Copying patterns from a Burda pattern sheet

I got a Burda magazine on loan for a weekend to copy some patterns I wanted to have for making the clothes later. 

Moonspell jeans vest

An old t-shirt was unusable, because the back was too badly worn, so the picture got a new life in the back of a vest. 

Buttonholes and buttons for the vest

The last part of the vest was sewing buttonholes and buttons. I managed to find suitable buttons among the ones I've bought at the recycling center.

The last part of sewing a lining to a vest

I think the description of how to sew the lining in the posts about the vests might have been hard to understand, so here is a video showing how it's done. I'm still figuring out some technical issues, but this is improvement comparing to my old videos.

Pinstripe vest

As the first vest felt a bit short although looking just fine, I modified the pattern a bit to make the pinstripe vest. I increased the length by 5 cm at the back and then modified the sides accordingly while keeping the lowest points of the front as they were originally. In the picture below, you can see the parts added to the side back and the front of the pattern. This version was also to have functional pockets, so you can see the pieces for those on top of the front pieces.

Here are the outer pieces with shoulder seams sewn. This time I made the pockets right after sewing the darts, because I knew the pattern was fine. 

The fabric for the lining was the same as for the blazer, but blue.

The picture below shows the outer and the lining put right sides together and pins on the edges to be sewn at this point, i.e. everything but the side seams.

Once all those edges are sewn, it's time to turn the whole thing right side out. This actually reminds me a bit of how some doll clothes are made. And it is also a very tempting thought to try to recreate the next steps in a miniature scale, although that would probably be too difficult.

The side seams are sewn in the same way as described in the previous post. The description may be difficult to understand, because it is hard to explain what you need to do in words alone. You really need to see it. I am planning on making one more vest as I found the perfect piece of fabric for it, and I will then try to show the sewing of the side seams in a way that is easier to understand.

Here is the finished vest with buttons and buttonholes added. And as I already mentioned, the pockets are actual pockets this time, not just decorations. Granted, they are really tiny, but good enough for keeping some tissues in them.

First version of a tight fitting vest

I made a pinstripe vest to go with the blazer, but that was after I had made one vest already. The pattern was from the English language version of Burda, issue 10/2011, pattern 126. This first version had minimal changes, meaning I only added 6 cm to the waist due to the size 40 pattern having smaller waist than I have. The addition was easy to do by narrowing the front darts. You can see that in the rightmost pattern piece in the picture below.

The steps for making the outer part were: sew the darts, sew the side and shoulder seams, try the vest on (no changes were needed), and sew the fake pockets. I'm not a fan of fake pockets, but there was so little room that functioning pockets would have been tiny. Note also that if I had trusted my changes in the darts, I could have made the fake pockets after sewing the darts and before sewing the side and shoulder seams.

I made the lining using the same fabric I used for the back piece. I only had 60 cm of the front fabric, so I wanted to spare it, so that's why I made the outer back using the lining fabric.

After sewing the front facing to the front lining and sewing the shoulder seams, I placed the outer and lining right sides together and sewed all the other edges except the sides.

Then I turned the vest right side out and sewed the side seams. The first side is easy as you can access it through the other side (both sides are open at this point) and sew all around (outer and lining). The remaining side is trickier, because you need to get the right sides together and sew as long seam as possible. Basically, you need to start from the lining side, go all the way across the outer side and then for as long as you can on the lining side again. In practice, that means there will be about 10-15 cm opening left in the side seam on the lining side. Then you just sew the opening closed from the right side of the lining.

The last part was making buttonholes and sewing the buttons. The vest turned out looking fine, but feeling a bit short at the back. I had already found out earlier that I have longer back than average, so I should have guessed. I fixed that problem in the pinstripe vest (I'll post about that later).

Last but not least, here is a closeup of the buttons. I got them at a recycling center, so they were removed from some garment that could not be resold. I'd really like to know what that was, given the text in the buttons.

Back from a break

Just as I was getting back to speed with blogging, life happened. Or rather, death. So I took an almost total break from my online activities.

I've still been studying, actually even longer hours that before, because it's one of the things that keeps my mind occupied and away from all that's happened. But now I think I'm ready to continue, and first, I'll be doing some updates on what I've been doing during the break.

The vest got finished. It's maybe a bit big for me, but then again, it is meant to be worn over a hoodie as seen in the photo below.

After finishing it, I thought I could do another one that's a bit smaller (goes on top of a shirt). I didn't have enough of one fabric, so I decided to use smaller pieces. First I sewed 15x15 cm squares together to make a rectangular piece, which I then cut using the pattern I had modified a bit (shorter shoulder seam and 2 cm off from the sides seams).

Here's the same piece seen from the reverse side. The order in which I sewed the pieces was first sewing four pieces together in vertical direction, then sewing the four resulting pieces together.

Then I made the front pieces the same way and sewed all three pieces together. Next, I made a narrow strip for the hem. I liked the elephant pattern, so decided to use it.

The lining is made of an old duvet cover. It was the only fabric I had in big enough pieces. Also, the colors weren't too off as the vest has all of them. This time I decided to only make inside pockets, because I didn't want to cover any of the pictures I had in front.

Finally, here is the finished vest. It's smaller and weighs a bit less than the first one. The idea is that it's for summer use. I prefer large pockets instead of a handbag, so this should do the job fine.

More pockets

After finishing the double pockets, it was time to make some more pockets for the vest. These go above the other pockets.

The first thing was to make a pattern, and I had no idea how to do that, because the pockets needed folds. However, that's what the teachers are for. It turned out to be quite simple, you just need to know what to do. In this case, it was the same thing we did when making the patterns for the bell-shaped skirt.

You make a pattern for a flat pocket, cut it as shown in the picture above, and then spread out the bottom ends of the outer parts a bit. In this case, there is 1 cm added to both corners. Then you glue the pieces in place and draw the seam allowances around the pattern created this way. When sewing, you just make folds that remove 1 cm from both corners, and the result is a pocket with straight vertical sides.

The order of sewing is: sewing and stitching the folds in the corner, hemming the upper edge, ironing the seam allowances in the sides and bottom edge, and stitching the pocket in place. With a single color fabric, you'd use either the hem or front middle to get the pockets straight, but in this case, I used the upper edge of the lower pockets, because the pictures needed to be horizontally straight.

So now the vest has all of the outside pockets. The next step is to make the lining and the inside pocket that will be sewn into it. I'm currently in the middle of making a sample of the inside pocket, because getting the zipper in place properly is a bit tricky. Best to practice first before touching the actual lining.

Double pocket

I managed to finish the lower pockets of the vest this week. Or not quite, two corners of each pocket still need a bit of stitching, but my sewing machine isn't powerful enough to do it as there are so many layers of fabric there. So that'll have to wait until I get to the school's sewing machine on Monday.

The structure of the pocket is such that there are two pockets in one. A flat one in front and a bit deeper one behind it. Here you can see the almost finished pocket. The front pocket is accessed from the top, under the flap, and the back pocket through the opening on the side that has a zipper.

I'm giving here the basic instructions, explaining the order of things, but not all details, because a lot depends on the thickness of the fabrics you're using. I had to do some tweaking in the corners to minimize the layers of fabric, but with different kinds of fabrics, those things probably would not have been necessary. 

To begin with, you need two identical parts for the pocket, one made of the outside fabric, another made of the lining fabric. Turn the upper edge of the outer part and sew it. At this stage, the inner part should be 1 cm (seam allowance) higher than the outer part.

Sew the pieces together with a narrow strip of the lining fabric in between (this part can be seen from the outside when accessing the zipper pocket). The original vest had black lining, which looked the same on both sides, but in my version it took some thought to figure out which way the lining fabric used inside the pocket should be facing. When sewing the vertical seam that attaches the pieces together here, the inner and outer parts should have the right side facing up with the inner part on top of the outer part, while the strip in between them should be the right side down. Lay the pieces flat, turn the strip on top of the inner part, turn the edge of the strip under and stitch near the edge.

The next step is to sew the zipper. It should be entirely under the edge of the fabric, so it stays out of sight. It needs to be sewn with the right side of the outer part facing up, so you're basically going blind, but it is fairly easy to feel the zipper underneath. You just need to be very careful, if you're using a metal zipper, so you don't break the needle when sewing the horizontal part at the bottom. Here you can also see how the narrow strip in the previous picture shows to the outside.

The next step is the side of the back pocket. Sew it in place, turn the right side out, iron flat and stitch near the edge. Note that when you're stitching the upper corner, you need to first turn the seam allowance of the inner part as shown in the picture.

Turn and iron the seam allowances of the other edge. Draw the shape of the pocket to the fabric to which you're sewing the pocket, so you get the edges of the side to the correct place (to get the curved parts identical in both pockets), and sew the pocket in place. Start with the zipper, then the upper edge (the lining fabric, this is why the inner part needs the seam allowance to go 1 cm above the upper edge of the outer part) and finally the edges of the side piece. Stitch the corners neat and flat.

To get the pockets straight, you can either measure from the bottom edge or the vertical middle, but in this case, I used the fabric patterns, because anything else would have looked strange.

The very final part will be to add buttons, but that also requires machines I only have access to at school, so it'll be done later.

Some alterations

 I don't buy clothes often, so what I have I tend to use until they're ready to be thrown away. This has led to accumulation of some items I haven't been using for a long time and didn't think I would be using as they are. So, it was time for some alterations.

The first one was a fleece sweater I got for free from my last employer (I've been self-employed for 16 years now). The company's name and logo changed, and all the promotional stuff was given to employees, so I got this good quality sweater I used quite a lot for the first few years, but haven't used for some time now. It has always been too big for me (it was the smallest size available, so of course I took it as it was free), so I decided to make it a vest and take the seams in so it would fit better.

I have another project for which I'm using some old flannel shirts, so I took some of that fabric for the hem and arm hole edges. I also decided to use a patch to cover the logo. I doubt many people would even know whose logo it is as it's been so long since that name change (the company has changed its name several times after that due to mergers). I took in quite a lot from the side seams and cut the front open to sew a zipper in place.

The second piece was a maxi dress that had never felt quite right. It looked fine, but the fabric is too stiff for the length shown in the picture below.

I thought knee length would be better. It took a lot to start cutting the fabric after measuring everything twice. This is a good quality dress that wasn't cheap, and I was terrified I'd mess something up. However, everything turned out just fine as you can see in the next picture.

I have a some more projects of this type in progress at the moment. One of them is fixing cargo pants that need the hips and waist extended as they don't fit me anymore. As I was in the middle of this project, my sewing machine stopped working properly, so I had to take it in to be repaired and that took 10 days. That stopped me from finishing the project, but now I should be able to do that.

Baha Cat's costume

The costume is finally finished. It usually includes a jacket, but as that is not absolutely necessary, I am not going to make it. The background is not quite suited to the style, but this was the sunny spot in my living room and good lighting was a greater concern.

Related earlier posts:
Baha Cat's vest and stuff for Brother Dreary
Hat for the Baha Cat
Shoes for the Baha Cat's costume
Helavyö
Baha Cat's shirt

Sewing the large vest

I started sewing the vest for Brother Dreary. The picture below shows how to sew the card-woven bands together. The thread goes from left to right and back between the threads of the first and second card, always going forward and never going over the edges of the bands.


The two bands in the part where the lapel was going to be caused a bit of a problem. As the lapels are turned, the side where the edges of the band are visible needs to be changed at a point where the change will remain invisible. I started from the upper edge with edges of the band on the outside, sewed a little bit to make it easier to turn the lapel, and checked where the change should be made.


The next picture makes things a bit clearer. The point of change mentioned above is visible on the side that will be the inside of the vest and under the lapel on the outside. This way, everything that is visible stays neat. The inside of the vest and the parts under the lapels won't show, so they don't matter.


I also had to try making socks for the Baha Cat, although I had already deemed the idea mad. It wasn't easy, but I managed to do it. Of course this is just the first one, I still need to make the other.


As you can see, the sock doesn't have a proper heel. I just made the decreases on one side only to give it this wedge shape.



Related earlier posts:
Brother Dreary project
Socks and the beginning of the vest
Parts of the vest
Baha Cat's vest and stuff for Brother Dreary

Baha Cat's vest and stuff for Brother Dreary

As I was planning the Baha Cat's vest, I realized that I needed narrower band for the pieces that go up to the shoulder height. So I made yet another band with just enough length for the two narrow pieces you can see in the picture below.

Then I sewed the pieces together and made the back piece from wool fabric. I treated the edges of the fabric with Fray Stay, although the fabric does not fray easily. I just wanted to be sure the edges will stay neat. Before sewing the back and front pieces together, I pressed the front pieces.

The picture below shows the finished vest. The buttons are fake and the front closes with two tiny snaps.

 
Brother Dreary's sweater has progressed a bit. This is the point where the front and back pieces separate and where the opening in the back piece starts. I'm not sure how big armholes are needed to be able to get the sweater on the doll, but I guess I'll find out sooner or later.

I got the socks finished on Saturday. Here are views from different sides.




Related earlier posts:
Brother Dreary project
Socks and the beginning of the vest
Parts of the vest

Parts of the vest

I made the first band too short, so I had to make another one to get enough material for the vest. When the bands were ready, it was time to measure and cut the needed pieces. First, I measured the required length and applied Fray Stay to the uncut band (on both sides of the place where it was to be cut). When the band was dry again, I cut the band in the middle of the treated parts. In the picture below, you can see two parts of a band treated with Fray Stay. The places where it was later cut are marked with black lines.

The parts where the direction of turning the cards was changed (to remove twist in the threads) cannot be used for something like this. Because of that, it is a good idea to plan beforehand and place the reversals so that you can cut the band there. All it requires is that you know the lengths of the required pieces and measure the band as you proceed.

For example, I needed one 6 cm piece, one 12 cm piece and two 10 cm pieces for one side of the vest front. I started by making the 12 cm piece turning the cards forward, then I made a little over 20 cm turning the cards backward (removing the twist created earlier and adding some new in different direction), and then 6 cm turning forward (again removing some twist). Even using this method, I had to open the far end of the setup once to remove twist.

I used Fray Stay for this as it is much better for the purpose than Fray Stop. Fray Stop is really glue and looks and behaves a lot like PVA glue. It's thick and remains visible, unless you dilute it heavily with water. Fray Stay is a bit thicker than water, but still leaves an even surface and is almost invisible when it's dry. (Fray Check looks similar to Fray Stay, clear liquid in a bottle with fine tip.)

The picture below shows all the pieces of the vest front, except the collar pieces, which I haven't cut yet. These need to be hand sewn together and pressed. I'm planning to practice that with the leftover pieces of the band, which I'm going to use to make a vest for the Baha Cat. I want everything I make for Brother Dreary to be as perfect as possible, so I'll try stuff in a smaller scale with the Baha Cat and it may end up having the same kind of costume.

The mail delivered today my order from Little Trimmings. Unfortunately, the buckles I ordered were much too small for this purpose, but they are still very nice and I can use them for some other doll's shoes. Here they are shown with a buckle that's too big. I really need to find something in between these sizes.

I had much better luck with buttons. The ones on the left are those I ordered earlier and plan to use for the vest (the yellow ones). The gold colored are from Little Trimmings and they are perfect for the jacket.

I also ordered some fabrics and simple white buttons for Brother Dreary's shirt. There are enough buttons for two shirts as I ordered two sets of 10 buttons, so I'm planning to make a shirt using that tartan patterned fabric. I still need to find suitable white fabric for the shirt to go with the folk costume. I'm not striving for strict accuracy, but I still prefer using fabric that has the right kind of look and feel.

Related earlier posts:
Brother Dreary project
Socks and the beginning of the vest