Burda 04-2009-110 Top

Last spring I found a beautiful RTW dress. I loved it! But it was retailing for about $225, and I’m not in any position to justify that at this point in time!

I’d seen a pattern on the Burda magazine website, the photo is gorgeous and really struck me. When I couldn’t find it anywhere in town I became desperate! I tried the Burda site, on their forum, and on PR asking if anyone would sell their issue. Two sewists on PR offered to trace it for me, which I think is incredibly nice of them, and soon received the pattern in the mail. This is it, similar to the RTW, and also very nice.

This top is really a muslin, but it worked out OK in the end. With the shaping detail on the front it would probably look much better in a solid colour. But the fabric was just right, it has a nice drape and is quite light.

I had to do some major alterations for petite sizing, and a small high bust. Some of the other reviewers on PR also found that this top has a rather low “plunging” neckline. I shifted the neckline opening up by 1” along with the under-bust seam, and so had to insert 1” to the top of the lower part.

With the fabric being so stretchy, I had to increase the back darts and took in another 1” on each, going up into the upper back. The front neckline was still a tiny bit too low, so I fiddled with the facings a bit.

I’ll make another one in the future, and maybe even a dress. But a solid colour would really look smashing!

More Kid's Undies

After the first pair of undies I couldn’t resist making more last winter. The black/bugs pair is the same size as the orange, but the fabrics are different and so don’t fit the same. The red cotton/spandex is heavier than the brown and is much tighter on the leg openings. My O (that’s DS1 in other lingo) couldn’t wear those, but he loved the orange pairs; the orange fabric is a double knit cotton from Wazoodle and is super soft. And now that H (my little one!) is 3 and out of diapers, he can have these…but he’s the really fussy one when it comes to clothes!

I might make more, but I need to find the right fabrics for the leg opening. I’ve got lots of the blue/bug fabric (also from Wazoodle), and don’t know what else I’d use it for! The black fabric is actually from an old T-shirt; I’ve been trying to reuse old garments for these undies!

KwikSew 3016 Pants for Kids

This pants pattern is a keeper, I’m happy with how it turned out. Next time I’ll use elastic that’s double the width that the pattern calls for as it seems a bit flimsy, and there’s lots of room in the seat so it wouldn’t hurt to lift it up a bit. It has a closer fit around the hip than the pants pattern from the KwikSew book for kids, which dates back to the 80’s.

The fabric is a stretch French Terry and the stripes are a simple cotton jersey. I like the leg bands, which are self fabric, as they stop the pant leg from falling past the heel. They are a bit too long yet for O (that’s my oldest boy) so when he wears them he doesn’t step on the bottom.

So easy to sew, I’m going to make more of these. And what kid doesn’t like sweatpants?!

And another one…Burda 09-2010-121 Top

I love this top, it really is fast and easy to sew. So, I did another one in some funky stretch jersey (from C&M Textiles). I also did the fast neck assembly that I mentioned in my previous post, but it’s a bit stiffer and creates a bit of a jagged edge at the top (it’s a bit hard to describe). The way I did the first one is better, and I think is easier to follow than what Burda have (see pics in previous post).

I didn’t do my usual petite adjustment to the front, and find it tends to hitch up creating a fold across the top at armhole level. Next one will be fixed, as I’m definitely making more of these!

Burda 09-2010-121 Top

(Note: I have updated the pictures with more information for sewing the neck.)

Yesterday was an amazing day: I was home alone for 6 whole hours!! So, after getting the bread machine setup and the lentil soup in the slow cooker, I was able to sew without interruption. This was only possible by having a good friend pick up my little guy from his nursery school at lunch time. What a treat! Next week it’s my turn to look after her little guy and give her a whole day to herself! She’ll love it!!

This pattern is great, and as the other PR reviewers have said, it’s a terrific base piece! It’s simple and quick to sew up. I did just a few alterations on the arms: shortened them by 2 inches and widened the upper arm by 1 inch. The waist and hips were bang on; I made this in a size 38 as usual. Next time I may slope the shoulders down a bit to try to remove some wrinkling at the bottom of the armhole. The forearms could also do with a little more easing as it’s a bit snug; the fabric is a fine cotton/poly (I think) jersey but with no stretch fibre.

When I read the neck assembly instructions it seemed a bit convoluted! It occurred to me that this was essentially the same as the opening on some pillow cases that I’d made. This is how I did the neck, with pics below (it IS the same top, just different lighting conditions!):

 

 

 

After I did the neck I realized that there’s an even easier way! You don’t even need to do step 1 first, just sew the neck and side seams together in one go at step 4, and baste beforehand. Next top I make I’ll do it this way.

Update: It turns out that this way worked best, it gave the cleanest result. So don’t skip step 1!