Mirroring Suzy Bee Sews - Life So Strange It Should Be Fiction

I'm really not sure about this jacket. I loved the technical drawings and it on the model in the magazine but I'm not sure on me. Its quite a boxy jacket and the under layer is deceptively long, I cut it a lot shorter (probably a bit too short looking at these photos). The chiffon under layer means the jacket slides around a lot so you are constantly pulling it back to sit at the front. The instructions are atrocious as Burdas normally are, I winged it a fair bit on the construction and it all came together and looks pretty close to the drawing. I didn't add the back under layer because I didn't want to waste my chiffon! Pattern Details: Sz 44 1" FBA Shortened the underlayer by about 5" 1" added to bicep width Burdastyle Layer jacket Materials; The main fabric is leftover spandex knit from my yoga pants and the underlayer is a scrap of silk chiffon from Spotlight. I'm really glad I used a scrap because the fabric is a l...

I didn't order the Burda Classics magazine from GLP--never got around to it--but while in Porto, Portugal I saw it--in French--in the window of a tiny newsstand on a little side street.  Apparently, Burda is not pronounced anything like "Burda" in Portuguese, because it took a bit of gesturing and explaining to indicate which magazine I wanted to buy (the window copy was the only one), but eventually it was mine, all mine! I was happy to see a simple 3/4 circle skirt in the magazine.  I am just too lazy to draft my own pattern, and I had been wanting one as a bike-friendly alternative to an A line.  I thought I'd start with a silk chiffon version--it goes with a bunch of tops already in my closet and would work year round. Well, who knew a freaking two piece skirt could be so much trouble?  I cannot even begin to describe how much fail went into this. Fail #1:  Cutting.  This is totally, completely my fault.  The chiffon was not wide enough ...

It takes me a long time to warm up to a trendy trend, like the high-low hem.  At first I hate it.  Then I am skeptical.  Then I see some cute examples .  Then I am ready. This process can take years.  After seeing several cute iterations of this pattern on PR, I decided I could take the plunge with the high-low trend (I may be willing to do the trend, but I am not willing to butcher the English language by calling it "hi-lo") using Vogue 8870 , sized XS-XXL.  I even went bold with double trending by using this ombre silk, one of the gorgeous pieces BadMomGoodMom  picked up for me for a song. After I had the dress almost done I saw this Lela Rose for Fall 2013.  It looks like my trends should last through at least next season! I did my usual adjustments, including a broad back.  I should have been more aggressive with the broad back.  I didn't want the hassle of bringing the adjustment into the raglan sleeve, so I just did it on the b...

Although I prefer skirts and dresses, there are times in the winter where I wish I had a pair of nice-looking, professional, trouser-y pants.  I am SO glad to have discovered Levi's 512s, which fit my body perfectly, so I don't need to worry about jeans.  But dress pants?  They do not exist. Everyone loves the Burda crotch, and Burda fits me well in general, so I figured how hard could it be?  I traced off 02-2010-102 and blithely set to it. V.1 Front V.1 Back V.1  Out of the envelope (with larger SAs, to increase size to about 40 at the hip).  There was no way I was going to document the original front fit before I let out the CF seam and cut open the front waistband at CF to release it.  Horrible.  I do not have a pants body.  Smile does not even begin to describe it.  More like grimace. The back is a wrinkled mess. V.2 Front V.2 Back V.2  Saddlebag width increase; lengthen back crotch by 3/8"; add more room at CF seam for belly;...

I fell in love with McCall 6279 as soon as it came out. Although I bought the Butterick 5598 Suzi Chin trench dress when it came out a couple of months later, I like the McCall better and when I found this seersucker-esque fabric on the $2.97/yd table at G Street I couldn't wait to make it. I cut my usual size in the pattern, 8 at the shoulder and bust, 10/12 (somewhere in between) at the waist, and 12/14 at the hip. As usual for a princess seam, I flattened the bust curve on the side front for a small bust adjustment. Once it was put together it was still a little loose at the bust and waist, so I took in the side seam on the front only to fine tune the fit. In addition to the SBA, I did a swayback adjustment similar to this as per usual. I have a hard time fitting dresses without a waist seam--to get a true fit would require so much distortion that it would change the grainline and alter the hang of the fabric. So you can see there is still some swayback bunching. I w...