Tag Archives: Burda 7723

short and rose-y

24/10/2015 9:20 am \ 38 Comments \

…some new summer shorts  🙂

Pattern;  ye olde faithful Burda
7723.  Someone alerted me to the fact
that this pattern has been discontinued…. boooo!  This is fair dinkum one of my favourite
patterns… goodness knows why Burda would let go such a nice flattering design
as this  🙁  However, last time I was in
the fabric store I had a good squizz at the pattern catalogues, and while there are no Burdas like this any more, I noticed Vogue 8836 cut to shorts length might just be a pretty good substitute?  It has the same high rise with deep/wide waistband,
the same slightly flared leg, the same slanted front pockets, the same double
pleats at top to enable decent hand-shoving access to said pockets.
One thing I really loooove
about the Burda pattern is the way the pocket piece extends right into the fly;
which gives you a kind of inbuilt tummy control panel right across the front.  I don’t know if the Vogue has this feature but if not that would be sad, since this is a GIANT WIN!
Alterations; just the usual, the pattern doesn’t instruct to put a protective placket behind the fly but I always put
one in. It’s an easy add-on and always a nice finishing touch to any fly front.
Fabric; some lovely stretch sateen from Fabulous Fabrics; soft, sturdy without being very thick, and the print has a sharp, painterly appearance, like old-fashioned ceramics.  Mum bought it for
me for my birthday.  Actually, the fabric is very lovely and totally deserves to be something far more dressy.  Just that I’m a funny bun when I get an idea
in my head, sorry; and I really fancied some luxe-ish shorts.  I’m excited about the thought of wearing them
both pretty pretty style, with my ultra feminine broderie anglaise top; and also
more contrast-y like, with my more masculine, utilitiarian khaki linen shirt
too. 
The lovely Margo recently posted about showing your sewing creations in action, with an action shot… which inspired the following display of gawky awkwardness.  What was I thinking, I don’t know.
Thought bubble emanating from Sienna; what the flippin’ heck is she doing NOW!????
Action shot!  Sienna knows, you see, that in real life this particular action is pretty much non-existent from my daily repertoire of actions, haha.   Pegging clothes on the line or taking out the rubbish would be a more realistic action shot, if slightly less riveting for a picture!
Oh dear.  Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, ahem…!
Okay! wrapping it up…
Happiness factor; well, a favourite pattern and totally lovely fabric, all going together as smooth as silk.  I’m giving
this project 10/10  🙂
Details:
Shorts; Burda 7723, floral sateen
Tshirt; the Nettie, Closet Case patterns, white bamboo jersey. details here
Cardigan; midnight blue Miette, details here
Thongs; Havaianas
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Check-mate

09/12/2012 11:00 pm \ 45 Comments \

… because I’ve made something in a check, and I’m accompanied by my best-est mate  🙂  The former, a rarity; the latter, far less so!
So, the searing-est of searing hot scorchers are but just around the corner, and like a war-wife stocking her air-raid shelter before the blitz, I am laying in supplies… I have made a new pair of shorts using Burda 7723, altered by lengthening and flaring the legs slightly, and adding a zip placket.
This is the eighth thing I’ve made using this pattern… yeah, so I’ve come to the conclusion that this pattern is one totally cruddy pattern which does not work for me at all… hehe, joking!  Just seeing if you were paying attention.  Obviously, this has been one of my favourite and most used patterns.
The green gingham was given to me by my friend C from her late mother’s stash.  I can tell it is a really old old fabric, a cotton gingham of a solidly satisfying quality you just don’t see very often anymore.  Seriously, I don’t want to come across all “oh-all-modern-stuff-is-crap-compared-to-the-good-old-days” since I think that is not true at all: but; a Case in Isolation…  like the proverbial man; good gingham is hard to find now.  This is a very good gingham; crisp, strong, thick and tightly woven.  The white has slightly yellowed to a pale-ly creamy ivory through age, but as this suits my colouring I consider it a plus.
Now.
There is actually something  rather special about my new shorts….  🙂
this is the very first garment fully made on my baby sewing machine; my tiny elna Opal, that lives in our beach house!  YES!  

I have used it for hemming curtains, but I really wanted to make a proper and complete “something” entirely using this weeny little machine while we were at the beach house, so took down everything I thought I might need.  Of course, I get started and quickly realise I did NOT have everything that I needed!  I remembered after the fact that I usually finish off a few internal raw edges in this pattern on my overlocker, which of course I did not have with me.  However, I did have a piece of white voile with me, which I had taken down just in case, like for pocket lining or something.  I did not use it for pocket lining, but it was sliced into bias strips and I finished off all the raw edges inside my new shorts with HongKong seaming.  This is a kinda high-end finish I would not normally bother with in a casual pair of shorts, so my overlocker’s absence really forced me to lift my game here!

Also, I also belatedly realised that my baby machine does not have a zip foot, meaning I had to insert the zip using its one and only foot, a regular wide one.  So the front fly top-stitching around the zip turned out a wee bit wonky… but that’s OK.  Seeing those sweetly crooked stitches on my machine’s very first garment is like looking at my child’s very first piece of kindergarten art.  
Likewise, the baby machine does not do buttonholes, that I can work out anyway: so instead I handstitched a keyhole buttonhole using embroidery thread in a tight blanket stitch.  Another example of a maybe higher quality finish than I would otherwise have employed!  Maybe I should make more things while I am away from my “real” sewing machines  😀

Just for fun, and “why not?” I added strips of bias-cut gingham in the pocket opening edges.  I was planning to put some welt pockets in the back with bias-cut welts too; but the unheard of happened, and disaster struck… I ran out of thread!  
(heard in Perth, all the way from Dunsborough)  “Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

Oh well.  It’s not like one ever uses rear pockets… they’re just for show and I guess there’s already plenty of visual interest happening with the check and all.  But once something is in my head and I haven’t been able to see it through; it’s Unfinished Business and niggles at me.  Hate that.  Maybe I’ll bring these shorts down again the next time and put those welt pockets in… maybe.  We’ll see.  🙂

Details:
Shorts; Burda 7723, green cotton gingham; my review of this pattern here
Top; the ponytail top from Pattern Magic 3 by Tomoko Nakamichi, green jersey, details here
Shoes; bensimon, from seed
Hat; Country Road

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Bitumen hued shorts, with French fly

30/03/2012 4:12 am \ 33 Comments \

Ta da!
New shorts!
The funny thing about these is that during one of my regular stash sort-throughs, I had picked up this bit of fabric, shaken it out, sized it up, done one of those quick mental assessments (I’m sure you’re familiar with that) and designated it as a new pair of Burda 7723 shorts.  That was months ago.  Then distraction had set in  (I’m sure you’re all familiar with that too) and I had all but forgotten about it.
It was only until this week, doing the one-week-one-pattern challenge, and I was starting to wonder which Burda 7723 thing I would wear today, which would be the privileged “double-up”, so to speak, thus marking it as my favourite, when that potential pair of shorts suddenly popped into my head again.  Of course!  Now was the time…. I made these over the past few days, just in time to be included in the week of Burda 7723’s.
The fabric is very lovely, a very soft linen/cotton mix that crinkles up beautifully from Fabulous Fabrics, with a woven-in pinstripe of motley charcoal and ivory giving the fabric a gentle overall hue of variegated warm grey.  The pieces are the leftovers from this dress (which was transformed into a mini later and given to Cassie, giving me some more fabric to play with) and we had bought even more of this fabric later for Cassie to make herself a pair of trousers, so there were some leftovers from that project too.  Just enough for me to squeeze out the pieces for this fantastic pattern.
These shorts are pretty much made straight up to the pattern, except that they have back patch pockets and are flared just slightly.  Also I incorporated a French fly, after reading and giving some thought to the Waves series on the superior finishes often evident in menswear and lacking in womenswear.  Thinking about it made me decide to have a go at working out how to put in a French fly.
I checked out some of Craig’s really good suit trousers to get the general idea, and adapted the bare bones of the French fly principle to fit into my own pattern.  I did take some pictures during the process so I can do a tutorial if anyone is interested…?
The French fly performs the same duty as a waist stay.  Actually, it is the very same principle…  I know you cannot see any difference on the outside of the shorts, but I do feel like everything feels beautifully firm and pulled in.  What is more, the front of the shorts does sit a lot better with the French fly in place.  I’ve always thought the area right above the zip pull (meaning that bit you grab to pull the zip down) is the weak point on a pair of trousers/shorts.  The little bump of that zip pull, and the small empty space above it and just below the waistband, combined with the fact it is sitting right at the junction of zip/waistband where all the wearing strain is, often causes the shorts to bulge or gape a teensy bit at this point.   Having the French fly has pulled the shorts in nice and firmly right underneath that zip pull, taking the strain off at that spot and allowing the flap of the fly to sit down flat in a more relaxed way.

Details:
Shorts; Burda 7723, grey linen/cotton mix
Top; my own design, embroidered and cut-out ivory linen
Camisole (underneath); Country Road
Shorts; Bronx from Zomp shoes

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Hot pink shorts; 6 different ways

18/01/2012 3:56 am \ 29 Comments \

So, shorts, and particularly linen shorts are always going to be a warm weather thing and perhaps not an obvious candidate for “see how useful this item of clothing is!”….  But I am an Aussie after all, and typically lead a very relaxed and outdoorsy lifestyle that means shorts are an essential part of my wardrobe for just about half the year  (I wouldn’t choose to wear shorts in winter personally, although I’ve seen a few magazines trying to sell the idea of shorts-with-tights look; that’s just not for me, sorry…)
And I do like to use these 6 different ways posts to showcase garments that have proven themselves runaway useful little wardrobe builders, and that I have grabbed and put on regularly, and have enjoyed wearing.  And these shorts that I made using Burda 7723 are sure fitting into this category.
Ergo.
So here are just a selection of the daily outfits that I have worn including my pink shorts lately, each photo taken on each of the days that I wore them… and I’ve given a few thoughts on my styling choice and how I felt wearing each of these outfits on the day…
At left; I just wanted to try this one because this is the jacket designed to match these shorts in the very same pattern.  I felt a little oddly formal wearing this out and about, although I absolutely loved these colours together (reminded me of Frenchy’s fab outfit with the pink hair in Beauty School Dropout, Grease)  But maybe jacket-and-shorts together is not strictly “me”?  At right; with a chambray shirt, sleeves casually rolled up?  Definitely “me”!  A gardening and sewing day, bliss.

pink1

At left; felt quite fashion-y and rather dressed up in this outfit, even though it is actually just a linen shirt buttoned up and tucked in… I received a few compliments!  Worn out meeting up with some gal pals… At right; with my little white linen Pattern magic top.  Wore this out and about, walking the dog and running errands, and it felt like a perfect match.  Will wear this one over and over again…

pink2

At left; with a little coffee-coloured, triple-collared shirt, and a light cardi (to avoid sunburn)  I thought this cardigan would be a good colour match but was interested that it made my shorts look purple!   Loved wearing this, it was a great outfit for a cooler day, and I do prefer a cardi-with-shorts look…  At right; with a pale chartreuse loose linen top and matching scarf.  I really like the colour wheel opposites here, and the fact that the greens are so pale against the vividness of that pink peeking out underneath. And that it’s so comfy and cool…

pink3

I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how this rather in-your-face, look-at-me colour has settled happily into my almost pink-less wardrobe, and how much I have enjoyed them… years of avoiding hot pink because of some misguided fear that it would mark me as “not serious”;  I think I’ve relaxed a bit!  So, which one of these outfits would be the most “you”, do you think?
(And fyi, the outfit I am wearing today is the last one with the pale chartreuse top and scarf.)

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Hot (pink) pants

23/11/2011 11:12 am \ 37 Comments \
G’day, peops!
Remember when I mentioned a piece of hot pink linen that had befriended me in the fabric store and then beseeched me to give it a new home and some purpose in its life?  (ahem) Well I’ve done the right thing by this piece of lolly-bright fabric fabulousness and transformed it into something that I am already excited about wearing a tonne of times this summer!  A bomb of times!  A colour bomb!  A Barbie bomb!  Wait, I doubt if Barbie is considered very cool, or even PC anymore…?  so mebbe scratch that one…
I used Burda 7723, again; my go-to shorts pattern now.  Such a nicely tailored shorts pattern; with a slight flare enough to make them “cute”, a wide high waistband that sits securely and firmly at one’s true waist, and good sized pockets.  The last feature making it a definite win all by itself…  I also think this shape just really suits my style and my figure too, I think.  In the past I’ve altered this pattern slightly each time I’ve made it up; to make them more flared, flat-fronted and longer respectively, but this time I made it up just as is.   Oh, except for my usual modification; the addition of a zip placket.  Well, naturally why wouldn’t you put in a zip placket? uses hardly any fabric and you see them in even the cheapest and most badly made RTW shorts so it is completely beyond me why patterns continue to leave this minor, but telling little detail out.  I once did a sort of tutorial on how to add a zip placket to any fly-front pattern, here.

Now just to diverge for a sec into photography territory again, I know lots of other fashionable seamsters aren’t interested in the slightest in photography; but I am.  So …
I first thought of photographing this ensemble against a bright white wall, in the strong midday sunlight; thinking that the intense shades of cobalt blue and hot pink would stand up well to the lighting challenge.  But I was still a bit amazed at the incredibly deep shadows created… also I realised that you couldn’t see the shorts properly with the tie thing-y in the front hanging over the front of the shorts.  So I tucked in the top, and moved over to a shady spot.  But the photos I took, even though they don’t show the shorts very well, still intrigued me in an artistic sense so I decided to put one in here as well.  And btw; I do not photoshop or alter my photos apart from cropping.  This is how it is!  (although oftentimes I wish my face could always be in shadow like this…)
When you look at pictures of clothes, do you prefer realism; as in showing the dressmaking details as accurately as possible; or do you like to see a bit of artistry in the photography as well?  Me, I know I like a bit of both…  but I’ve said enough about that in the past so I won’t repeat myself.
What aspect of fashion photography do you appreciate the most?
Details:
Top; blue “bunches”, from Pattern Magic 3, of thin cobalt blue cotton jersey, details here
Shorts; Burda 7723, hot pink linen

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Sherbie jacket

28/09/2011 2:51 pm \ 21 Comments \

… so named because it is exactly the same colour as of one of my favourite childhood lollies.
Thank you for the feedback on the Spring colour challenge yesterday!  I am still up in the air over whether I will actually join in officially or not; but in the meantime I have chosen a colour palette based on stash fabrics that I want to make up, and realised that this little jacket fitted in with it perfectly!
I’m embarrassed to admit that I made this about three years ago, and have barely worn it.  It has probably been worn about three times in total!  But I was doing a bit of clothing rotation; cleaning out my wardrobe and sorting out some warmer weather gear for the new season and came across it again in a suitcase of spring clothes and decided it was high time I brought into regular circulation.  It is actually quite a goodie if I say so myself… 😉 and I plan to make it a staple for this spring.
It is Burda 7723, a pattern which has been seen here quite a lot.  That is because I have made up the shorts loads of times… but the jacket just this once.  It is of sherbie-apricot coloured raw silk, and has a contrasting darker apricot coloured hessian silk collar and pocket flaps.  Those pocket flaps are not just for show, there are real pockets underneath but they are pretty small and probably not useful for anything bigger than a mobile phone, house key and a credit card.  Well, all a woman needs, hehe…. 🙂  The jacket is fully lined in black acetate lining fabric.  Goodness knows why I chose black, I guess I must have thought it was a cool idea at the time.  I’m thinking the black lining looks a little weird now…
Some thoughts on the other things;
The pale pink layered damask skirt made about four years ago, I was super sad to spot a few areas around the welt seams where the fabric is starting to wear through age… and I still adore this skirt.  Noooooo!
The little sleeveless white wrap blouse, another old spring/summer staple.
Now I have to explain the extra random piccie below, I feel like a bit of a fool because I stuffed up.  I went out on my walk and took a nice picture for self-stitched September, and to show off the jacket… and thought that was that.  Then remembered that today was day of the mini-challenge; the night-shot; doh!  So normally I can’t bear there to be more than one photo of the same outfit in a post.  You’ve probably noticed that I will generally have one photo only, except for details shots or a back/side view or if there is some extra added feature and so on…  I’m just like, one shot is enough already!  But I just have to join in the mini photo challenge, so I nipped out to our street tree and took a night shot too… and there it is below.  So I’m sorry if you too hate multiple photos of the same outfit; and I sympathise.  But unfortunately you just couldn’t see much detail of the jacket in the night-shot, so it just had to be done!
But the good news; I did learn how to take a night shot on my camera… something that is new to me.  The shutter speed is set to 30 seconds, and I just stood as still as possible for those 30 seconds.  That is why you can see some car lights zooming down the street behind me!  I’m just amazed the picture worked out… pretty cool, huh?

Details:
Jacket; Burda 7723, apricot raw silk, darker apricot silk collar and pocket flaps, lined in black acetate
Top; NewLook 6252, white seersucker
Skirt; my own design based on Vogue 7303 (a basic A-line skirt pattern) pale pink shimmer-y damask, to see this skirt styled in 6 different ways go here
Sandshoes; Country Road

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Burda 7723, a pattern review

13/03/2011 6:17 am \ 17 Comments \

These shorts aren’t new here on the blog, I made them over a year ago and have worn them a zillion times since, although not for Me-Made-March yet.  Since this version here was my first attempt at this now fairly well-worn pattern, and the only time I’ve made them up exactly to pattern I thought it was high time to review it… albeit belatedly.  The review I submitted to Pattern Review is below, if you’re interested.
Incidentally the shirt is another of my most-used patterns, Burda 7767 that I’ve made up possibly a dozen times now (?I think?), and also the first cab-off-the-rank from this pattern and the only version made up exactly to this pattern too!!  Hehe, it’s pretty rare for me to stick identically to a pattern the second or more times around… and not introduce little variations and/or improvements (that’s debatable…) for subsequent garments.  Not always fabulously successful alterations, I hasten to point out…  but that’s the beauty of being handy with a needle, if you’re not completely happy you can take steps.  Like I did yesterday…

Details:
Shirt; Burda 7767, pink linen with navy blue top-stitching and buttons, close-up details here, my review of this pattern here
Shorts; Burda 7723, white linen, close-up details here
Thongs; Mountain Design
Nail varnish; Glamourpuss, BYS

Pattern Description:
High-waisted shorts; with double pleated front, fly front, front slanted pockets.  There is included as well patterns for a pair of trousers, and two variations of a jacket.
Pattern Sizing:
European 34-44 (8-18)  I made up a straight size 10
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
very easy
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love just about everything about this pattern!  The pattern is very well drafted and goes together easily and well.  The pockets are generous and deep, and the double pleated front allows enough fabric fullness for you to shove your hands down deep in those pockets with plenty of room.
Some very very minor issues; it doesn’t have a zip placket, but this is a super easy feature to add yourself.  Also the waistband is not shaped, so subsequent times I’ve made up this pattern I’ve sewn a diagonal joining seam in the centre back of the waistband to accommodate my sway-back.
Fabric Used:
linen
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I added rear patch pockets.  Subsequent times I’ve made up this pattern, I’ve lengthened and flared the legs slightly,  added the aforementioned zip placket, and for one version re-drafted the front piece to eliminate the front pleats, as I was using heavily embroidered fabric and wished to avoid the extra bulk of the pleats.
As mentioned above, I’ve sewn the centre back seam of the waistband with a diagonal seam, to accommodate a swayback.
The waistband is designed to be a double width, that folds in on itself to form its own facing; for two versions of these shorts using bulkier fabric I joined a strip of fashion fabric to a strip of thinner cotton fabric to become the inner facing.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I’ve sewn this shorts pattern up four times now.  It is my tried and true go-to shorts pattern.  I highly recommend this pattern!
Conclusion:
Absolutely, this is one of my favourite patterns that I turn to first when I’m considering a pair of shorts.  I think the shape is very flattering and I love the wide waistband, that sits firmly and securely up high on the waist, holding everything in.

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Dressing for the office…

11/03/2011 6:00 am \ 11 Comments \

hehe…
No really, this is what I wore to the office, today!  I know it appears that I spend all of my time gallivanting about in the great outdoors, and let’s face it, the pictorial evidence is here that I am out and about communing with nature most days… but I do actually have a job.  Very fortunately for me we have an office at home and I am quite allowed to dress for my office anyway I choose.  Every now and again I do feel compelled to dress up all smartish, like I am “going to work” and need to feel appropriately apparelled to get in the mood.  Sometimes I do have to get dressed up, for some work-related stuff.  But it’s nice that I don’t always have to, I guess otherwise I wouldn’t want to every once in a while.
Anyway, introducing here some new shorts!
(Dressmaking details lower, if you’re interested…)

Details:
Shorts; much modified Burda 7723, yellow embroidered cotton, details below
Top; Butterick 4985, baby blue embroidered cotton with lace pockets and a lace tie (normally hanging down the front, not the back; it’s a bit windy today)
Thongs; Mountain Designs
Nail varnish; Glamourpuss, BYS

The shorts are made using my old favourite Burda 7723, out of fabric I bought before Christmas, so it hasn’t been a super long-term stash resident.  I was originally planning a little skirt but by the time I decided I wanted shorts it had sold out from the fabric store, and I had to make do with what I had.  Even so, I managed to make my usual modifications to this pattern, namely adding as much length as I could (about 6-7cm) and flaring the legs as much as I could (roughly a few cm)
The fabric is a lovely very strong acidic yellow cotton, with heavily embroidered flowers.  The embroidery on these flowers is extremely thick, and actually on the wrong side of the fabric the back of the embroidery is just as thickly interwoven with yarn as the front, which made working with it a little tricky.  To remove bulk (and because of the fabric shortage) I used the fashion fabric for only the upper part of the pocket and yoke piece, attaching pieces of a much thinner cotton for the invisible lower parts of the pocket.  Like wise, the same plain fabric was used for the pocket piece, and for the waistband facing.

Also because of bulkage, and fabric shortage, I drafted the pattern to be flat-fronted, and removed the pleat that is at the front of this pattern.
Also added a zip placket… I took a few pictures of this very simple modification.  This is such an easy thing to add to your waist-banded pants and shorts; I don’t know why the pattern companies don’t always have it as a standard feature.  You simply overlock the raw edges of a strip of fabric, folded wrong sides together.   This little bit was from the selvedge, and so unembroidered…  Interesting side-note?  I had previously used up most of the selvedge already for another project, here.

Then you sew it in place behind the left front of your zip.

Finally, when adding the waistband you then enclose the top end in the waistband along with the rest of the top end of your shorts.  Voila.  Super easy, and you’ll never have to worry about cold zip teeth against your tender tummy skin again, or even worse, skin getting caught in zipper teeth… ouch.

You can probably just make out in this close-up here where I had to remove an embroidered flower from the right front fly area, just to fold the fabric sufficiently get the zip in.  Seriously, those flowers are a lot bulkier than they look, no kidding I had about a whole handful of thread from just taking out this one flower here… I had to do the same thing several times along the waistband too.
I found this perfect button, made of coconut shell.   Unfortunately you couldn’t just buy one button, like I wanted, they came in packs of four…  Tres cute, no…?  Now I just have to find some project that is going to be perfect for those remaining three buttons…

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