Burda Style 08/2011 - Full Preview

When I first saw the August Burda Style preview I felt a little underwhelmed, but now that I have been through it with a fine-toothed comb I see that actually there are quite a few good patterns with only one or two 'What were they thinking?' garments.

So here are a few of my favourite patterns from next month's Burda Style:

116 Dress

My favourite thing about this dress has to be the cowl neck, closely followed by the cap sleeves. I have seen a few bloggers favouring this neckline recently, as well as a few shops.

It would clearly look best in a fabric with good drape to get the full effect.

And who doesn't love pockets.

119 Dress

I think this is a lovely ladylike dress, the temptation to try to recreate it with a similar fabric is very high.

It has an interesting high back neck, which I wouldn't usually go for, but I think it works here

128 Jacket

I think this is a great autumnal jacket - it certainly wouldn't be warm enough for winter with its cropped length and shorter sleeves.

It would be ideal for Self-Stitched-September.

130 Trousers

 I quite like the look of these trousers, even though they appear to have been made in sweatsuiting.

 I think that the side button detail is really nice and you could probably make them in any type of stretch trouser fabric.

But it wouldn't be an issue of Burda Style unless there was one garment that just makes you ask 'why?', and this month it is a very interesting pair of trousers.

115 Trousers

I'm struggling to think what event these trousers would be appropriate for.

It's just a silly pair of trousers.

The full preview can be found on the Russian Burda site here.

Pink elastic-waist skirt

I thought that it would be a good idea to put together a little inspiration board for my next project in the Colette Patterns Spring Palette Challenge (see my previous posts here, and information about the challenge here).

My next project is a very simple elastic-waist skirt, based on instructions from the Freshly Picked skirt tutorial.

Photo credits: Freshly Picked, Topshop, Habby World

You may recognise the fabric photo from my last post, it was a 80cm remnant, bought for £1.50, and the elastic only cost me 50p. So this project will be a bargain at £2!

But I cant help feeling that my progress is a little slow with this challenge. The goal is to create a small number of garments that go well together in a spring palette of your choosing. And I feel that maybe the quality of the garments that I'm making isn't high enough, or that maybe I chose the wrong colours. I don't know, maybe I should change my plans? I just want to reach a stage where I can be proud to wear the clothes that I make. I think this is something that every beginner goes through, so please tell me I'm not alone in this.

Walthamstow Shopping Frenzy

On Saturday I went to Walthamstow Market for a bit of a fabric frenzy. There were (I think) 13 of us altogether and we battled through the rain in search of bargains. I didn't take a single photo, and I don't want to take one without permission, so go to did you make that? or tilly and the buttons to see some. (On a side note: I am in one of those pictures, can you guess which is me?)

I'll say right now that I went a bit overboard, I really did buy too much fabric. SO much fabric that in order to show you it I'm going to have to organise it into categories. But I do want to point out that I didn't buy any fabric that cost more than £2 a metre.

So lets get on with it.

Dress Fabric

This was very popular, at least three others bought some, I bought 3m.

I love this! It's going to make such a pretty summer dress

Blouse Fabrics

I love this silky soft polka dot, it will make a beautiful blouse

This was just a remnant, but there's enough for a Simplicity 2599

Skirt Fabrics

I bought 2m each of this plain cottons, they will make great pleated skirts

Trouser Fabrics

The one on top is a navy gabardine, while
the other seems to have some wool in it.

Knit Fabrics

It's very hard to see but this is black knitted fabric, perfect for a
cardigan. I have never sewed with this type of fabric before!

A nice thick ponte jersey in navy.

Lovely thick cream ribbing.

So that's it, I just wanted to say a really big thank you to Karen for organising such a great day,she clearly put a lot of work into it and I had a fantastic time buying all this fabric and meeting other people who are interested in sewing.

Colette Patterns Spring Palette

I know that I'm about a month behind with this, but at least I have already started sewing, so I am not as behind as it seems. It you want to read more about the challenge click here.

Sources: Colette Patterns blog, Mango, ASOS, Topshop, A beautiful mess, Anthropologie.

I'm going fabric shopping this weekend, so I'll be able to post exactly what I'll be making. Looking at my shopping list I'm planning more of a 'wardrobe' than 'capsule'.

Photos of my self-drafted bodice and BONUS mini book review

On my recent trip to New York we headed to the nearest Borders, and I only came away with one book. (My mother bought 6 romances) . But it was a good book.

It was LITTLE GREEN DRESSES by Tina Sparkles, it is heavily focused on reusing materials and refashioning thrifted items such as a coat into a mini-skirt. But the best thing about the book is that it provides you with the instructions and diagrams for making a basic bodice, sleeve and skirt, all using your exact measurements. It then throughout the book shows you how to adapt these patterns into tops, skirts, dresses, shorts, playsuits and leggings. I strongly recommend you buy this book if you want to get into patternmaking, but felt a bit daunted by the more complicated 'Metric Pattern Cutting' or similar.

So I decided to get cracking on the basic bodice as I have had problems in the past getting vintage sewing patterns to fit my narrow ribcage and larger bust.

So here is the first draft with some alterations

Front

I think the main problem is the extra fabric in my upper chest, I'm really not sure how I fix this problem. It might not be a problem when I lower the neckline, but is this just laziness? 

Side

I think this is OK, but i look a bit pointy. Again, I don't know how to solve this issue so any feedback would be much appreciated. It's also clear from this picture that I need to lover the armhole, its far too tight as it is.

Back

There are ripples along the back darts and I have no idea why.

Any advice on these fitting issues would be most gratefully received!

My Burda Style 02/2011 picks - The Preview

There are lots of good choices in next month's Burda Style.

Here are my favorites:


Skirt 103A
I have the perfect fabric for this; I will do a Project Planning post as soon as I get my hands on the pattern

Dress 101

I really like this dress, and I'm hopeful that this will fit better than its very similar vintage patterns that I have tried.

They also show it in a lovely floral, perfect for spring with a cardi.

Top 106

A good basic stretchy knit top.

Shorts 122A

I really want to make these shorts to wear when the weather gets warmer, but given it will snow again this year I may put this project off for a few months.

Dress 116

I love this casual dress made more flattering with a drawstring around the waist. I can see this in navy linen.

All three previews are available at:

http://www.burdastyle.de/trends/suche/?q=02%2F2011 

Right at the top of the page

Why not tell me your favorites from next month's Burda Style in the Comments!