dolman sleeve top

next up on the sewing list for Miss 13 is bwof 6-2009-109A. It's a fluid, extravagant top featuring dolman sleeves and a tapered in waist. She's chosen a busy, small floral viscose print while I've been sure that this would look great in a bold print. So I'm secretly thinking that I might have to make up this pattern for myself as well, as I've got just the right fabric in mind.

I'm teaching Miss 13 to do the pattern tracing (I hate tracing!) and her help is certainly making the bwof sewing process much easier. She's constantly reading the bwof magazines and sticking post its on all the patterns she likes - yikes, her sewing list is growing by the day. Looks like I'm going to be very busy!

bwof pants success

 here's Miss 13 dressed in her finished carrot pants and ready to head off to the Open Day for college. She looooves them! and I enjoyed sewing them. The pleats at the front yoke are a really interesting feature and the fabric we chose is perfect for showing this feature off. The pants drape beautifully and are made for movement. This pattern is well suited to a tall and leggy person (which Miss 13 is). I'll be posting a review of this pattern over at patternreview tomorrow. On the plus side, sewing under pressure has brought my 'missing in action' sewing enthusiasm back... hooray!!!!!!

ps: did you notice the tie dye tank top. Miss 13 made it yesterday at school. Very retro cool!

Photo removed for safety reasons due to cyber stalking!

bwof pants success

 here's Miss 13 dressed in her finished carrot pants and ready to head off to the Open Day for college. She looooves them! and I enjoyed sewing them. The pleats at the front yoke are a really interesting feature and the fabric we chose is perfect for showing this feature off. The pants drape beautifully and are made for movement. This pattern is well suited to a tall and leggy person (which Miss 13 is). I'll be posting a review of this pattern over at patternreview tomorrow. On the plus side, sewing under pressure has brought my 'missing in action' sewing enthusiasm back... hooray!!!!!!

ps: did you notice the tie dye tank top. Miss 13 made it yesterday at school. Very retro cool!

carrot pants

pressured by the urgency of making Miss 13 clothes that fit. I'm having another try at making bwof pants even though my first pair were a dismal failure - yep, a total wadder!

Miss 13 is tall (she's still growing) and has a short torso and long legs, so ready-to-wear pants are often too short. If she goes for the length then most rtw pants sit way too high above her waist. After yet another unsuccessful shopping trip, ending with both of us feeling cross (plus my paitence being worn thin!), I've agreed to sew for her.

inspired by MC Hammer's pants (any one remember those?), she's chosen bwof 08-2009-123 'futurism' pants. This pattern states "Carrot trousers/pants are back – in a more modern version. Still ankle-length and cut wide at the hips, ours sport a wide yoke and inverted box pleats. This style was designed exclusively for tall sizes!" My first impression is that the pants have a really nice streamlined style. I like the fact that the pleats come off the waist yoke rather than directly from the waist. She's chosen a black poly-wool crepe and wants to wear them this Friday. So I'll be pulling a late nighter to get them done.
There's nothing quite like a bit of 'pressure sewing' to get back into the swing of things...

burda 8179 overalls

just finished view B, short overalls for Miss 12 to wear on a school trip to the Waiwera heated pools tomorrow. The fabric is a self striped mid weight denim/lycra mix.  Generally speaking I prefer the big 4 when it comes to patterns. Miss 12 likes burda mostly because the 'teen' patterns are funky, edgey and fun, so I agreed to make them. Despite the fun style, this was not a fun sew.

I found that this pattern had some quirky design features that completely killed the fun factor for me ie. the front and back 'short' pieces didn't match up (the front was larger than the back), the tabs for the buttons are completely separate pattern pieces that need to be taped to the main shorts pieces before cutting (very easy to miss this!), the back and front bibs should be lined to give the bib weight (otherwise it's too floppy), the button size suggested by the pattern are too big (given the size of the button plackets).

Despite all that, the end result is a very cute pair of overalls, just perfect for summer!

burda 8179 overalls

just finished view B, short overalls for Miss 12 to wear on a school trip to the Waiwera heated pools tomorrow. The fabric is a self striped mid weight denim/lycra mix.  Generally speaking I prefer the big 4 when it comes to patterns. Miss 12 likes burda mostly because the 'teen' patterns are funky, edgey and fun, so I agreed to make them. Despite the fun style, this was not a fun sew.

I found that this pattern had some quirky design features that completely killed the fun factor for me ie. the front and back 'short' pieces didn't match up (the front was larger than the back), the tabs for the buttons are completely separate pattern pieces that need to be taped to the main shorts pieces before cutting (very easy to miss this!), the back and front bibs should be lined to give the bib weight (otherwise it's too floppy), the button size suggested by the pattern are too big (given the size of the button plackets).

Despite all that, the end result is a very cute pair of overalls, just perfect for summer!

sporty pants bwof 10/2008

Miss 12's sewing request is for a pair of sporty pants made from bwof 10/2008. The blurb describes the pants as having 'long darts, topstitched waist tucks and narrow legs.' A careful study of the photo suggests that I may have a potential problem with fitting in the front crotch area. So this afternoon will be spent tracing the pattern and then working on adjustments later.

To make things more challenging she's asked that these pants are ready for mufti day next week on Wednesday. So I better get cracking!

burda wof magazine

I've been resisting the lure of the burda wof magazine for a very long time, completely determined not to subscribe. After all, I have loads of patterns, many which haven't even been used, so why would I want magazines full of patterns? then I bought this withdrawn copy of burda for 50 cents at the library book sale.



flicking through it I found this cute cardi tie top which would be a great addition to my wardrobe capsule. A cardigan is my alternative to wearing a jacket. The suggested fabric is a 2 way stretch jersey knit but I think it would look good made up in a drapey merino wool, making it perfect for both warm and cold weather. Another addition to the ever growing sewing list!



there's also this casual jacket which I think would be a possible as the detailing around the collar and front edges gives it a cardi sort of feel. Although I've hit a snag here as the pattern sheet for the jacket is missing.

Oh and yes, I've asked the local magazine store to put a Burda wof aside for me each month lol!