Burda wof 10-2008-106 Skirt

Yay! I luuurrrvvve this skirt pattern! It is Burda 10-2008-106 which I have been telling you about in the last few blogs. I needed no alterations for a great fit - got to love that!

The first one I made was in a balck cotton with a raised graphic design in it. It is harder to see the details in the black skirt. The second one was in a white with brown check fabric which is a polyester, cotton and elastane mix. Really hard on the finger tips for pinning and hand sewing as the fabric is quite stiff but really suitable for this pattern!

The photo above has it paired with my blouse which is Burda wof 08-2008-103. You can see the cute pleats at the back hem edge in the above photo - I think it is a really cute fashion touch to what could be a plain straight skirt. It is reminiscent of 1940's skirts to me - is that right or is my memory being dodgy?
The walking slit at the front makes it very comfortable to wear.
I am glad I used the black fabric first to try the pattern out and then I used the check fabric as that took more work to match the seams. I didn't try to match the pattern vertically (not sure if I should have done this) but I did concentrate on matching the horizontal lines. I am pretty pleased with how it went. This is a photo of the side seam which has the invisible zipper inserted *head swell* ... yeah I'm pretty chuffed with that!

This is a picture of the lining. It was done in a different way to one I used in my beginner's skirt class. However I really liked their method and it would be very simple to replicate in another pattern. (This is he front of the skirt with the slit).

I used my rolled hem on the overlocker for the hem of the lining and I think I will do that again as it was very successful and simple. The rolled hem facility on my Janome is certainly very good. I also learned how to overlock inside and outside corners so that I could neaten the seams around the slit (as per my previous post).

My review of this skirt is here for those interested.

Pins, overlockers and other things

I have been having a lovely productive day sewing a second version of BWOF 10-2008-106. Here is a sneak peek of my first version finished a week ago. It is made in a black cotton and I just love it. Love it so much I made a second version in a white/brown check fabric - I will feature that later when I have done my review.

I have been trying to use my overlocker more productively. Caity & I had a great day of getting together to 'tame' our overlockers. Caity wrote a great post about that day. Since then I have had to buy the books we used. This book is fabulous and has heaps on information about using the overlocker. I think this is a must-have reference if you own an overlocker. I bought my copy from Can-do books for any Aussies looking for it.

Today, with the help of this book I learned how to serge around an inside and outside corner. A very useful skill if you have a slit in your skirt (which I did, of course!) Last time I tried something like this on my overlocker, I slashed a large gash in my fabric. Here is the sample I made and I think it is pretty good seeing as it is the first time I followed these instructions!

About pins - do you leave them in and sew over them? I have been told in lessons it is OK to do that and it is listed as a tip in the Burda I made the skirt from... ie pin at the 90 degree to your seamline then sew over the pins (slowly!) Maybe I don't go slow enough as this seems to happen with monotonous regularity... This is a silk pin so it didn't break my needle, but I do break my needles when I hit a clover brand flower pin - boy are they strong pins!

Next blog I will tell you more about the skirt and hopefully have a review done as well...

McCalls 5464

Yay! Finally something to show on my blog. I have not been working but don't seem to have been very productive on the sewing front either but finally I have managed to actually finish an item, photograph it and review it ... three cheers!

Below are photos of the jumper (pinafore in Australian-ese) with a pretty green top I have bought for the purpose worn underneath.

I think I will get lots of wear out of this 'jumper' / dress and was very happy with the pattern - review is here for those interested.

Thank you Caity for taking the photos! I have finished a skirt (which I just love) from BWOF and am making a second one. When that one is finished I will review that for you also.

Slowly moving along...

I am currently working on McCall's 5464.

I am making Version A without the pockets. Similar to the photo on the cover, I am making it in black fabric. I have tissue fit it and found it needed no alterations. When I had sewn the side seams I had Caity come and have a look at it to see if it needed any further alteration and all was declared fitting OK still. I am just doing it in very small bursts between other activities. I feel it is the kind of outfit you should be able to whip up quickly, but my mojo seems to be in go-slow mode so it will happen but not too quickly. However for all that I am very pleased with how it is turning out.

The other project I have been ‘working’ on is BWOF 02-2009-115.

I plan to make this jacket as it seems so well suited to our Queensland climate. I also like the fact that it is the sewing course so hopefully doing the collar won’t be too difficult as I can’t remember if I have ever done one before! I figure if I can’t remember if I have even done one means I should get all the help I can in the construction! All the 'work' I have done so far is to purchase this fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics. I was obviously very heavily influenced by the fabic in the photo! I think it will work well with my colouring and the other items in my wardrobe (and to-be wardrobe).

In other news, The fires in Victoria have been very sad with a great loss of life. I have reached the stage I can no longer watch the in-depth reports on the TV as it makes me feel so sad. However in a twist of fate, I did go and donate blood today (which is just coincidental as I had the time arranged a few weeks ago). I am just glad that I did fulfil that New Year’s resolution and make the appointment. Next step is to donate some money so that the people who have been affected so badly can start rebuilding their lives.

Pictures from my kitchen...

I have finished Burda wof 08-2008-103.

I loved making this top - the drafting was great and it needed no alterations to fit. YAY! I used a polyester satin called Genoa bought from our local Gardams shop. It was quite expensive but managed to score a 1m length from the remnant table (at 140cm wide) and that was all that was needed to make this blouse - mind you only little scraps left and no leeway to cut another piece if you made a mistake!

I asked my eldest son to take the photos in our kitchen. He thought it was hilarious because he would snap randomly and not let me know when he was about to take a photo so it was only pot-luck to get one with a smile! Review is here for those interested to read it.