Burda 6415 - View A

I cannot believe that I am actually completing another blog post in the same month!!! Maybe this will actually work....maybe....hopefully.  

Anyway I joined Fayedoll's 2018 Tops That Pop.  The objective is to make as many tops as you can from April 16 - April 30.  I have only completed one thus far but have high hopes that I am going to complete at least three more (fingers crossed).  The first one was Burda 6415, it was super easy and fast which is always at the top of my list because for some reason I seem to be a very slow sewer.  I blame it on my lack of focus and being easily distracted but who knows what the real reason is.

As you can tell I am easily distracted and I digress but anyway this pattern was in BurdaStyle April, 2011.  It was both a top and a dress.  I loved it the first time I saw it but the laziness in me would not allow me to trace the pattern even though I bought that issue for this top.   Anyway once I saw it at JoAnn's during the Burda patterns sale for $2.49 I had to get it.  It comes in sizes 34-44 and I made the size 34.  No complaints on fit, since we all know Burda is not big on too much ease (pun not intended). I did take the neck in a 1/2 inch on both sides, cut 4 inches off the sleeve and hemmed it with a 5/8 hem, finally the bottom I cut 1 inch off and hemmed it with a 1 inch hem.  I like the way it looks and it is actually fitted at the bottom so it's not just a boxy top.  

I highly recommend this pattern if you want a quick top.  The fabric came from Discount Fabric Outlet and bought it for $2.99 a yard  Unfortunately, and as a side note the prices went up last week so now all fabric is $3.99 a yard.  Let's see if that will stop me from being such a frequent purchaser...probably not.

McCalls 7660 - View B

McCalls 7660

This is my second time typing this, which is probably a sign of how this blogging thing is going to go....not good!  Anyway I have decided once again to start trying to blog and for only one reason and that is I can't remember anything.  I have made several items since January and while I took notes it certainly helps to have pictures of the patterns that I am talking about.  So here I go again with this blogging thing.

For McCalls 7660 I made view B size 6.  The fabric came from Habermann's Fabrics (before they moved).  The pattern was easy enough and I am sure there are people that probably say they made this top in 2 hours but I did not.   It was a struggle every step of the way and I had to keep my seam ripper very close.  I think the problem was my choice of fabric.  While it is pretty and glittery, it was also very stretchy so I had to keep ripping the neckband out (more times than I care to admit).  Next time I will staystitch around the neck (the pattern did not say to do this) and either staystitch or gather the bottom of the sweater before I add the bottom band.  I did not have any problems with the sleeve bands...who knows why but I didn't.  Also the pattern instructed to put the sleeves in after the side seams were sewn, yours truly put them in flat.  Why make things more difficult than they have to be?!

From the pictures I can see that the back is a little big.  The sleeves fit fine which does not always happen.  Most times I have to take sleeves in 1 or even 2 inches.  I will try this pattern again in the Fall with some cute sweater material and then I will see if the back fits better and if there won't be so much stretching that causes the bands not to fit well.  Fingers crossed for the next time.

My goal is to start sewing for Spring, even though it is freezing and the temp today was a high of 38F.   There have been snow flurries all day today and Friday there is supposed to be 2 to 3 inches of snow....what can you do I live in Michigan and the calendar seasons do not dictate our wardrobes.  So it is hard to think cute Spring/Summer outfits when it's still snowing but I have taken several fabrics and matched them with patterns to try and get motivated to switch seasons.