BWOF 10-2008-114 Silk Jersey Knit top

This is a much-reviewed and widely loved pattern from the October 2008 Burda World of Fashion Magazine. I was really excited to work with this lovely silk jersey knit that I found in the silk bargain bin at G Street Fabrics in Rockville, MD. Viva la Bargain Bin!

For full details, see my PatternReview.com review, for now. More here when I get a chance.

My delicious fabric... that came in a tube. D'oh!


I needed one piece on a different fold... there was nothing for it but to cut the tube.


On the advice of other PR reviewers, I left off the seam allowance on the underbust seam to compensate for my short waistedness. I also narrowed the underarm bat wing a little bit. I also left off the seam allowances on the side seams. In the end, I probably could have used them. I blended down to a 1/4" seam at the sides.


And... I'm quite happy with the finished product.

BWOF 11-2008-111 Red Wool Dress -- In progress

This dress is part of my PR Endless Combinations Contest entry. After I cut this pattern out, I realized that I have cut 1 or 2 sizes larger than I needed; however, that was before I realized that BWOF do not include seam allowances. In the end, at all worked out for the best. This was not a petite pattern, but my series of happy accidents generated a muslin that needed only minor adjustments. I'm keep this trick in my hip pocket for petite-ing BWOF patterns in the future.

TIP! Making standard BWOF patterns petite
1) cut one size larger than your measurements indicate
2) do not add seam allowances
3) sew your muslin as if you had already added the seam allowances
4) adjust your muslin as necessary. You still can't skip the muslin step, but this should leave you with only minor changes in stead of more serious redrafts.

muslin front


muslin back


Pattern Adjustments I altered the armseye slightly and raised the front waist a tiny bit


In progres...

Endless Combinations Wardrobe Contest at PR

In order to get myself sewing again, I have decided to join PatternReview's Endless Combinations Wardrobe Contest. I'd like to have some more clothes to teach in and I really, really like to get back to sewing.

Here is my proposal:


UPDATE 12/31
Both skirt and dress have been completed. Both were Christmas successes.

UPDATE 11/13
I traced off the BWOF patterns (Shirt 122 & Dress 111). I think I traced off the dress 2 sizes too big, but I will be making a muslin, so we'll see if I will need to trace it again.

UPDATE 11/21
Last night I adjusted the BWOF shirt pattern.

UPDATE 12/6
made muslin of the skirt (NL 6163). I used the pants sloper that I recently drafted in a class at G Street Fabrics. My pants sloper calls for two small darts in the front and no darts in the back (just a slightly shaped center back seam). That pattern has two small darts in the back and a flat front. I determined that I would probably get a pretty good fit if I just switched the front and back pieces. I then used my sloper again to determine that I needed to cut at size 16 front and a size 10 back. It worked like a charm! ::pictures to come::

UPDATE 12/8
I've completed the NL6163 skirt. I used a 100% cashmere wool and lined it with silk charmeuse that I had left over in my stash from a previous project. they both went together beautifully. ::pictures coming soon::

UPDATE 12/8
I made a muslin of the red dress (BWOF 11-2008-111). he muslin fit ridiculously well. I added 1/2" to the upper side seam for a FBA. I raised the arm hole slightly. I also shorted the front bodice by about 3/8". I also realized that I can move the zipper to the side seam, making this much easier to get in and out of.

I adjusted the pattern and cut out the wool crepe. Mid-way through the cutting process, I realized that I wanted to underline this fabric with some lining fabric rather than figure out how to draft a lining pattern. After I had the wool cut, I cut the pattern out of a silk bled that has been in my stash for ages and ages.

It went together like a dream. Now it's just waiting for me to get an invisible zipper, finish the arm holes, add facings, and finish the seams. That sounds like a lot, but I should be able to finished all that in another night of sewing.