Plush Loungewear Set

I made myself a new set of loungewear and I am quite happy about it. It is another part of my 2026 Make Nine pledge, featuring Fabric 11 (asphalt-colored plush) and the remnants of Fabric 12 (brick-colored fleece). I sewed the heck out of these fabrics: two zippered jackets, one pair of joggers, and one hoodie, all from just 3.5m of fabric!

The pants use the same pattern - Burda #135 (11/2012) - that I made earlier this year for Gaby, but I opted for a larger size 36. I made some major modifications: I elongated the crotch by 3 cm from the top (including seam allowance) and the legs by 11 cm from the bottom. I also straightened the leg below the knee to get a nice straight-leg fit .I am thrilled with the result; the fit is much, much better than Burda #117 from 06/2021, which I’ve sewn a few times before. This is now my go-to pattern for straight joggers!

Pattern: # 135 Burda 11 / 2012

Size: 36, elongated

Fabric: plush fleece

Time to make: 4 days

My only regret with this set is making the jogger pockets entirely out of the main fabric. I had planned everything carefully, intending to cut one pocket piece from plush and the other from a thin black cotton knit. However, it was late in the evening after work when I started sewing, and I accidentally attached the plush piece to the front instead of the lining.

I only noticed the mistake after the pocket was fully assembled. I made a calculated choice: instead of undoing the seams—a nightmare since this plush frays like crazy and hates being unstitched—I decided to just cut two more fleece pieces. It’s not a dealbreaker, but the pockets are a bit thicker than I’d like. Next time, I’ll remember: the best combination for fleece or plush is one piece of main fabric and one piece of thin lining. Trust me, I know from experience!

After the joggers and jackets, I still had some large remnants left, so I decided to make a matching hoodie. This little project took so much effort - measuring, browsing patterns, and Googling colorblock inspiration. I’d wake up with one image in my head only to scrap it and replace it with another!  In the end the choice fell on Burda #103 (01/2017), which I've already made once for myself, out of sweatshirt fleece remnants.

Pattern: Burda #103 01/2017

Size: 36, modified

Fabric: plush fleece, polar fleece

Time to make: actual sewing - two days

I chose the pattern, as raglan sweaters suit color blocking exceptionally well. Besides I know the pattern and my "Page" hoodie, with its relaxed fit, is still one of my most favourite winter wears. 

The hoodie is hemmed with a mirror piece of fabric on the inside; the polar fleece front is hemmed with polar, and the plush back with plush. Yes, I am that pedantic!

For the hood lining, I originally cut a blue polyester piece left over from my zippered jacket. However, I realized I preferred the feel of the brick-colored fleece against my skin. I gathered all my scraps and played a little "fabric Tetris" - one side of the hood lining is made of two pieces, and the other of three! The seams are hidden inside, the look is consistent, and I am so proud of myself for pulling it off. (And don't worry, the blue lining was used in my next project, so nothing went to waste!)

My overall impression - I am so glad I made this hoodie happen, never underestimate the potential of fabric scraps - you just might find an entire hoodie in there:)

Joggers for Gaby

My first make for the new year is ready and it is a pair of joggers for Gaby. This is my first Make Nine for the year, and I hope the list of fabrics from the stash, successfully made into garments, will grow steadily.

The pattern for the joggers is an old Burda acquisition, that I've already made twice, once for myself and once for Gaby. As my daughter is a bit slimmer and taller than me, the joggers are a little tighter around the hip area and longer, than if I was making them for myself. However, Gaby is in Vienna and me posing is the second best way to demonstrate my new make.

Pattern: # 135 Burda 11 / 2012

Size: 34

Fabric: french terry

Time to make: 2 days

 

My mods to the pattern - as per usual - I added 3 cm to the upper part of the pattern pieces (including 0.8 cm seam allowance), as the joggers are cut too low. I also added 6 cm (including 0.8 cm seam allowance) to the length of the legs - the original envisions long cuffs, I prefer normal 6.5 cm cuffs.

The joggers have deep and comfortable inseam pockets.

The cuffs are out of rib knit and I made the waistband out of the main fabric and added a 3.2 cm wide elastic inside. All in all I am very happy with how these turned out and now I want a pair of similar joggers for myself, I will only have to find another piece of quality french terry.

Flared Leggings IV

A few photos of a new pair of flared leggings I made for Gaby. I have two pairs of these for myself and I wear them all the time, they are my most favourite bottoms to wear at home. Last year I made one for Gaby out of wide rib knit and she loved them, so this year, when I came upon a good quality wide rib knit I decided to make her another pair.

The pattern is one from Knip Mode magazine, which I managed miraculously to modify to perfection.  I shortened the crotch part by 6 cm and the length by another 6 cm - I am definitely not your average Scandinavian woman :) and I also made the flare much more modest, to be proportionate to the shorter length of the legs.

Pattern: Flared leggings N4 KnipMode 10 / 2021

Size: S, shortened and modified

Fabric: rib knit

Time to make:  4 days

The only new element I introduced this time were the back pockets. I had some pieces of the fabric left, after I cut the leggings, and I thought that pockets would be a good way to utilize them. My first idea was to take the pattern of the back pockets from the Sabrina Slims (a Love Notions design). I added them properly and sewed away the leggings, only to find in the end, that these pockets were too big for the leggings and were lying too low on my behind. So I removed them and added a new pair of pockets, using the pocket pattern in my latest Burda calf-length jeans. These I find fit the leggings much better and I am quite happy with them.

I showed Gaby the pictures we took of the leggings yesterday and she eagerly approved them, now it remains to plan how to give them to her. I'll probably continue to sew for her and give her the bunch when she visits later in the summer.

Gaby's Hoodie and Sweatpants Set

My latest make - a hoodie and sweatpants set for Gaby. I used two of my already tried Burda patterns, based on which I made a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie for myself. When Gaby was home in November, I asked to try on my items and marked the corrections I would need in order to make hers fit her properly, so I hope I've succeeded. Of course, a lounge set is not a ballroom gown, so even if the fit is not perfect - this is knitwear, it's forgiving :)

The fabric for the set is sweatshirt fleece (I think this is the name in English, but I'm still not sure about knit fabric names in different languages) - it is smooth on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside and very warm. I bought 1.5 m of it and it was perfectly sufficient, with a fairly big remnant, that I intend to combine with a couple of other remnant and make a color-block hoodie for myself.

Pattern: Hoodie #113 from Burda 09 / 2020

Size: 36

Fabric: sweatshirt knit fabric

Time to make: 10 days

I made the hood lined with a lighter sweatshirt knit fabric and I used rib knit for the cuffs and the hems and the openings of the pockets of the hoodie. i am especially happy with my coordinating metal notions - the zipper, the aiglets and the decorative tag on the pocket.

Pattern: # 135 Burda 11 / 2012

Size: 34

Fabric: sweatshirt knit fabric

Time to make: 3 days

The pants are size 34 and they are a bit tight on me, but I hope they'll be just fine on Gaby, as she is taller and slimmer than me. They have comfortable deep pockets in the side seams. The original pattern includes long cuffs and is low cut, but I elongated the length of the legs and shortened the cuffs and also raised the waist line by 2 cm.

All in all, I am extremely pleased with myself and can't wait for Gaby to be back for Christmas break and to give her her new lounge set.

Sabrina Slims III

I made a new pair of hiking pants and I tested them today.

The pattern is again Sabrina Slims, like my most worn summer hiking pants. The fabric is a small piece of ponte, 80 cm long, I bought at the end of spring with the intention of making a pair of 3/4 hiking leggings. However, the summer came and went and I never got to sewing this ponte. 

So, last Sunday I took it out together with the cuttings from three other ponte projects and started planning a new pair of full size hiking leggings. In the end I chose the colorful green ponte, remnants from my second Sabrina Slims, as a complimentary fabric to the main black ponte.

I kept all the corrections to the upper part of the pants I had introduced to my second Sabrina and I also straightened the legs from the knee down. However, I had forgotten that the Sabrina Slims run a bit too narrow down the legs and if I ever decide to make them again, I should add a couple of centimeters to the width from mid-thigh to ankles, lately I prefer more bootleg pants, not the super slim style.

However, my gripe with the narrowness down the leg is purely aesthetic; due to the very stretchy fabric the Sabrina Slims are comfortable and provide full freedom of movement during a hike, which often include climbing, stretching and crouching.

Pattern: Sabrina Slims by Love Notions

Size: 0 with corrections

Fabric: ponte, 100% polyesther

Time to make: 3 days

Polka Dot Blouse

I finished a new blouse for myself. I am a big fan of this style of polka dot pattern, last year I made a  wrap dress out of a similar ITY print and so the moment I saw this cotton jersey I knew I had to have it.

I debated between several styles of jersey blouses - the Carmen blouse, the Adrienne blouse (which I made for Gaby last year) and in the end I settled on this Burda 6202 raglan blouse with 3/4 elasticated sleeves - simple and easy to make and wear.

Pattern: Burda 6202 from Burda Catalogue 1 / 2020

Size: 36, shortened

Fabric: cotton knit fabric, 1m.

Time to make: 2 days

I matched the new blouse with a pair of capri pants I made at the end of last summer and which I refashioned this year. In the end I did not like the cuffed up style of these pants, so I let the cuffs down as much as was possible, narrowed the legs and turned them into fairly straight 7/8 trousers. I definitely prefer them this way.

In my usual daily-walk-in-the-park style, by the poppies in front of our building

White and Grey

Two more knit items I made for Gaby - a blouse with a round yoke and one more pair of flared leggings, my favourite leggings pattern this spring :)

The pattern of the blouse is from the latest Burda Best of 01 /2022, which is a collection of best selling old patterns. This very blouse was first published in Burda 06 / 2018. I liked its unusual construction, which, I hope, elevates the blouse a bit above the simple white t-shirt.

Pattern: Flared leggings N4 KnipMode 10 / 2021

Size: S, shortened and modified

Fabric: rib knit

Time to make:  2 days

Pattern: Blouse with Round Yoke, Burda Best of 01/2022

Size: 36

Fabric: viscose knit

Time to make:  3 days

To be honest, I'm not entirely convinced the short fringe I added is as good as the original they used in the magazine. And to my further disappointment, it turned out to be of low quality, though fairly expensive. On the upper side, I attached it over the seam, so it can be easily removed and replaced, if needed.

Hoodie and Flared Leggings

I fell in love with that hoodie from BurdaStyle 03 / 2022 from the moment I saw it. I had no idea out of what fabric I wanted to make it or if I needed another hoodie, but I knew I just had to try these sleeves. And so, I bought the pattern.

After I printed and assembled the pattern and went through my fabric stash, I decided on this purple fabric, sort of french terry, but not quite (purl knit?). I laid out the pieces of the pattern on the fabric and found that I had enough left for a pair of leggings as well. But only if I cut it all not along but across the grain.

I am usually very strict when it comes to following the grain of the fabric, but in this case the fabric had an unusual warp knit and high elasticity in both directions. And a defect right along the middle fold, where it had faded from long stay in the shop, I guess. So, I decided to risk it and cut my hoodie and leggings set across the grain. Thus I was able to lay all the pattern pieces on both sides of that middle fold, without cutting into the faded line - win-win.

I made almost no mods to the pattern but my usual shortening to adjust for my height and I also made the hood double, as the single layer hood in the pattern didn't look professionally finished at all.

Pattern: Hoodie 102 Burdastyle 03/2022

Fabric: warp knit, sort of french terry, cotton/polyester

Size: 36, shortened

Time to make: 4 days 

The pattern of the hoodie was obviously influenced by the Mother of Pearl original design. I am really glad that Burda adapted the extravagant pattern for home sewing and I hope to find other similar patterns in their next issues too.

Pattern: Flared leggings N4 KnipMode 10 / 2021

Size: S, shortened and modified

Fabric: sort of french terry

Time to make:  1 day