Burda 6770 Wrap pants – the real thing

 

The real thing because they’re not a muslin! I first made these cute pants back in April, using a fabric for which I have no love (here). What I do love is this pattern.

So I transferred all my fitting notes to my pattern pieces, and waited for an opportunity to buy a fun fabric. Earlier this week, with a fistful of coupons, I picked up a couple calico prints at JoAnns. BTW, calico works beautifully on these. It has just the right hand, weight, and drape. And, of course, it loves to be laundered.

I think these Geisha girls are so appealing – and I hope you can see the front wrap on this pic. It’s very subtle, not at all over the top.

One of my pattern adjustments was to the waist. I sewed the size 12, which fits great, but finishes with a 37 1/4″ waist. Ha! These are ‘pull-ups’ and my hips are about 39″. I changed the pattern just enough to finish with a 39 3/4″ waist. And while the waistband is elastic, it sits just below one’s natural waist and isn’t bunchy (the next pic is from my muslin, but it shows the very slight gathering really well).

Top: The Sewing Workshop Trio Shirt (blogged here)

A note on pattern layout and fabric choice:

In general, calico is 44″ wide, and more like 43″ after the selvedge is removed. So I struggled a bit with placement of the two front pieces (and a larger size just wouldn’t have fit). The problem would go away with a 52″ – 60″ wide fabric (such as sateen and rayon, the other two recommended fabrics).

Great summer pants!

Ciao! Coco

Burda 6770 Wrap Pants – fun!

I’m definitely into warm-weather sewing now. And done with home dec…boring.

On Simplicity.com

These are such cute britches!

I’ve been looking at them for a while, but I’ve hesitated. I find sarouel and Thai fishermen pants to be very uncomfortable, just too much fabric and fuss. However – Sarah Webb just posted a pair of these Burda pants on Instagram  (Sarah is so creative and innovative, and she’s a constant inspiration for my sewing).

click. Miss Impatient here downloaded them from Sewing Patterns and had a pattern drafted in no time.

Some more pics. I love how these fit in the front,

And in the back.

They don’t even hint at having a elastic waist. Great fit in the fantail.

My top is a modified Sewing Workshop Trio – I added a side slit with hem variations front and back. And I raised the gathered back panel by about 3 inches.

I know it’s really hard to see the ‘wrap’, front pleats, or dropped waist with this print, but maybe this helps.   The wrap doesn’t impede leg movement at all.

Sewing notes:

• The instructions are a little spare, but the illustrations make up for it. I’d put this at advanced beginner and above – a fun project for summer.
• I sewed the size 12, which worked well for me with only one adjustment. The finished waistband on the original is just over 37″ – that waistband has to go over my 39.5″ hips! So I lengthened the waistband and narrowed the seam allowances at the top of the pants.
• All the reviews I read, and Sarah, mentioned that the pants are very narrow in the lower leg. I added 1″ to both sides of the front and back at the hemline, and trued the side seams back up to the knee area. Worked great for me. Thank you, ladies!
• And I didn’t like the length of the pants – they seemed a little long for the profile of the legs. So I shortened them by 2″, giving me an inseam of 22.5″.

These are sewn in cotton calico from my stash, and I’m loving how they turned out. I think other good fabrics would include cotton sateen, with or without stretch, linen, even midweight (6 – 8 oz) knits and lightweight ponte.

 

Up next – I’m cutting out summer pj’s today, using Butterick 6296 Lisette Classic PJs. Move over, J Crew…

Ciao! Coco

 

 

 

BurdaStyle 7184 waterfall cardi…

Well, there’s nothing like just jumping in and sewing a muslin with corded velvet knit!

But it was only $1.80/yard – which makes this a $2.50 project 🙂

I got the fabric from Fabric Mart two years ago, thinking of a midi-length sweater coat, something kind of boho. But I just couldn’t settle on a patten. It has just been decorating my stash ever since. Rather nicely, I must say, since it doesn’t wrinkle. It’s been rolled, tossed, pulled out and thrown back in, and not a wrinkle in sight.

Finally, I took it out and gave it a real appraisal. I was going sew it or donate it – it was kind of bugging me that I would buy fabric and not use it.

Then I realized that it would make a great waterfall cardi – it’s drapey, the color is really pretty, and it’s light enough that I’ll actually wear it in our winter months.

On to patterns. I made a cascade cardi from the Grainline Lark tee earlier this year, and it has a nice little funky vibe. But I wanted something with raglan sleeves, a higher start to the cascade, and very little else. Picky.

A search on the web turned up a gazillion variations on this style. It’s a good thing I like to research patterns…

Finally – BurdaStyle 7184. It has clean lines:

Nice sleeves and cascade:

A clean-finish neckline and front edge:

And bonus pockets for those who can’t live without them. It’s also designed for knits!

I got the PDF version from SewingPatterns.com, which meant printing it from the sometimes finicky PrintSew site. But I today I found it on BurdaStyle as pattern 08/2011 #117D. Printing from the BurdaStyle site is so easy – wish I’d seen it there first!

Some sewing notes:

• I sewed size 12, View B, but only after some prodigious flat-measuring on the pattern. I could not find finished garment measurements anywhere, and I was torn between size 10 and size 12. Since I did all that work, I’ll share. For reference, I’m 5’7″, 36″-31″-42″, and have an 11″ upper arm.

  Finished garment measurements, in inches:                        10                       12

Width at bustline, waist, and hip from CF to CF                35 1/4                 37 1/4
Cascade width at bustline and waist, each side                 9 1/2                   9 1/2
Upper arm width                                                                13 7/8                 14 3/8
Sleeve width at hem                                                           8 1/2                    8 7/8
Back length from top of neckline with 5/8″ hem                 32 3/4                  33

• I used a piece of cotton calico, cut on the bias, for the back neck facing. It adds a lot more stability than a piece of the knit fabric would have done. Also, I lowered it by 3/8″ at center back, to remove a slight roll below the neckline.

• No pockets, because my fabric is just too stretchy for them. Maybe in another version…

• I used 5/8″ seam allowances everywhere. This is one advantage of the PDF I used – it included seam allowances. The version available on BurdaStyle does not.

• I also used a 5/8″ hem, which matches the front edges. The cardi would be a lot shorter with the suggested 1 3/8″ hem allowance.

• One caution: the sleeves might be short on some people. My arms a not long, and I used a scant 1″ hem. However – and this is amazing, not often seen – the sleeve has lengthen/shorten lines for both the upper/armscye area and the area below the armscye. 

My flash went off on the next pic – it’s not really this shiny or this purply color! But it’s the only back view I have. I love the way this lies in the back and across my shoulders, and I think a lot of credit goes to the two-piece sleeve. 

Great cardi, and worn with a new pair of Love Notions Sabrina Slims.

Ciao! Coco

The Maxi Dress Sew-Along…Quatrefoils and lawn

 

My first dress for the Maxi Dress sew-along, sponsored by That’s Sew Amy. It’s my version of the BurdaStyle Tiered Maxi Dress, the same pattern and changes that I used for my pink Valentines dress in February –  back when it was cool in Florida, and the mosquitoes stayed in the Everglades.

There will be no more photo shoots in the garden until the weather breaks. We’re supposed to have thunderstorms this afternoon, and my fingers are crossed. The temps drop about 15 degrees with a good rain.

I’ve been living in my pink dress, and it finally occurred to me that I could make another one. I’ve had 5 yards of this cotton lawn in my stash for months, and I just didn’t think about it. I so seldom wear blue. But I love it! Cool and light.

 

I have one more maxi planned before the sew-along ends in mid-July.The fabric is here and laundered, and the pattern (McCalls 7080) is on its way. It’ll be a nice project for my visit with the kitties while Ashley and Darrin are at Comic-Con.

Notes from the garden…

Two days ago a red parakeet visited the birdbath for a drink and a wash. Beautiful, and unusual in my yard. I usually see the parakeets and parrots in the early evening – they fly in flocks to their ‘home’ trees. No picture…the one I took through the porch screen looks like a screen.

Last week, this giant swallowtail spent 14 hours in the guava tree. He was about 4″ across.

And then there’s Mr. Cuban Knight Anole, Jr. He’s noticeable and long at about 12″ from his nose to tip of his tail, but he’s a juvenile – he will reach almost 20″ by next year. He’s very active in the guava, and fun to watch.

 

 

 

What a show off!

 

Bye for now, Coco

BurdaStyle 03/2012 #108C Knot Front Dress

A fumble. I don’t often write about a wadder (how depressing), but this dress is worth a look, wadder or not. I’m in a really fair mood this morning – but it’s because I’ve already cried and fussed over this one.

I love this look! and had such high expectations. There are some really cute makes out there in blogger land. My favorites are this one by Deborah at The Tropical Sewist, done with an embroidered fabric. And these chevron print versions by Make Me Studio and The Selfish Seamstress .

And check out the RTW versions I found:

Boden

Dries Van Noten

So I went for it. There was a huge investment in prepping this pattern. I used the download PDF, which meant I did a lot of paper cutting and taping (which I enjoy. I also love paper dolls, even now). Then came the drafting of the pattern pieces. The front piece goes from shoulder to hem – it’s long and wide! Thank goodness the back has a separate bodice and skirt. The pattern also has lining and facing pieces. And, yes, it ate up 5 yards of 55″ wide cotton lawn.

I finished the dress up to the point of basting the side seams, and then I stopped. Without a side zipper, it’s too tight to fit over my dress form, but I can put it on over my head without a problem.

And actually it’s very pretty. I just can’t stand how it feels – it’s the futzy, fussy knot business at the front! So I don’t want to model it.

Because it is a nice pattern and might work really well for someone else, here are my sewing notes:

• The pattern is sized for ‘tall’ ladies, perfect for me at 5’7″. I sewed the 84, which is corresponds to regular size 42. I usually cut a size 40 in BurdaStyle, but this pattern is slim through the bodice and upper skirt, so I sized up. 
• The back bodice is a little wide for me at the neckline. Maybe by 1/2″, which could be fixed easily.
• The front armhole is reinforced with a narrow strip of bias interfacing. Burda refers to this as Vilene/Pellon G 785. Mystery to me! I used 1/2″ wide strips of bias-cut tricot knit fusible interfacing – worked fine.
• I used Symphony broadcloth for my lining. A more slippery lining would definitely make the twist knot easier to form and adjust.

Front lining, also showing the interfacing strip on the armhole edge.

It was HARD to find the right side of my fabric, both sides have dense color. I put a small pin on the right side of each pattern piece as I cut it out.

Front bodice inside

Back bodice inside

Burda gives this pattern an Intermediate difficulty rating, which I think is about right. The design is also available in a short version, BurdaStyle 03/2012 #108B, which also includes a free download PDF of the sewing instructions. The patterns themselves are the same. The instructions might be good reading ahead of purchasing the pattern 🙂

And I’m off to other projects!

Ciao – Coco