I am was overjoyed when I was chosen to join the Fabrics for all blogger team. he first time I set foot into the Fabrics for all shop, located in Armley, Leeds, I was amazed by the different and beautiful range of fabrics. For any sewists out there, we know the feeling we get when we step into such a place. I chose a gorgeous cotton fabric to sew up my very first pattern from the Burda Style Magazine.
The Fabric
The fabric I chose was a 100% cotton fabric which is lightweight and perfect for the warm weather. It is bright red fabric with beautiful flowers in brown and green that caught my eye. This fabric is pretty lightweight that it could easily be mistaken for a viscose because of its feel on the skin. It is perfect for sewing lightweight blouses, tops and dresses too (but would need to be lined).
This fabric washed really well and I noticed it had a unique texture to it once it had dried before it was ironed. It took on heat pretty well too.
I had made plans to sew up the blouse pattern 03/2019 ~103 Burda Style magazine but I was yet to find the perfect fabric. And when I did, I knew I was ready to undertake my very first sewing project from the Burda style magazine.
This pattern comes in sizes 36 to 44 and I made size 36. And
it features overcut shoulders and set-in mini
sleeves, a flattering V-neckline and a belt. It is a loose-fitting blouse which
can be worn with either the belt or without.
The making
I will not say the making was straight forward when it came to tracing out the pattern from a maze of a pattern sheet from the magazine. It is also worth noting that the patterns from this magazine do not come with any seam allowances. I had to add the seam allowances to the traced out pattern prior to cutting out the fabric.
The sewing process was straight forward even with the less detailed instructions in the magazine. And this is due to the simple pattern I chose which did not have any closures of any kind.
The only alteration I made to the pattern was omitting the belt loops on the top and the use of a fabric-covered belt buckle. Apart from that, I sewed it up as per the instructions.
The finished project
The finished blouse looked exactly as it appears in the magazine and I was thrilled with the final outcome. I am glad I had a go at making a pattern from the magazine considering the many and fashion-forward patterns this magazine has to offer.
I am so excited about that start of the year 2020. We all start a new year with very good intentions, however, life often happens. And I strongly believe that with most of what happens we have much control over the circumstances. So I am starting off this year with my best foot forward. Enough with the preaching … :). I would like to share with you my January sewing makes.
At the start of the year, I came up with my sewing plans and goals for the year which may seem rather ambitious. But I strongly believe that your goals set a limit for you. Below is a video of my 2020 sewing plans and goals if you would like to watch it.
In my sewing plans video, one of the goals is to sew more separates ( skirts, tops and pants) as these are gaps in my wardrobe. I am being more intentional in my sewing and focusing on items and skills which are much needed. And in the month of January, I sewed up six items and of which three were mine and three for others.
Burda 09/2010 #121A
The first item(s) are two turtleneck tops I sewed up using the Burda 09/2010 #121A. This was an easy make as it features just 3 pattern pieces. The turtleneck piece is attached to the bodice pieces which comes off as just a single piece. The grey one was made out of a viscose jersey fabric whereas the black one was out of a cotton jersey fabric. And I cut them up in size 36.
Sewaholic – Hollyburn Skirt
My second item is a skirt I made using a pattern which has been around for quite a while. I am not sure what took me this long to make it but I am glad I did. And this is the Hollyburn skirt by Sewaholic patterns. It features 3 lengths views and I went with view B which is knee-length in size 4. I sewed it up in a brown stretch suiting fabric gifted to me by Minerva.
And my final makes are these kids jumpers I sewed up for my daughter and her friend. I made one for her friend’s birthday and they both love them. I sewed them up using a pattern from Ottobre 06/2018 #9 in similar sweatshirt fabrics. And I cut both sweatshirts in size 122.
Here is the video of my January makes if you would rather watch instead.
In conclusion, I was happy with my month’s makes and I hope February has more to show for it. Thanks for stopping by x.
I had the honour of being a guest on The Saturday Night Stitch Podcast where it discussed my experience with sewing a Burda style pattern for the very first time. Hila from Saturday Night Stitch has inspired me to venture into Burda Style patterns with how easy she makes sewing with them seem like. If you have followed Saturday Night Sitch on both her blog and Youtube, you know of her love for Burda style patterns and her amazing pieces of clothing she continues to make from them.
For my very first project, I decided to go with a simple pattern that did not require any closures as I was not sure if the instructions would have helped a lot. I sewed up the lovely blouse #103 from 03/2019 issue in a lovely cotton fabric gifted to me by Fabrics for all.
Fabrics for all is a small fabric store in Leeds, with an online presence, which stocks many beautiful fabrics. I am honoured to be a part of their blogger team which means I am given some fabric in return for a review in the form of a blog post. A review of this pattern can be found on the Fabrics for all website.
Listen in for the detailed interview on my experience and probably it might get inspired to give Burda Style patterns ago. You honestly have more to gain with Burda Style patterns considering the value of the patterns you get at the price of the magazine.
Our 10th wedding anniversary was fast approaching and I thought of making a beautiful dress to wear to dinner at our anniversary mini-moon. I remember passing by my local fabric store and I had some time to spare which led me to the pattern books. I passed through quite many of them but the Burda 6829 stood out for me and I knew it was the one.
Pattern description
Burda 6829 is a multi-sized dress pattern that goes from size 8 up to size 18. And it comes in two options A and B of which the only difference between the two is the length from the waist to the hem. Option B is 3 inches or 8 cms longer than option A.
This Pattern is fitted dress with waist gathers on one side which makes it rather flattering. It is recommended for a 4-way stretch fabric which makes fitting it much easier compared to woven fabrics.
Size made
From the pattern sizing recommendations, I was meant to make
size 36 /10 whoever when I read recommendations from others who had sewed up
this dress, they all seemed to recommend sizing down to the next size. I cut up
the smallest size (size 34/8) and it was my perfect size. And I also went for option B which slightly
longer as I found it more appealing.
The Making
The instructions were easy to follow and It comes together
quite fast as it is with most knit fabrics if you are able to sew it up with an
overlocking machine /serger.
The interfacing used for the neckline seemed to have been of concern of most people who had sewed up this dress as it kept popping out since it was not anchored anywhere inside the dress. So I decided to omit it and instead folded the neckline over once and sewed it down using my coverstitch machine.
Fabric Used
I used this gorgeous knit velvet fabric in wine from Minerva Crafts which sewed up really well. And it also washed very well, however, extra care was taken while ironing it (I guess it is the case with most velvets) as it almost melted on me before I had lowered heat of my iron.
Pattern Alterations
I made a sway back adjustment on the pattern piece.
I omitted the neckline interfacing.
My Conclusion
The dress came out really well and it honestly exceeded my
expectations and of course the hubby’s too.
I was really chuffed about it. I can confidently say that this is the
most fluttering and smartest dress I have ever made in my less than 2 years of
dressmaking.
I Plan to sew up this pattern again and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a smart occasion dress to wear.
Lifestyle blogger
Josephine is an entrepreneur, blogger, public health professional who loves sewing, baking and is passionate about a healthy and natural lifestyle.
Josephine is an entrepreneur, blogger, public health professional who loves sewing, baking and is passionate about a healthy and natural lifestyle.
