Friday Flashback - Jelly Bean Fabric and Bunnies

I like how the tops of his ears have blue jelly bean extensions!
Serendipitous, I just noticed it.

Tight squeeze in a 5" x 7" frame, so you can
get an idea how big they are.
Feel free to enlarge or reduce them

Very versatile bunny appliqués from the 1991 Burda Easter issue.  I originally made and posted these in March, 2008

The top bunny made an appearance later for the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit in 2011.

-- And I'm still working through the yards and yards and yards of jelly bean fabric I bought over 20 years ago.  I can carbon-date it back at least that far because it was used in my daughter's Easter dress when she was 3.

Truly magical year for Texas wildflowers at the ranch.
A mislabeled rye grass seed bag had wildflower seed instead!

Seriously, I think I bought at least 10 yards back in the day when Wal-Mart had $1/yard fabric.

Jelly beans and bunnies and bluebonnet photos never go out of style.

Upcoming Jo-Ann's Pattern Sales

Coupon Commotion - July 14/20
(Good luck trying to use them on magazines - have you noticed that lately?)

July 14/27 -
40% off Gutermann thread (excludes multipacks)

July 18/20 -
Simplicity $1.99

July 21/27 -
50% off all buttons

July 25/27 -
Burda $2.49

Hat's Off!

Kwik Sew 3397

Burda 4239, View D - Middle row, Left

A friend of mine needed hats.
I needed to get in some sewing time.
Win-win!

She had patterns and fabric at home, but she lives a bit far away from me.
I, too, had patterns and fabric at home.
Win-win again!

"Something in red!"she said.
(And doesn't everyone have an inner Hello Kitty?)
Win, Place, Show!

I found two patterns in my stash, some cute Hello Kitty fabric from Jo-Ann's (2010), and a fun red lacy print fabric.   She could decide which style, which fit and which pattern flattered her.  And which side, since they were lined and I made them reversible

We called the Kwik Sew 3397 the "cake hat", as it looked just like a round cake, and the Burda 4239 the "baseball hat", as it had the six pieced top similar to a baseball cap.

Burda 4239 is the "old-school" Burda, albeit over 20 years old - the green tissue paper, adding the seam allowances.  Oh how I've missed this type of Burda pattern!  You may be able to find it,  it still pops up on the Internet/Etsy/Pinterest.

Kwik Sew 3397 is still available online from the Kwik Sew website.

Here's how they stacked up --

Burda 4239

Burda 4239

Yeah, wow!

Burda View D kind of showed its age, style-wise.  The other views maybe as so much.  But the pattern piece engineering, as usual, as it used to be, was perfect.  Look how the pieces all matched!

Serged/Trimmed

By cutting duplicate top pieces, I was able to line it and make it reversible by serging the brim/cap seam.









However, View D probably had its day in the sun and was not the most stylish.  The 2 1/2" brim just didn't seam (sic) in proportion to the top pieces.  It looked too short on my head, and I think that was a factor for my friend, too.

Kwik Sew 3397

Kwik Sew 3397

Now the Kwik Sew -- grab this pattern!  Look how perfectly the top fit into the side piece.  No need to ease, or expand your cursing vocabulary.  It slipped and sewed right in.
As did the band, which measured 2 3/4"

Circle in the square, so to speak.

It also looked the best on us.   I'm ready to make it again in all sorts of fabrics.  For both of us!  This is a universally flattering hat!

Here's a sewing tip - fuse the interfacing to the fabric before cutting out.  Do a quick layout and see how much you will need to interface, fuse, then cut.  I don't know about you, but what I cut as the interfacing never seems to match up as well to the fashion fabric.  This insured no glue residue on my iron, ironing board or "near misses".  A little iron touch-up after cutting out and you are ready to sew!

Wednesday Work in Progress

Burda 5223

I know, you are thinking, poor thing, does she know what day it is?!
 
Yes, I do!  This is the result of my catch up and now start new projects of the Christmas gifting nature.  But I won't be able to take too many pictures because I don't want to spoil Christmas surprises.  A few hints, yes. That's all in good fun and motivation and anticipation (hopefully)!

But in the meantime, here is good ol' Burda 5223 - finished just in time for Hubby to wear as we get a few days and nights of cooler weather this week.

Wednesday Work in Progress

Partly cloudy

For a busy week, I made pretty good progress on the Burda 5223 robe.  All I have to do is add the bands, hem the bottom and sew the belt.
 
The colored sheets of paper are from the Target Dollar Spot.  They looked to me like good and versatile basic colors and patterns to add to my universal studio stock.  It's just a head's up to take a swing by there if you haven't lately.  The bins are full  right now with Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving scrapbooking and crafting supplies.

Wednesday Work in Progress

Add another notch to the pattern!
I've lost track of how many times I've made Burda 5223.    This cloud camo flannel (not fleece) from last year surfaced recently from my stash pile/box/closet.  The cooler nights of Fall and apparently last week's Butterick dress have reignited my sewing mojo fire.  The previous one is linked here   Here are the others.

Burda

Wednesday Work in Progress Update -- Finished the Burda 5223 robe.    Had fun with some zig-zag topstitching!

Wednesday Work In Progress

Let's see - half finished robe still working on (understatement), my serger was fixed (muslin swatches from Harvey.  Seriously, my serger just purrs now!  If you live in the Houston area and need an excellent [and eclectic, I absolutely adore him] sewing machine and serger repair person, let me know!) and, what's that?  A Butterick pattern 5744 and fabric from High Fashion for a cute and fun summer dress?  Yes!  Must.Finish.Robe.First.
Besides, I don't need to have the dress done until next Monday. . .
all good.

Wednesday Work In Progress - Burda 5223

"Old Reliable" Burda 5223 --  You can see the date I first made it, May 1993!   The original published date is 1989!  I really loved the old-school Burda with the green tissue sheets and you had to add the seam allowances.  A true testimony how sturdy and how much I miss that almost waxy pattern paper.   I have lost track of how many times I've sewn this kimono wrap robe pattern for my hubby in all types of fabric - including cottons, fleece and knits.  (click here for a link to some of them) The cotton seersucker fabric was on sale at Jo-Ann's a few weeks ago.  While I love the pattern, it is a fabric hog - I need 5 yards!  And I usually get 5 1/2 especially in cotton's narrower fabrications and shrinkage.  The sleeves are usually wider than the fabric, and they alone crunch up almost a yard right there.

Burda Hall of Fame Favorite - 5223

I recently whipped up these two latest robe renditions of good old tried and true Burda 5223 in View B. Here's earlier versions in cottons, fleece and flannel (2007, 2008, 2009) I love this pattern, but it is a fabric hog - 5 yards! If I hit the sales right, I can still find good quality and interesting fabrics for my goal of less than $5/yard.

My "Knight in Shining Armor" is actually a not very stretchy knit, thus proving this pattern design can also work very well with a more stable knit.

And it is always fun to zap up that facing edge trim -- setting it on the bias and adding a couple packages of piping. One of these days I'll try a contrast fabric for it and the belt.

Skeggings!

A skirt with leggings attached! The January 2011 Burda has a pattern, #130A on page 36. Sizes 36-44

Hue also sells a rayon/bamboo knit version in black, espresso (brown) steel (gray) and lapis (blue) for $34. I saw them at Nordstrom.

How fun! I want!

Prints Charming - Burda 8134

Another Nick and Nora PJ bottom, another Burda 8134 sleep tank top. A favorite here at the House of Kent, check out previous incarnations here and here.

I loved the apple green, apple red and turquoise color combination of the sleep pants. I dug around the stash and found two K.P. Kids prints - the plaid for the bias trim and the frog print. Frogs and apples, it's a match! Kinda, sorta. Out in public, a whole 'nuther matter...for the sandman, no worries. Points given for stash reduction and a fun time in the sewing room!

Whack Job - Burda 7925

Updated! This Burda 7925 top has sat in my closet unworn most of last summer...and all of this summer. Yesterday in quiet desperation of laundry piles and something to wear, I pulled it from the closet. Somehow the length still didn't look right - especially with shorts or a denim skirt. I folded it to a more flattering length and decided to lose 5 inches right then and there. Unfortunately not from my body - that takes longer than running to the sewing room for a quick session with scissors, serger, sewing machine and iron. Less than 30 minutes later, I was out the door feeling fashionably recycled.

Burda WOF - May, 2009 - Skirt #104

I joined a local sewing group, "The Sewing Fashionistas" late spring. The first series of meetings were to acquaint ourselves with the Burda World of Fashion magazine patterns. I've actually been sewing with BWOF since 1989; but I'm always game for learning something new and honestly, I needed a jump start kick in the behind to get back to sewing these patterns. Boy, am I glad I did. We were tasked to finding and sewing a 2 or 3 dot difficulty skirt. While I could have easily gotten lost in the sewing room for days going through all my back issues, the spring issues were still on my living room coffee table. I picked up May 2009 and found #104 (2 dots: "Easy to sew, but more time-consuming") on page 7. It's a classic jeans-styled straight skirt with front slant pockets, single pleat on either side of the fly front zipper, perfectly placed back darts and front walking slit. There is also a shorter version, #105 on page 22.

One of the many good things about this sewing group is the feedback and expert fitting help from everyone. Many of these ladies sew for a living and they spotted in a second a little bit of fitting tweaking I needed -- taking out the back side seam curving which was causing the side pooching I kept wanting to slap down. My first run-through in an Asian linen print became a keeper, thanks to these ladies.

The directions were pretty basic and easy to follow, especially for a BWOF. A newly-minted beginner may want to get a few skirts under their belt or have Sandra Betzina's books next to the sewing machine for construction techniques. For instance, the things we do automatically -- interfacing the waistband, stay-taping the pocket edges, and using Sandra's great fly front zipper application.

As usual, Burda's great fit and styling were evident in this pattern. I now have a great skirt and am excited to make it again and again in other fabrics - including denim!

Burda WOF April 2009 - #147 Bottle Bags

This was a fast and easy project to sew! I found it in the Burda World of Fashion April 2009 issue's Children's Fashion section on Page 58. All you need to do is measure your water bottle from the neck down and add 3 1/4" to the length to allow for tying the bottom shut. Then measure the circumference and add 3/4" for the seam allowance. For the Costco/Kirkland water bottle, your measurements will be 8 3/4" length and 9" circumference. Or just make it easy and cut a 9" x 9" scrap of fabric. (Bandanas would be a good source of material, too - especially if you find them on sale.) If you still have the selvedge, you can arrange your layout and use that for the top to save an extra step finishing one of the edges. If you want to add trim to the top and bottom, do it before you sew the side seam - it's still doable if you change your mind and want to do so afterwards, as I did. The strap measures 28 inches. Burda suggests 3/8" ribbon or Fast-Turn loops. I butted the edges of the lace to make a wider strap. Because of the weight of the bottle, you may want to consider a ribbon or strap to be about 1" for comfort. I also used a new, leftover children's shoe lace to tie the bottom closed. Easier to tie and untie to let the cover dry out between uses. If you want to use ribbon, you'll need about 6 inches or a little bit longer.

I think this would also make a cute birthday or pool party favor - with different fabrics they can easily identify their own water bottle. While obviously not that practical on warm days, it's an easy way to transport your bottle for a walk or to free your hands if you plan to drink your water sooner than later.

Bunny, Hop - Burda 7997

An "egg-stra" special bunny in this stash VIP Cranston Easter egg print.

Since the time I made the shorts from this pattern last August, I fear it has been discontinued, as I could not find it on the Burda website. 7997 may still be in the store catalog. I hope so, there's a lot of goodies in this pattern.

It went together fairly easily and quickly. I liked the fact I didn't have to sew and then turn the pieces rightside out. You stitch and then finish the raw edges wrong sides together.

I didn't want the embroidered face to get lost in the print, so I thread traced the markings on a lightweight interfacing on the wrong side of wool felt, and then narrow zig-zagged the features. I jazzed up the eyes with adhesive rhinestone flower "tatoos" from last summer's Target Dollar Spot offerings. It gave it a little bling and kept the eyes from looking too creepy.

He needed a tail - so I hot glued a cotton ball to his backside! The End

Sandra Betzina Patterns

Continuing "The Stash Sew Down of 2009". . .Today I'm trying 3124 View C of the Butterick Today's Fit Sandra Betzina pattern line. Back in the early 2000's, both Vogue and Butterick had the Today's Fit patterns. Some were similiar to the Vogues and others weren't - particularly 3123 - a bias hooded top and dress, and 3338 - bathrobe (!) and nightgown.






Here are the other Butterick Today's Fit in my collection - top left to right: 3439 - blouse and pants, 3300 - vests, bottom left to right: 3013 - vest and jacket, 3016 - vests.

Did you know she also had two Sewing Workshop patterns? The Sandra Betzina Coat and The Sandra Betzina Vest and Skirt.





I was even able to score some of the ones she did with Burda (1995-97) - 3204 - Shirtdress, shirtjacket and pants...3381 deeply pleated and pocketed pants and cropped pants...3653 long or short sleeved dresses.



Let's also not forget the Rodale Designer Collection "No Time To Sew" book (1997) and pattern wardrobe. There were mixed reviews on this book, but I liked it. Another ASG chapter member and I sewed many verisions of her Tuxedo Shirt. I made two, I think she did at least seven and they were all cool, all different. It's now out-of-print, but if you find the book on Amazon or eBay, make sure you get the pattern envelope, too!

Once again, another sewing detour. I should be cutting out, not dumping out my pattern drawers and blogging about it! I just wanted to share these in case other Sandra Betzina fans might be interested in her earlier patterns.

Sew Cold

Way to start off sewing the New Year with a blast from the past...and the artic? Here's the 2009 version of the Burda 5223 robe for T in a nice flannel from Jo-Ann's - just in time for this weekend's cold front. I know, we're not garnering a lot of sympathy from our more Northern neighbors. But the tables do turn on us in the summer, so it all evens out. I put the facing band on the bias so I wouldn't have to worry about matching the plaid.