I have to say, this has been quite an awesome year for BurdaStyle magazine. We've had some truly outstanding issues, full of some fantastic patterns, designs, and styling. I've been very excited about a lot of these designs (though this hasn't translated to actual sewing, for several reasons that will likely be discussed in tomorrow's…
When I first starting sewing, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on patterns that I wasn’t sure I would know how to use, so I wondered: where can I find free (but stylish) women’s sewing patterns that I could print out in the comfort of my own home? The following 11 websites have collections of free sewing patterns for stylish, on-trend women’s clothing: Mood Fabrics, fabric.com, fabrics-store.com, Peppermint Mag, Fibre Mood, BurdaStyle (Russia), Bernina, Lekala Patterns and pattern-vault.com. All of these websites are from reputable fabric stores, pattern companies or sewing publications, so rest assured that the patterns are well-drafted.
The preview for the July BurdaStyle Magazine has been posted. I feel like I should be underwhelmed with this month's selection, yet, somehow, I'm not. True, there are probably only 2 or 3 stand out patterns that have me close to swooning, but I'm actually pondering quite a few of the other looks in this…
The latest issue of BurdaStyle Magazine is here! Early previews left me very unexcited for April, but now that the full preview is posted, I'm obsessed with some of the new patterns. The Burda Plus section is especially strong this month as well. Burda's been on a roll so far this year, and it looks…
Yesterday we talked about the new patterns from McCall's, soon I will have up the April post for BurdaStyle, but today we are going to take a look at the spring release from Butterick! Interestingly, I feel like Butterick is seeing the least changes in the Big4/1 merger/ownership change that has been unsettling everything the…
How to Rotate a Dart, a Sewing post from the blog BurdaStyle on Bloglovin’
Now that I completed the short jacket that had been lying around in its nearly-finished state for seven years, I felt inspired to take on more UFO's. I should admit that I am a slow sewer and always have a couple of works in progress lying around, but those are usually finished within a couple of weeks or months. As I seldom sew with deadlines in mind and my taste in clothes is fairly consistent I am fine with that. However, completely abandoning a project, stuffing it in a box and half-forgetting about it for years is a different thing. In the beginning of this year I decided to liberate myself from those half-finished items. [caption id= align=aligncenter width=384] Burdastyle 01/2011 #107 (source: Burdastyle.com).[/caption] I do not recall when I started on this blouse, but it must have been over three years ago, possibly even four. The pattern is the Three Quarter Sleeve Blouse #107. from Burda 01/2011. This - very fine - issue of Burdastyle also contains the pattern for the short sleeve blouse I wrote about two months ago. While I am still on the fence about that rather oddly-shaped garment, I consider today's blouse to be a success, although it took me quite a while to get to that point. So what was it this time that delayed completion? Firstly, I messed up the first buttonhole and my attempts to fix it resulted in a large hole that needed covering up. I found some matching velvet ribbon but attaching it to the buttonband meant that I had to rip some seams, which I kept postponing. [caption id=attachment_456 align=aligncenter width=411] In another buttonhole-evading move I opted for faux mother of pearl press studs.[/caption] Secondly, I had never made a sleeve vent before and I soon got lost trying to follow the instructions in the magazine. I then consulted my Knipmode handboek only to discover that the methods described in there were different from Burdastyle's instructions. It took me quite some hours on the internet, as well as studying sleeve vents in shop-bought shirts before I felt ready to get back to tackle them. Once I set out to finish this blouse, I decided to redo the top stitching on the collar and the hem. Both the colour of the thread and the stitching itself did not look that great. I've ripped out so many stitches while constructing this blouse - sometimes even more than once - that I feel like I've sewn it three times. Frankly, I would probably have thrown it out if I hadn't felt I had to make it work for the fabric's sake. This fabric, another thrift store find, is one of my favorite fabrics of all time! [caption id=attachment_450 align=aligncenter width=409] This picture shows the fabric best. The top stitching on the yoke and collar is barely noticeable, which is probably a good thing.[/caption] I am very partial to these painterly floral patterns and in my opinion the rusty, autumnal palette of this one is close to perfect. The cotton is very crisp and makes a pleasant sound when handled. Needless to say, it was easy to sew. Fortunately, the fabric distracts from the many small cosmetic flaws that are hopefully only visible upon close inspection. [caption id=attachment_454 align=aligncenter width=411] Next time I sew this blouse I will try to create some extra room around the bust by at least lowering the waist darts and redistributing the gathers below the yoke.[/caption] I really like this pattern! The back pleat, yoke and gatherig provide a distinct forties silhouette and both the gathering and the pleat allow for relatively easy fit adjustments. I sewed a size 40, which was my regular Burda size back in the day, and it still fits me post-baby, although it is definitely more tight around the bust than it was before. The only modification I made this time around was to lower the part of the back pleat that is sewn shut, but in the future I will tweak the fit a bit more. This pattern is definitely going to be used more often and I have already set aside several fabrics in my stash for its future incarnations. Next time I might lengthen the sleeves for more coverage during the colder seasons and make them puffier for a more pronounced 40s look. Perhaps I'll cut the yoke, cuffs and collar from a different fabric than the bodice so I can combine two smaller pieces of fabric. Or I'll turn it into a dress by attaching a simple A-line skirt below the waist. So many options... [caption id=attachment_455 align=aligncenter width=404] Stil 2494. An authentic 40s blouse pattern. Spot the differences![/caption] In the meantime I also managed to get my hands on a vintage blouse pattern in more or less the right size. It would be fun to sew this one up as well some time soon and compare the fit of the authentic 40s pattern to Burda's recent interpretation. Anyway, now that I no longer feel intimidated by sleeve vents I am ready to sew more blouses! [caption id=attachment_448 align=aligncenter width=364] I completed this blouse just in time for it to be too cold to wear it for real, but at least I will have something nice to wear next spring![/caption] Materials Fabric: thrift-store Press studs: Stoff och Stil Ribbon: Greger Sy Lagre
Looking back, I have to say that, on the whole, this felt like a rather lackluster year for Burda. Every issue had at least one pattern I really liked, but, honestly, there were very few issue where I wanted to make many of the garments, and most of the things I did want to sew…
After spending all that time on my mom's robe, I wanted to kick-start my sewing for 2013 with an easy sewing project. Ha! I have yet to expe...
As my blog fans well know, one of my biggest sewing obsessions is BurdaStyle magazine. Each month I have been picking a best and worst pattern, and finally it is time to crown the overall winners for 2012. Like last year, I will be choosing a best and worst individual pattern (nominees are the best/worst…
Quick Tip: Making a Belt Buckle, a Sewing post from the blog BurdaStyle on Bloglovin’
After spending all that time on my mom's robe, I wanted to kick-start my sewing for 2013 with an easy sewing project. Ha! I have yet to experience an easy sewing project, I think. Somehow I manage to complicate everything. Still, I have dreams of getting really good at a few basic patterns and being…
A serger (sometimes referred to as an overlock or overlocker) finishes fabric raw edges and trims them at the same time. These functions can be used to ...
A little something different - when have you seen me use a belt! But this dress looks so nice with one. And before I go any further,...
For my comfy DIY elastic waist dress I used BurdaStyle 101 from the August 2019 collection. My fabric in rich rust tones is perfect for early Autumn
Ravelry: Patternsforcrochet - patterns
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