Flower Power

I was inspired by Gaby's pink sleeveless blouse and decided to make a similar one for myself. More so, that I have so many pieces of fabric in my fabric drawer, that I have to sew some day.

This particular georgette was purchased last year for Gaby, but she thought it didn't suit her completion, so I left it for myself. While she is "winter", I am definitely "warm autumn" and all of these warm colors are right up my alley. 

The pattern is again Burda 6840, reduced to size 34 and shortened by 7 cm, that is additional 2 cm, compared to Gaby's pink blouse. I like the shortening, but next time I might move the shortening lines above and below the waist and leave the height above the armscye. 

 

Pattern: Burda 6840

Size: 34, modified, shortened by 7 cm

Fabric: polyester georgette

Time to make: five days

The pattern has its own long sleeves, but I wanted flared sleeves, so I changed them based on my Purple Burda Blouse 108 12/2023. Initially I planned to add an elastic at the end of the sleeves, but it somehow cheapened the look of the blouse for me. Then I thought of adding the elastic in a tunnel some 4-5 cm above the hem - I love such sleeves. I might still do it, but as I already have a blouse with such sleeves, in the end I though it might be cool just to leave the sleeves wide and bell-shaped and see how I felt about them - I can always add the elastic later.

Among the minor modifications I added to the pattern is again the collar, which I made angular and not rounded, as in the pattern - somehow I find the angular look better.

The flared sleeves in combination with my flared jeans give a very flower power vibe, which I adore :)

Pink Sleeveless Shirt for Gaby

This is the last item I made for Gaby in April. The shirt was kind of an afterthought after  had finished with the jeans. I bought the fabric last summer, but let it marinate in my fabrics drawer with a lot of other fabric pieces - yes, these tend to increase faster than I manage to sew them, I'm sure it's a tendency known to all seamstresses worldwide :)

I'm not sure what type of fabric it is, but it is something like gauze - fairly loosely woven and slightly transparent, with tweed like insertions of colorful threads. The threads run horizontally, but I though the vertical striping made more sense, so I cut the fabric across the grain. 

I've made this pattern before in red viscose and I knew it fit Gaby well. The original pattern starts from size 36, but I had drawn the 34 size myself, based on the proportions of the given sizes. Cutting the shirt this time was super easy, as I already had the pattern pieces prepared.

I played a little with the stripes, as one does, cutting the yoke so, that the stripes run horizontally. All of the seams are french seams and the yoke seams are enclosed, using the burrito method.

As the main fabric is very loose weaved and frays easily, I chose to use some complementary viscose for the inside of the armhole openings.

Pattern: Burda 6840

Size: 34, modified, shortened by 5 cm

Fabric: cotton\polyester gauze

Time to make: two days

I was very happy to find the perfect colour buttons, although they could have been a tad smaller

The blouse in the photos is still unhemmed, I hemmed it after Gaby tried it on. She liked the length I had cut, so I just folded the curved end twice by 1 cm and sewed it.

Burda Knit Skirt

This is my fifth Burda 112 skirt from the 05/2019 issue. My first attempt at the pattern was a failure, as the skirt came out too broad, especially at the waist, and too long. Then I made two of these for Gaby, reducing the size to 34 and another one for myself.

A week ago I finished a hoodie for husband out of the big piece of knit fabric I received as a present from a friend. His hoodie is very much a repetition of my own favourite hoodie out of the same fabric, but in a male version (and obviously, using a different pattern).

In the end I was left with an almost good for nothing piece of fabric. But I am a petite person and I love using fabric to the last scraps, so I thought - why not make myself a tiny knit skirt. My initial idea was to self-draft a super simple skirt with an elastic band. But how about pockets, I'd so much love it to have pockets. And where to put them. Then gradually the form of the skirt clarified in my head and I realized that the perfect pattern for it would be my old favourite Burda 112.

 

Pattern: Burda 112 05 / 2019

Fabric: houndstooth knit fabric

Size: 36, reduced

Time to make: 5 days

I was so grateful to my former self, that after the last super successful iteration of the pattern, she had made a new copy, introducing all of the changes in the width and the length of the pieces. This time I made an additional copy, further reducing the length of the skirt, mostly due to lack of fabric, but also because I didn't need 1 cm seam allowances for the serger. Unlike my previous skirts, here I don't have decorative seams and my front yoke and skirt are made out of single pieces.

I didn't have fabric for the inside of the skirt, which is fully lined, so I used suitable scraps from other knit projects - the inner pockets are from some ponte for Alex's joggers and the inner yoke is from my favourite black joggers. The inner skirt is from an old and discarded black T-shirt.

Notes: I absolutely love the skirt and I am so happy to have been able to use all of these otherwise useless pieces of fabric. However, I think the zipper might have been redundant - the fabric is stable, but stretchy enough and I can actually pull the skirt off without unzipping it. However, if I decide to repeat this pattern with knit fabrics in the future and skip the zipper, I should consider adding an elastic to the waist, as it might quickly stretch and deform. Another note - the T-shirt lining was not a good idea, as the fabric sticks to my stockings, I might consider replacing it with a stretchy acetate or other slick material.

Skirt 112 Burda 05 2019

 I had 2 m of the wool with elastane fabric and I managed to make not only the pair of pants I showed you here, but also TWO skirts - one for me and one for Gaby. This is the one for me - my fourth skirt #112 of Burdastyle 05 / 2019. This is a very comfortable sporty style of skirt, which I like and intend to wear a lot and make again in other fabrics as well.

My first skirt 112 was size 36 and was too big, especially around the waist. So to cut this skirt I used the pieces of size 36, but reduced the widths by 1 cm (a total of 4 cm) and additionally reduced the waist by 1.5 cm (total of 6 cm). Now it fits me like a glove!

The pattern features a double yoke, pockets,  an invisible zipper at the back and lots of decorative stitching, which I decided in the end to make in black. My plaid fabric is busy enough with horizontal and vertical lines, so additional obtrusive decorative lines seamed a bit redundant.

A few shots with the sweater tucked in, to demonstrate better the construction of the skirt.

Pattern: Burda 112 05 / 2019

Fabric: wool with elastane

Size: 36, reduced

Time to make: 2 days

As for the lining - the pattern envisages lining only for the yoke, I had initially added a full lining, made out of acetate lining fabric, but it was too tight and messed with the fit of the skirt, especially when I tried to adjust it around the waist - the lining kept peeking out above the waist line. So in the end I removed it and added cotton lining only to the yoke, as per pattern. However, I believe full acetate lining, but properly fitted, would be better, as the wool does stick to the tights and I know wool garments benefit from lining. So, in the future, I might reconsider adding a lining to the lower part of the skirt as well.

Red Burda Blouse 6924

This August is pretty unusual here in Sofia - it's more cold and rainy even for the cold and rainy mountainous climate we are accustomed to. So last Sunday the backpacks were ready, the cheese pie (banitza) was baked and we were hyped to go hiking on Rila, but ... it wouldn't stop raining and the forecast was for rain and thunderstorms all day long. And what else could I do but sew another Burda 6924 blouse :)

Last year I bought this bright red viscose (it is blood red, in case your monitor, similar to mine, displays it otherwise). I believe I had at least 2.5 m of it and I was thinking of a long bright red dress. But I never wear long bright red dresses and where would I do wear them? So, I decided it was time to cut into it and make something, even something as small as this cropped front tie blouse.

 

It is exactly as the white blouse, only red :) I made the same modifications as for the white blouse, including the bias tape coverage of the back neck seam, french seams, four front buttons. Gaby already wore it to the dentists' and declared that she loves it even better than the white one and now wants a third, but with 3/4 sleeves. We'll see about that :)

 

Pattern: Burdastyle 6924

Fabric: 100% viscose, light fusible

Thread: cotton, red

Time to make: 2 days

Smocked Top and Shorts

Two fairly quick summer makes for Gaby - a smocked top and a pair of shorts, made out of fabric remnants.

For the smocked top I used a piece of fabric, which was left after I made this short sleeved shirt last summer. I cut a rectangular piece, 1.5 times Gaby's bust circumference, 36 cm length and narrow hemmed the top and the bottom of the piece. Then I did the shirring with white elastic thread at approx. 1.2 mm distance, leaving a hem of 2.5 cm above and 5 cm below the smocked part.

My inspiration for the top was this Gut & Circle Smocked top I found while googling shirred tops. I didn't have enough fabric for wider straps, so mine are narrower. Gaby already wore it once and liked it, though she finds the ties on the shoulders a bit girlish, so I might redo the straps into simple straight straps.
The second make - a one evening pair of shorts, uses the polyester knit remnants from my blue Think Pink Cosy cardigan. The pattern is one I've used before - pants #117 from Burdastyle 05 / 2013. I find the pattern quite well drafted for pants with elasticated waist - the fit is flattering, the pockets are very deep and comfy. Obviously, I shortened the legs, omitted the belt and instead added 2.5 cm wide elastic band.

To finish the legs, I added cuffs, but next time I might just hem the legs, I find no significant difference in the look and hemming is so much easier.

The look from the back - I sewed a small label on the back of the top to mark the back, as otherwise it is almost impossible to distinguish it from the front and it does matter because of the placement of the straps. I still haven't decided where to order my own labels, and I need to, soon :(

Pants #114 Burda 04/2013 and Bailén Top

 My third Bailén Top and a new pair of pencil pants.

As with my other Bailén Tops, I made this top out of fabric remnants from other bigger projects - in this case a Shkatulka shirt I finished earlier this year. The fabric is a very thin viscose, which looks a bit plain, crinkles like nobody's business and has little other to recommend it but its noble color and solid drapability. I had enough fabric to cut the top on the bias and without a seam at the back.

As I'm not a big fan of spaghetti straps,  I modified the top to have wide straps, gathered slightly by a small tab at the front for added interest. This is definitely my most favourite out of my three Bailén tops, solely on account of the wider straps.

The second and more substantial make are the trousers - a relatively simple pattern from Burda 04 / 2013. I had a very limited amount of fabric - about 72 cm, plus some scraps, which I used to cut the cuffs and the belt.
I am fairly confident with Burda patterns, when I make my corrections on the upper part of the body, as I know my measures and how they relate to the Burda block. But I hadn't made pants for myself and I was testing the block. I reduced the pattern pieces 2 cm flat above the crotch and 2 cm above the knee and to achieve the desired length out of my short piece of fabric I added open double cuffs.

The pants have high waist, which is still a bit high on me, even after my correction, so I believe I need to make a petite front rise correction too, removing a triangle of about an inch from the front rise. Still, the fit is fairly good and I'm not a fan of wearing my tops tucked in my pants, anyway.
The pants close with an invisible zipper in the side seam.

The fabric of the pants is 100% polyester, probably a single brushed poly, as it looks smooth like velvet on the outside and textured on the inside. First time using this type of fabric, frays like crazy, but otherwise drapy, comfortable and heavy enough for bottoms.

 Back to bangs!

Burda 6840 Blouse

 Right before I bought the Rhapsody blouse, I attempted to recreate the style with another pattern I have in my collection - Burda 6840. It is a shirt pattern, but I easily turned it into a blouse by omitting the cut of the front and the buttons, widening a little bit the neckline and adding a split at the front. I made the split in the manner of the sleeve splits for cuffs. My fabric is cotton lawn, which was snow white and I dyed it this brick orange color with cotton dyes (a mix of red, yellow and black).
I cut the smallest size - 36 and made my usual modifications for petite height, and as the blouse was also rather wide and my fabric was not drapy, I reduced the width by a total of 8 cm, thus bringing the pattern from 36 (s) to 32 (xxs). I think it fits Gaby's slender figure just right.

 The ties can be worn loose or tied to close the neckline.

 Gaby does not like oversized and long blouses, so this one hits her just above the hips.

I made my seams french seams with the exception of the armscye seams and I burritoed the back yoke.

Based on these modifications, I made a size xs (34) paper pattern for myself, but I'm not sure if I'll make it. It is very similar in style to the Rhapsody blouse and I prefer its cut as more flattering.
Nevertheless I quite like my modified Burda 6840 and I hope it will get some wear.