Clothing Engineer

Burda now has a preview of their next issue online. I think the theme of this issue is parties. Lots of semi-formal cocktail dresses and evening jackets. Everything is taking on the elegant, classic, “lady-like” look mentioned in a few fashion columns about a month ago. It looks like they’re finally starting to get away from those very strange silhouettes common in the last two issues,
though they still pop up occasionally in this one.

Here’s some of my favorites:

113C: Jacket

I really like the pocket placement in this jacket, the
untraditional seams, and the non-fussy details. I have a length of
heathered black wool crepe I haven’t done anything with yet; I wonder
how well it would make up in this style.

115: Coat

Nice classic style coat that can be worn for years and years. If
you look at the technical drawing, it looks like the pockets and
sleeves have zippers. Very cool!

121: Top & 122A: Yoga Pants

A really nice yoga outfit. I think this one is going to be very popular on Pattern Review.
I think that if I make this, I’m going to cut off an inch from the
waistband. I like stuff like that to be a little lower rise.

124: Jacket with Hood

The basic hoodie. I think if I made this one I’d eliminate the ribbing on the cuffs and sew the sleeve straight.

123: Bra Top

Scoop neckline racerback exercise top. I think the key to this
one is finding a wicking fabric with some lycra in it. (A good source
for that type of fabric is The Rainshed.) This looks very similar to the tops Nike sells for $50 a pop.

I came across a few sewing blogs today that mentioned the Patrones
pattern magazine. I’m always interested in new pattern sources, so I
searched for it on Amazon.com.

$440 for twelve issues. And it is only available in Spanish.
Other people don’t seem to balk at the price, but I certainly am…that
would buy quite a bit of fabric. Nice fabric, at that. Must be a pretty
good magazine…

This issue seems to have improved from the last one. It definitely
isn’t as wacky, though skinny jeans seem to unfortunately still be
sticking around…

#111: Coat

I like this coat, with the exception of the back
patch pockets. I am thinking of making it out of a hunter green wool
melton I’ve had in my stash, well, forever. If you click on the image
below, you can view the technical drawing. It is hard to tell from the
photo, but this coat has some very nice classic, military-like lines:

#102: Skirt

This skirt has an interesting mock-wrap front. It looks like it would
be nice if done out of a darker denim, or maybe wool gabardine.

#108: Jacket

Nice fitted little jacket. There’s actually not that many pieces to it,
and it looks like it isn’t even lined. Burda recommends using “fulled
loden”. I had no
idea what loden was, A quick Google search revealed that “fulled loden”
is otherwise known as melton or wool melton in the USA. I think if I
made this jacket out of wool melton I would at least line the sleeves,
if not the whole jacket. Wool melton is like berber fleece in that it
is tough and easy to work with, but doesn’t slide over clothes very
well.

#112: Parka

This is a very RTW style, but looks like a lot of work! I admire it,
but won’t be doing it anytime soon, especially since it is rated a 3.5.

I just received my copy of Easy Guide to Sewing Pants in the mail today.  I must say that after looking at it for a few minutes, I am impressed.  It has everything
you have ever wanted to know about pants, which includes fitting as
well as construction. This book is simple and no-nonsense in its
approach. It does a very good job explaining the theory behind pants
construction, and goes through every step in careful detail. Someone
that has been sewing for 10 or 20 years might be bored, but I think it
is just what I needed. The entire Easy Guide to Sewing collection seems to be this way. It gives beginning and intermediate sewers like me a much-needed hand to hold.

Another thing I like about this book? The ideas are great for people
that are on a budget as well as those that have a no-expense-spared
approach to sewing. That’s one thing I never liked about some sewing
books - they ignore the fact that many sewers (like me) are on a
budget. Sometimes buying all of these fancy notions and supplies is not
an option…we just need to make the most of what we have. I am well
aware of the cost-benefit analysis of  making a garment out of
cheaper fabric, the time invovled, and buying the same thing at a
department store on sale. But my first priority when I sew is fit, then
style, then quality. I just screw up too much to use really good
quality fabric yet! And having an excellent fit really tends to mask
the effects of a cheaper fabric or doubious quality sewing job. Few
people notice quality of the fabric, and even fewer notice the
difference between a good as opposed to perfect sewing job. I find that
even the cheap fabric I buy on clearance is still somehow better
quality and lasts longer than what is on the store racks. This is why I
consider myself to take the engineer rather than artist approach to
sewing. I sew to fix problems (fit) rather than make a masterpiece
(art).

I actually like this book better than Sandra Betzina’s Fast Fit. I
don’t know why, but Betzina’s books don’t quite hit it for me. 
For sure she is an enormously talented woman and makes beautiful
garments, and has excellent ideas. Sometimes when I read her books I go
“wow, that is a really good thing to know” but other times I am left
shaking my head. Betzina’s system of fit is wonderful for women middle
age and over, but I noticed that many of her fitting solutions just
don’t translate well to the younger figure. For some of of her
adjustments by comparing the wrinkles in my clothes to her fitting
chart, and the end result is no better or even worse than what I
started off with. Then I read other books, and their methods work great
for me. I’m not knocking her at all, I just think her fitting
advice isn’t always the best for the younger chicks. On the other hand,
she caters to her target market (middle age and older women) very, very
well.

I’m definitely going to use this book for my next pants project.

There’s a nice little article on Yahoo! today from Dr. Mao about keeping your clothes clean the healthy way.
Some of the suggestions involve using vinegar and baking soda, and
avoiding chlorine-based detergents. He also recommends airing out
dry-cleaned clothes for at least a day before putting them away, if
your cleaner uses perc (which most still do).

People seem surprised about how vinegar is used as a cleaning agent,
despite the strong odor. We use it in our household all the time. It is
cheap, does an excellent job, and the smell does go away. I’ve even
used it as a rinse for wool pants with no ill effects. (In my opinion,
wool is much tougher than most people give it credit for).
I just got the September 2007 issue of Burda.

Sadly, I’m a little disappointed. I really didn’t like most of the
styles in this issue. Tons of boxy styles, and skirts that made even
the models look pear-shaped. The skinny jeans and cigarette pants leg
look needs to go away. The sooner, the better. I have yet to see anyone
above a size 4 really be able to carry off this look. Aside from a
couple of styles, I don’t recommend this issue.

Here are the few styles I did like:

(more…)

Edward Hamilton Books

Tons
of general topic books, and about 100 sewing books listed. Most are
very heavily discounted (but some may be older editions). 
Shipping is reasonable as well; $3.50 flat fee with $0.40 per
item.  The titles seem to veer towards beginners, but there’s some
advanced level books in there as well.  I’ve been ordering from
them for a very long time and have been very happy with their service.

I’ve been subscribing for a year now to Burda World of Fashion
magazine. I consider it worth every penny of the $72 I pay for it. But
starting out with Burda magazine patterns was not always an easy
process, since I was so used to American patterns. Here’s a few things
I’ve learned along the way that

• The pieces that need to be
  interfaced are marked by shading on the fashion fabric layout. This
  goofed me up the first couple of garments, since every American pattern
  I’ve tried has had a separate layout diagram for interfacing. Burda
  does everyone on one layout diagram.
• Any straight pieces (like
  fly facings, drawstrings, bias strips) are created by measuring by hand
  rather than having a dedicated pattern piece. They are marked a, b, c,
  etc instead of having a pattern number. (I can only imagine how much
  more confusing the road map of pattern lines would be if these pieces
  were also traced.)
• If the hand-measured pieces say “incl.
  allowance” that means the required seam allowance is already included.
  If “incl. allowance” isn’t in the description for these additional
  pieces, make sure you add them!
• Pants usually include in the
  description where the waistband hits. It will usually list it as “upper
  edge of waist=waist” or “upper edge of waist=3/4″ below waist”. On me,
  a pattern that has “upper edge of waist=waist” usually hits right below
  my bellybutton.
• Make sure you take very, very accurate
  measurements before cutting.  Since Burda includes less ease than
  Vogue or McCall’s you must cut according to your
  measurements. Sometimes I cut in between the lines if it is supposed to
  be a very fitted style, since I fall in between some of the
  measurements on Burda’s size chart.
• I haven’t seen anything
  official on Burda’s website or in the magazine, but from experience
  making a few fitted shirts/blouses Burda seems to draft for a C or full
  B cup. American companies such as Vogue, McCall’s, and Kwik Sew draft
  for a B cup. If you are an A or smaller B cup you should really
  consider learning how to do a SBA (small bust alteration). Hungry
  Zombie Couture has an extremely good tutorial on small bust alterations.
• Stoffbruch=fold.  Webkanten=selvage.
• Using
  a serrated tracing wheel and dressmaker carbon paper is the easiest and
  quickest way to transfer markings onto fabric. The dressmaker’s carbon
  paper also washes out of most fabrics. (Test first on a scrap piece of
  paper!)
• Consider the instructions a guide rather than tutorial
  on how to construct the garment. Burda is probably not the best way for
  a beginner to learn about sewing - Kwik Sew is much better for this. I
  am a very visual sewer, so the lack of pictures really stumps me
  sometimes. I rely on the instructions in other patterns (like Kwik Sew)
  and in books such as Power Sewing.
• The pattern layouts are very…efficient.  I usually get a bit more than recommended.

Perhaps
the biggest stumbling block for new Burda magazine readers are seam
allowances. Burda does not include seam allowances in their magazine
patterns - they must be manually added. There’s a few different ways of
doing this:

• Use pattern tracing cloth and a seam tracer.
  This is my favorite method, and I use it exclusively now. First I make
  sure both the pattern sheet and the pattern tracing cloth are ironed
  flat, then place the cloth on top of the pattern sheet and trace the
  outline for my pattern. I then take the seam tracer and go over the
  traced pattern line. Voila! Perfect seam allowances. It only takes a
  minute and is very accurate. The seam tracers come in 1/4″ and 5/8″
  sizes. The pattern tracing cloth can be found in the interfacing
  section of any JoAnn Fabrics store. It usually comes in a 36″ width,
  and during sales it can be bought for around $1/yard. Pencil rolls over
  it very smoothly, which means if you make a mistake tracing it can be
  easily erased.
• Eyeball the seam allowances while cutting. I tried this method, and it was a disaster because being off by 1/4″ in one area can really mess up the fit.
• Use a ruler and chalk, and mark off 5/8″ all around the pattern. This will work, but is extremely time-consuming.
• Use a rotary cutter with adjustable guide. Someone suggested this to me on Pattern Review.  I have yet to try it because I can’t find this guide attachment.
• Use transfer paper and a serrated tracing wheel.
  I have also tried this method, and it is ok, but I prefer using the
  pattern tracing cloth. The only transfer paper I could find needed to
  be taped together to fit the pattern sheet width, which make it awkward
  to use. Using a serrated tracing wheel is handier than a smooth one
  because it tends to roll over the paper easier.

The first
few traced patterns are going to be quite challenging, and probably not
very accurate. It is very confusing at first to keep track of which
line is which! What I usually do is study the shape of the pattern
pieces before tracing. That way I have an idea of where to go and which
markings to pay attention to. Sometimes after I cut out the pattern
piece I compare it to the pattern sheet just to make sure everything is
marked off.