Makes for the Boys

A few knit fabric practical sportswear I made for the men in my family. These are patterns that I've used many times and I've tweaked enough to fit the recipients.

First - two joggers for husband and son. The fabric and the pattern are the same, cotton and viscose, very light french terry for the home office in the summer months. The pattern is Jack by Vikisews, which i bought for husband, when he was a size bigger. Being lazy and thrifty in the best way :), I just adjusted the width to fit his new size (-1 cm from all parts, a total of -4 cm). 

I've tried several other men's joggers before, Burga and Shkatulka, but Jack from Vikisews is the best, in my opinion. My husband prefers his joggers with an elastic at the ankles, so I added coordinated grey rib knit.

Pattern: Jack by Vikisews

Size: 44 (L) Height: 178-184 cm

Fabric: cotton viscose French terry

Time to make: 5 days

The second pair is for our son, his has straight legs without the rib knit and is one size smaller - so I removed -2 cm width from every pattern piece, a total of -8 cm. I also had to add some length to the legs, to compensate for the lack of rib hems.

Pattern: Jack by Vikisews

Size: 42 (M) Height: 178-184 cm

Fabric: cotton viscose French terry

Time to make: two weeks

The third make is for my father - a long sleeve blouse. I've made this pattern many times for the boys, this time I chose the biggest Burda size - 54. The fabric is very soft and stretchy cotton with lycra.

Pattern: Burda #132 from 12 / 2020

Size: 54 with with added length

Fabric: cotton knit with lycra

Time to make: 4 days

I made some of my usual mods - I added a small pocket for interest, I also added cuffs to the sleeves and finished the neck, using my favourite method with a contrast knit fabric tape. I hope it fits well.

New Hoodie for Gaby's Boyfriend

I am being a "good girl" this year and continuing with my Make Nine pledge through the second month of the year! 

My newest make is a hoodie for Gaby’s boyfriend (Fabrics #2 and #3). The pattern is the tried-and-true Brad hoodie by Vikisews. I’ve already made this for him twice—once in green and once in blue sweatshirt knit.

I made a few modifications to the pattern; some are my usual tweaks, while others are new. We’ll see how they influence the final fit when Vali tries it on. As for the usual mods, I added a total of 4 cm to the width of the body. Although Vali is quite athletic and slim, he prefers his hoodies on the looser end of the spectrum. I also swapped in a different hood pattern from Burda, as the original Vikisews hood is a bit too large.

Pattern:  Hoodie Brad by Vikisews

Size: 178-184 cm; 40; modified

Fabric: sweatshirt knit, rib knit, cotton jersey

Time to make: five days

The Brad hoodie comes without a pocket, so I added a kangaroo pocket that I designed specifically for this pattern the first time I made it for Vali about three years ago.

I also adjusted the length again. The first version was a bit too short, and the second was a bit too long; I’m hoping this "middle ground" is the charm!

To finish the inside, I covered the neckline seam with twill tape to give the garment a sleeker, more professional look.

Winter was back in town this weekend. The weather was miserable, so we decided to skip our weekly hike. However, the temperatures for the coming week look promising — I’m hoping for a warm, sunny weekend and a satisfying hike soon!

My Make Nine in 2026

Over the years, I’ve made a habit of trying to organize my sewing life with a bit of planning. There is a common fallacy in the sewing world—one I’m certainly not immune to—of impulsively sewing "interesting" garments that don’t actually fit my lifestyle or wardrobe. The result? A closet full of clothes, but "nothing to wear."

On the other hand, buying fabric is a hobby in itself, often completely separate from the act of sewing! It’s the purchase of a dream or an image of oneself that rarely comes to fruition.

In an attempt to curb my fabric shopping and impulsive sewing, I’ve been trying to match my fabric stash with my pattern collection. My goal is to fill my wardrobe with items I truly need, plus a few "curiosity" projects—after all, this is a hobby and it should be about joy and pleasure.

This is just a small scoop of the fabrics I've collected over the years, which I would very much like to turn into garments this year. 

1 is a piece of black stretch denim, which could be another pair of  calf-length jeans for myself. I loved the ones I made last year and would definitely appreciate a second one with even better fit.

2 and 3 are sweater fleece and ribbing for a hoodie for Gaby's boyfriend. I'll probably make him another Brad hoody by Viki Sews, as I know how it fits him.

4 is a small, but gorgeous piece of viscose gabardine, that could become a pair of shorts for Gaby, she likes to wear such summer pants.

5 and 6 are chiffons, that I mean to try to turn into a bias sundress. I've made the Bailen top many times, I'm curious to try the dress with these fabrics, though the cutting and sewing of the chiffons will be a nightmare. And on that note - no more chiffons, I'm done with buying these!

7 and 8 are transfers from my previous year plans, I really, really would like to sew them this summer into a dress and jacket, respectively.

9 is a new acquisition and i'm curious if that wouldn't make another gorgeous Metra blazer.

10 is some georgette, that I intend to try to make into straight pants for myself. It would be more like a test garment, I have another precious fabric, that I would like to cut into, once I've perfected the fit.

11 and 12 are big pieces of plush and fleece, which should produce some sportswear for myself - a fleece zipped sweater and some wide pants, probably.

13 and 14 are knit fabrics, intended for leggings for Gaby and myself.

Unlike last year, I’m setting more realistic goals this time. 

What happened last year? I started strong, buying almost no new fabric and immediately sewing the few pieces I did acquire. But then summer arrived, and I was caught in a "chiffon madness." I bought meters of chiffon and georgette, fraying my nerves trying to turn them into flowy dresses. 

I ended the year with 32 meters of new fabric, only half of which was sewn. I hope to do better this year, but if not—it’s just a hobby, not world politics!

Pink Flower Dress

This is my third and most probably last of the chiffon dresses, that I became so obsessed with this summer. I started it at the beginning of August, with the intention to finish it in a couple of days and wear it during the hot August days. 

Actually, the initial plan was to make another Burda pattern, one of my Make Nine plans. I printed the pattern and started with the lining. It turned to be a good idea, as it was soon evident, that the pattern did not fit me well and needed serious corrections and calculations - the upper part of the dress was too short. I abandoned the pattern and cut the upper part of Burda #104 from the remaining fabric.

After I assembled the lining,  I cut into the main fabric - cotton georgette with an interesting flower print. For this make of the pattern I decided to make a few changes, leading to a bit bigger ease at the waist - a mistake, in hindsight.

Once I had assembled the upper dress, I realized, that the lining should be a mirror image of the dress, and mine was the same as the dress. That meant, that I had to undo all the overlocking and stitching of the flimsy chiffon lining and I had neither the time, nor the patience with all the goings in the second half of August, before our sea vacation abroad. So I just abandoned the project for better days.

Pattern: Burda #104 02/2011 dress and Deniz skirt by Vikisews

Size: 17 Height: 154 - 160 cm

Fabric: pink chiffon, pink flower georgette

Time to make: one month

Once back from our Greek vacation, I decided, that it would be a shame to leave all the cut fabric lying around, so I gathered all of my inner strength, undid almost all the seams of the lining and some of the upper dress and finished the job. 

I am still not sure how to even these dresses with semicircle skirts - I let the dress hang on the tailor's dummy, measured and cut the hem and it is still uneven - but it is what it is. I'm glad it is finished and I even wore it a couple of times. Now I can move to new, probably more colder weather oriented projects. The summer seems to be over and autumn is already here.

Beige Dress for Gaby

Last year I bought a large piece of viscose and made a Rhapsody for Gaby out of it. I had a fairly big remnant - probably half of the fabric, so this year I decided to use it to make a summer dress for Gaby.

I am modeling the dress, but it is supposed to fit Gaby, who is taller and a bit more broad-shouldered than me.

The pattern is a mesh-up of three dresses and it took me quite a while finally to cut it. The skirt is a slightly widened skirt from the Roliz dress by Vikisews. I love my Roliz and my only regret is that I didn't make the skirt a bit wider, as I had plenty of its gorgeous fabric.

The bodice is again Burda #104 02/2011 dress, but only up to the armholes. The back is cut straight and flat, and the front continues into Bailen dress by Pauline Alice, with wider straps, as I was aiming at strap width that could cover the bra straps underneath. The dress closes with a zipper on the side.

Pattern: Bailѐn Top by Pauline Alice, free pattern, Roliz by  VikiSews, Burda #104 02/2011 dress

Size: 34 

Fabric: 100% viscose for the outer dress, polyester for the lining

Time to make: 3 days

 

The dress is fully lined, as all of my woven fabric dresses lately, with simple beige lining fabric for the bodice and smooth poly-acetate lining for the skirt.

Sleeveless Butterfly Dress

Last year right at the end of summer I made myself a sleeveless Burda dress out of two chiffon fabrics. The dress was a mash-up out of two patterns - Burda 104 02/2011 with corrections and Deniz skirt by Vikisews.

The summer was then over and I never had the chance to wear the dress. However, we are in the midst of the hot summer days again and I found the little chiffon dress simply priceless, so I made myself another one.

Pattern: Burda #104 02/2011 dress and Deniz skirt by Vikisews

Size: 17 Height: 154 - 160 cm

Fabric: navy chiffon, navy georgette

Time to make: 3 days

The outer fabric is a beautiful georgette and the dress is fully lined with navy chiffon. Interesting, how I loved to wear simple knit-fabric dresses in the summer, but lately I prefer lined viscoses and georgettes.

Based on my notes from the previous dress, I raised the waist 1 cm and cut the semicircle in two parts, so that the straight line would be at the front and at the back, otherwise the pattern is the same. I'm so in love with this little dress, that I plan a few more similar dresses for the summer, both for myself and for Gaby.

My Make Nine in 2025

This is my fourth in a row Make Nine pledge at the beginning of the year. Last year I had planned a number of patterns I paid good money for and wanted to see them in use. However, I only made two of the particular patterns I had chosen - Burda Jeans 120 02/2010 and the cargo pants 129 from the same magazine, which was a curious coincidence. I also made a lot of light summer dresses, including one for Gaby, which was on my Make Nine list, however not the one, I had initially planned.

This time I've decided to play it a bit differently. I usually go mentally through my wardrobe and my patterns and so the Make Nine choice is mostly pattern-based. Over the years, however, I've collected quite a lot of fabrics too and this year I've decided to base my pledge on a bunch of my fabrics. This is just a small pile of the stash I have, but I have to start from somewhere :)

I've chosen 15 pieces of fabric and 12 patterns and the aim towards the end of the year is to have at least 9 of these fabrics made into the selected (or other) patterns. Apart from pattern 1, which is a ready made dress and is a general idea rather than a specific pattern, I have all of the listed patterns in my collection and some of them I've already made with other fabrics over the years.

1. The first pattern is probably the most difficult to make - an imitation of Gaby's graduation dress, RTW Swing Cocktail Dress. It is a combination of four fabrics - lace, knit fabric under the lace, chiffon for the skirt of the dress and sateen for the underskirt. These are fabrics 7 and 8 - lace and chiffon in dusty rose. I have the suitable knit fabric too, I'll only have to buy the sateen.

2. The Gloria dress by Vikisews was one of my finds last year. I've had a cotton sateen fabric in purple, which I bought three or four years ago to make a shirt, but now I want a dress out of it. This is fabric 2.

3. Fabric 6 is a high quality cotton dress fabric, which I want to make for Gaby with pattern 3 - the Burda 144 11/2016. I already made this pattern last year in green, but I want to try it with some mods for Gaby.

4. Pattern 4 is a Love Notions dress, that has been in my plans for two years. In 2025 I plan to finally make it, using the yellow knit fabric 5

5. Last year I made a pink hoodie for Gaby, which has been a big success. I have a fairly large remnant of the same fabric (9) and coordinating rib fabric, so I'll try to make a simpler version, without the hood, for myself. If the fabric is really not enough, I might consider combining it with some other sweatshirt fabric for a color-block hoodie.

6. I want to try my hands at a short suit jacket. Burda 117 08 / 2017 comes in my size and height and I intend to try it with the green georgette - fabric 1.

7. I bought the pattern for the chiffon blouse Burda 101 12 / 2020 the moment it came out and soon after I found the perfect fabric and accessories. This is fabric 12 and I hope to make it this year.

8. A lined jacket out of corduroy fabric. The fabric was a gift and has been in my stash for years, I'm ready to cut into it and try to make something. The pattern I've chosen is Burda 6799.

9. I have two pieces of denim fabric - black (fabric 4) and blue (fabric 3) and I want to make jeans out of them. Last year I made two pairs of jeans and Burda 7050 turned out to be my most favourite make of the year.

10. Grey fabric 13 is some big piece of cotton viscose georgette, that I liked a lot for a pair of wide legged trousers. I have the Burda 104 02/2020 Marlene pants, but I might search for a different pattern for this fabric, I haven't decided yet.

11. Fabric 15 is dark blue sweatshirt knit, which I plan to turn into a hoodie for husband, probably the Burda 6718 men's anorak.

12. I have plenty of big remnants of sweatshirt fabric and if I have enough, I might try to make a color combo pair of joggings to go with the hoodie, like Knipmode 04 03 / 2020.

13. Fabric 10 is a light shirt cotton, fabric 11 is also cotton, medium weight. Since husband has plenty of cotton shirts, but wears none, I've decided to make these two fabrics into boxer shorts for him, something I know he'll like and wear.

Knowing me, I'll probably end the year with bigger stash of fabric than I've started it with, but at least I'm having all the good intentions, and that must count for something :)

Blue Hoodie for Gaby's Boyfriend

Two years ago I sewed a hoodie for Vali - Gaby's boyfriend, and that is still his favourite hoodie. Two years is a long period of time, so it was time for a new hoodie. Gaby and I chose the fabric - double sweatshirt fabric and the color - light milky blue. The pattern is the same I used last time for him - Brad by Vikisews

 Last time I had made some minor modifications to the pattern - I extended the width by 1 cm, a total of 4 cm, lowered the neck by 1 cm and shortened the body and the sleeves. Although Vali liked the hoodie as it was, I thought it needed some lengthening, so this time I returned the pattern to its original length. As it turned out, it came out a bit too long, so the third time should probably be the charm lengthwise :) 

I don't remember whether I made any mods to the hood last time, however now I decided to use a completely different hood, which I know fits men's heads well - from a Burda hoodie I made for husband last year. I bought a thick cord for the hood and installed my biggest grommets - I think they look nice.

Pattern:  Hoodie Brad by Vikisews

Size: 178-184 cm; 40; modified

Fabric: sweatshirt knit fabric, rib knit, cotton knit

Time to make: five days

I also added the kangaroo pocket I had designed for this sweatshirt last time, as this hoodie comes without a pocket.

I hope the new hoodie would be as much loved and worn as the green one:)

This was actually the last finished project for 2024, but I still have to show you the blouse I made for Gaby before that, so there will be more 2024 FO pictures soon.

Green Dress with Heartshaped Neckline

This is my year of dresses and I've made another one :) The pattern is much more involved than the previous sheath dress, with princess seams at the front, a hidden zipper, cut waistline and it also includes sleeves.

My fabric is a type of georgette and the lining is green colored polyester lining. The original dress is designed with a full circle skirt, but I opted for a semi-circle - neither did I have so much fabric, nor was I willing for so much volume.

My major modification was to transform the original front, which featured two separate fronts with real buttons into a single piece, only imitating a buttoned front. The major reason, apart from saving on labour, was that the original neckline was gaping on me and I had to take in some 3 cm in total from the volume. Of course, I could have opted for a solid front without any seams and if I am using more colorful fabrics for my next dress out of this pattern, that is what I plan to do, but the solid color of my fabric prompted me to add some interest to it in the form of the button band.  

  I also made my usual height modifications, which are one of the major reasons I rarely shop ready-to-wear dresses - my bust line and waist line need adjusting for my short stature. I took 0.8 cm of the height above the arm-openings and further 1 cm above waist. Next time I'll raise the waist just a tiny bit more, 0.5 - 0.7 cm would be a better fit, I think, especially if I decide to reduce the size from 36 closer to my 34.

Pattern: Burda #144 11 / 2016

Size: 36, reduced

Fabric: green georgette, polyester lining

Time to make: 1 week

The original pattern in the magazine does not include a pattern of the skirt, only instructions how to construct a full circle skirt, which is fairly simple and everybody knows, theoretically. It does not preclude the fact, that it is additional work, so I used my already cut and printed Vikisews Deniz skirt pattern, which I've been adding lately to most of my dresses.

The dress is lined - the body and the skirt are replicated out of polyester lining fabric.I did not see the point of adding volume to the sleeves, so they are left not lined. The lining of the skirt is also a semi circle skirt, but 10 cm shorter than the shell skirt.

The back closes with an invisible zipper and a hook and eye. I think I like the additional closure the hook and eye provides, however next time I think will go back to placing the invisible zipper right on edge of the neckline and skipping the clasp.