Burda 11-2012-118, Classic Trench

So last Spring, almost a year ago now, I was in a mood to tackle a big project and to do it right.  I don't know why that came over me--it's unusual!  I am more of a "make it in a weekend" gal.  So I decided it was time to make a trench.  Burda 11-2012-118 is *almost* the perfect classic:  it has the separate collar stand, double breast, and gun/rain flaps--but the latter are weird and asymmetrical.  A totally unnecessary variant!  However, it was relatively easy to turn them into the classic look, and the pattern needed only my usual fit alterations to be perfect.

Fabric Mart had some fabulous red water resistant (more on that later) nylon allegedly from Marc Jacobs, I splurged on fabulous hardware from Pacific Trimming, and patiently got started.

Well, back up.  After tracing out and altered the pattern I cut it out in a coated linen I got from Fabric Mart a while back.  Luckily, I thought to actually test the fabric for water fastness before starting to sew.  Not only did the waxy coating on the linen offer no water resistance whatsoever, it seemed to actively soak up water *worse* than your average fabric.  So that's in pieces in my sewing room still.

So with the red fabric, I sewed some scraps together and tested various configurations.  I found that by pressing the seam allowance to one side and topstitching, the seams were surprisingly waterfast and I decided not to use waterproof tape on them.

I got the shell of the outer fabric most of the way constructed using my most meticulous craftsmanship...and then my partner and I bought a house.  So that went into a box for months and months while we moved etc.  Then in October we planned our trip to Italy--two weeks in advance (we had a rough Fall with deaths in each of our families).  And since it was October, it was predicted to rain the whole time we were there.  Eep!  I needed the trench coat, and I needed it now!  So much for taking my time on this project and doing everything right.

Taken with Flash to Show Reflective Piping

There were a few special details that were important to me.  I wanted to add some reflective piping, to give me more visibility when biking in the rain.  I wanted the front storm flap to be functional.  I wanted the traditional epaulets and sleeve belts, as well as tie-but-belt-buckle belt (I didn't put any eyelets in the belt).  I wanted a chain for hanging it on a hook.  And I wanted a functional but removable hood.

And I wanted all this in two weeks.  Hence, why there are no in-progress photos and no construction information.  I figured I'd rather post (after months of silence) than spend another couple months trying to recreate the construction process.







I kept a Burberry trench open on my computer at all times and used the zoom function on every possible detail.  In the end, I think I only got one thing wrong.  I looked at the pocket flap over and over and it really looked like it was attached behind the pocket and buttoned in front of it.  I'm still not sure which way the Burberry goes, but I knew at the time it was probably a mistake and it was.  As I discovered while walking home from work in a snowstorm while wearing my trench, the precipitation just blows right into the pocket.  Alas.  I will add a second flap on the front of the pocket so the flaps can button either way, depending on wind direction.



I think my most proud detail on this doesn't even really show to the casual observer--the lined vent, my first one ever.  I watched this video over and over and it really worked!  It made me extremely nervous to cut away my lining fabric for the underlap side.  I hate doing things that can't be undone.  But I had faith and went forth and the vent is beautiful.






My stupid mistake was that I haven't made a double-breasted coat in so long that I totally forgot that one row of buttons is functional and the other is supposed to be fake.  I made them all functional.  So there are a million buttons to button if I want to wear this buttoned.  Ah well.  In a way it looks better, because if I just wrap the coat closed and hold it in place with the belt rather than buttoning it, which I do more than actually buttoning it, then you still get the effect of the double row of buttons.



This fabric doesn't do "crisp."  Cidell kindly took the photos and asked if I wanted to steam it first.  Ha!  In order to give the sleeves and hem *some* body, I sewed multiple rows of parallel stitching, which worked out pretty well.

Believe it or not, the floppy pocket flaps are interfaced in heavy interfacing on both sides.  I also interfaced the lapel to a little beyond the roll line on the fashion layer (as well as fully interfacing the facing).




The only poorly done details on what was supposed to be a meticulous project are some of the buttonholes (appalling) and the hood doesn't really button under the chin.  The hood was the last step and I was sewing it deep into the night before we left the next day for Italy.  I found a Burda pattern with a hood, and shrunk it by about 30%(!) for my tiny child-sized head in a two muslin process.  It amazingly looks pretty good, especially with the sporty mesh lining, but the ends are too thick to work the buttons into the buttonholes without extreme effort.  Luckily, the drawstring (with red elastic cord purchased from Pacific Trimming for a luxe touch, rather than the more readily available generic black) and gold cord stopper keep it in place.



It's lined with a silk print I got on eBay for a great price.  The print has pinks rather than red in it, but I think it works.  I considered adding an interlining layer, but decided I wanted the coat more for Spring/Fall and so the nylon + silk would be warm enough.  In fact, it is the perfect weight.  As mentioned, I was able to wear it when it was snowing with heavier underclothes (but it is not very cold in DC when it snows for the most part--just below freezing) and have already had plenty of use out of this Spring.









I was proud to wear this coat in Italy, though I flew too close to the sun and got soaked one day.  Our last morning in Parma we ran out to get cheeses and bread and snacks for a picnic on the train to Bergamo.  It was POURING.  I just wore the coat, no umbrella.  Well, if you have this fabric, let me warn you.  It is water resistant.  There is a big difference between water RESISTANT and waterPROOF, as it turns out, and I got absolutely soaked.  In a light rain it's great.  In a heavy rain, you have about 10 minutes of comfort and the rest of the day of drowned rat.  It's no substitute for an umbrella!  I had a moment of rage that I had put so much work into something that was supposed to last for at least a decade and it didn't function as intended.  But now I'm over it.  And really enjoying wearing this in our light Spring rains!

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

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

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.



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.



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.



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.








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.







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. 





The 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.




 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.









 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.






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











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.

Burda 11-2011-114, Hot Pink Surplice Tee

Burda 11-2011-114 has been on my list ever since the magazine was published!  I got this fabric at Golden D'Or in Dallas in December 2011 and way overpaid for it at $8.50/yd, but I love the color and the subtle "space dyed" gradation.  It is extremely lightweight with little recovery and I don't expect to get more than a dozen wears out of this top before the fabric stretches out beyond redemption. Alas.  

The biggest negative for this pattern is that the front piece is a giant fabric hog and I couldn't find an efficient cutting layout that didn't waste a lot of fabric.

The center back is drafted on the fold, which doesn't work for my swayback.  I used my TNT tee to shape the side seams and add a center back seam.

This is the "easy" sewing pattern with illustrated instructions for the November 2011 issue.  I am sure I would have figured it out eventually from Burda's written instructions, but it was really nice to have the illustrations here.



The back neck finish (which wraps around from the front) is quite clever.  You fold the right front's self-facing to the wrong side, then place the right front and left front right sides together.  Then you fold the left front's self-facing around the whole back and sew.  When you open it up the join is very neat and tidy.  In wearing, my top does not have the gathered V-dip at the center back neck shown in the illustration; it just looks like a plain old neckline.

The fabric is very soft and lightweight, one of those fabric where sometimes you can't actually tell if you're touching it or not.  Surprisingly, it was not hard to sew.  The edges didn't curl or ravel, though it did like to spit out pins.

Because the fabric is so lightweight, I underlined the back only in a tricot.  With the front two layers already, a lining would have been too much (and would have interfered with the drape of the neckline).




With the front's cut-on yoke, the shoulder seam is not at the shoulder but several inches below it in the back.  Combine that with the dropped armscye, and this lightweight fabric has no support at all on the shoulder.  The armscye opening will eventually be at about my knees as the fabric stretches and stretches in wearing.  
To try to contain the stretch at the armscye, I fused bias strips of interfacing to the seam allowance (retrofitted after it was sewn).  With the dropped shoulder, I'm not sure how much good it will do but maybe it will buy me a few more wears. 

The tunic length of this top as drafted was *not* flattering to me, especially in this lightweight fabric that shows every lump and bump.  I shortened it 3 inches from the drafted length.











I couldn't tell from Burda's photos whether the neckline would be annoyingly low and require a camisole, but it sits perfectly fine on me--no gapage!  I really like the style of this top and the bright color offers some cheer in this neverending winter.  Seriously, it snowed on Tuesday.  Again.

Though the top will likely be short-lived, the pattern is a keeper.  With the dropped shoulder it would make a cute sleeveless summer tee with shoulder coverage, and I'll eventually turn the red merino wool I got from Fabric Mart into another version of the long sleeve top.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Burda 08-2013-131, Raglan Tee with Integrated Scarf

I'm always looking for an interesting t-shirt variation, so I had mentally bookmarked Burda 08-2013-131.  Then when Dibulous made it, I got really interested.



I have a lot of fabric purchasing to confess.  A lot.  But let's start with these pieces from Fabric Mart back in December.  They had merino wool jersey on sale, how was I supposed to leave it on the table?

The merino is quite thin and not suitable for a fitted tee.  So I needed to come up with top patterns that are a bit loose and will work with this thinner fabric.  As a plus, it is quite drapey!



I love orange, but I was a bit disappointed in the unsophisticated color "Orange Pop" or whatever it was called turned out to be.  It was just not rich enough for my taste and I fretted that I'd made a mistake in buying it.  I figured I had nothing to lose so I tested a small swatch in a fairly dilute dye bath.  OMG, a million times better!  So I popped the whole piece into the washer with a little bit of fuschia dye and came up with a rich, deeper orange that is much more suitable for office attire.  I felt very proud.


Now it was time to tackle the pattern.  I traced out the pieces and then compared the raglan top I drafted from my TNT tee to the pattern. It is drafted *large.*  Note here that I traced it to the cut line of my TNT, not to the stitch line of my TNT--that's how big it was drafted!  The finished back fits nicely, and still retains the eased look of the original without being humongous.

And also, the armscye is seriously dropped.  There is nothing more unflattering to a small bust than a dropped armscye, especially on a "petite" (aka short person) like me.  Well, maybe a giant dart to nothing.  Or empty bag syndrome.  But still, a dropped armscye is up there.  I slimmed the profile of the top a bit and raised the armscye to its normal position.

The sleeves were also very wide, and I slimmed them based on my TNT pattern, as well as raising the armscye.

I also raised the armscye of the front piece, matching it to my TNT.

The tie seemed like it would be too wide for my frame, so folded width out of the tie at the end, tapering to nothing by around 4 inches from the front neckline.  This had the added bonus of allowing me to actually fit the pattern onto my fabric.

The front pattern piece is spectacularly enormous.  Even though I had a generous 1 1/2 yard cut of this surprisingly wide fabric, I could barely fit the pattern onto it.  I had to copy the back and sleeve patterns so I could lay everything out at once to get it all to fit.  Getting this pattern to the point of sewing was incredibly time consuming and tedious!!!

Because of fabric limitations, I couldn't cut the sleeves as long as I wanted, so I finished them with cuffs.  The top has a bit of a 70s feel so I gathered the sleeves into the cuffs for a bishop look.



Once it was time to sew, this went together much more easily than you would expect.  The tie extends into the front by way of a long dart.  At the join between front and tie you have to clip into the very end of the dart to get a nice turn.

The tie is sewn right sides together and then turned right side out.  Because the tie is cut on the bias, it was a bit of work to get it folded properly and sitting flat; I had to press and steam it to get to that point. In a lightweight drapey fabric like I used here, I think the front could probably be cut on grain.



Here you can see how and where the tie extends out from the top.  It looks like the tie will be incredibly long, but it's actually not.



The front neckline as drafted was very high for my taste.  I do not like a super high crew neck like that, so I lowered it about 2 1/2 inches, and it is still relatively high, especially compared to my usual neckline.  Given the shape of the front pattern piece, I don't think it would be worth trying to lower it before cutting; just wait until you have it sewn and adjust to your taste.  I finished the neckline with clear elastic and a twin needle.





This top came out perfect for what I was hoping for.  It definitely has plenty of ease, but tucked into a top it blouses nicely.  It has a nice style, but doesn't seem too gimmicky or tied (get it?) to a particular fashion trend, so I think it will be able to stay in the closet for several years, depending on how well the fabric holds up (it's a bit fuzzy, but I can't tell if that's new abrasian or fabric characteristic).

I was surprised at how fussy the tie is.  It can really only be tied in that one place.  Theoretically I could wear it tied high (very unflattering to me) or tossed over the shoulder, but I think these clearly look like a stretch for the style and I will stick with having it tied where it extends out of the front.

A while back I tried to see if I could knock off the Temperley London Delilah top, but my attempts were comical.  Now that I see how it works with this tie--there has to be a dart extending into the bodice, I might give it a try again.  The results probably won't be great, but perhaps they will edge slightly above comical?

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Burda 07-2010-120, Curved Dart Pencil Skirt

I had a fairly small piece of this Fabric Mart yellow wool crepe (purchased in October 2010 for $9.99/yd) leftover from a dress that I made last winter (and haven't blogged about because I want to change the skirt from dirndl gathers to darts but haven't).  I couldn't make my usual A line skirt so I looked for an interesting pencil skirt pattern.  The curved darts on Burda 07-2010-120 and I decided to give it a shot.

The dirty little secret nobody talks about with wool is that it wrinkles as much as linen, maybe more.  Or maybe this doesn't happen to anyone else?



To try to keep the wrinkling under control (I sound like I'm talking about my face, ha!), I decided to underline the skirt in silk organza.  For the back, I treated the organza and wool as one at the darts, sewing them together.  However, for the front darts I wanted to take maximum advantage of wool's moldability with steam.  Getting those darts flat was going to be crucial to making a flattering skirt, versus one that had two prominent arrows pointing to my belly.

So I stitched and pressed the darts in the wool and the organza separately, and then lightly hand sewed the organza layer to the wool at the dart.  I treated them as one at the side seam.



For the lining, I wanted a traditional vertical dart coming from the front waist--I didn't want to risk adding a third layer of curved dart to this scenario.  This involved rotating the dart.  First, I marked where the vertical dart should go.

Next, I folded out the curved dart.  This created a bubble that needed to be released.





Finally, I cut along my marked vertical dart line and let the tissue naturally open for the dart width.  I measured to be sure, and the vertical dart width was the same as the curved dart.  Normally, you would have cut along the new dart line before folding out the old dart, but here the vertical dart crossed where the curved dart had been and it wasn't possible.

The lining went in well and fits perfectly, so I think it worked!

The back darts are drafted very long.  I decided to give it a go and they surprisingly work.  Usually darts that are so long they go to or past the apex bubble or poke out at the end, but these sit very smoothly in the side and back view.  Somebody knew what they were doing at the drafting table.



I often have a problem with straight and pencil skirts sticking out at the back hem--the most extreme example recently being Vogue 1329--but I never really understood why until I read this blog post about cylinders.  Ding ding ding!  Prominent buttocks cause a skirt to swing the back, and heaven knows I have those.  I need to do more work to find the right curve, but for this project I just shaved a little off, starting at the booty apex.  The fit along the CB seam is not perfect, but I think it is improved over a straight seam.






Even with this change, the back vent was not sitting flat and smooth, so I weighted the corners with a Swedish 1 Kroner coin on each side.  I took advantage of the organza layer to hand sew a "pocket" invisible from the outside.







I slipped the coin in before completing the pocket by hand closing the vertical seam allowance at the vent.  They hit the back of my legs when I walk, not in an uncomfortable way but in a noticeable way.  I probably should have used smaller coins, but that slit stays where it's supposed to!

I lined it with a silk crepe, this fabric that I had dyed orange a while back.  The orange wasn't rich enough for my taste, so lining was the obvious choice.  I love the way the two colors look together, though I was craving Rainbow Sherbet the whole time I was making this!

I would not use silk crepe for lining again.  Once it's in place, it sits well and it didn't ride or creep against my tights or inside the skirt (which I had been afraid of).  But when getting dressed you have to be careful to keep the lining perfectly smooth and if it rumples the only way to fix it is to take the skirt entirely off and start over.






In addition to invisibly hand-stitching the hem to the organza layer only, I hand-stitched the lining to the skirt at the back slit and for a couple of inches along the back hem from the slit to keep it from peeking through.







This skirt is drafted to sit above the waist, finished with a facing.  I find skirts without a waistband difficult to wear.  I really can't figure out how to tuck into a skirt with a facing.  So I added a straight cut waistband.  It closes with a snap above the zipper, but it was looking big and bulky there.  I did some random hand stitches to compress the layers and added a decorative button on top.










These photos were taken in the morning on an empty stomach at its flattest for the day and the skirt looks great.  I don't totally love the look on the abdomen when I have, you know actually eaten, but it is not as unflattering as I feared it had the potential to be.  It is also oddly binding at the upper thigh, though it doesn't impede movement.  I don't think I'll be making this pattern again, but I'm glad I gave something new a try.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Burda 05-2009-102, The Agony of Plaid Matching (aka Blazer for Tweed Ride)

Tweed Ride was a couple of weeks ago.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to attend so I hadn't put any thought into an outfit, but I ended up being free that day and I had one week to pull it together.  Eek!  I had just returned from vacation, before which I had engaged in an absolute orgy of sewing and was still kind of worn out.  So of course the logical thing to do was make a jacket.  A lined jacket.  In plaid.  In one week.  But last year I vowed that if I did it again this year I *would* finally make this wonderful plaid (a wool/poly blend, as it turns out) from The Carol Collection into a jacket.

I went through my BWOFs and decided I just loved Burda 05-2009-102.  Unfortunately, the smallest size it comes in is 36 and the pieces are complicated enough that I skipped grading to a 34 at the shoulders and bust as I would normally do.  Luckily, I was able to narrow the shoulders a bit on sewing and the fit in the upper part was pretty good.



Because the jacket was intended for a long bike ride, I wanted to make sure I had plenty of room for my broad back--reaching for the handlebars gets awfully old when your arms are restricted.  For armscye princess seams, you have to first pin the back and side back together at the stitch lines, mark your L, and then cut along the L and open out your wedge.





Put extra tissue underneath and tape it to your pattern pieces to the extent you can while the pieces are still pinned together so you preserve the same angle on both pieces, then separate them and fill in the extra area.








I fused all the body pieces onto lightweight, flexible interfacing (except the collar and lapel, for which I used a stiff interfacing).  I turned my cutting table aka kitchen table into a pressing table by putting an old wool blanket down, then covering the wool blanket with a white fitted sheet I keep for that purpose.  This protects the table and allows me to use lots of steam without worry.









When choosing the pattern, I figured that shaped front, single welt, and side with integrated pocket would be tricky.  It turns out, it was actually quite easy.  You start by sewing the welt into the front, and sewing the front pocket bag into the seam allowance.  Then you clip into the corner at the welt intersection (the photo shows the right side of one half and the wrong side of the other).



When sewing the side front to the front, open out that clip and stitch the angle as though it were straight--the pins show the "straight" line I sewed.

I was pretty amazed at how neatly it comes out.  My corner looks sharp and sits flat.  Once the front and side front were constructed I pressed them over a ham so they would look flat on a round body.  The pocket is caught into the side seam to keep it in place.




What turned out to be difficult in construction was sewing the facing/collar to the body of the jacket.  There is a dart hidden under the lapel to give it shape and Burda's instructions were classic BWTF.  They have you slit open the dart, and then "sew the dart and neck all at once."

I tried a LOT of different configurations before finally figuring it out.  It sounds duh to write it out, but the dart is sewn to itself, the neckline is sewn to the collar, and the lapel is sewn to the facing.  Nothing is tucked into anything else (I kept wanting to catch the lapel in the dart seam because it seemed the most logical way to put it together when all the pieces were in my hand).

You do, indeed, sew from  the bottom of the dart up over onto the *back* neck and back down the other dart.  Then you go back and complete the lapel/front neck seam separately.  If I make this again, I would try *not* cutting open the darts, sewing them as regular darts, and then sewing the neck all at once.  It seemed like they were trying to be cool and innovative rather than trying to find the best construction.



I tried a new way of setting in the sleeve based on a suggestion I saw on PR (unfortunately I can't give anyone credit, as it is impossible to find the post on the message board).  It's set in mostly in the flat, leaving the last couple inches open on either side.

Once the sleeve is set, sew the sleeve seam and the side seam and press them open.








The last step is to sew the bottom little bit of the sleeve as though it was set in, matching the sleeve underseam with the side seam.

This way you get the easier setting in in-the-flat, but you have a normal seam distribution at the underarm.  With a true in-the-flat with the sleeve/side seam sewn as one, the underarm can be a little bulkier, which isn't a problem in most cases but in a jacket fabric it might feel too much like a wad of fabric under the arm.




I put in a strip of silk organza as a sleeve head.  I'm not going to lie to you: it's not cut on the bias.  The earth did not stop spinning on its axis.

I stitched the organza juuuust inside the stiching line of the sleeve's seam allowance.







From the bust to the hem I had traced my usual 36 at the waist and 38 at the hip.  It was WTF huge.  Think 10 or more inches of ease at the waist.  I think Burda may have drafted this from a coat block, not a jacket block, with enough ease to wear a puffy snowsuit underneath.  Burda sizing *never* gives me trouble so this was pretty aggravating!

Because of the construction of the pocket, I could only adjust the side seam about 1/4". The rest I took out the side back and center back seam.  I took it in a total of 6 inches.  I had put so much care into the Broad Back Adjustment that I forgot to do a swayback adjustment (I was falling asleep after cutting out the jacket in the evening and started straight up when I realized this), which would have given me a little more shape at the CB seam but would not have solved the problem by a long shot.



It's lined in a striped tie silk from FFC.  Cidell and I bought tie silk bundles several years ago.  They may have come from an end user factory, because most of them are only about 30 inches wide with one selvage and one raw edge.

I folded this piece in half the long way rather than selvage-to-selvage, so my stripes match all the way down but the colors are off on the bottom.  I actually kind of like the effect. Brings me back to the old days of Tetris.

And now for the bad.  Part of the reason I chose this pattern is that Burda shows it in a Glen plaid and had marked "check" lines for plaid matching on the pieces.  Burda, you screwed me!!!!

 First of all, the front and back check lines did not match up to each other at the side seam.  In retrospect, this is probably mostly due to my Broad Back Adjustment, but I'm not sure that explains the full discrepancy.  I matched the lines and cut off the excess at the armscye.

Second, the check mark on the sleeve pieces had absolutely nothing to do with the check on the body pieces!!!!!!!!!  I was so mad.  I assumed they'd put the check a little above the waist on all the pieces, but the sleeve is offset from the body by almost an entire plaid motif (my plaid has a thread down the middle, alternating yellow and turquoise.  I used a yellow thread as my check.  The sleeves' turquoise thread roughly lines up with the yellow thread of the body). Because of that happy coincidence, the sleeves *almost* look like they match but they don't.


The lack of vertical matching is all on me (Burda doesn't give vertical check marks).  I had limited fabric and the cutting layout was a nail biter.  I cut it all one layer, then flipped the layer over to cut the other half (the photo shows the first layer flipped over onto the remaining fabric to cut out the second layer).  I had to crawl around on the floor because I needed to see my entire acreage at once.  Here's what I had left at the end--a whole two inches of length to spare.

When choosing to ignore vertical matching, I figured it would only not match vertically at the shoulders, which I could live with.  I was NOT thinking of the front/side front situation.  You don't have to tell me:  I know it looks awful.  I am trying to console myself that I probably didn't have enough fabric to get it right anyway (although they're so close to matching I probably did).  Ugh.



Because of my lack of fabric--I couldn't cut the sleeves full length--I used the cuff variation.  I cut the cuffs and the pocket welts on the bias as accents, and so I wouldn't have to match the plaids!

My buttons don't match but I'm ok with it.  I didn't want to use the larger buttons for the cuffs and I had these smaller gold buttons in stash (both types of buttons are from a Fabric Mart 4 pound bag several years ago).





Here is the full Tweed Ride regalia (all my Tweed Ride photos are here).  The skirt is Simplicity 5914 I made several years ago and never wear because the waist is too loose--I didn't tape it and it just stretched way out.  The only fix would be to take the skirt apart and resew the seams and I have not yet made my peace with that annoyingness.  Since the low waist was going to be covered by the jacket--and the trumpet shape is good for biking--I figured it would be ok.  The hat will be reviewed soon!







Although it looks costumey with the full on vintage thing going on, I think the blazer is wearable for every day (plaid matching issues aside.  UGH!).  It will be a challenge for me to find outfits to go with it because I wear so little solid color.  But how cute is it with jeans?  Too bad it's too cold for a light jacket already.  I just need one day where it doesn't get below 50 degrees at night...

I really like this pattern.  It's double-breasted without being 80s-evocative, the shaped hem in front is really nice but the higher back hemline prevents it from being dated (nothing says "I bought my suits for interviews in law school in 1999" like long jackets, not that this describes my sad suit collection, ahem).  The pocket situation is totally clever and well-drafted.  I don't know that I need two of these in my closet, but I am definitely hanging onto my tracing.  If this issue is in your archive, keep it in mind!

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.