Newsflash - November BurdaStyle Preview Posted!

Russian Burda finally got its act together after teasing me with a sad and mostly empty page (showing only one new photo, and another picture from last year), and now has the full November Preview up.  Overall I am pretty excited for this issue.  I mean, sure, there is an entire section dedicated to slouchy at home lazywear, and, sure, a lot of the colors are grey and pastel and aren't super interesting to look at, but I do think there are some good patterns in this issue.  A lot of hidden gems disguised by their rather lackluster styling.

So, firstly, I have to say I really like the plus section this time around - super classy!

Love this dress!  So simple and chic.  And that fabric is stunning!

Still loving this fantastic jacket.

And I like this skirt.

Not a fan of the fabric choice, but I think this dress could be quite lovely.

And, I have to say this shirt intrigues me...

I mean, look at the line drawing!  Crazy, no?

As far as the regular sizes go, there were a lot of things my brain glossed over as "boring" but I think there are enough good or even, dare I say, great pieces to make up for it.

Firstly, the separates in this issue aren't what I would call fabulous, but they are what I would consider to be good wardrobe builders:

These pants might be of interest.

I am actually really loving this simple A-line skirt.

And I like this circle skirt too.

Though I think the model photo might be selling me on it.

For some reason I am oddly drawn to this shirt...

Not in the crazy print fabric, but the line drawing is nice.

The peplum trend continues!

There also looks to be a nice selection of dresses in this issue:

I really like this basic wrap dress.  Annoyingly in the petite sizes.

I find myself oddly drawn to this dress.

I think this is another case of the model photo sucking me in.

Basic sheath, but the curved darts make it a little different.

This month's vintage pattern - OMG WANT!

In case their all black look is making it as hard for you to see as it was for me,
 I present the line drawing.  And allow me to repete - WANT!

I am so happy it is fall!  I love the magazines with coat pattern...

Ok, so this is a vest.  My brain has maybe decided I want a vest now too...

Actually I like this vest with the sleeves as well...

I still love this jacket!

I even love it in the longer length.

I like the collar on this coat.

And I think this short jacket is cute.
Though it is clearly a cropped version of the trench.

I am still in love with this coat.  Look at all those details!

Sigh.  So pretty.

Most of the patterns I didn't show aren't ugly so much as they are boring.  But there were two that I think stand out as being particularly cringe-worthy:

Hideous overskirt that looks like it is made from old shower curtains.

Hideous vest that looks like it is made from old shag carpet.

Boring patterns made worse by awful fabric choices.  Ugh.

So that is pretty much it.  Well, except for the lazywear section, which put me to sleep.  You can check it out on the Russian website if you are so inclined.  In any case, most of this issue seems pretty basic, but that could be good for wardrobe staples.  And there are a few stand out pieces to make up for it, I think.  So I think it finally brings me to the Best and Worst patterns of the month.

It should be fairly obvious that I am awarding Best of BS November 2012 to:

The lovely trench coat of awesome.

From the collar and shapely gunflaps to the piping and pockets, I think Burda really knocked it out of the park with the details on this coat.  Is it going to take forever to make?  Yup.  Do I care?  Nope.  This pattern feels classic and modern, interesting yet not overdone.  It is just an overall great pattern.  Though I will mention that the vintage dress pattern in this issue is a very close second.  Now just imagine wearing the dress under the trench coat.  Fabulous!

The BWTF Award for November 2012 should be equally obvious:

Shag carpet chic?

Ok, that vest really looks like a dirty bath mat.  Seriously.  It's kinda gross.

And there it is!  So, what do you all think?  Is the issue just too boring?  Or is there enough to keep you intrigued?  Do the few stand-out patterns make up for the lack of details elsewhere?  Or are the clean simple lines exactly what you are looking for in creating a robust and long-lasting wardrobe?  As always, feel free to discuss in the comments!

Two Muslins and Other Thoughts

I have been going at it with the sewing machine - I still haven't fully sewn together my pants (I still need to attach the waistband and hem, but probably not until next weekend), but I did working on muslins for my button shirt and a jacket.  First, the good news: the jacket muslin is a mostly success!  I have been playing with Butterick 5685, and so far it looks like it is going to be a good project.

I like this coat pattern - it comes with cup sizes, so no FBA necessary, and the seaming is fairly flattering.  When I first tried the muslin on (without sleeves) I was worried about the fit, but then I remembered it was drafted for use with shoulder pads and once I set those under the shoulders the fit was practically perfect on the front.  

Butterick front fit: pretty good.

The back is a bit too big and poofy.  I mean, I still want enough ease to be able to wear this over clothes, but at the same time I don't want the back to look so big and ill fitted.  The adjustments should be fairly minor, I hope.  

The back.  It looks like there is a big wrinkle center back,
but that is actually the seam looking huge in this lighting.

I need to pinch out some on the back, but otherwise fit is good.

The sleeves fit fairly well (though I did a rush job setting in the sleeves - I was trying to sew during warmups on the world championships feed), but I worry that once I get a lining and real clothes under them it might be a bit small.  I may have to make the sleeves a bit bigger.  I have done a full upper arm adjustment on sleeves before though, with much success, so I am not too worried about this alteration.  The other thing I question - the button placement.  On my muslin I marked where the button holes are going to go, and it ends up with buttons being directly on the fullest part of my bust.  Looking on the model photo, it doesn't looks so bad, but on me, well, I worry about it looking, um, somewhat inappropriate.  If you know what I mean.  Though I think I am going to go with machine buttonholes on this one, so I guess I don't really have to decide button placement until I am done with the rest of the jacket.  So, there are a few minor things to fix.  But all in all this project is pretty much a go.

Now the bad news: the shirt muslin wasn't quite as successful as I had hoped it would be.  I mean, it wasn't totally awful (it is definitely a better starting point than the McCall's pattern was), but I definitely have problems in the shoulder area to deal with.  Well, and I need to add length to the bottom.  And I need to deal with the back. But I think the main problem is the shoulder area.

BWOF shirt muslin.  Looks better on my dressform than on me.
You can see odd fit/wrinkles around the shoulder and arm area.

Poor fit around the arm.  The gaping is exacerbated on the form
because her bust is lower and sinking, but it is not a good fit on me either.

Poofiness in the back - It needs length and swayback alterations.

Also the shoulders are too wide
(the seam is hanging off the edge of the form, which is slightly wider then me).

Part of me wonders if I should start tracing a smaller size in the shoulder area on Burda patterns... It seems like more often than not the shoulders are just a bit big (I do not have this problem with knits, only wovens).  It is something I have been pondering for a while, and it might be worth giving it a try, at least for fitted woven pieces.  I don't have this problem with coats and jackets where the extra ease is less noticeable and more appreciated.  Alternatively, I have been leafing through fitting books, and it seems though I might have some combination of narrow shoulders and full bust causing a gaping armhole.  It looks like the pattern adjustments should be pretty straightforward if this is the case, but overall I still have a long ways to go towards getting a functional button-down shirt pattern.

Which leads me to my next round of thoughts: maybe right now is not the best time for me to be obsessing over making a perfectly fitted shirt.  See, I am getting towards the end of this thing I do in real life known as school.  And getting to the end is making me crazy tired, crazy stressed, and just plain crazy.  Sewing has been something of a de-stressifier for me, but right now the thought of having to make so many pattern adjustments and multiple muslins and doing so much work before I even get to something wearable just feels so overwhelming.  On one hand, the mojo is up - I want to make things.  On the other hand, I want to make things that don't require a lot of brain power to put together.  Which doesn't mean I want to make easy things (my September sewing spree was enough knits for a while), but it means I want to work on things where there is clear progress, even if it is only incremental over the next few weeks.  Also, while I still want to work on my sewing challenge, I just can't see myself having enough time to complete all of the items I need/want to actually finish it.  I also don't know how much time I am going to have to blog about things in the next few months either.  And, on top of all of that, once I do finish school I am going to need to relocate my stash, so I don't really want to have 20 million things mid-project.  So I am going to shift some of my planned projects to next year, and focus on only a few projects right now that I really want to make, but that won't fry my brains.  Which basically boils down to the following:

(1) I am going to finish my Patrones pants. They are mostly done, just need to add the waistband and hem them.  There is much topstitching, so this all takes longer than usual, but I can probably finish these by the end of the month.

(2) I am going to make the Butterick coat.  The initial fit was good, I love to make coats, and there isn't anything too difficult to adjust with this pattern.  Also, since I want to have fewer projects, it might be best to have them be a bit more detailed so they take longer and keep me occupied until the after times when I can spend more time one sewing again.

(3)  I have to admit I am obsessed with the November Burda trench coat pattern (that I don't even have yet).  So much so that I somehow already have fabric and notions picked out for it.  This is going to be a total over the top fantasy project of awesome, and it will probably take me a really really long time to make it.  But I want one.  So I am thinking I will just push everything else aside and have this be my end of the year project.  I will share more details as I get closer to this.

So, that is probably going to be it through the end of the year.  I started working on skating dress tutorials, but I also realized I just don't have the time to write/photo/post everything right now.  So I will work on those periodically and I will get to them eventually.  But I don't want to half-post a tutorial, so I will hold off on them until they are fully written.  Which I apologize for, but, you know, real life.  I will still post patterns news (um, I have to do something fun while I eat dinner), but I don't expect to be quite as prolific until I am finished.

So, it looks like it is time to face the music and focus on that nuisance known as real life.  Wish me luck.  

November Burda - More Preview Pictures Released

Normally around this time someone would be doing a full announcement of the magazine, but perhaps we have to wait another week?  That or else everyone has decided to do only partial previews of the magazine until after it gets released?  *Sigh*  At this point I have a subscription, so I guess it doesn't really matter, but before I had one early previews really helped me decide if I was going to buy an issue or not (and I did - for all but September of last year).  In fact, their early October preview last year is what convinced me to get a subscription in the first place.  So I guess I can understand the desire for a "big reveal" but, on the other hand, I like seeing full previews!  Basically I am just hoping that the Russian website isn't going to have to conform to the preview schedule of the German website, because I really like the way they display the content of the magazines - very easy to look through.  In any case, perhaps I am jumping the gun, but I just wanted to throw it out there that my Burda previews might have to become Burda reviews because how can I do my picks for best and worst patterns without looking at everything?  Though this month we might have some early contenders....

I am still obsessively in LOVE with this coat.
Also, I may have accidentally bought fabric for it already.
Oops.

I might change the back yoke to be symmetric, but then again, maybe not.
I am in love with it, regardless.

Also, this.  I really love this.
I am almost tragically sad that it is in the plus sizes.
It *might* be worth grading down 2-3 sizes for though.
Especially since the cut reminds me of a certain runway look I might be wanting to knock off...

And an early contender for worst pattern of the month:

Is it me, or does it look like someone just installed hardwood floors
and decided to make a vest out of the shag carpet they just ripped up?

There are, of course, other patterns that I want to talk about, but if Burda is only giving me a limited taste than I am only able to give you a limited taste.  C'est la vie.

If you want to see the (extremely limited) previews offered so far you can check them out here:

German Burda Garment Photos

German Burda Line Drawings

Russian Burda Model Pictures and Garment Photos

Oh, and in other news German Burda informs me that Pantone has announced the Spring 2013 color palate.  Not that I really much care or follow these things, but you know, colors!  Actually I sort of really like these colors together...

Anyway, I still plan to do a full Burda preview/review for the month depending on when I get to see the whole thing.  In the mean time I guess I shall just natter on about the evil that are button front shirts, pondering if I have narrow shoulders, and the fact that I might get to wear my raincoat today!  Fall is officially here and the mojo has been kicked up a notch or two (or five).  Which is good for sewing, not so good for actual work.  Oh well.  With luck I will soon have pants, and a discussion on several muslins, and other things to talk about.  Oh, and I have started working on a skating dress tutorial for you guys.  I want to make sure it gets all written up before I post anything, but things, they are a happening!

Waving the White Flag

Ok, McCall's 6035, you win.  After 8 months, 4 muslins, and 1 break down, I give up.  You win.  I wave the white flag.  I sadly thought that good reviews and cup sizing would be enough to bring you to my side.  It was not.

Ok, you win.  This time around, anyway.

So in favor of actually reaching my goals set fourth in my sewing challenge, I have decided to make a pattern switch.  After much debating and more than a little bit of time considering my pattern stash, I have finally decided to go with BWOF-07-2007-106A:

My latest pattern obsession.

Visually, the front is very similar to the McCall's pattern, but the back is a bit different (McCall's used princess seams on front and back, BWOF uses princess seams on the front and back, but also has a back yolk in the shoulder area).  I am going to hope that my track record with Burda is going to work out to a more useable pattern.  And then from there perhaps I can go back and make changes to the McCall's pattern of doom.  Or, you know, not.  I like the back of the McCall's pattern a bit better, but at this point I just want a shirt that fits.  Though if this one goes poorly I am tempted to just throw the whole project out the window and make coats the rest of the year.  Because apparently that is how I feel it is best appropriate to throw and tantrum in this situation.  Or something.  Anyway, the shirt project of doom continues!

Sewing Update Part 2 and a Rant

*Sigh*  Ok, so I am still working to perfect my McCall's top pattern.  After my latest round of alterations I have the following thoughts and things to deal with:

* The bust area is fabulous.

* The sleeves are a good fit, but there is far too much ease at the sleeve cap after I raised the bust by about an inch.  Raising the bust = taking length out of the sleeve seam = needing to reduce the sleeve cap height/size/length (however you want to think about it).  I thought I had taken enough out of the sleeve.  Nope.  I will need to fix this.

* I was overzealous in removing excess fabric around the waist area.  Far too much.  So much that I now have a 1.5" gap in the front of the shirt over my belly.  *Sigh*  I am lacking motivation to even finish this version of the shirt...  Though I suppose I could make it with just one button at the bust and wear it over a tank top mostly open.  Or, you know, not.

* I am getting frustrated with this pattern... But I am also going to conquer it dang it!  I am close... And I will make it work.

* Also, note to self:  In the future, when in doubt, go with Burda.  Fit alterations always result in less hair-ripping-out-ness when I use Burda.

So, I am a bit frustrated   But, with luck I can get an appropriately colored zipper and make myself some fabulous pants this weekend.  Maybe that will make it better?

So, that's what is up with the sewing.  Now, for a rant.

So I know Kwik Sew patterns aren't necessarily on the top of everyone's favorite pattern companies list. They definitely aren't as trendy or stylish as Vogue or Burda.  In fact, I find most of their patterns for every day wear rather boring and uninspiring.  However (and this is a BIG however), I think they are far and away the leader in terms of patterns for lingerie, activewear, and swimsuits.  I mean, yes, Jalie certainly is up there as well.  But I have to say that I have been able to use Kwik Sew leotard patterns for several people with very different body types and, following the sizing directions in the instructions, have been able to get a perfect fit on the first try every time.  So, right now for me Kwik Sew is sort of winning.

Which is why I am so dismayed at the latest KwikSew pattern collection.  I mean honestly, what is all of this crap?  It is terrible.  Now it isn't that I expect new athletic wear patterns in every release, or even patterns that I want necessarily.  But this doesn't even look like they are making an effort.  There are barely any women's wear patterns at all, and none with any sort of a fit.  The last release wasn't all that great either, but this one is far worse.  McCall's already reduced the quality of the pattern paper at their take-over, but now I feel like they are ruining the quality and directionality of the patterns offered by the brand as well.  I worry for the future of the Kwik Sew brand.  If it keeps heading in this direction I expect it will end up as nothing more than the McCall company's brand name for craft patterns.  It is sad as their draft was good and their instructions are excellent.  But I don't know how much longer there is a chance of that lasting.

Perhaps I am a bit too sentimental since Kwik Sew really were my first sewing patterns (my ultimate TNT - my skating costume pattern - is a Kwik Sew), and I feel like I learned to sewing by using their patterns and instructions.  Maybe it is time for me to move on.  Maybe I should just be glad that Burda and my early experiences with cutting out patterns that ended up OOP during a time when I was going through a lot of weight loss taught me the importance of tracing patterns.  But still, I can't help but feel a bit betrayed, a little sad, and a little angry.

I am worried that they will start phasing out the great active wear patterns that they do have, and I can't see them introducing any new ones at the rate they are going.  So I am going to do what I seem to do so well... Stash like there is no tomorrow.  Because, for my beloved Kwik Sew, there might not be.

Sewing Updates - Shirts and Pants in Progress

Ok, though it maybe doesn't look like I have been doing much sewing, I actually have been playing around with muslins for my next two projects - my button down shirt and my Patrones pleated pants.  I didn't have time to take any pictures (well, ok, I decided not to because my muslin fabric was super thin and I didn't feel the need expose my underwear to everyone on the internet), but I thought I should give a quick update nonetheless.

McCall's 6035

M6035

It is a bit sad to say, but I haven't really worked on this project since March.  I don't think it qualifies as UFO territory, since I always planned to come back to it, but it is definitely longer than I like to go between starting a project and finishing it.  Anyway, I took the advice of my readers and did a muslin of just the bodice.  It was a much better fit!  I had raised the bust point by about an inch and now the upper part of the bodice is very comfortable.  I will have to take in the front and back seams below the bust and on the lower back, and possibly adjust the length of the bottom of the shirt.  But, overall the fit is looking much better.  I am going to attempt a "wearable muslin" with sleeves in some cheap green fabric I got from a Joann's sale last year.  If it works out great, I have a shirt, and if not I will have a bit more effort to go through with pattern adjustments.  This is turing out to be quite the process, but I am hopeful that the finished shirt I want to make is in sight though.

Patrones Extra 10-40

Pants!

I also worked on a muslin for these Patrones pants.  I attempted to translate the instructions (with my rudimentary Spanish skills and a little help from google) but they seem fairly useless.  So I sort of winged it, with plans to get some help from Pants for Real People and the internet when it comes time for actual construction.

As far as fit goes - OMG WOW because it was a really really good fit, straight up.  I traced a 48, but graded the waist to a 46 and the fit was really really good.  I have to take out the tiniest wedge in the center back, and I have added two inches to the length of the legs already, but other than that the fit was really amazingly good.  It bodes well for future Patrones pants, for sure.  I will say that the pleated fronts are maybe a bit poofy on me, but I think if I stitch down the top of the pleat (it looks like they did that in the photograph too) maybe I will get a slightly sleeker look.  Using lining fabric for the pocket bags will probably help to make things less bulky also.  And, I have to admit that I was a bit lax in pressing my muslin - I am sure a bit of steam won't hurt things either, when it comes time for the final product.  I don't think this will be the ultimate pattern as far as my quest for the perfect TNT pants goes, but I do think that it is worth experimenting with different styles and colors to add a bit of variety to my wardrobe.

I think I will need to be a bit more careful about making the pockets so they don't bunch and gap (I need to read through the instructions in Pants for Real People).  I don't think I made the waistband exactly right either, but I also don't know if I really care?  I am going to make a few changes and it should work out ok in the end as far as I can tell.  I am also thinking I might leave off the belt loop tabs.  If the fit is as good as I think it is, then I won't really need a belt.  And since there is some fun details with the waistband closure, I won't really want to cover them up with a belt anyway.

Other than the lack of useable instructions I have to say I am really liking this pattern so far.  Of course, the fact that I have made pants before is definitely a help, but I am still going to be looking up instructions for fly insertion and double checking my pocket construction.  With any luck I should be able to work on these more this week... though the fact that it is in the freaking 100s has totally zapped my mojo.  It is too hot to function.  I have been napping instead of cutting fabric.  I want to make pants... I just don't want to bother with cutting everything out.  Sigh.  And with the world roller skating championships going on I might be very distracted (if I can get the video feed to stop lagging...).  Maybe I can start tracing out patterns for my next projects during the warm ups?  At least then I don't have to worry about being distracted while using sharp and pointy objects.

Upcoming Projects

Ok, so I am planning on doing a skating costume tutorial, but I want to finish my other two projects first.  While I am doing that (because, really, writing the posts will probably take longer than actually making the skating costumes) I am going to get started on my coats and jackets for fall/winter.  Originally, I had planned to go after my teal blazer first...

BS-07-2011-119

But I think right now I am leaning more towards a certain wool jacket project instead:

Butterick 5685

I looked at the blazer pattern pieces I was going to need to trace and my brain said "No bloody way!  It is too freaking hot to think about that."  The Butterick pattern, though it has as many or more pieces, is much easier to trace off.  And it has cup sizes.  So right now it wins.  I am planing on making view A, the shortest version.  Mainly due to fabric restrictions.  Possibly also because I think it is probably more useful where I am to have a short mid-weight fall/winter jacket.  But also, fabric restrictions.  I have been looking at Pattern Review, and all of the finished versions look great.  Even though everyone points out that the instructions are totally wackadoo.  Which they are.  Most non-sensical coat construction of all time.  But that is ok, I have made so many coats by this point I think I can largely ignore them.  After that hopefully it will be cool enough for me to feel like tackling the blazer pattern.  I hope.

Finally, after these I am hoping I will have enough time at the end of the year to tackle my trench coat project:

BWOF-09-2006-103

But if not then I will just have to rearrange some of my sewing plans for next year to make room for it.  Because I adore this pattern and I have plans for it.  Big plans.  As in multiple fabrics stashed to be used with this pattern plans.  So, it is going to happen.  Just not right away.

So in conclusion: I have a lot of sewing plans.  But I am lacking actual sewing motivation.  I blame the weather - as soon as it dipped to the 80s I was feeling it, but now that it feels hotter than most of summer, eh...  I don't want to do anything until 11pm after it cools off... but by then I am tired and ready for bed.  I also feel like I am struggling along with the projects that won't end!  I have been toying with the top (and thinking about those pants) for MONTHS.  You would think that would kick the mojo up, but it doesn't.  I feel like I can't move on until they are finished, but I am totally lacking motivation to make that happen.  I think I just need to power through them and get it done.  At least, I hope that will get the mojo flowing.  Because having sewing plans but not actually wanting to sew is not fun.  Fall, where are you?