My aquarelle spring-time blouse

I actually made this blouse around Christmas time. I love this fabric. It reminds me of aquarelle = watercolour technique. I love bold colours.

I bought it online in Driessen Stoffen https://driessenstoffen.nl/de/ . It's a 100% viscose. It cost me 7.90 EUR for 2 m of fabric (so 3.95 EUR for 1 m of fabric).

It is a very busy pattern so I wanted to make something between a dress - a tunic and a shirt. So I made this pattern from Burda 1/ 2008; mod. 125, size 40.

I have mixed feelings about it. The frill/ ruffle stands a bit weirdly. I'm not sure if it fits my body nicely because it is not a dress (it's too short for a dress) but it's too long for a shirt/ blouse.

I took the sleeves from this blouse Burda 10/ 2023, mod. 101, size 40.

I always prefer a stand-up collar because I just don't like standard shirt collars. And I think that there is less work for this kind of collar.

I was scared of buttonholes as usual. But my machine Elna excellence 680 is quite good. I used just four buttons (2 white, 2 yellow) because it was difficult to find any at home. 

Well, I tried something new. I love viscose fabric but I hate ironing.

The ruffle is a bit weird in my opinion: at some places it stands up, then it almost falls down. I tried ironing it up, then down, then up again. I can't decide and it looks like it can't decide how to stand either. I might just sew another row of stitches around the existing one - to keep the frill up. 

I like trying out different Burda patterns - I think I have around 500 burda magazines - I don't dare to count them. I have (almost) all from 1992 up to now. And a couple of them from earlier years. I have also some special Burda editions and some Diana Moden and Nahtrends. Oh, and some La Mia Boutique Magazines (Italian). It's fun to go back in time. The magazines were different in the past than they are now. 

Some pictures of the process:

Ecru ribbed square-neckline back-frill shirt

I have just made this shirt, to be precise it's 90 % done. I still have to finish some things but I have decided to wear it to work anyway. I teach at school, I hope nobody scrutinizes my look. I think that people who don't sew have no idea if something is not completed or done on purpose.

I wanted to make this shirt from Burda 12/ 2024 because it looks like a nice, useful and special top to  wear with my black or grey jeans. 

The pattern is fine but it's very typical for burda. The back is TOOOO wide. The neckline is nice but it's a bit WIDE in the front as well. I made size 38 and it's TOO big for me. I usually wear size 40. I have been exercising a lot with weights recently so this might be the reason. My weight on the scale hasn't changed but I think that my waist is smaller. Hmm, interesting. Or maybe it is the pattern - I'm just not sure what the problem is.

Anyway I made this pattern no. 118, size 38 from Burda 12/ 2024.

I have doubled the front (no facing, but made with 2 front pieces so that you can't see my bra), shortened the sleeves to my elbows because that's how I like them (so I've shortened them for 20 cm). I have shortened the top for 6 cm (from 64 to 58 cm). I'm a short person - 164 cm short.

The back was too wide and it stuck out horribly, the front is also gaping a little bit. But because I have fixed the back it's not so obvious. I have noticed the problems only after I have done the front and back facing SOOO *#&bloody hell%*. I took in the sides for 2 cm and I made a cut in the middle of the back (I unpicked the facing and cut through the back piece and the back facing. Then I sewed 2 cm on the top of the back (on both sides - so that's 4 cm together) and 1.5 towards the bottom of the back, and just 1 cm near the bottom of the back piece. I did the same with the  back facing (took in for 2 cm on both sides). And voila! - I got a great fitting piece (otherwise it would look horrible).

And since I was improvising I just continued. I made a frill out of two soft-tull pieces (one gentle grey and one gentle pink). I think it looks OK. Maybe it's my signature style because it's my third garment with a frill going down the back.

Like I said: it's 90 % finished - I have to hem the bottom hem and do a decorative seam around the neckline with my (great-but-difficult) coverstitch machine Brother CV 3550. I have ordered pink metallic thread and I'm waiting for that to arrive and then I'll finish it.

The material was bought here DRIESSEN STOFFEN https://driessenstoffen.nl/en/ . It cost me 6.95 EUR a meter, I got 1.5 m = 10.43 EUR (rib jersey ecru, cotton & elastane), I have noticed just now that the width is only 120 cm. Maybe I should cut smaller pattern because ribbed jersey stretches a lot !? Hmm??

Not bad. It's a pattern that needs adjusting - the back, the front, then sleeves for me. The neckline is a bit special because I have to push my bra straps towards my shoulders not to show them. It's a useful basic piece for trousers - especially black & white combination. I will show you my pink metallic thread when I get it.

Autumn-winter sweater cowboy dress

I have had this sweater dress half done for a couple of years now. It's been lying around in my boxes/ bags of undone, unloved things and materials.The pattern was taken from Burda style 1/ 2014. So, you can imagine, since then, I guess.

I have lost some weight recently - about 4 kilos. (I started teaching again, I only work part-time - 60 %.) So I said to myself - let's do it. It's winter time and baggy things look good on thin people. Let's finish it.

Here are my BEFORE pictures. The sweater looked really sad. I just had to make it happier.

So here are my AFTER pictures.

And the original from the magazine: 

It's the pattern no. 123, size 38, from Burda 1 /2014.

I decided to change the sleeves. I shortened them because I like to pull my sleeves up to my elbows even in winter time. Then I wanted to add some specific black fabric at the bottom of the sweater dress but, of course, I couldn't find it in my huge stash of fabric so instead I got this idea to add a fringe trim at the bottom, for the first time in my life. I just had to try it. I like it. The movement of the fringe is great when I'm walking around. Because of that addition my eldest daughter calls it ˝the cowboy dress˝.

Then I had to define my waist - If you have it, show it - is my mantra. Instead of making a belt at the back I just sewed 2 snap buttons on. It looks good from the front. But what about from the back? I hope it's not looking too weird. But I can't help it now, I wear it to work regularly.

The neckline is not finished yet. But I'll do it, soon. (I don't think any of my colleagues noticed that, only those people who are going to read this are going to know it.)

Some more pictures of the process: