August 2011 Burda style magazine picks

Yesterday I received my last issue of Burda style magazine.  I have to say, I will miss seeing this sewing magazine come in the mail, but not for the reasons you think.  I will miss it because I LOVE getting stuff in the mail!  Are any of you like that?  You just can't wait to see what goodies you have waiting for you in your mailbox?

Well my overall assessment for the August Burda issue is that it is filled with some goodies, and some not so goodies.  But, judging from the hit-and-miss content from my last two Burda issues, I wasn't surprised by this fact.  I will say that this was a nice issue for jackets, though.  At least I thought so!

I really like skirt 121!  The gathered panel in the front of the skirt is wonderful!  Isn't that where your skirt wrinkles sometimes anyway?  Another bonus of this pattern is that it is rated easy, and while I don't prefer gathers, I could get past my annoyance and give this skirt a chance.

The accompanying 117 B free-flowing jacket she is wearing is also nice.  It reminds me of a dresed up cardigan that can go well with many items, and add that element of being "put together."

There is another variation of that jacket shown here as 117 A:

I can't put my finger on what they actually changed about the jacket to make it 117A and not 117B again, as the technical drawings look exactly the same.  The styling on this one is of course different, and much more casual, but both jackets have raglan sleeves and free-flowing lines that go to hip length.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a great magazine for jackets for me.  There are a couple in here that I really, really like.  The first is this one:

I am so very tempted to change out my the trench coat in my Tim Gunn Sew Along to this beautiful frock coat (Coat 103)!  I think the right color and choice of buttons can really make this coat sing!

This casual chic jacket looks like a cropped version of Jacket 103.  It is a fitted jacket (101) with a standing collar and multiple buttons.  This would be a nice jacket to transition into those cold winter months.

My last favorite was the trench jacket 124A:

I love the playfulness of this coat.  It is a trench coat with a much more flowy design.  Actually, it seems to be a marriage of a trench coat and a jacket, as it is appropriately named a trench jacket in the issue.  I even like the odd placement of the buttons and the adorned belt.  

And for the plus sizes, there was one design in particular that caught my eye:

This is a nice cross between a vest and a jacket, with a tie at the waist.

In conclusion, I did find another outfit to stash away for sewing for my little man when school starts for him again.  It is an adorable ensemble of Shirt 145 and Pants 146:

As a matter of fact, I will be attempting those Burda Bermuda shorts for my little man quite soon.  He is in desperate need of shorts before the summer is over, and I would like to try out the fit on the ones from the July issue.

To change the subject a bit, my bestie had her son in the wee hours of this morning, so I spent last evening with her while she was in labor.  In the end I came home tired-eyed and exhausted, but deliriously happy at the prospect of being able to witness the entrance of a new life into this world!  I am awed and honored to have been there for this wondrous occasion.  He has the sweetest face and is so adorable to boot!!!  Needless to say, I did not get to sew yesterday or tonight because I will be turning in here shortly.  But...there will be more goodies to share shortly!

Thanks for stopping by everyone.  I hope you enjoyed my Burda picks, and if you want to check out the entire line, check out the Russian site here.

And to Burda magazine:  I bid you a fond farewell, for now.  I know we will meet again from time to time, but until those days when you come out with more fabulous styles, I bid you adieu!

Stay sew-filled!

New Look 6034 Top

Hello all!  My New Look 6034 top is all done!  Remember WAYY back when I posted this lovely sketch of my plans for sewing this top up:

It is only 1/2 of my "Sweatsuit Alternative" outfit I am making for the Tim Gunn Sew Along, and I did get side-tracked for a few months, but I am back on track.  Here it is hanging in my sewing room (closet):

It looks much like the front of the pattern envelope with the exception of the pockets, which I left off.

The fabric I used is a striped jersey knit, that I believe was a polyester blend.  Anyhow, the feel of this fabric is very smooth, with a slight sheen to it.  The contrasting solid red fabric was also a jersey knit, though a cotton/lycra blend.  The polyester fabric was more slippery, so it was a little difficult to work with, but not anything too challenging.  

They should call this pattern "fun with facings" because the armhole bands and neckline bands were all made by adding a facing.  The upside to this was I began to know what to expect early on, but the downside was how much time I spent on this garment.

I must say some of that time spent was my fault, though.  It seems when you do not sew often, you tend to forget the most basic of information!  I thought I would be fine not marking the right and wrong sides of the fabric, until I sewed the right and wrong sides of the armhole band together!  I was frustrated, and instead of removing the stitching, I trimmed the seam off and sewed it the right way.  So, my armhole bands are actually a little smaller in width that they are supposed to be, but it turned out to be a feature I like!

I would definitely say this shirt is in the "easy" category.  You can expect to do lots of facing work as I stated earlier, some gathering on the front and back neckline, understitching, topstitching and hemming.  I used my stretch stitch the majority of the time because I have misplaced my twin needles (which I LOVE, and need to buy more), and I finished most of the raw edges with my serger.

Hemming using my machine's stretch stich

All in all, this shirt was worth my time.  The end result is very nice!

This top is perfect for all things summer!  I love the bright colors, the airiness, the length that goes perfect with leggings, and the pure comfort of it!  With all the time it took me to make this one top, I could have had three or four different ones like it already!

The only teeny change I would make if I sew another one of these tops, is to add about a 1/2 inch to the length. Right now the top hits me right at my hips, but another 1/2 inch would be great.  It's not something to gripe about at all, just a consideration for the future.  As far as the back goes, I really must learn how to adjust patterns for my full sized booty!

Does anyone know if an SBA would work?  Just sayin'!  It looks like I have a little shelf for fabric back there = ).

Oh yeah, I guess I should tell you that I sewed a size 12 according to the finished measurements, but the ease in this top was too much for my liking.  I wanted a more form-fitting silhouette so I ended up tweaking the fit as I went and taking out close to an inch on both sides!  If not, I would have been in muu-muu city, and that is not where I wanted to end up.  I can't remember what I did for the neckline/armholes, but I had to take a good take a approximately 1/2" off at the seams in order for everything to fit and not gape.

Well, that concludes NL6034 top.  I am now working on the stretch denim jeggings, but I hope they do not take nearly as much time as the top.  I am using the black pictured leggings as a reference, as I remember from Kyle that these run big as well.

Since it wouldn't be proper for me to end this post with a shot of my rear end, I leave you with one more pic, and a thank you to my hubby for his patience (a camera with a tripod is in the near future)...

Enjoy your weekend, and Stay sew-filled!

Could it be?

Yes, I am sewing again!  I have been working on this little lovely for quite a while now...

It is still not finished, but will be finished soon.  I will probably post a picture of the top when it is done, and then another picture of the coordinating leggings once they are finished.  This project has been one I wanted to give up on many times, but I am glad I didn't because it is starting to come together now.

I'll give you more details soon...

Stay sew-filled!

Another Cake Creation

Hello everyone!

I am still doing everything but sewing.  Though for right now, I love it!  My husband's family (now my own family) visited us last week and we all had a blast!  We went to the arcades, shopped a little, had a BBQ, swam at the pool, and celebrated the birthday of my nephew Savon.

He turned 7, and is an especially creative little one.  He likes music and Superman.  He prefers playing the drums, but he also likes talking on microphones, and playing guitar.  So, since I made my first cake for my little princess' birthday in May, I volunteered to make Savon's cake as well.

His mom and I decided on a guitar since I couldn't find a Superman cake tin anywhere.  Here is a pic of the color scheme:

Let me tell you...I literally decorated this cake in one hour because I was hurrying to get it done so we could all go to the pool!  I say this because it is not a good idea to hurry cake decorating, because you need a steady hand.  But it all worked out!  Though I was in a hurry, I somehow entered this peaceful place while decorating, and here is how the cake turned out:

I followed the same method I used for my daughter's cake, and piped in the frosting instead of using starbursts.  I think it makes the image look more continuous.

Anyhow, the birthday boy loved his cake!

You can always tell someone loves a cake creation when they don't want to cut it.  Well, we finally did cut it, but his mom made sure to get lots of pics beforehand!  

Stay sew-filled!

July Burda issue

Guess what came in the mail, on my birthday?  The new July Burda issue!  I wasn't sure whether or not to be excited or disappointed, but I was already having such a great day at that point that it didn't matter.

It turns out that there are a lot of nice styles in this issue.  I can't say that they are all my style, but I know I will probably never like everything in one issue, so I am pleased.

Here are a few that stuck out to me:

Top 114

I really like Top 114!  The wrap across the front is so pretty, and the length is lovely!  I think it would be long enough to wear with a pair of leggings, jeggings, or skinny jeans, and would be a cute comfy casual outfit.  My only change would be to have a contrasting color shell for the top instead of this monochromatic look.

This is Dress 122 A.  I like it for a lot of the same reasons as Top 113 (simple style, conducive to leggings with a length adjustment).  The cut to the navel is an interesting feature as well.  

Dress 123 is a romantic one.  It is a mixture of satin and lace, and it is very pretty and feminine.  In fact, this dress reminds me of my friend.  She really likes to wear romance-style dresses, and looks quite good in them.  For me, it is usually hit or miss.  But I do love trying dresses on!

 

This particular top looks so chic to me!  As you can see, I am a fan of easy dressing, and the black makes this top look so sophisticated with the pants.  I'm not sure if you could pull off the same look in another color.  This is from Burda's Simply Black collection in the magazine, and (you guessed it) all of the garments are done in black!

Here is another standout from that collection:

I looked and this and said "WOW!"  It is a linen dress with inserted side sections done in satin.  I love the play on textures with this LBD. It is Dress 110, by the way.

Speaking of LBDs, here is another really great one! It is a sheath dress with a low neckline and cap sleeve.  Adorable!  You can also sew a capelet to go with it, but I love the dress without it!

So there you have it!  There are a few I left out so this post wouldn't be too long, but it was mostly some cute beachwear items.  You can view those if you want to here (105 and 106 are my favorites).  There was also some adorable clothing for little girls that are so delightful!  I'm not sure where the ages for sizing starts on these, but I will be saving this when my little princess gets older.  Check out the little girls' outfits here (141,143, 146, and 148 are all my faves).

I still have one more Burda magazine coming before my three month subscription runs out.  Sadly I will have to be deciding whether or not to renew here shortly.  I am leaning toward not renewing, and just ordering the single issues that strike my fancy.  That way I can know what to expect.  We'll see...

Have a great weekend everyone, and thank you to everyone who left such nice comments about my giveaway that never was : ).  You are all still awesome, and I'll try another giveaway sometime soon!

Stay sew-filled!!