Striped Longsleeve

My latest make - another hybrid blouse.

Last year in their September issue Burda released a boatneck pattern and I watched it eagerly for almost two months, until I caught a sale and bought it. Unfortunately the pattern didn't live up to the hype - in reality it was somewhat shapeless and the arm opening was much wider than the sleeve circumference - a definite no-no in pattern making. I made the blouse, making corrections in the process, but was dissatisfied with the design.

So, when I bought this soft drape cotton-viscose striped knit fabric, I knew I wanted a boatneck fitted tee, something similar to my favourite Schkatulka tees or the tried-and-true Burda 6820 basic fitted tee, but with a twist - the boatneck design element from the 09/2021 issue.

And thus this hybrid blouse was born - the body up to the armholes and the sleeves are from Burda 6820, and the parts above the armholes of the front and the back are from the #102 09/2021, with the necessary corrections in width, so that the armholes would fit the 6820 sleeves. 

How about stripe matching! :)))

When I cut the body of the 6820, I added 1.5 cm seam allowances, but took off only 0.8 cm on the overlocker, so the body is a bit more relaxed than the usual fit of the 6820 for size 36. I also added 3 cm to the width of the sleeves at the cuffs, so that the sleeves are not so fitted and I can pull them up easily on a warm spring/autumn day.

 

Pattern: Burda 6820 + Burda 102 09/2021

Size: 36, with corrections

Fabric: striped cotton-viscose knit

Time to make: 3 days

As, with my first make of this pattern, I sewed fixed the overlap at the shoulders - the open shoulder didn't sit well at all, but the fixed closure is comfortable and makes the T-shirt just a little bit more unusual than a simple store-bought sailor t-shirt.

Now that I have this boatneck pattern out of my system, I can move on to other T-shirt designs.

Tropical Stripes

Last month I bought a few pieces of nice summer fabric in order to make some new T-shirts and blouses for Gaby. We expect her next week for the Orthodox Easter and I was hoping to welcome her with a whole new spring wardrobe. 

As it happened, I wasn't productive at all last month and I only managed to sew one of the fabrics - cotton viscose knit in bright tropical stripes. 

The pattern is a Burda T-shirt pattern with interesting sleeves I bought last year, but never actually made. The pattern is a version of my favourite Burda 6820 (I compared the pattern pieces), the only mods they've made to their original pattern are a bit wider neckline and the cherry of the cake - the sleeves.

As I like the form of the neckline of 6820 better, I actually used my true and tried pattern pieces for the front and the back of Burda 6820 and only the sleeves from Burda 119 07/2019.

 

Pattern: Burda 6820 + Burda 119 07/2019

Size: 36, with corrections

Fabric: striped cotton-viscose knit

Time to make: 2 days

The blouse came out nice and cheery, I hope Gaby will wear it this summer; I can already see it with a few bottoms I know she has in her summer wardrobe that would match the colors of the blouse perfectly.

Striped Longsleeve

I love sewing T-shirts and longsleeves and luckily they are always in demand :)

This is my latest make for Gaby - a striped longsleeve. The pattern is a true and tried Burda basic tee 6820, with a few minor modifications.

Because the blouse is not made for me, the sleeves are a bit longer on me and it is a bit narrow around the bust - I hope it will fit Gaby better, as I've made it following her measurements and not mine; I'm just demonstrating it here with a few quick photos.

The pattern is very simple and if it wasn't for the stripes, one could make it with closed eyes. To ensure perfect matching of my stripes, I cut the back and then laid the cut piece on the fabric and traced the side seams, so that the stripes under the armholes would match perfectly. For the sleeves, I cut one of them and then similarly traced the other one, using the first as a pattern, to ensure that the stripes would be situated identically. I'm really happy with how my stripes were matched on this T-shirt.

The only new and interesting feature of this longsleeve is the neckline - I decided to try an interfaced neckline. I traced the neck of the front and the back, cut the pieces an inch wide, attached the interfacing to the neck and then sewed it down to fix it. I saw this idea on TomKat Stitchery's channel and I loved it! It is especially relevant for striped blouses, as it allows you to preserve the clean line of the stripes around the neck.

I have another Burda pattern - Top #117 from Burdastyle 07/2019, which I bought recently, but still haven't made. It turned to be actually absolutely identical to Burda 6820, apart from the interesting short sleeve detail and the wider neckline. There the neckline is also finished with an interfacing, only the pattern does not suggest sewing the interfacing down to the blouse, but I find this last step crucial, otherwise the interfacing would keep moving and poking.

Pattern: Burda 6820

Size: 36

Fabric: heavy cotton knit

Time to make: 2 days

To Be Photographed

While my knitting mojo is in hiatus and March weather is soul searching its winter or spring essence (it's been snowing for four days now, after the +20C on Sunday), I'm in a sewing frenzy. Here's what has been finished recently, waiting to be photographed some day, maybe ...

One of my better makes, I think. This is my personal pattern, based on the freethe Easy Smock Top by lovesewingmag.co.uk. Last year I made this top for myself and it turned one of my favourites, and when I saw this delicate viscose knit in off white with navy blue hearts, I knew Gaby would love it. So this is for her (as most of the other items on the rack).

This viscose blouse was actually made last autumn, days before Gaby left for Prague, so it was never worn, photographed or, I believe, even tried. This is Burda 6840, style A. I copied the smallest size available 36 and reduced it to size 34 for Gaby, omitting the double button placket. I hope it will get some wear this spring and summer, as I find it really lovely.

And from the oldest to my latest make on the rack - finished only this morning. Last month I made the top of the Movie Night Pajamas, but I didn't have fabric for the bottoms. On Saturday, when I went on a tour around the fabric shops, I couldn't find a matching fabric for the bottoms, but I found the same fabric in another shop - so I bought another meter. I made the bottoms of the pajamas and from the scraps I managed to squeeze a small short sleeved tee, which could be worn as a summer top for the same bottoms (or, I suppose, as a short-sleeved tee). The pattern for the tee is one of my recent acquisitions - Burda 6820, view B.

And another Burda 6820, something for myself. This is a combination of the sleeves of view A, the body of view C and a henley button placket I designed myself, imitating Love Notion's  Breckenridge Henley. I had a fair amount of this cotton knit, which I had bought for a long-sleeved blouse for gaby, so my little henley top is a sort of a free extra.

For Gaby's long sleeved blouse I used again Burda 6820, view C, but I added a scoop neckline, button placket and sleeve tabs for rolled up sleeves - so basically turned the basic longsleeve into a more interesting pattern. I've ordered brass snaps plus instruments for installing them on Aliexpress and i plan to replicate this blouse with snaps some day.

And the last item, which took me quite a while to make, though it looks like a  fairly simple short skirt. The pattern is Burda 117 from 02 / 2017 and the fabric is gorgeous Chanel type wool boucle. I must have bought it some 25 or more years ago to make a Chanel jacket, I actually have a picture of the unfinished jacket on my blog from some 8 years ago. The pattern for the jacket was again a Burda, but the fit was disastrous. So I finally decided to disassemble the jacket and use the cut pieces to make a skirt. It is fully lined, with an invisible zipper and even some hong kong seam bindings, of which I am very proud. Can't wait to demonstrate it to you, as soon as the weather clears again.

So, that's all for now, I'm off to print a new pattern and cut into the fabric :)

Quick Christmas Sewing

The time around Christmas, when Gaby visits us, is usually, apart from all the family cooking and feasting and all the other activities we do together, also time for some last minute frenzied sewing. I'm just that kind of person, I love it when I can make something with my own hands for my close and extended family.

This summer I sewed some curtains for Gaby's kitchen and as an addition to my Christmas presents I decided to sew a matching tablecloth for the kitchen table. I bought a big piece of fabric and made two tablecloths - one for Gaby and Vali's kitchen and a smaller tablecloth for our kitchen table too, out of the remaining fabric. Yes, I love using up all the fabric, when possible!

Earlier this year I made a t-shirt for Vali, which he loved, so I bough another piece of cotton viscose fabric and made him another t-shirt for Christmas.

The fabric is divinely soft and pleasant on touch, I really hope he likes his present.

Pattern: Burda #132 from 12 / 2020

Size: 46

Fabric: cotton viscose knit

Time to make: 2 days

This year Gaby joined a folk dance club in Vienna and she asked for a simple black t-shirt and short black skirt for her folk dance practice. For the t-shirt I chose a true-and-tried-many-times Burda basic t-shirt pattern - 6820. My light modifications - I shortened the sleeves to make them 7/8 and raised the neckline, which I finished with a simple covering band.

Pattern: Burda 6820

Size: 36, shortened sleeves, raised neckline

Fabric: black cotton knit

Time to make: 1 day

The skirt is a shortened version of the skirt of the Willow Wrap Dress by Love Notions, which I made this summer for myself, so I knew the pattern. It is super simple, with two seams at the sides and a waistband with an elastic.

Pattern: Willow Wrap dress by Love Notions

Size: xs, shortened

Fabric: french terry

Time to make: 1 day

July Makes for Gaby

A few of my latest summer makes for Gaby. Unfortunately, again no modeled pictures :(, just flat photos.

First a set of a bralette and shorts. The bralette is a free sewing pattern, the Hyacinth Bralette by Ohh Lulu. I cut size XS, although Gaby's bust, according to the sixe chart, would fall into the XXS size, and still the bralette turned too small. The pattern pieces include 1/2" seam allowances, which came useful to increase the coverage, and again to that effect I added a 1" hem to the bottom of the bralette. 

I finished the raw edges of the bralette with fold-over elastic and although I had bought lingerie strap elastic, in the end I decided to make the straps out of the same fabric, for a better match.

Pattern: Hyacinth Bralette by Ohh Lulu

Size: XS

Fabric: scuba

Time to make: 2 days

The second make out of the sweet flowery scuba fabric is the hit of the summer - shorts with back pockets. The pattern is Burda #122 out of an old paper magazine I have in my collection - 02 / 2011. I made a muslin for the smallest size 36 and I liked a lot the fit on me, only a small sway back correction would be needed. For Gaby, I had to go down to size 34 and I took in the side seams a bit too additionally. I'm finding muslins, especially for pants, extremely useful, now I regret I got rid of a lot of old bedsheets not so long ago :)

Apart from fixing the fit, I made a few minor mods to the pattern - I skipped the front welt pockets and instead added patch back pockets. I also drafted a new waist band, incorporating the changes I had made to the fit of the pants. The band is lined with thinner polyesther lining (remnant from the lining for my hoodie), thus reducing the bulk at the waist.

The pants are closed with a fly front zip - I'm still finding my way around that feature, this is only my second time of installing such a zip. I found very useful Devon Thread Tales's Sasha trousers video and Tailor Girl's master class (in Russian). I ended using a combination of both techniques - there were some very useful tip in both videos.

Pattern: Burda #122 02/2011

Size: 36, modified

Fabric: scuba

Time to make: 3 days

Next is a simple off-white T-shirt. This was a very quick make, as I have the pattern pieces cut and the fit adjusted already. The pattern is my latest go-to fitted T-shirt pattern - Burda 6820. However, as the T-shirt came out a bit too plain, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea to try some tie-dyeing on it, while the print technique is still on trend.

Pattern: Burda 6820

Size: 36

Fabric: cotton jersey

Time to make: 1 day

And the final make for Gaby - another pair of shorts. These were made more as a test of the new pattern I bought recently - Burda 118 06/2021. I used fabric remnants from a pair of lounge pants I made for Alex. 

The pattern is fairly easy to make, with elasticated waist and in-seam side pockets. For the pockets I found this video tutorial very informative and with useful tips. You know, the devil in these operations is in the details and Burda never provides detailed instructions :(.

As I didn't have enough fabric, I had to make one of the front parts out of two pieces of fabric. I decided to make it a feature and added piping where the two parts were sewn together. This is my first piping and it could have been more even, but I'm not unhappy with it :)

Pattern: Burda #118 06/2021

Size: 36, reduced to 34

Fabric: polycotton jersey

Time to make:  two days

Gaby already wore these shorts at home (I made them at the end of last month) and found them comfortable, but not as good fitting as the ones I made her last July, using another Burda pattern, the tried-and-true Burda #117 05/2013.

 

Apple Green Dilgul Top

I am building a small spring wardrobe for Gaby, as I intend to send her a package to Vienna these days. So far I have only shown you the hoodie, and here is one of the blouses. 

I had a nice quality viscose knit in a fresh apple green color and I wanted to make something flow-y and spring-y from it. I wеnt through my Burda blouse patterns and nothing clicked, so I googled images of long sleeve blouses and came upon these tops with interesting pleated plackets.  

I am always in for a challenge, and I decided to try and make that look, starting from a basic long sleeve pattern. For my base I chose a true and tried Burda long sleeve - Burda 6820.

I left the sleeves and the back as they were and modified the front. I cut the front pattern in seven places at 1.7 cm intervals and added 1.5 cm pleats. If I were to make this pattern again, I would reduce the width of the pleats to 1 cm or 1.2 cm and I would raise the neckline by 3 cm and make it a bit more square, as it is in the original. The way I made it, the neckline sits low enough and does not favour unbuttoning, which kind of makes all this elaborate button closure redundant.

In the original the bottom hem is simply roll-hemmed on the overlocker, but to me this kind of finishing looks a bit cheap, so I decided to hem it with a narrow hem with a double needle.

And one more detail - always finish the neck with the neckband first and then add the Henley placket. I made it the other way round and it proved the wrong way, as the finishing of the placket is not that sharp. Lesson learned, I hope :)

Pattern: Burda 6820 (base), Dilgul Pleated Top (inspiration)

Size: 36, heavily modified to #makethatlook

Fabric: viscose knit, 1 m

Time to make: 4 days

Still, I think it is a nice and different long sleeve, the fabric is extremely pleasant to the skin and i hope Gaby will like it and wear it this spring. And it was a fun #makethatlook challenge.