Clothing Engineer

I made this one over the weekend:

I didn’t expect this one to be as close-fitting as it turned out. The picture above is pretty accurate in how the fit is. I’m glad I used a stretch poplin instead of plain cotton shirting. But overall though I’m pretty happy with the fit, considering how I usually don’t do so well with princess seams. It was also extremely easy to sew, and I was able to complete it in one day. After I cut out it out I didn’t even glance at the instructions. I think the only thing I would change if I made it again would be to lengthen it an inch or so.

A fellow PR member
posted a comment on my review for my Burda 1/07 #105 blouse asking how
I removed the excess sleeve ease. I posted a link to an excerpt of Sandra Betzina’s book Fast Fit on Google Books that describes how to do this. (Of course if you find the excerpt helpful I suggest you actually buy Fast Fit - it isn’t very expensive and has a lot of good ideas inside.

Finally finished my Burda blouse! I’ve been admiring the pattern for some time, and got around to tracing and sewing it.

Very little trouble with this one (other than the collar stand, which I always
have issues with). I admit the fabric is a very boring color, but it
should go well with a brown skirt or blazer. It looks a bit lumpy in
the photo because I have it tucked in…which is why next time I make
it, I will shorten it. I never liked tucking in my shirts.

For this shirt I decided to not be so picky, and just work to finish
it within a reasonable amount of time. So while there are mistakes here
and there (especially on the collar stand) I did manage to finish it
fairly quickly. The nice part is that no one will ever notice the
mistakes…only I will know they are there.

I did a sloped shoulder adjustment with this blouse. I’m now a
strong believer in the importance of the right shoulder slope.  I
think I went a bit too far in my adjustment, but it just hangs so much
nicer than before. Before I would keep taking in my shirts at the bust,
thinking that’s why I had wrinkles and why my shirts looked like they
were just hanging off of me. This was a much simpler adjustment, and
the end result is more comfortable. I guess this is why fitting is so
hard. One problem could have three different causes, all requiring
three different solutions.

Webpage for Burda 1/07 #105

The complete pattern review

This is my second time making this top, though this time I did view A:

This time I used a two-way stretch rayon/lycra knit (50% stretch
across the grain). I also drafted the pattern a half size smaller than
recommended. This time it came out very form-fitting, but it looks
good. I would definitely need to go up a half size if I used something
less stretchy. The only thing I would change next time is to snug in
the armholes a bit. I ended up using 3/8″ lingerie elastic instead of
clear elastic on the arms/neckline because of the trouble I had with
the clear elastic sliding everywhere.

This top works well with more delicate knits.

Blouse, made from a lemon yellow cotton from fabric.com. It was
labelled as batiste, but it feels more like a lightweight poplin:

Check out the beautiful pucker-free sleeves!

Instead
of one row of topstitching, I did two. (Ignore the chalk-marks on the
pocket and cuff…I haven’t gotten a chance to wash this yet.)

Read the pattern review here.

While my crinkle batiste blouse was a disaster, the ivory silk jersey shell I made the other day was definitely not:

There’s
wrinkles that show in the photo that aren’t usually there…it is
probably the way the fabric posed for the photo. Anyway, I love this
top. It is pure luxury. It is probably the coolest summer top I own -
featherlight, absorbent, and breathable. I had been afraid to cut this
fabric since I spent $35 for one yard (shipping included) but it was
definitely worth it. I got it from Mood Fabrics.

This is going
to be my staple suit shell. It is already one of my favorite patterns,
and also worked up nicely in matte jersey, though not nearly as
comfortable to wear as the silk.

A few things I noticed while working with this silk jersey:

• Make
  sure your hands are free of any hangnails, rough edges, chapped skin,
  etc before working with it. This is very important, since the knit is
  so fine that it tends to pick easily. It is a bit like pantyhose in
  this aspect.
• Silk jersey is relatively stable and does not need
  to be interfaced at the neckline, armhole, etc. I just turned it over
  to make a narrow hem (so the raw edge was encased) and stitched over it
  with a special stretch stitch to preserve the elasticity.
• Do
  not use a serger for the edges. Just use the stretch stitch on your
  machine, or a narrow zig-zag. A serger will create a seam that is too
  bulky, even with 3 threads. The edges do not ravel so they don’t need
  to be overcasted.
• Silk jersey doesn’t need to be dry-cleaned. I
  just gently hand-wash it in cold water with a bit of shampoo and let it
  air-dry. Much cheaper than going to the cleaners.

I’ve had some white crinkle batiste on hand since July.  I wanted to make this blouse with it:

Yesterday
I got around to tracing the pattern, and even got it cut out. This
morning I ironed on the interfacing, and did the front darts. Then I
did the back darts. I went to press them. That’s where the tragedy
started.

I noticed a 1″ clip right in the middle of the back of
the blouse. Not at the top, but right in the dead center of the back,
right below where my shoulder blades would go, right where the fabric
was folded. I know I didn’t accidentally snip it myself - I
used a rotary cutter to cut this out and I’m always very careful about
where I cut. I showed it to my mom. She said what probably happened is
in JoAnn Fabrics (where I got it from), they were measuring it out and
started to snip in that area, then realized they had to measure out
more and just rolled out more and made the final cut further down the
bolt. Of course, there was just enough left over for scraps but not
enough to cut another back section. Unless you are actively stretching
the fabric, such as if it were being worn, the snip is nearly invisible
(which is why I didn’t notice it while cutting). But it would be plenty
visible once the blouse was finished.

I was so angry I ripped
the back section in half, then threw the entire thing in the trash. I
pretty much threw a temper tantrum worthy of any artist, since I had
spent hours the night before tracing, carefully pressing, cutting out,
and marking the fabric. And it was all for nothing. My mom told me to
just go back to the store and pick up another yard, but with my luck,
they would not have any more of that particular crinkle batiste in
stock. She also suggested embroidering over it, but it was too low in
the back for that. Too bad I had to cut the stupid little pieces where
the fabric was fine, and the back piece where it was ruined.

I
found some plain yellow cotton batiste in my stash. It isn’t as unusual
as the white crinkle, but it is a bit heavier and less transparent. So
the tracing wasn’t done for nothing…it will just be used with a
different fabric.

One thing I’ve noticed so far with this
pattern is that the sleeve cap has almost 2″ of ease. I think this is
way too much for a thin cotton blouse sleeve! My other Burda blouses
seemed to have too much ease in this area as well. According to Fast
Fit, this is a very common problem with patterns. They’re all
too generous with sleeve cap ease. (I’d love to know their reason for
this.) I used Betzina’s tips on reducing sleeve ease, and scaled it
down to about 1/2″ ease. I hate having tiny little bits of gathers on
the sleeves of an otherwise streamline pattern. It just looks so
homemade. In a bad way. Hopefully Betzina’s book is right, and 1/2″
ease will be enough. I’d hate to ruin another perfectly good length of
fabric on stupidity.

Just completed Kwik Sew 3524 with the View A neckline but View B length.  I used a midweight red cotton/lycra print from The Rainshed.  It is so comfortable…I love it!  This is my first project using the Baby Lock Evolve.

Read the pattern review here.

The finished project, made from a fuchsia and pink print cotton
broadcloth I picked up from Thimbles. (It is actually quilting fabric.)

And a view from the back, showing the ties:

The magazine pattern photo…

Read my review here.

I’ve been going crazy lately, sewing as much as I can.  Here’s my latest, which is the Vogue V2925
jersey shell top. I bought silk jersey for this, but at $25/yard I
really don’t want to take a chance on screwing up with it. So in the
meantime I made a wearable muslin from some four-way stretch
cotton/lycra jersey knit. It is really stretchy, but is
buttery-soft and has a nice drape, like the silk jersey. I’m thinking
of using the scraps for a small lingerie project.

There’s
about 4 inches of ease built into the waistline. I expected it to be
tighter in the waistline, but after looking at the pattern I guess this
is supposed to be. Then again, my knit is much more stretchy than the
suggested silk or matte jersey.