Tag Archives: Burda

Sewing seconds or more…

If you read this blog regularly you know that I ask myself every time when I finish a garment: “Will I sew some more of this pattern?” Often I do but I never showed them to you. So now with December being the traditional month of overviews, I checked my sewing archives and found several second sewings (or even more…).

So, here are some of them.

The Moneta dress from Colette patterns

Moneta Dress

I sewed my first Moneta dress for the Moneta party in February 2017 and the urge to sew another has always been there. Then, when I was sewing my Beryl Bomber dress I put the leftover fabric on Lola, my dress form, who was already wearing my Wren dress. It was then that I noticed that the two fabrics worked together. Luckily, I had enough leftovers from both fabrics to cut out a new Moneta dress with 3/4 sleeves.
I made no alterations to the pattern and the sewing went super smooth. In hindsight, I should have made the bodice a little wider because this fabric has not the same level of stretch like the one of my first Moneta. It’s a little on the snug side but I’ll leave it this way.
I did not use clear elastic—I hate sewing with clear elastic—for the gathering of the skirt but a small, regular white elastic which I had in my stash. It worked out perfect.
One small sewing secret: I didn’t hem the sleeves and the skirt. I wore the dress already several times and the fabric doesn’t fray at all. So I am just going to leave it this way!

 

The Ali Sweatshirt from Sew DIY

Ali Sweater DIY

When I finished my Ali Sweatshirt,  E., my daughter-in-law, was very enthusiastic about the pattern. So it wasn’t hard to find something to sew for her birthday! I used two brushed sweater fabrics from Chat Chocolat: Mackerels for the bodice and Mackerels- the essential for the yoke, sleeve and cuffs.
The birthday gift was a huge success. She likes the sweater a lot and that makes me very happy!

Ali Sweatshirt DIY

The Kingfisher top

Kingfisher Top Sewing Revival

When I finished my Kingfisher Top I knew without a doubt that I would sew more very soon! I proved to be right.
Here again, two things came together. My other daughter-in-law’s birthday was nearing and there was a sale of Lotte Martens handprinted fabric in my neighbourhood. I love Lotte Martens handprinted fabric. I used one of her panels for my plisé skirt last year.
When I saw this panel with the copper birds I knew immediately that it would be perfect for a top for L. There was only a minor problem: the panel was 60 cm by 150 cm.
To make it work, I divided the sleeve in two and cut them on the bias. As you can see in the photo I only have some small pieces of the fabric left.Kingfisher Top Sewing Revival

Just like with the first Kingfisher top the sewing was a walk in the park. For the binding of the neck and the sleeve cuffs, I used some peanuts brown rib I had in my stash.
This birthday gift was also a huge success. And seeing somebody being very happy with something I sewed makes me (again) very happy.

Kingfisher Top Sewing Revival

 

The Burda Turtleneck Top

Burda Turtleneck Top

I loved my Burda Turtleneck Top so much that I immediately sewed another one the same week. I had this soft jersey in my stash for about 3 years so it was about time to use it. Again this pattern proved to be very easy to sew. One of the joys of sewing a pattern for the second time is that you already know all the tricks.
I am so enthusiastic about this pattern that I have cut out the third one. Alas, this is one of my WIP’s. I cut it out in April but I have to tackle it soon. Like I said: ‘It’s an easy sew. Just a few hours work!’
Burda Turtleneck Top

 

And you? Do you have sewing seconds??

 

 

Burda Turtleneck Top

Saturday 17 March I woke up to snow and a weather forecast that predicted it was going to be the coldest 17 March since 1909. I wanted to crawl back into my bed and snuggle under the covers for the day. Then I saw that Hila from Saturdaynightstitch posted some photos from a Burda Turtleneck Top and I immediately wanted to sew one for myself. Especially after I read that it was the easiest BurdaStyle pattern there was according to Hila, whom I consider to be a Burda pattern specialist.

Burda Turtleneck Top

The Burda Turtleneck Top pattern

The Burda Turtleneck Top comes from the 2010/09 issue. I found and ordered the pdf-pattern at the BurdaStyle website. Luckily it has only 21 pages to print because there is no A0 format. Even so, I wasn’t going to brave the cold to go out to the print shop and print this pattern.
The pattern only has 3 pieces: front, back, and sleeve. The coolest feature of this top is that the turtleneck is not a separate pattern piece. It is designed with a smooth line on the front and back piece.

Burda Turtleneck Top 09/2010 #121B

Based on the measurements on the size chart, I cut out a 44 and widened the pattern on the waistline with 1 cm. I also lengthened the bodice with 4 cm. This top comes already with extra long sleeves so I didn’t lengthen them.

Burda Turtleneck Top
I love the turtleneck and the long sleeves.

 

The fabric

I had this gorgeous rust-gray melange knit in my stash that was perfect for this top. It’s a 95 % organic cotton, 5 % spandex jersey from Lillestoff, that I bought online at Bellelien last January. The fabric has a nice two-way stretch which is essential for a turtleneck. For once the fabric gods were with me because the amount I had was big enough for this top.

Burda Turtleneck Top

The sewing process

Could this Turtleneck Top be the easiest to sew Burda pattern? I guess it could. At least, I found it an easy sew.
As is characteristic for Burda patterns the instructions were brief and without illustrations. For this pattern, this was not even a downside. I sewed all the seams on the overlocker. After easing I basted the sleeves on the sewing machine with a stitch length 5. This makes it easy to sew them with the overlocker with a minimal risk for unwanted tucks. Finally, I hemmed the top and the sleeves with a twin-needle.

Burda Turtleneck Top

Conclusion

I am ‘sew’ happy with this Burda Turtleneck Top. It’s a type of garment that I wanted to sew for ages. I am particularly in love with the design of the turtleneck and the long sleeves. I’ve worn it all the time since I finished it. It’s perfect for layering now with this extreme cold. But I guess it will be also an ideal wear for the in-between seasons.
Will I sew some more of these tops? I definitely will. It’s a great wardrobe staple.
So thank you Hila to bring my attention to this pattern.

The Burda Turtleneck Top perfectly layered with the Jennifer Lauren Juniper Cardigan.