Pattern review: Burda 6874

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Hello my sewing friends!

Today I would like to share a project that is unlike any other I have made before: a men’s shirt!

I have been sewing for about 5 years now, and I have almost exclusively sewn for myself. I have made maybe a total of 10 items that are for others; mostly for my mum, and most of them were items that were meant for me, that I made before I knew much about how to select my size, and nothing at all about ease. My mum happens to be about half a size smaller than me, so those items that were just too small to fit me ended up being gifted to my mother.

For Christmas this past year, I got C a shirt pattern, Burda Style 6874, and some fabric to make it. Since I had never made a men’s shirt before, I thought I needed to make a wearable muslin to test the construction, as well as the size.

Pattern and materials

For this shirt, I used Burda Style 6874, and made view C, but used only one pocket. The main differences between the views are the button placket and the cuffs and collar.

Following the pattern measurements, I made a size 40, based on the collar measurement.

The pattern calls for cotton fabrics, and I used this fun Star Wars poplin for my muslin.

Assembly

I found the construction of the pattern relatively easy; the instructions were not too detailed, particularly when it came to the button placket. I misunderstood the pattern markings, and made the placket too large, which resulted in the bodice being too large for the collar. You can see some wrinkles originating from the excess around the collar.

I took in the side seams about 1.5 cm either side, as it was a little bit loose on C, too.

The collar sits nicely, and the cuffs were easy enough to make.

VERDICT

Overall, I am quite happy with this!

I think next time I will extend the sleeves a little bit – you can see they are slightly too short for C.

Now C and I have got a matching outfit! I tried to make a matching bandana or tie for our little cat, but she was having none of it!

Now I have to make the proper shirt!

Hope you all like it!

The galaxy dress

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Hello my friends!

I have talked in the past about my issues with fitting commercial patterns, which I am sure I share with many home sewists. One of my goals for 2021 is to improve my pattern drafting skills so that I can start using my own designs and perhaps not need to get many more commercial patterns, of which I already have far too many!

I have been taking some pattern drafting classes (more on that in a future blog post), and I have also been doing very simple pattern alterations such as this sweetheart neckline, which I already used in my Moon dress.

I used a Timeless Treasures Cotton Poplin that glows in the dark for the bodice, and a polyester corduroy for the skirt, which I made using my pencil skirt pattern.

I followed The Closet Historian’s 1950s dress tutorial to create the neckline. and I love how it looks! In that video, Bianca uses a kimono sleeve, which looks amazing and I will try to in the near future.

Do you do your own pattern drafting? What designs are you working on?

Pattern review: Simplicity 8462

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Hello my sewing friends!

I love a quick sewing project, and this Simplicity 8462 view A certainly was! I made this at the end of 2020, and this blouse makes for such a cute 1940s look!

Pattern and materials

I fell in love with this pattern when I first saw it a while back, and I had been waiting to make the blouse (view A) for a while. The pattern is a reprint of a 1940s pattern, and it’s a three piece pattern including a blouse, skirt and bolero.

The blouse features a kimono sleeve, and a button placket at the back. The front and back are fitted with tucks, and there are three pleats at the centre front. The pattern calls for cotton types, so I used this poplin by Dashwood Studio, which is such has such a cute print!

Assembly

This blouse came together really quickly! I cut a size 12, for my 95.6 cm bust. The pattern has a loose fit, so while it is a little bit baggy at the waist, it fits really well around the bust. I made no adjustments to the pattern.

The pleats get a little lost in this busy print, but they make such a cute feature.

The construction of this pattern is so simple I don’t really have much to say about it!

Verdict

I LOVE this blouse! It was a very easy project, which is always nice, and I really like how it fits! I think it would be nicer in a fabric that had more drape, but I will surely be making more of this!

I look forward to making more of this pattern! I also really look forward to trying the skirt and bolero – and I look forward to showing you!

Pattern review: McCall’s M7475

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Hello my sewing friends!

Today I managed to take some pictures of one of my last projects of 2020, so I thought I’d share these culottes I made using McCall’s M7475.

Pattern and materials

For these culottes I made view E of McCall’s M7475. I first got this pattern with Love Sewing Magazine a few years ago, and I’ll be honest, nothing about this pattern caught my attention. At the time, I hadn’t been sewing too long, and I didn’t feel like my skills were at the level of making successful trousers. So it sat in my pattern box until last summer.

I had a fair amount of this corduroy left over from a dress that I haven’t shared on the blog yet, and the fabric is so amazing that I couldn’t just let it go to waste and had to make something else with it!

The suggested fabrics for this pattern are corduroy, denim or cotton blends, so it seemed like a match made in heaven.

The pattern also has two front pockets, and a back pocket which I omitted.

Assembly

The construction of the trousers wasn’t too difficult, and I got to do my first ever zip fly!

I cut a size 14 to accommodate my hips (H=102 cm), and I sized down at the waist to fit my much smaller waist (W=68.4 cm), which according to the pattern measurements would need a size 10. The back is is formed by three pieces: the back legs, the back waistline and a yoke. To correct for the size difference I adjusted at the sides, as well as making a dart at the yoke – I should have cut a new yoke piece correcting the excess, but I couldn’t be bothered, if I’m totally honest.

I really like the way the pattern fits, although the because of the yoke dart there is a small pucker which makes it sit a bit funny.

Verdict

I like how the culottes look and have worn the hell out of them. The pattern was easy to follow and it is very comfortable. The instructions are easy to follow, and the sizing is true to size.

However, I am not sure I am going to be making these again. I am not entirely sure how I feel about culottes, certainly not in a fabric like a corduroy. As culottes should, they only reach my mid-calf, which means my ankles get cold, and then my feet get cold and I get grumpy.

While they don’t work for outdoorsy activities for me, I have worn these to work and they have been great for that environment, so if you like culottes I would recommend the pattern!

The Moon Dress

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Hello my sewing friends!

I have started the year strong, with not one, but two new dresses!

You may remember my Star Wars dress I made last summer. I have been wearing that dress non-stop since I made it, particularly as it’s been getting a little cooler and I can wear it with tights. I still have to go into the office, and it get unbearably hot in there, so I wanted to make myself a few nice and easy dresses like that one, as I loved the fit and it was just so comfy, and the perfect mix of work appropriate and quirky.

I have also been watching so many hours of The Closet Historian‘s YouTube videos, and I fell madly in love with the neckline of her 1950s Dress, and luckily she amazingly explains how to draft that neckline!

I had already talked about how I got a fit I was happy with in my previous Star Wars dress post, so if you’re interested in what I did to get here, go read that post too!

For this bodice pattern, I followed Bianca’s tutorial linked above, and I made this lovely semi-sweetheart neckline.

This totally adorable fabric is by ArtGallery, and it is a cotton poplin which I got from Minerva Crafts. The top was a little sheer, so I lined it using a light pink cotton I had in my stash (which I believe was a bedsheet).

For the skirt, unsurprisingly, I used my pencil skirt pattern, which I have talked about extensively in the past (here), and I used a polyester corduroy, which is super soft and has a little bit of stretch, so it’s really comfortable. The skirt fabric is also from Minerva. While I love how soft it is, the fabric frays quite a bit and the wrong side of the fabric is prone to bobbling.

I am very pleased with this dress, and I will get a lot of wear out of it!

Happy Sew Year!