BurdaStyle 8/2018 - 111 Wrap Jacket

I AM going to get this blog up to date with my 2018 finished items before moving on to the new year.  I hope that in 2019 I can accept I am neither a model nor a photographer and not let that get in the way of posting regularly.  I need to keep telling myself that this is a sewing blog to share what I am making and to connect with the online sewing community - nothing more - and the photos and writing do not need to be perfect.  So first up is this BurdaStyle jacket from August 2018.

This wrap jacket is a really interesting design, I loved the neckline shape and the sleeve detail is fabulous. but not too crazy.  I made this in some khaki twill cotton which I'm honestly not sure was the best fabric choice, but I'm still working through my pile of super cheap fabric which gives me freedom to experiment a bit.

BurdaStyle 8/2018 - 111

While I like the look of the finished jacket, I wonder if it would be better in a more lightweight fabric than the cotton twill that I used here, although then the sleeve detail - which I love - would be lost I suppose.  

I also made a simple coordinating print skirt.  This is a BurdaStyle pattern I've used before (12/2011 - 108).  It's extremely basic, but sometimes that is all you need especially in a print fabric. 

I've also found that like many wrap garments it is a bit fussy to keep everything in place when you start moving around in real life - as you can see in the photos below.  I need to add a snap or two on the front which will help somewhat.

BurdaStyle 9/2018 - 121 Knit Wrap Top

It's no secret that I am a big fan of Burda magazine, for me it is by far the cheapest way to get sewing patterns and I love the inspiration it gives me every month.  I don't even mind the tracing and the minimal instructions....

BUT, I have to say the instructions for this very simple top are terrible!!  There are only 3 pattern pieces and I know I have even made a similar top from Burda before.  (Fehr Trade posted the same thing on her instagram so it's not just me having a dumb moment).

BurdaStyle 09/2018 - 121

Despite the awful instructions I do actually love the finished top.

Anyway I would say ignore the nonsense about cutting into one side of the front self facing (the very first step!) as it is not needed.  I guess the idea is that the other front passes through the slit, but it's not clear later on.  Even in my bulkier fabric I don't think it makes any difference.  The instructions also have "(NAHT)" in two places and goodness only knows what that means!!  Neaten allowances together pops up at the end of a few other steps so maybe something like that?!?

Stupid instructions aside this is a really nice pattern.  I made mine in a heavier fabric than recommended - a double knit - so mine is more sweatshirt than blouse.  I like using fabrics like this for wrap tops though as the "stickiness" of the fabric makes it more secure.  I originally planned to make this in more of a t-shirt knit and I might still go back and try it.

I am way behind on blogging my finished items.  It's the taking photos on me that slows it all down, but I think it is really useful to see the clothes being worn and it also helps me to see if something needs fixing or styling differently - sometimes the camera shows you things a mirror does not so I will really try and keep going.

BurdaStyle 10/2017 - 102 Wrap Coat

This was not my original plan for this fabric, but I massively underestimated the amount of yardage I needed to match the border pattern.  I bought it a couple of years ago in China, it's a symmetrical double border wool fabric.

I think I traced about 4 coat patterns only to find they would not work with my fabric which I was determined to use before missing another winter season.  I decided to go really simple and make this wrap coat from the October 2017 issue of Burda - even then I had to make some modifications.

10/2017 - 102

I moved the pockets to the side seam so that I wouldn't have to match the pattern, eliminated the centre back seam, lined it to the edge which is just interfaced without a separate facing piece and had to piece the belt.  I really want to try and find a RTW belt in red or find some matching wool fabric to make one which I think will look much better.

Side seam pocket

Red silk satin lining

It is a very easy coat to make, I spent far longer on all the tracing and procrastinating than I did on the final sewing.

Wrap coats are not the most practical of garments to be honest and I am the first to admit that if you are not careful it is really easy to end up with a bathrobe!  I made the mistake of trying this on during construction while I was wearing old jeans and slippers and it totally looked like a bathrobe.  I almost gave up on it, but although it is not going to be my favourite coat, I'm glad it's done.  It is a coat that demands to be worn with heels though.

McCall's 7534 Mock Wrap Dress

The last month has been very busy with lots of house guests which means my sewing room has been out of action for most of that time.  Fun as it has been, I'm so happy to be able to get back in there and I have been working on a few dresses.

First up is McCall's 7534.

I do love the look of a wrap dress, but I dislike the potential wardrobe malfunctions that can occur with them so this surplice bodice dress with lots of variations caught my eye.  It's quite a basic design, but I like all the views which make it pretty versatile, the fact it has no fastenings and that it can be made in wovens, sheers and knits.

McCall's 7534

I made View A, minus the belt in this navy and gold bird print crepe.   I'm going through a bit of a nature print phase at the moment, my stash is sprinkled with birds and butterflies!

I eliminated the neck facings and just replaced with bias strips of fabric and made extensive changes to the fit of the bodice by draping on my dressform.  I really wish I had thought to make a pattern piece at this point mostly so I can easily recreate this dress, but also to see how it compares to the original.  I think I will go back and redo it in muslin fabric and create new front bodice pieces.

You can get an idea of what I did from the photos below.  The neckline length needed to be significantly shorter and I wanted it to hug more closely to the body as it was gaping a lot.  I pinned in some pleats at the waistline,  changed the angle of the wrap so that the front pieces no longer extend to the side seams and then I cut off the excess below the waist.  I did make sure I could still get it on over my head first!

Once that was done it was very simple to attach the skirt and insert elastic at the waist seam.  I took a bit of fullness out of the skirt at the side seams just because I preferred the look of it that way.

I only have dress form photos to show you at the moment, but when I make this again (and I will!) I will take some then.  I am currently sporting an attractive black eye caused by my skittish cat jumping off my lap and catching me in the face with his back legs.  I'm really embarrassed that I look like I have been in a fight, but I feel quite lucky that it's only superficial damage.  So for now.....

Butterick 6054 Maggy London Wrap Dress

I do love a wrap dress, but I don't love the potential for wardrobe malfunctions that they have so I made a few changes to this wrap dress pattern.

Butterick 6054 Maggy London

I had this interesting double border dot print jersey.  I really wanted the lighter part of the fabric, which is in the centre, to be at the top and bottom of my dress though as I thought it might make the middle of me look bigger otherwise  So I needed a dress with a waist seam  and chose the one above.

(Oops I should have added that I bought the fabric in China - in Lowu shopping centre just across the border from Hong Kong which is probably of no use to anyone, sorry!)

This worked out better than I imagined to be honest and I love the way the print looks in the finished dress.

This would be a simple pattern to sew, but I made life difficult for myself by changing it to a faux wrap.  I extended the left underlay of the skirt so that it is joined at the right side seam - so basically it is a skirt with an overlay.  I didn't have to extend the skirt piece very much to do this so I think it is quite generously cut and next time I might just go with a proper wrap version.

The bodice is also stitched down to the centre front only as I wanted to keep the tie end free.  Joining the bodice to the skirt with their different wrap treatments required a bit of mucking about with pins to make sure I got the finished effect that I wanted.

Hopefully these photos make that a bit clearer....?

The pleats at the top of the wrap skirt are quite bulky, but they look good when they are finished, I wouldn't recommend making this in a heavy jersey though.

I did raise the front neckline, quite a common adjustment for me and this is one adjustment I will definitely also make again.  I really like the shape of the dress and I think I will try it again as a proper wrap which will be a much quicker and easier sew than this version!