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.

Blue Rhapsody with Butterflies

Rhapsody is definitely my most beloved blouse pattern and I have used it more than a dozen of times (this is my 15th Rhapsody, to be precise!), making blouses for myself and Gaby, and even one for my mother.

Despite the fact, that I have a number of them, I have a favourite, which I wear in the summer more than any other. It is the one with 3/4 bishop sleeves with ruffles and I've been planning a repeat ever since.

I had a piece of fabric left from the georgette with butterflies - I have a sleeveless dress out of this fabric and a long sleeve shirt with a bow collar (which I have never worn :( ), and I though I could make a sleeveless Rhapsody out of the remnants. 

But then, with a bit of sacrifice on the length - I love the shorter length! - and some shenanigans with the sleeve ruffles - they were cut separately and added to the sleeves, hiding the seam in the elastic, I managed to get a 3/4 sleeved Rhapsody and I am ecstatic! Now I am waiting for the warm weather to add it to my staple spring and summer wardrobe.

Apart from shortening the blouse, I made almost no mods to the pattern in addition to my usual mods. All the seams are french seams, including the seams, attaching the sleeves to the body and I used the burrito method for the yoke. However, I did try something new - I stay-stitched and added fusible to the curved edges - sleeve openings and neckline. The fusible is a step I skipped previously and for good reason - stay-stitching is plenty enough for stabilizing these seams, the fusible made the seams too stiff and I wouldn't recommend it for delicate fabric as this thin georgette.

Pattern: Rhapsody by Love Notions 

Size: XS, modified

Fabric: Polyester Georgette, 1 m

Time to make: 3 days

I finished the blouse more than a month ago, we took the pictures three weeks ago, but I've been so busy with work and prepping the balconies for the spring, that I've had almost no time for blogging. Meanwhile I finished sewing three more items, now I  need to photograph and post about them. Stay tuned :)

Yellow T-Shirt for Gaby's Boyfriend

The overlocker was threaded with yellow threads, the yellow cotton fabric, which I bought for the lining of Vali's yellow hoodie and the yellow ribbing were out - there was no doubt in my mind what my next sewing project should be - a new T-shirt for Vali. 

I used the tried-and-true Burda #132 (12/2020) T-shirt pattern, which is my go-to for any men's T-shirts I make. There's really nothing more to say about this T-shirt, the only "novelty" I did was to use ribbing for the neckpiece, sleeve cuffs and pocket.

Pattern: Burda #132 (12 / 2020)

Size: 46

Fabric: cotton knit, cotton ribbing

Time to make: 3 days

The finishing from the inside - I covered the back seam, as they do in high-end T-shirts, and I also added my personalized label, because - why not :) I hope he likes the daring colors :)

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

Bow Tie Blouse from Patrones

As the sunny weather persisted today, we took the opportunity to photoshoot my latest sewing make - a bow tie blouse.

A couple of weeks ago I visited Burda shop downtown and bought Burda 12 / 2025 and Nähtrends 03/2025, which is a German translation of the Spanish Patrones. One pattern attracted my attention in both magazines - a bow tie viscose blouse. In Burda the pattern was quite wide with gathered raglan sleeves, but the design in Patrones was sleek and fairly easy. I had never sewn with Patrones and was eager to try it, so the choice easy. An additional bonus was, that the pattern in Burda had a pictorial tutorial, which was actually an useful help for the attaching of the bow tie.

I'll start immediately with the bad news - the Patrones design is done inaccurately and  incompetently. I've read plenty of bad reviews, that Patrones takes ready made clothes and provides reverse engineered designs for them, without testing. I have no idea whether these claims are true, but I can safely say - I wouldn't cut into expensive fabric to make a Patrones pattern, without testing it first on some cheap muslin.

My main complaints - the front and the back are very unbalanced and the opening for the neck is too narrow. The problem is, that the ease of the blouse is provided by the width of the front, while the back is quite straight and narrow. This makes the front much wider than the back and additionally limits the movement of the arms at the back in the shoulder area. This issue could be tackled by adding a yoke, but that would mean more or less redesigning the blouse anew, which to be honest, I would do, if I wanted to make it again. 

The second problem, the narrow opening for the head, was not that difficult to address -  I deepened the neckline at the back and shortened the width of the back shoulders. Still, I've never had such design problems with other professional sewing patterns.

Pattern: Nähtrends 03/2025 Blouse 23

Size: 36, modified

Fabric: georgette

Time to make: 9 days 

My other modifications of the pattern: I shortened the sleeves by 3 cm to fit the length of my arms, I designed the bow tie myself and mine is cut along the grain as one long tie, without a seam at the back, I also changed a little the form of the side and hem lines, adding just a little bit of tailoring at the waist and some rounding of the hem.

Although the blouse was intended as a test item, utilizing the remaining fabric from my summer dress, I still decided to give it my best, so I made all of my seams French seams, including the pleated shoulder seams.

The bow is the main feature that attracted me to the pattern and I like its versatility - I can wear it tied, but the length is calculated to be perfect for wearing the ties loose as well. 

Another feature I like - the sleeves. Surprisingly, given that they are the simplest possible rectangles with a sleeve head, but in this case, with the pleats I added, they work pretty nicely.

 

All in all - I am satisfied with the final result, mostly because I love the fabric. However, the pattern needs a lot of additional work to make it worth your fabric, so I would not recommend it.

Navy Blue Burda 6202

My third Burda 6202 blouse this year! I believe this is the sixth short-sleeve version I’ve made for myself from this favorite pattern.

Apart from the fact that I love the fit - and I have tuned the pattern to my preferences to perfection - it's a tiny blouse that requires very little fabric. I often manage to squeeze it out of remnants as a side project.

Thus, out of the 1.8 m navy blue knit fabric, that I bought in July, I made one pair of calf-length joggers, one long sleeve hooded top, this short sleeved Burda 6202 T-shirt and I even managed to combine the leftovers with other knit fabric scraps to make three pairs of lingerie for myself.  I love using my fabric to the last centimeter, especially when it’s this good! This navy blue is not only a perfect match for my complexion, but it’s divinely soft against the skin—a total win-win.

Pattern: Burda 6202 from Burda Catalogue 1 / 2020

Size: 34, shortened

Fabric: cotton knit

Time to make: 2 days

I especially love the puff-sleeve detail on this blouse; it's a small feature with a great effect.

We are still enjoying beautiful, sunny weather here. It’s hard to believe I’m taking photos of a short-sleeved blouse just a few days before Christmas!

Navyblue Lotte Blouse

Finally a full-grown sewing project :) 

I've been sewing a little, mostly lingerie, repairs and refashions, but this is my first true sewing make since the pink dress I finished in September.

The pattern is another Sinclair Lotte blouse. This is my fourth make out of this pattern and my third in the form of a blouse, although I bough it, because I liked the idea of a hoodie with thumb-hole cuffs. However, my only attempt at a hoodie out of sweater fleece was not very satisfying - I find it too tight as a hoodie and I usually wear it as a warmer blouse during hikes. 

In February I made a version of the pattern in solid color, with a hood and thumb-cuffs and it's been one of my most worn blouses this year - I prefer it for hikes and I love to wear it at home too. The idea to make another one of these came to me spontaneously last week, when I reached again for my favourite blouse and found out, that it was still in the laundry basket - obviously I urgently needed another one :)

Pattern: Sinclair Lotte Hoodie

Size: Petite (152-160 cm) XS (US 2)

Fabric: cotton knit

Time to make: 2 days

The making of the blouse went like a breeze, as I already had a modified version of the front for a solid color and I also had my notes of desirable corrections, based on the previous makes of the pattern. This time I lowered the neckline at the front by 1.5 cm, thus opening the shawl part of the hood and reducing the overlap a little - I find it a bit more comfortable like that. I also returned the original length of the sleeves, as I found, that I feel more unconstrained in my hand movements, when wearing a sweater over the hooded blouse with the thumb-hole cuffs on, if the sleeve is longer. 

The construction of the thumb-hole cuffs is very clever and I consider the pattern worth purchasing even if only for the cuffs :)

My hands and head are my most cold-sensitive zones, so I find blouses with built-in gloves and hat a god-sent :)

Lately I love-love-love wearing sweaters with shirts or hoodies underneath. Here is a combination of the new blouse with my navy Starry Night sweater - a match made in heaven :)