Burdastyle Handbook: Hooded Coat

 

This is the third time I've made this for my daughter, its turned into her TNT coat pattern!
This version is similar to the last one, Sz 42 but I took it in at the waist and lengthened the bodice. I also took a 1/2" tuck out of the front bodice piece and pleated the skirt rather than gathering it. The hood is traced off a hoodie she has that fit well.

The fabric is a stretch drill from the best garage sale ever, its a mint colour but the photos all came out slightly darker than it is in real life. The lining was a satin she picked out, there was only enough to line the body so the sleeves are a poly lining from Great Nan's stash.

Since the skirt section was pleated I hid the pockets in a pleat, copying the directions from the Colette Macaron dress.

The buttons are reused from the first version of this pattern.

The belt was made mostly following Tilly's tutorial except I used elastic instead of interfacing and some press studs. Makes a really cute belt and I"ll be making more!

I did flat piping around the facings again, I really like how it looks and how little bulk it adds compared to normal piping.

Final word from the daughter;

Burdastyle Sewing Handbook: Bag

My poor handbag is falling to pieces and I can't find anything I like in the stores at the moment so thought I'd have a go at making a bag. This is the pattern from the Burdastyle handbook, its the main version of the bag with a couple of changes like inside pockets and different straps.

I had fabric leftover from my rose trench coat so first made an underlined pencil skirt....... which bagged out and looked terrible so I unpicked it and remade it as a lined pencil skirt....which fitted badly enough I didn't even hem it. So it was oddly satisfying chopping it up for this bag! I reused the original skirt lining too as the bag lining.

The straps were originally sleeve bands for the trench coat which I left off so it was nice to use them for the straps since I'd already done bound buttonholes in them. The silver buttons are out of my stash.

 

Because I was using a thinish cotton sateen for the bag I interfaced it and also used fusible fleece on the lining to give it a bit of thickness and strength. Haven't used fusible fleece before but it went on really easily and adds a bit of heft to the bag without making it too stiff.

 

I added a couple of open pockets to the inside for my iphone and a magnetic closure. It would have been nice to add a zipper to the bag and a inside zippered pocket too but it hurt my head too much thinking about it so went the easy way! Surprisingly Spotlight had a decent range of bag making notions, its where I got the d-rings and the magnetic closure from.

 

I'm still a sucker for a nice leather handbag, but this cost next to nothing (about $10 all up for the fusible fleece and the notions) and its a lot nicer than what I've been using. I do think its too deep though and not wide enough, I didn't gather the top of it as much as the pattern says because I wouldn't have been able to fit my wallet in. Next version will be wider by about 2" and lower by about 2" with a padded ipad pocket inside and there will be a next one, I really enjoyed making this!

BurdaStyle Handbook Coat: Red version

I picked up this red wool coating on clearance the other week and thought I'd make my daughter another coat (I never wear red, comes from my last job which had a red t-shirt/jumper as the required uniform and I still hate the colour!)
I sized up on this version, making a 42 graded out to a 44 at the waist. Pinned the bust out a bit and narrowed the shoulders in by 1/2" (I still think it looks a bit wide?) , I cut the sleeve head a bit lower as well to make the gathers smaller.
Self made piping around the seams. I've been having trouble with my piping puckering up on the last couple of coats, seems I was stretching the bias strips too tight when sewing which was causing it. So this time I made sure not to pull when I sewed the cord in and I hand basted it to the coat first. Worked really well, no puckering this time!


Bound buttonholes and single welt pockets. The last version had the standard inseam pockets and she found them really small, too high up and too far back so these work a lot better. Buttons are plastic ones from Spotlight.



Lining is polyester satin



I've had trouble with my coat hems looking floppy and drooping even after interfacing them and ditch stiching so this time I used some fusible hem tape to help hold it up and looking neat. Probably not the most classic of tailoring techniques, lol, but it worked!


I must say I am glad to have this finished - this is actually the second coat I've made her from this material, the other was a wadder, lets just say from now on I am walking my pattern pieces before cutting!

BurdaStyle Handbook: Coat

So after reviewing the BurdaStyle handbook and not being overly excited about it, my daughter found a coat when thrifting that she loved but was too small. The closest pattern i had was the Burdastyle coat with a few adjustments. Now let me preface this with saying that I very rarely sew for my daughter these days - she never seems to appreciate it and the few things I have sewn for her in the past sit in her wardrobe never worn. Still I thought I'd give this a go, so I first made her a muslin which was way too small, after I realised I hadn't added in seam allowances (D'oh!), I retraced the pattern and tissue fitted her. I made a Sz 40, graded out to a 44 at the waist. Its a bit big on her at the moment, but she want's to be able to wear a jumper/hoodie under it in winter and for it to last all year without growing out of it.



On the coat skirt, I turned the pleats into darts and rotated them out to form a A-Line skirt plus added some width as she wanted it gathered around the waist. I shortened the bodice by 2", raised the bust line by 1", added about 1/2" to both arm and back width - She swims alot and I think thats why her shoulders/back are a little bit bigger than average.


I added belt loops and made a very simple belt. Lots of topstiching everywhere I could fit it too!


The main fabric is an uncoated Twill that was in the home decorater section, it was the closest colour and fabric match we could find and looks and feels like a cotton drill. Its not really photgraphing well, its a deep emerald colour in real life.
The lining was some satin I got off the clearance table at Spotlight. I must say I put it up with the worst fabric I've ever sewn, its very thin and really slippery, it acts like a bias cut fabric even when its on grain, good thing it looks so nice! I bagged the lining out from the instructions in Jackets for Real People (gee those book titles get me every time - is there a series for plastic people too, lol)


I installed a hidden pocket inbetween the facing and lining from the instructions in Kenneth Kings Cool Couture, plus put piping around all the facings


I'm actually really happy with it - it feels quite young and bright which suits her, and I love the contrast of the bright satin lining. If I made it again I'd make the pockets lots bigger and lower - she has trouble getting her hands in. At least she wanted to wear it as soon as I'd finished so I think I've made a winner!

I'm not quite sure why I've had the urge to make jackets in the middle of Summer - same reason why I make dresses in winter I suppose!

Book review: Burdastyle sewing handbook

Book Index/Chapter headings;

Chapter 1: Getting Started
Setting up sewing spaces, sewing toolkit, using a sewing machine.

Chapter 2: Using patterns
Selecting your size, tracing off patterns and adding seam allowances

Chapter 3: Let's start sewing
fabrics, finishing techniques, closures

Chapter 4: The skirt
Includes the skirt pattern and 2 variations.


Chapter 5: The blouse
Includes the blouse pattern and 2 variations


Chapter 6: The dress
Includes the dress and 2 variations


Chapter 7: The coat
Includes the coat and 2 variations


Chapter 8: The bag
Includes the bag and 2 variations


Does this book have clear illustrations or photographs?
Yes, the instructions are quite good for the patterns too. I really enjoyed the page at the end of each chapter that includes another 13 or 14 variations of that pattern.


Would you recommend this book as a MUST HAVE?
I like the style of writing, and I like the variations on each pattern, it really shows you don't need an arsenal of patterns if you are creative with some basic ones. I will admit though that none of the patterns except for the coat really jump out at me personally and my favourite coat variations (no. 10 and 13) have got no extra elaboration on how to make them! (I reckon 13 is just shortened into a jacket and 10 looks as if the darts have been rotated out to make an a-line coat skirt)

I thought the basic sewing information included was good and I like the information on sewing a curved princess seam, its how I do it now but I wish I'd known it when I started sewing.

I ordered mine online and to be honest I don't know if I'd have bought it if I could have flipped through it first (Ah, who am I kidding I have a sewing book addiction - I can never say no to adding another one to my library!). It seems to be focused towards beginners/advanced beginners and if you were just starting out or hadn't been sewing for long I would maybe recommend it to you but also tell you to get a good fitting book and a good basics book like Readers Digest Complete guide to Sewing or The Vogue sewing book, which have a lot more beginner sewing information but just don't come with the patterns.

So in summary: A good basic book but unless you like any of the patterns included, I would recommend having a flip through it before you buy.