Sewing pattern review: BWOF 09-2010-122

Dear readers, if there's one dress I've sewn that I've reached for over and over again, it's my blue version of BWOF 09-2010-122. This dress is lovely, it makes me feel effortlessly stylish, and it works well with a cardigan and tights when it's cooler, and by itself when it's warm. I've worn it to work, I've worn it to parties, I've worn it cleaning... (ok, that last bit is a lie...) I don't think I can overstate how much I love this dress. 

And so, when I was thinking through simplifying my SWAP plans, I was pretty sure I'd be making another version of this dress. 

And here it is, and how I love this version as well! Do I look smug? I feel smug. 

Review stuff:

This time around, I didn't even bother looking at the instructions - I looked quickly at my last version, and got to it. The pattern is incredibly well-drafted, and the numbers on the corners that show you what seam to match up with is all you need to sew this dress. 

Sizing - I cut a size 19 on top, size 20 on the bottom. I shortened it too, I took about 3-4 inches off the original length - this version hits just below the knee.

Other things: 

- The 2.5 dot rating on this top is completely bogus, atleast if you leave off the sleeve flaps. Super easy. I made it in 2 hours, and I'm not fast. 

- As before, I left off the sleeve flaps. I can't see myself in sleeve flaps. 

- I interfaced the armsyce and then just folded it back and sewed down. For the neckline, I contemplated interfacing it, but then got lazy and didn't. I did scoop it slightly deeper than my first version though. 

Et voila! 

A third version of BWOF 06-2011-106

Dear readers, it's cold in Toronto. As a result, there will be boring indoor pictures on the blog until further notice. Sigh. I guess a trip to the Allen Conservatory is in order.

I cut this shirt out on vacation in Myrtle Beach, but needed the serger to finish edges, so it didn't get finished until last night. I could have sworn I was being careful cutting it out, but somehow, I've managed to place a flower on my breast. Ah well, atleast it wasn't a pink flower.

I bought this fabric in April with a gift certificate my friend Anna gave me for my birthday. (What a fun gift!) The last top I made with Anna's gift certificate, I've worn constantly - I'm hoping the same will be the case for this top.

Previous versions of this pattern are here and here. 3 versions in the last month? Why, yes. It's a great pattern, and really easy. Highly recommend.

Parting shot - cooking:

There's a new eatery in my neighborhood that specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches. $7-$10 for a grilled cheese sandwich. Yikes! I love grilled cheese sandwiches, but that's ridiculous.

I had some leftover grated radish mixed with masala and green chili (a paratha stuffing), and as a grilled cheese experiment, I added it to my grilled cheese sandwich. Along with some onion and tomato slices. It was delicious. But then again, is there anything you can add to a grilled cheese sandwich that will make it less tasty? I think not.

Winter Orange Dress

How many patterns does one really need, dear Readers? I took about 4 patterns to Myrtle Beach, and it seemed plenty enough. I must rethink the 4 boxes of patterns I have, not to mention the many back issues of BWOF.

This dress was very simple - it is my BWOF boatneck top, 02-2009-108 on top, with a simple pleated rectangle as a skirt.

After sewing it, I tried it on - it was way too long, and it looked a little Amish-ish, - not quite the look I was going for. I shortened - rather ruthlessly. Right now, I think it's a bit too short, but since it's a winter dress, designed to be worn with tights, no real harm done, I guess.

The fabric is something I found in a Myrtle Beach WalMart (one of those few WalMarts that still has fabric) - it's a sweater knit. It was super-cheap, I think I paid $2.00 a yard for it, which makes this a $4 dress. (I'm happy about the $4, but happier still that I've already used both of the pieces of fabric I bought at Myrtle Beach.)

BWOF 06-2011-106

Dear Readers, after all the selflessness I've been displaying, surely I was overdue for some me-sewing? I decided that yes, it was indeed time to make something for me. And thankfully, I had a blessedly unscheduled weekend, which actually left me time to sew - love!

I was looking for a low-commitment quickie project to get me back in the swing of things, and so I traced out BWOF 06-2011-106 (a one-dot pattern) and got to work.



My fabric was a bit of thrift-store cotton I've had lying around for over three years in my stash. (I bought it when I still lived in Michigan; I paid 50c for 1.5 yards of fabric.)

I did most of the work yesterday, with some hem finishing things today. What a simple top! Less than 30 minutes of sewing, I did it in 5 minute chunks - I kept getting distracted. Still, super simple. I should have finished yesterday, but didn't... This evening, my parents came over for dinner (my mom cooked, score!) and I should have got one of them to take my photo. Unfortunately, the top still needed hemming at that point, my allergies had been insane all day. Hence, self-taken photos of me, which I hate, really, but ah well.

I was aiming for a feel that was a sort of a cross between artist smock and peasant blouse. I'm not sure if that's the look I got, or if instead I got scrubs. I'm sticking to the former.

That's quite a v-neck, no? Ah, Burda - my breasts actually don't need to be on display when I make a shirt. Next version around, I'll raise the neck an inch or so.

This might be a contender for my SWAP. It certainly fits the 'Sew the Basics' theme.

And now I'm off to cut the next version...

A T-shirt refashion

At this stage, after I've been sewing for a few years, one of the hardest bits of sewing for me is just figuring out what styles look good on my body. One thing I do know though, and have known for a while - regular crew-neck t-shirts look horrible on me.

So, when I got this t-shirt during some St.Patrick Day outing in Toronto, it sat in my refashion pile for ages, while I looked for a good pattern to use to refashion it. And when I saw the 02-2011-114 Burda pattern - I knew I'd hit paydirt, this was the perfect pattern.


Sometime in mid-September, I cut out my XL t-shirt, positioning the lettering carefully, etc. - and sewed it up. And then I thought it was a bit too short (not enough fabric) and it sat on the UFO project pile, waiting for hemming.

Now, I've been a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of projects I have in progress, and over the weekend, I decided to try to finish up at least one. This was the easiest project - all it needed was hemming - and so, I picked it up, ironed some interfacing to stabilize the hem, added some elastic, and finished it up.



Significantly better than a crewneck t-shirt, no? I'm not sure how much wear I'll really get out of it, but it's good for running to the grocery store, and stuff like that.

Blue Cardigan - BWOF 08-2011-117

It's been a long while, dear Readers, that I've actually sewn a BWOF pattern in the same month the magazine came out. But when I spotted this blue fabric in Toronto (out shopping with Connie, Claire and Sue), I knew exactly what I wanted to make - BWOF 08-2011-117.

And so I did. This is a really simple cardigan - 4 pieces, sews up in a couple hours, tops. I did make a muslin, only because I wanted to see what the style would look like on me, before I sacrificed this pretty blue fabric.

The result? I like but not love this cardigan. I'm not entirely convinced that this is my cardigan - I think I look both older and fatter than I'd like to believe I am. But - hey - did I mention it sews up in 2 hours? (I have 3 versions of Vogue 1250 - sewn for exactly the same reason. What can I say? Some mistakes - I like to make over, and over, and over again.)

Two versions of BWOF 11-2008-118

When in Montreal in early June, I bought a ton of fabric ($80 of damage, ouch.) But... I was at least a bit mindful to buy fabric that I would theoretically use this summer - mostly fabric to make easy knit dresses. It was some of this fabric I pulled out to make these two knit dresses.



This easy knit dress pattern has been on my radar since December 2008. (In fact, I've some other fabric sitting in my parents' basement that I bought specifically to make this dress. I should do that, no?) It is super easy - 4 pattern pieces (front, back, front sleeve & back sleeve). Goes together in less than a couple of hours... Love!

So, here are the two versions, made these last two weeks.

Sewing Pattern Review - BWOF 04-2010-112

Pattern: BWOF 04-2010-112. A one-dot, super-easy Burda pattern.

Fabric: A gift from my cousin, I think. Or my aunt. It is a cotton fabric, and the black dots are sort of embossed. I really like this color on me!

Construction: This was a one-dot pattern, and it actually was really, really easy. In fact, I should have been finished with it in two hours, until I hit one tiny snag. My casing for the elastic - not wide enough. (Silly Burda directions!) Make your life easier - sew a half-inch casing, not a 3/8 inch casing like the pattern suggests. After much painful trying to push the elastic through, I finally ripped and redid the casing.

Also worth noting - the elastic length they suggest is for a falling-off-the-shoulders look. I wasn't really interested in this, so I shortened the elastic till it stayed on my shoulders.

Likes/Dislikes: Really like. I wore this dress out Friday night, I got looks! Looks are fun.

Oh, this was actually dress 6. I sort of skipped past dress 5 since I wanted to wear this dress out Friday night.

BWOF 08-2010-135

It's late, and I'm miserable (nothing actually serious, but a Patriots loss in the post-season - especially to the Jets - is pretty hard to take.) And I'm using that as an excuse for the ratty t-shirt, flip-flops and total lack of makeup in these photos.

This was a super simple skirt to make. I took the liberty of ignoring Burda's entirely nonsensical 'cut the fabric on the double so that you won't have to hem' instructions, and all was well.

Fabric: I bought this fabric during my G-Street crawl. Amazingly enough - I've used 5 of the 7 pieces - that's pretty spectacular fabric usage for me. It is wool, with a bit of stretch in it. I lined it with some Bemberg rayon.

Pattern: BWOF 08-2010-135. I cut a size 40.

Pattern adjustments:
1. I took an inch out from the yoke width to petite-size it.
2. I also ignored (as previously mentioned) the whole cut hem-on-fold thing - and cut a single layer instead.
3. I added 2 inches to the length to get this to a work-acceptable length.
4. I fully lined the skirt, not just the yoke as the pattern indicates.
5. And also, following the suggestion in this useful review and interfaced my yoke pieces. (Thanks, Catherine!)

Time taken: A few hours over a couple of evenings. This is rated 1.5 dots, and is ridiculously easy to make.

In conclusion: I'm not sure what I think of this skirt. Mostly, I think I need to work the accessories. This would be kind of awesome with boots and the right black shirt, not the sad-sack outfits I'm working right now.

Not quite a winter dress...

But finally, I have sewing to show.

I've been sick and miserable for most of the last week (people with children - I sympathize completely. I'm pretty sure I caught my persistent cough from a parent who caught it from his kid who caught it from daycare. Not good.) However, last night, right in the middle of the sickness and misery*, I decided to cut out and sew something, and I pulled BWOF 12-2008-113/114 from the stash.


(Since every revision of the BurdaStyle site seems to remove features - previews, magazine archives, etc, I just found the technical drawing at the Russian site and am pasting it here, vs. linking to it.)

I've made two versions of this pattern before - here and here. This time, the fabric I pulled out (a remnant from Joanns that my mom bought for me) was enough to make a dress, and so I did.



There's not much to say about this pattern. It has 4 pattern pieces, and is super-easy to sew. Even with my incredibly low-energy sewing, I'd say I only spent 2 hours on it, max. (Neckline finished with the magic Jalie technique, of course.)

So yay. A new dress for me.

*I am incredibly whiny and sorry-for-myself when sick. Thankfully for all around me, I'm rarely sick.