoulder by 1/8″
  • Protruding Shoulder Blade /Rounded Upper Back Adjustments: extended back shoulder additional 1/4″. But in retrospect I think I’ve overdone these. The difference between front & back was a whopping 3/4″. Even with the stretchiness of the fabric, I got a little bit of puckering in the back shoulder. Oops.
  • Narrow Back Adjustment: removed 3/8″-1/2″ from back side seam.
  • Wide Arm Joint Adjustment: scooped out a bit from lower part of armscyes – 3/8″ front, 1/2″ back. Extended side seams at underarm out by 1/4″. (So back underarm end up with a net change of -1/8″.)
  • Adjusted side seam curve for shorter torso – curve back out to hip higher up than in original pattern. (This was basically copied from my previous Cowl-Neck T-Shirt Block based on McCall 6078.)
  • Lowered neckline at center back 3/8″.
  • Thin Arm Adjustment: removing 5/8″ from both sides, but tapered to 3/8″ at underarm to match Wide Arm Joint Adjustment on bodice.
  • Reduced the cap height by 1/2″ & adjusted the armscye curve. This pretty much removed all of the extra ease in the sleeve cap that I was complaining about further up.
  • Shortened the sleeve by 1″.
Design changes
  • Redrew the front yoke seam line so that it’s more slanted. I’ve removed quite a bit from the front shoulder, so I was a bit worried that a short almost horizontal yoke might emphasize my relatively broad shoulder.
  • Lowered the neckline 1/2″ all around.
  • Shorten hem 2-1/8″ in the back &  2-5/8 in the front for a more flattering & versatile length between high hip and full hip.
  • Replaced original facing & back neck opening with stretchy self-fabric tape facing – I want to say bias tape, but for most knit the stretchiest grain would be crossgrain rather than bias.
  • I used the two sides of the same fabric for the contrasting pieces, and matched the sleeves to the front yokes for a pseudo-raglan look on the front.

Verdict on the Instruction

I didn’t really follow the instruction as I’ve made a few changes. Plus I wanted to work out a more efficient way to sew up a T-shirt and try out some of the techniques mentioned in my Singer Sewing with Knits book.

Here’s how I constructed this one:

  • Before I start, I spray starched and ironed the fabric edges because this one LOOOOOOOOVEs to curl. I also spray starched the edges of the pieces after tracing out the patterns.
  • Next I embellished with fabric paint on the uncut pieces. Embellishment details in my earlier post.
  1. Sewing-wise, I started with the front yoke like in the pattern instruction, but pressed the seam allowance down (to de-emphasize a broad shoulder). I also sewed one shoulder seam at the same time (stablized with clear elastic & pressed towards the back), and overlocked the bodice and sleeves hem edges.
  2. Next is attaching neck tape facing to the neckline. Because the neckline hasn’t been sewn closed at the other shoulder seam, this is essentially a straight line rather than a circle.  So the short ends of the facing are lined up with either ends of the straight line – ie at front and back neck edges of the other shoulder seam. Facing is then understitched – seam allowance pressed towards facing, edge stitching on the facing close to neckline seam.
  3. The other shoulder seam is then stitched along with the short edges of the facing – effectively an extension of the shoulder seam on the neck side. The facing is then turned under twice – like typical hems – and stitched in place from the right side of the bodice.
  4. Sleeves are attached to the bodice next.
  5. Then sleeve and side seams as one continuous seam line.
  6. Finally sleeve and bodice hemming.

The usual Walking Foot and stretch stitch on sewing machine advice applies. This time I tried to do as much on Bernie the serger as possible as Saffy the sewing machine was still unwell at the time.

My serger skill is still a bit dodgy. I tried step 1 without pins or basting and the ends didn’t line up. Urgh. Thankfully I discovered how easy it is to unpick the 3-thread overlock seam. Hmmm, should I be worried about the strength of these seams? Anyway, I ended up hand-basting most seams. It was still quicker than unpicking seams multiple times. Hopefully with more practice my serging skill will pass Great British Sewing Bee judging standards! LOL

Would I sew it again / Would I recommend it to others

You bet! Or at least the T-Shirt block I derived from it. Every girl needs a TNT  T-Shirt pattern. This will be mine.

And I’m just drooling over the possible design variations this opens up!

I love how this T-shirt turned out. The neutral color goes well with so many other garments. And the shinier pseudo raglan sleeves reminds me of a suit of armor. Together with the Byzantine icon on the front and wings on the back it makes me feel like a foot soldier angel in God’s Army!

If you missed the previous posts, here’s the full thread of on my Burda 2012-09-123 adventure.

Psychedelic Leopard 3: Modified M6078c cowl neck top

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So this was suppose to be a shortened Burdastyle Magazine Blumarine 2011-06-139 wrap dress. But after I traced out and altered that pattern, I just couldn’t squeeze the wrap top out of the leopard print fabric. And I laid out pieces for all 3 projects at the same time to conserve fabric too. No luck. So another sleeveless cowl top it is then.

As V1282 has all the drape from bust down, I decided this one should have all the drape from bust up. Just for variety you know. So people don’t think I’m wearing the same stinking top day in and day out! (Not that my DOH could tell the difference.)

The Pattern

I made M6078 view B before and was quite pleased with the result. So I’m sort of using this as a TNT pattern / design block for cowl neck tops in moderate stretch knit fabrics.

Style Shots & Mug Shots

Fabric & Notions Used

Size Used

XS (4-6) like my last make of M6078 view B. Recommended size for me would be M (12-14).

Changes Made

Fitting changes = Adjusted M6078 view C pattern
m6078cMod-2

M6078 view C pattern (minus SA) on top of my final pattern (with SA)

  • Wide Shoulder Adjustment: 1/4″
  • Rounded Upper Back Adjustment: additional 1/2″ on back shoulder, eased during sewing
  • Misc shoulder / upper-back adjustments (based on fitting assessment of my last make):
    • Raised front shoulder/neck point by 1/4″
    • Lower back shoulder/arm point by 3/4″
    • Raised CB Neck by 7/8″
  • Narrow Lower Back Adjustment: 1/4″ at under-arm to 1/2″ at waist
  • Sway Back Adjustment: Slashed across waistline & overlapped 3/4″ lengthwise at CB. Redrew CB below waist and removed 7/8″ width from back hip as a result. Added back 3/4″ lengthwise at CB hem.
  • Narrowed bodice for a more fitted look: 1/2″ at under-arm to 1″ at waist
  • Shorten hem 2″
  • Raised armhole by 1/4″. In retrospect I think I should have left it alone. The result was slightly tight. I raised it because the armhole of my previous make seemed a bit low. But that could have been because I laid the patterns on the crosswise grain which is stretchier, so gravity might have pulled down the armhole.

Now before you say “Woah! That’s a hell of a lot of changes” I just want to say “not this time”. I’ve already made most of these changes when I made view B. There were only a couple of tweaks this time. But I listed all the deviations from the original pattern so it’s clear I’m not using the unmodified pattern. As you can see in the photo above, once I got a good fitting version of the pattern, making design changes is Play not Work! 🙂

Design changes
m6078cMod-1

Final pattern with design changes

  • Added a pleat in the front shoulder – like view B
  • Added a rectangular tube-like cowl collar by extending the facing outward from shoulder-neck point half the amount of back neck width
  • Raised CB neck / straighten back neck so the collar / facing wouldn’t sit too low in the back
  • Pleated the back collar vertically so more drape is on the collar outside than collar inside
  • Omitted the shoulder area loops
  • Used self-fabric binding tapes for armhole finishing

Verdict on the Instruction

OK, I didn’t follow the instruction this time as I was too clever for my own good. I thought I’d streamline the process and make 3 projects simultaneously production line style. I probably ended up spending more time on each than if I had followed instructions and done one at a time. But with my design changes I would have had to figure some steps out on my own anyway. The original pattern instruction is pretty easy to follow though.

Here’s how I constructed this one:

  1. m6078cMod-3Stabilized back neck line and armholes with Vilene Bias Tape.
  2. Sewed & overlocked side seams and collar / facing CB seam.
  3. Sewed & overlocked shoulder – back neck / collar – shoulder seam, applying clear elastic in the process to stabilize the shoulder seams.
  4. m6078cMod-4m6078cMod-5m6078cMod-6

    Turned CB collar / facing edge inside and slip-stitched to CB neck seam (like I did for my Golden Cowl Neck Tunic – are you getting the same sense that I LUV COWL??? :-D)

  5. Pleated the back collar / facing vertically, leaving only the desired collar height on the inside (in my case about 1-1/2″ on the insTextide). Secured the outside pleats to the inside collar / facing portion with a vertical stitch along the collar CB seam.
  6. Oops. Tried on the top and discovered the armhole was a bit tight. Ripped out the Vilene Bias Tape to allow the fabric to stretch naturally.
  7. Sewed binding tape to armhole (in the same method as instructed by V1282 I was making at the same time).
  8. Overlocked hem edge then turn and sew hem in place.

The usual Walking Foot and stretch stitch advice applies. I didn’t bothered with twin needles for hems because I always get a ridge between the two stitching lines and it drives me crazy! One day I’ll treat myself to a cover stitch machine. But I haven’t earned it yet.

This time I also omitted the interfacing for the hem and hoped for the best when overlocking. Unfortunately my fabric was too stretchy / difficult to control. I ended up spray starching the hem to temporarily stabilize fabric for overlocking and heming.

Would I sew it again / Would I recommend it to others

Probably not this particular pattern modification. It didn’t turn out exactly as I envisioned. Then again my visions tend to be a bit hazy! }:-)

I do like the concept, so I’ll probably play with this type of cowl neck again. I just need to figure out where exactly I want my drapes and where I want it snug.

I would most definitely recommend the original pattern, and for the more adventurous amongst you, playing with this type of modified cowl neck.

Psychedelic Leopard 2: Burdastyle 2012-05-113 draped skirt

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It was love at first sight for this pattern, though I didn’t have the leopard print fabric in mind.  In fact, the print might not be the best choice as it obscures the lovely drapes a bit. But when I was planning a wrap top for the fabric, I thought this skirt worn with the wrap top might give me a faux wrap dress look I originally wanted. Never mind that the wrap top never materialized due to fabric shortage. The skirt pattern stuck. Especially after I saw Merche of Aventuras de Costuras showing off her version worn with the very same V1282 top I also made from this fabric.

The Pattern

One piece pattern, très chic result. How brilliant is that? Photo here is actually for the longer view C in a thicker knit. I went for the mid-length view B.

Style Shots & Mug Shots

bs201205113-mug1_Fbs201205113-mug2_SLbs201205113-mug3_Bbs201205113-mug4_SR
bs201205113-style1_1

Fabric & Notions Used

Size Used

For bottoms I’m between size 34 & 36. I chose 34 because I assumed a knit pattern would be more forgiving and I wanted a snug fit. I did check the pattern measurements against my fabric’s stretchability to ensure the negative ease won’t be too much for the fabric to handle.

Changes Made

bs201205113-1

  • Narrowed hip 3/16″ on both side seams (3/4″ total) to get 0 ease at hip level.
  • Short Waist Adjustment – lowered the raised waist by 1″ (from 3″ to 2″) so the top edge isn’t right at my underbust.
  • Ignored the hem length and measured on the unpleated side seam the length I need for a skirt length that’s just below my knee.
  • Added zipper and hook to the pleated side seam. I wanted a snug fit at the waist and didn’t want my fabric to stretch out of shape with wear. So zipper was the only way to go. Noting the problem Merche of Aventuras de Costuras had with wavy zipper on the unpleated side I went for the pleated side, thinking that the pleats might hide any waviness.

Verdict on the Instruction

It’s typical Burda instruction: terse, unillustrated. So put on your thinking hat, I usually do anyway. In this case, it didn’t help me with step 1: I was totally confused about which direction to press the pleats.

bs201205113-3In the end I pressed it in a way to minimize the bulk noted by several Pattern Reviewers: Bottom 3 pleats downward, top 2 pleats upward, and the remaining pleat half-up-half-down. Even so, the pleat still puffed up like a blow fish. And my fabric isn’t that thick. Even with the underlining I’d say it’s mid-weight at best. Imagine this in a thicker ponte knit! I feel your pain, fellow Pattern Reviewers.

bs201205113-4See how the zipper is buried in the Valley of the Pleats!

bs201205113-5~
Distributed pleats. And tightly trimmed seam allowance. Imagine the thickness of those pleats multiplied by two if I didn’t. It looks rather precarious though, doesn’t it? As insurance against fabric fraying and pleats falling apart I then fused 3/4″ wide So Sheer tricot interfacing to the seam allowance, overlapping stitching and the inner pleats. Sorry I forgot to take photo showing this.

bs201205113-6Zipper catch-stitched to the underlining to further tame the bulk.

The resulting pleated side is bulky, but not uncomfortable. And I think the bulk enhances the draped design. So no complaints from me.

bs201205113-2Heeding the warning of  Melissa of Fehr Trade about potentially saggy waist and facing flipping out, I went down the separate facing route (views A & B) and as extra insurance (a) interfaced the double-layer facing with So Sheer tricot interfacing  which has stretch in one direction; (b) added clear elastic to the skirt-facing seam; and (c) catch-stitched the bottom edge of the facing to the underlining rather than just tacking it down at the two side seams.

Dawn of Two on Two off  wondered on Pattern Review about why views A & B have separate facings and view C has cut-on facing. My theory is that the “Ponte Jersey” recommended for view C is stable enough not to need the double-layer facing or the extra seam for added stability. The “Fine Stretch Jersey” recommended for views A & B would be too flimsy without stabilization. So I’d recommend choosing the appropriate facing option depending on the fabric you choose, regardless of the length you go for.

Other than these two finer points, it’s a fairly easy and quick skirt to sew up. So don’t let my long-winded review put you off!

Would I sew it again / Would I recommend it to others

You betcha! One in a heavier-weight knit like the view C photo. And maybe even a woven! I would have to go up a size or two width-wise of course.

Psychedelic Leopard 1: V1282 Donna Karan cowl neck top

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If you were reading this blog April last year, you’d know I bought this pattern hoping it’d be The One for this leopard print fabric. It only took 10 months for me to finally get around to it. During that time I of course flirted with other ideas. But in the end, true love was meant to be. So voilà, a top that I’ve already worn twice to the Office this week. Score!

The Pattern

Style Shots & Mug Shots

Fabric & Notions Used

Size Used

I went for size 4, down from a recommended size 12 and my current norm of FBA’ed size 8!

This is partly on the advice of the Pattern Reviewers (with their complaints of how big and low cut the pattern is). I compared the sizes against the adjusted pattern for the M6078 cowl neck top I made last summer and 4 come out the closest (I went down to XS or 4-6 for that top as well).

I also roughly compared the pattern’s B-W-H measurements with my B-W-H to ensure the negative ease won’t too much for my fabric to handle. Eg if pattern hip = 30-3/4″ and my hip = 35″, then 30-3/4″ − 35″ = -4.25″ (negative ease) ÷ 30-3/4″ (pattern hip) = -0.138 OR 13.8% that the fabric cut at 30-3/4″ would need to stretch to fit my hip of 35″.

I checked all three measurements and took the largest % number, then compare this to how much my fabric would stretch. In this case, 10″ of fabric stretched to 12-1/2″ OR 25% (12-1/2″ − 10″ = 2-1/2″ ÷ 10″ = 0.25 = 25%). So the fabric stretches more than required by the pattern size I chose and I’m fine to go with the 4 – for widths at least.

Changes Made

v1282-2

  • Wide Shoulder Adjustment: 1/2″
  • Rounded Upper Back Adjustment: additional 3/8″ on back shoulder, eased during sewing
  • Narrowed upper back by removing 1-1/8″ per side (2-1/4″ total) from CB at neck level tapering to nothing at bust level.  This was on advice of Pattern Reviewers as well, but the precise amount was based on a comparison of this pattern with my  adjusted M6078 which now fits relatively well. Also raised CB neck 3/4″ so the CB neck angle is closer to original pattern.
  • Widened 3/8″ per side (3/4″ total) at hip level to avoid hip being too small and riding up.
  • Short-Waist Adjustment: shortened at waist 1-1/4″. The way I did this also narrowed the upper front 1/4″ per side (1/2″ total).
  • Shortened hem 1″ – I’m taking the Pocket Stylist‘s advice that a top length closer to the high hip is more flattering than one ending right at the hip.
  • Raised armhole 1″ and reshaped it to scoop a bit out at the back. My arm joints seem shorter and wider than standard. So the shallow curve of the original looked uncomfortable. In the end though I should have scooped out more or not bother raising the armhole as the result feels a bit tight.
  • Reduced CF stitching line (step 6) by 1″ after basting the seam and trying on the top. The smaller size and my short-waist adjustment resulted in a higher cowl neck opening – unlike for most Pattern Reviewers.  I decided I can show slightly more skin and avoid what to my eye is a strange contrast between the drapeless CF seam and the drapy cowl below the bust line.
v1282-1

Compared with the original before short-waist alteration.

v1282-3

Final pattern compared with altered M6078 which fits well.

Verdict on the Instruction

The instruction is pretty straight-forward. And having step-by-step illustrations is helpful for beginners. So as long as you have a Walking Foot and stretch stitch of some sort (zig-zag would do) then any beginner can whip up this stylish top. Picking the right size is probably the trickiest part.

Having said that, I did deviate from a few steps.

  • I ignored the layout instruction that called for a bias layout and just used the standard lengthwise layout (with the stretchiest crosswise grain running around the body). First of all I didn’t have enough fabric because I wanted to squeeze 3 projects out of just over 2 yards. And while I love bias results in wovens I loathe the fabric wastage. Plus this is a lycra knit. So I see no point as the knit bias doesn’t seem to have the same obvious advantages as woven bias.
  • I also interfaced the back neck area with So Sheer tricot interfacing. The stable direction of the interfacing runs across the back neck to prevent it from stretching out of shape during sewing or wearing. Shoulder seams were stabilized with clear elastic and armhole with Vilene Bias Tape – which I had to remove later because I shortened the armhole too much.
    v1282-4
  • For step 8, I used 3 pennies for weight. And while the weight did enhanced the CF drape, it didn’t prevent the drape from flipping out like it did for one of the Pattern Reviewers. So I tacked the tip of the weight pocket to a fold in the underbust drapes. With so much drapes there, plus the busy print, the stitch is hardly visible.
    v1282-5
  • I skipped steps 14-16 for adding hanging straps. I don’t know who would want to hang up knits. Isn’t that asking Gravity for trouble?

Would I sew it again / Would I recommend it to others

Hell Yeah! I want a shiny one like Clio & Phineas’ or SewEllen’s. I also really like Merche of Aventuras de Costuras’ partly because she modeled the combination of this top and Burdastyle 2012-05-113 draped skirt for me – saves me from having to use my unreliable imagination! 🙂

I just hope I have enough pennies left for a few more tops!