Thursday, April 10, 2014

Burda 09-2013-105, Split/Wrap Front Skirt

Burda 09-2013-105 Thumbnail

After a long stretch of unappealing, Burda finally started getting interesting again late last year.  Burda 09-2013-105 was one of the patterns that went on my list as soon as the magazine arrived.  It has a pencil skirt silhouette, but the front wrap/split means that it's fairly bikeable.  Perfect!

I shortened the skirt three inches before cutting and still had a generous hem allowance for a skirt longer than I usually wear.  This would have been mid-calf had I not shortened it.  Because the shapes of the front openings is the major part of the design here, for my short legs the skirt needed to be at full knee length so the graceful arcs would have their full space to be graceful.  When I pinned it at a shorter length it lost a bit of its sophistication.

Basted Underlining

I love wool crepe for office clothes.  The only downside is that it wrinkles almost as much as linen.  To attempt to keep the wrinkling slightly under control, I underlined it with silk organza.  I stitched the silk organza as one with the fashion fabric at the darts and the seams.  To keep the organza in place I hand-basted it 1/2 inch in from the seam allowances.  Yes, I hand basted.  You can also see where I hand stitched the facings to the organza.

I was afraid that with four layers of fabric at the front waist and belly (two wool and two organza) it would be bulky and add unwanted depth to the gastric region, but it actually sits surprisingly flat.

Slit Facings

When cutting the facings for the skirt front opening edges, be sure to cut them wrong side of the fabric up.  Mirror images always trip me up.  I first cut them right side up, as I had the skirt fronts, and was then surprised when they wouldn't match up with the fronts.  I made a huge note on the pattern pieces to remind me for next time.

The pattern is not drafted with a lining.  Another downside of wool crepe is that it is surprisingly sheer, even when the fabric is relatively thick.  Wearing a regular half slip to deal with the problem was out because of the shape of the front slit so I lined it with a satin rayon.  I bought 3 colors of satin rayon when Fabric.com had them on sale in September 2010 for $2.97/yd.  This was the last of the hot pink and I am sad to see it end.  I've looked for satin rayon for linings since then and never found any as nice at a reasonable price.  I should have bought their entire stock.

Lining Cutting Layout

To cut the front lining I used the pattern piece for the right front, which has center front conveniently marked.  I placed the CF marking on the fold and cut.  The darts on this are fairly wide set and really do sit well over my abdomen.  Normally I get some puffing but it is not noticeable here.  I might give this pattern a try as a plain pencil skirt, cutting using the same method as for the lining.

Lining Cut Out for Slit






To keep the lining from showing through at the front slit, I did not come up with an elegant solution.  I didn't want to use the skirt pieces as drafted and have SIX layers (two wool, two organza, two lining) in the front.  That just seemed like too much.  I just cut a big ol' upside-down U shape out of it and did a serger rolled hem on the edge.  If I make this again, I will likely just underline with the lining fabric and call it a day.





Tape Waistband

The pattern is drafted with waist facings, but a waistband is much more flattering on me.  I can never figure out tucking with a non-waistband skirt, and I feel like the skirt collapses and creases more at the front from sitting without being held in place by a waistband.  I just cut a straight strip of fabric for the waistband, which I interfaced for stability.
 
To attach it, I first stitched the right side of the waistband to the wrong side of the skirt.  I sewed a ribbon into the stitching to stabilize the waistband and keep it from stretching.

Then I folded under the seam allowances on the other edge and folded it over to the right side and stitched. 

Fold Waistband Tab



Waistband TabThe only tricky part was that I was having one side of the waistband overlap at the back and close with a snap.  For the squared off side of the waistband, I folded it so that the lower folded-under edge of the waistband on the outside that would be topstitched down at the front was longer than the back, ensuring the first row of stitching would be covered up.

Finished Waistband Outside


 For the extended tab side, this wouldn't work and I had to line up the two folded edges evenly, gradually changing the matchup as I got closer to the skirt, and then extending the front beyond the back to hide my stitching from sewing the first pass of the waistband to the wrong side of the skirt. 










The finished waistband looks pretty good (not perfect) on the outside and the inside.


Hem Treatment






 To get neat corners at the hem of the front slits, I used the slit facings.  First I sewed the slit facings in place (before constructing the skirt--they have to be finished before the side seams are sewn).  Then to hem I folded the slit facings to the right side and sewed the hem, right side of facing to right side of fabric, as far as the end of the facing.  Trim the seam allowance, turn and press and you have a nice neat corner.

Hem at Front Slit




To finish the hem, I hand stitched the fashion fabric to the organza so it would be invisible.




Side






I am quite proud of how careful I was with this skirt and did everything "right."  The only unsatisfying thing is that the upper front does not side quite flush against the under front.  I was very careful in putting it together, laying it flat on the table and making sure everything lined up exactly.

What I *wasn't* thinking is that I am not shaped like a table.  Two pieces that sit together perfectly on a flat surface don't necessarily do so on a cylinder.  I should have folded up a towel to create more of a rounded human shape to line up the front pieces.  I'm sure eventually I will undo that side seam (serging and all, ugh) and align the front pieces better, but I have not been in the mood yet.

That quibble aside, I do like this skirt a lot, and it is fairly bikeable (not total freedom of movement to swing my leg over the frame, but it is possible without fearing ripping the skirt).  I love the color, but it made it a bit impossible to photograph as the camera just didn't know what to do with it--most of the photos are a little out of focus!  I redid them, but the second set was worse than the first.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

19 comments:

Lynn said...

Beautiful--elegant and sexy at the same time, a hard combination to achieve!

Dilly said...

This is lovely! The colour is wonderful, and the fit is super - I actually really like this length on you. I actually made this skirt too last year, but it was awful (a combination of poor fabric choice and mangling the fit), this has inspired me to try it again.

Little Hunting Creek said...

What a pretty skirt! The length is very elegant.

Anne said...

This is gorgeous! Love how you have it styled in the last photo especially. Very nicely done.

Anonymous said...

I love the lines of this skirt--I'm not usually one for asymmetry, but this is very cool! As a bonus, it's very office appropriate as you have it styled here, while not being boring.

Michelle said...

Very cute skirt. I love the color!

T. Sedai said...

So pretty! The color is fantastic. I really liked this skirt when it came out in the magazine, but I was worried about how much the slit would show. Your version looks great - I will definitely have to move this from the "maybe" to the "must sew" list.

Virginia at A Sewing Life said...

Very, very pretty and it looks great in the "gastric region". Can't say whether that's the skirt or you, but it's wonderful either way.

katherine h said...

This is really lovely...classic, but with an interesting variation with the slit. Love the hot pink!

Elizabeth Made This said...

What a great shape in a great shade of hot pink! This might be the prettiest carnation pink I've seen.

SewCraftyChemist said...

Ooooh super cute. Love the color and that shape!

Cennetta said...

Hi Trena,

Love the design of your skirt. The wrap side slit is unique and fresh.

Kelly said...

Such a classic shape, but with the interesting details and color it becomes really special! You did such a beautiful job!

Mary said...

What a great looking skirt! I love the arcs which make up the slit.

SEWN said...

Gorgeous! Love that slit. The color is so pretty on you too!

SheriNJ said...

Cute skirt, but what I really like is that gorgeous long red hair!

AllisonC said...

Love this take on a pencil skirt, great to see it made up and the colour is divine!

L**, Bathtub Fabric Queen said...

Love that skirt AND the print top! Fabulous print and such great colors!

McVal said...

Love how that turned out! The lining looks beautiful by the way...