McCall's 8028 & Burda 4/2019

First - It's Me Made May! I know plenty of people hate it (that's okay!)...I know plenty of people misunderstand it (it isn't about posting photos daily or sewing a bunch of stuff to have for May)...

This May is different of course with many around the world sheltering-in-place, but I always welcome it from the perspective of finding new sewers to follow and this year, not seeing masks over and over and over throughout my feed. I am obviously not begrudging anyone who is making masks, selling masks, donating masks - it has just completely overtaken Instagram. And just as I don't want to watch Coronavirus news nonstop, I don't want to see masks in my timeline nonstop. No shade to anyone, always DO YOU!

First week down! Most days, I work in the a.m. (in loungewear), take a break to exercise, shower, and eat, then work some more. Some days, I never make it out of my pjs :)

Not in order by day :-p

Burda 1/2018 hoodie and M7061 pants * S8424 leggings * V1401 pants * M6886 dress

M6654 skirt * Burda 12/2016 pants * M6886/M6964 hybrid tee and V1411 pants

I posted to Instagram last week about my recent struggles with endometriosis. It has been so tough! and painful!! And I have this insane bloat every month.

So while I was prepared to get pics of a bunch of stuff, I just...can't right now! Blergh. Tired. Bloated. In pain. But I am so backed up on project posts that we're gonna just settle for good enough. K? Great! :-D

Now, I happen to like jumpsuits! I will say, they need to be knit or have a closure. Ain't nobody got time to be wrangling in and out of a woven jumpsuit without closure.

I missed this jumpsuit upon release and was excited by it when buying some newer patterns. I'll say, it isn't innovative. Now that I have some experience with understanding more how patterns are made, this is something I COULD HAVE made from an existing pattern. The bodice and sleeve are basically chopped off across the top, halfway down the armhole!

I knew I wanted a jumpsuit from this fabric I snagged from Fabric Mart awhile back. I wish I'd bought several yards of every color they had (I made THIS sweatshirt from the cut I had in white)! It is a really nice fabric - poly/rayon/lycra blend french terry. It washes, cuts, sews and presses well. It's 2-layered and the distressed fabric sits on top of a base fabric so nothing is exposed. Can't ask for more! I only had 2 yards of it so I couldn't afford to fussy cut and luckily, I didn't end up with the distressed holes over any parts. LOL!

In s/m/l patterns I usually take a Medium top and Large bottom. I wanted a snug fitting garment and cut a medium top, and on bottom, cut a medium front and large back. On the back bodice, I graded about halfway between the medium and large lines at the waist. This pattern had that lazy grading, each size was 1" bigger at the side seam than the previous size.

I added a 1" wedge to the back rise and shifted the upper back based on a suggestion from Alexandra of In-House patterns (her tutorials and fit lessons are ACE!). Now, these are 1) a knit and 2) snug fitting so I will be curious to apply this to a woven pant. While I still have some wrinkles (that look to me as those caused by inner thigh fullness), I don't have that drag in the back thigh area that I often have. I was curious about an adjustment like this - "changing the balance" is how I verbalized it and then she posted the adjustment after I sent her a pic of my wrinkles.

Once I had it sewn up, I didn't like how baggy the legs were. Just beyond the crotch (so left the waist and butt/hip the same), I took them in another 1/4" on inseam and side seam so I removed a total of 2".

After these pics, I took in the elastic a bit, removing about 2"

I also hated the pant cuff. It was HUGE. Wide around the ankle and too "tall". I removed some height and ended up cutting it off, taking another inch off, then reattaching to the legs with a 1/4" seam. I'll have to measure it to see how to adjust the pattern piece.

Normally, I would decrease front crotch length but jumpsuits are often not cut generously enough through the crotch. Some extra room is needed and while I'm glad I left the front as is, it could use a tiny bit of an adjustment. The back could use another inch. I'd also add a tad more length to the bodice to have some blousing.

The elastic around the bodice works well, it fits well and stays upright without being tight. My sleeve didn't "flutter" but that's probably partly due to the fabric weight and partly due to not making adjustments. While my biceps can technically fit, by not doing my bicep adjustment, I lose the "intended fit" of the sleeve.

Lastly, I *knew* better and still cut the pocket bags from the distressed fabric. I should have flipped them to the smooth side at least; I keep snagging my fingers when I put my hands in my pocket. Doh.

Fun make, nice and quick (a much needed break after several more involved projects), and is a solid contribution to one of my 2020 modified Make 9 boxes. YAY!

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I have been ON A ROLL with Burda magazine patterns! This top is from the April 2019 issue - imo the best of last year. I've already sewn 4 garments from that issue (this one, a black jacket that's done and awaiting photos, this dress, this skirt) and there's more stuff I want!

This top is a simple make - front, back, sleeve, bias bound neckline, hem, done! It doesn't look like much hanging or on the dress form but it drapes *just so* and has that easy-wearing feel that I'm digging right now.

I cut a size 40 neckline and shoulder and 42 for the rest. I did not do a bicep adjustment - doh! I ALWAYS need a bicep adjustment. I have some drag lines and it is a little snug through the upper arm.

I used a white rayon challis that has been in the stash forever. At one point I swore off solid color challis. It seems so much more shifty than prints! My sleeve band must not have been fully on grain. Bleh. It made BEAUTIFUL, perfect, awesome bias binding though!

One reason I really love my Burdas is that I can add my own seam allowance. On a top like this, using 3/8" on the neckline and sleeve bands is so much more preferable than 5/8". On fitted garments I almost always use 5/8" just to have that little bit of insurance.

Since the top is white, it's pretty versatile, but the shape makes it versatile too! It's cute with slim fitting bottoms and those with more volume. I think I'll end up wearing this guy out!

Currently, I'm working on a 'hacked' TB Ogden cami and have fabrics lined up for a few new tops (all with patterns I've made before). I have to shift some stuff until I'm able to do fitting. But still plan to make the SA Clare pants and a couple dresses this month. Stay tuned!

And stay safe!

Deer & Doe Sirocco

Sighhhhhhhhhhh.

You all know my general thoughts on Indie pattern companies, right? I want a PROFESSIONALLY DRAFTED AND GRADED PATTERN! You deciding you like to sew and want to sell patterns isn't enough! But sometimes, I get sucked in too. Sigh. I couldn't find any info about whether or not they are professional pattern makers so this rant may be unfounded. Does anyone know?


I own a chunk of Indie patterns. (If I eliminate Style Arc that number is cut in half). Sometimes, I do the right thing and *closely* inspect the finished garment pics before buying. Sometimes, I make a mistake and buy the pattern and don't inspect closely until I'm ready to make it.

Listen, I was this || close to choosing another pattern. Sigh.

This is not a dig at any home sewer as I would never do that. Please do not take anything I say personally, I am forming an opinion based on what I see.

So, I go and look and I notice:
Puny bodice pleats. I instantly decide I don't like them.
Front crotch ermm, issues.
Rippling waistbands
Sleeves that are way pulling away from the body when the wearer has their arms lifted (if it weren't a knit, arm movement WOULD be restricted)

And I'm instantly mad that I didn't inspect closely BEFORE buying

Be clear, I am not ragging on sewers nor am I making declarations about the pattern (except for that armscye - No.). I don't draft patterns. I can't say what's objectively right and wrong about the draft. If their patterns work for you then maybe this one will. I just know that I did way more work than I would EVERRRR do on a pattern and especially one that I spent $16 on (I am a Friend of PR) and it's unlikely that I'll do it again. I really like the Pensee top (less so the dress) so never say never. Sigh.

Alrighty so I have never sewn a D&D pattern aside from the Plantain -and I was a new sewer- but I know now that, it didn't really work for me. That top is the reason I've believed, for forever, that they draft for a pear shape (apparently, they draft for an hourglass). I am NOT a D&D customer after this.

I feel like, over the years of being involved in the sewing community, I've seen a lot of conflation between pattern adjustments and pattern drafting. Yes, not many of us will sew a pattern "out of the envelope" and have it fit properly. And even when we do, that is not necessarily equal to a "well drafted pattern".


I make sewing adjustments. I do not fuss about making sewing adjustments; it is what it is. The work I had to do on this front armhole? Nah, not okay.

I don't have a ton of pics because I didn't get nearly any pics of myself alone and it has been SO hot that I have not been able to get full finished "blog photos" of the jumpsuit. This is less about the finished product though and more about the pattern itself. Hopefully I can update the post at some point in the near future with regular front/back/side pics.

As mentioned, I hadn't sewn any of their patterns and knew I'd have to muslin. I chose a size 40/42 (40 neckline/shoulder and 42 everywhere else) based on the size chart:

There is 2-3" positive ease in bust and hips and 3" of negative ease in the waist. I thought this was interesting considering it's a pull-on garment. But I'm going to muslin so it's all good.

I used this cut of Telio jockey ponte (I do NOT like this fabric) as a muslin. Similar drape as my fashion fabric but slightly heavier. The one change I planned to make right away was to lift the armhole and cut it in a bit since I was going sleeveless. I was PERPLEXED by the armhole shape.

Here is my muslin in all its glory (horror? lol!)...

I make adjustments. I assumed I'd need an FBA, full butt adjustment and to shorten the front crotch width. No problem.

I hated the pleats as I assumed I would. The shoulder was too long, the 1-layer waistband was awful and I was again, this || close to jumping ship. I really wanted to eliminate the front pleat but they are diagonal and I didn't fully understand how to make that happen.

Now, if this IG follower is a blog follower, I promise I am not mad/offended/:insert other words: but someone told me I probably don't like the pleats because the jumpsuit is too small and I should go up a size or two.

1) It is a muslin. The purpose is to determine what adjustments, and in what amounts, are needed.
2) Going bigger isn't always the answer. Adjusting where you need the adjustments is better than just going up or down full sizes.
3) In the IG post, I pretty much called out most of these adjustments as necessary...but since I was muslining, why guess at them?

I went back and did the following to the paper pattern:

Converted the back pleats to darts (narrowing the overall takeup about 1/2" total)
removed 5/8" in CB length.
Reshaped the armhole.

Did an FBA and rotated it out
Reshaped the armhole
Took an ENORMOUS armhole dart of ~1" (e.g., don't just automatically go up a size because of tightness)
Straightened out the side seam - I had about 2" of excess fabric at the very top while the waist fit fine.
Converted the pleat to a dart

This really flat shape on bottom is something I don't think I've seen before. I may have been able to understand it better if I'd added the sleeves.

Let me to stop to say the instructions for this front pleat were ridiculous. I hate non-technical directions.  It's probably my biggest gripe with indie pattern makers.

Also, there are no pocket markings AND the pocket is exactly the same for all sizes.

I did Fashion Incubators c*mel toe adjustment which took the front crotch basically from a 42 to a 38.  (did I mention that you shouldn't automatically size up?? Okay, fine, I'm being obnoxious now...)
I added this 1/2" back at the side seam.

More front crotch pics!

Because it WAS too tight in the hips - because, butt - I did a slash and spread to add 1/2" (1" total). The back pant already had a dart, vs pleats everywhere else.

Not shown, as I did it directly on the fabric, was to add 1/4" to the CB crotch seam, tapering to nothing near the point.

And I added 1/2" to the crotch extension which is another common adjustment for me (full thighs).

 

I added 1" total to the "height" of the waistband and doubled it (made a facing). 

Lastly, I removed 2" and they still pool a bit (I could see this being less of an issue in something less drapey where you can roll the legs like the pattern pic).

LOVED the new darted bodice!
The neck binding went in perfectly for me! It's a little wide though...or the neckline curve is a bit too high for me. I felt like it was sort of encroaching.
Really love the wider waistband too!

 

ignore my random foolishness in the background

A full-length pic showing the neck fit thing I mentioned, slightly long legs but not bad, and how much better the front fits compared to the muslin. It fits snug through the bust and part of that is my bra.

My husband and my 4 closest friends.   

This is the closest thing I have to a back fit pic! :-p But *I* think you can see that it isn't pulling, the side seam is straight, the darts fit well, etc.

TL;DR

• Didn't like that there were no pocket insertion markings.
• Didn't like that the pocket piece is the same for all sizes.
• I don't like the bodice pleats.
• VERY low armscye (I can't imagine putting a sleeve in there)
• Weird (IMO) front armscye shape. 
• Didn't care for the 1-layer waistband 
• Too much negative ease at waist (IMO) for a pull-on jumpsuit
• There's something with the shape of the neckline (for ME) that I can't identify.
• The neckbinding went in flawlessly - yay!
  I liked the back fit a lot "out of the envelope". Sure, I needed adjustments (which is NOT an issue) but I think the crotch curve as drafted worked well for my butt.

It turned out and it was pretty and shiny. The fabric is THIS Telio knit from Fabric.com (I am an affiliate). It sewed well, it didn't press well but I don't think anyone expects a poly metallic knit to press well! It did well enough with a little steam, press cloth and a clapper.

It is very slightly sheer held up to the light but I figured (and I do this often, LOL!) that my brown skin and black undergarments would be fine -- full seamless/no show bottoms - I don't do "shapewear" Nope. Cannot. I think I've told the story of trying on a Spanx garment with my wedding gown and immediately calling for her to come get me out of that dress so I could that thing OFF.

Onward!

I was off work and sewed A TON. There are definitely finished items before this but this skirt from Burda 04/2019 is up next for review - spoiler alert: I LOVE IT!

Vacation Sewing: McCall's 7577 Romper

I almost referred to it as a 'comeback'...but in all fairness this was completed before the failed striped dress :)

Yet another case of "SQUEEEE! I love that and have to have it!" when this came out. I really want to make the red jumpsuit version too, but knew the sleeveless romper was up first. 

There are already a couple versions out there and I couldn't wait to tackle my own. I wanted those ruffled shorts for sure, and sleeveless of course for vacation.

Don't mind my bad posture on the right...

The bodice is roomy but not at all sloppy.  I like the blousing a lot.

Pattern Description:

Loose fitting pull on romper and jumpsuit have shaped back yoke, sleeve and length variations.

Pattern Sizing:

6-14 and 14-22. I cut my normal Big4 size: 14 neck and shoulder, 16 through the bust and waist, 18 through the hip. On the front of the shorts, I cut the crotch curve at a 16. I didn't make any adjustments on the bodice for the larger back shorts because of the elastic waist.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

I created my own view! :) I made the ruffled romper (modeled) but without sleeves.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes. It's all pretty clear cut, IMO. And the order of everything makes sense.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I don't know the purpose of the puny little pleat in back! I would just gather the back to fit if I made another version.

You can barely find the pleat!

It's tough to get woven jumpsuits with no closure on and off. Make sure you allow the bodice to be nice and roomy.  I can get it on with minimal stress but getting it off is a little bit of an act in acrobatics!

I LOVE IT otherwise! When I first finished it, I was on the fence. I thought it looked too much like a *tiny* dress. But now, I think it's super cute and it fits well and I love the print. SOLD!

I was leaning forward a little and looking down. It doesn't really show that much cleavage!

It is short though! It feels *just* past my butt but I guess it IS a few inches past :)

Fabric Used:

Precut rayon blend fabric from FabricMart. Lace was in the stash (I think it's cotton) but also purchased from FM.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Cut sizing as I needed it as mentioned above. I used premade bias tape -- make your own if you can...it's a little too stiff. But this fabric would NOT press and I wasn't about to stress myself out over it. I couldn't find the plain black cotton I knew I had (which of course, I found it yesterday!) so I used premade.

I normally press seams to the back, but I went to the front so it wouldn't show through the lace.

I do find the elastic waist quite bulky. There is a 1" seam allowance at the waist.  If I make it again I'll just use a 5/8" seam with 3/8" elastic. I won't bother shortening the bodice because a little extra length would be nice!

Added 1" to the back rise - this was JUST barely enough. Jumpsuits/rompers require more crotch depth. The norm for me is to add 1" to the back rise. I could've added a little more. Also, I normally shorten the front rise about 3/4". I cut it smaller and did not shorten it. 

Lastly, I have a tailor's tack where I want to sew a snap. It can fall open depending on how I move. Necessary to get it on and off, but I don't want to be exposing myself!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I would! I want to make the sleeveless jumpsuit!

Conclusion:

WINNER! It feels very summery despite the darker fabric and I adore it with these wedges!

Next up...

I had to do some reworking of the sweater I was making with that Thakoon and pleather. It's almost done. And I'm also working on the cool, quirky dress from Vogue 1501 for an event I have before the trip. Which almost got nixed as a dress and left as a skirt when I got to this point...

...But the bodice required a ton of work so it will be a dress...but I think I will be ALSO making it as a skirt using the same fabric! It is a beautifully fitting skirt!!! More on that later!