Burda in Dark Olive Green and a Digital Print

I am pleased with this outfit.  The gorgeous fabric in the simply designed  blouse and the interesting details in the skirt make for an on-trend, military-like, fall fashion, ensemble. 

The Skirt:

The skirt is Burda #116 from the September 2010, issue.  I made it out of an inexpensive, stretch, dark-olive sateen.  This pattern would probably do a little better with a drapier fabric, because it does tend to crease/fold out towards the front at the horizontal panels when walking or sitting.  I will probably make it again in a quality tropical weight wool or rayon gabardine to match the quality of the blouse.  The technical drawing is here.  I cut a size 36, and added approximately one inch to the waist.  The other change I made was to have two back walking vents instead of one to keep it symmetrical.  I inserted an invisible zipper and it is lined with nude-colored Bemberg rayon, which is the only color I had on hand.  I had forgotten to add an extra inch to the hem when I cut it out, but as you can see the skirt is quite long and I even hemmed it two inches instead of the recommended 1 5/8".  The construction of this skirt is fairly easy.  One thing I like about this design is that it gives the illusion of hips, if you are like me and have a boyish figure. 

I would mention that it might be a good idea not to trim your seam allowance on the curved front seams so that they will stay flat when you press them open.  I cut mine a little narrow after I pressed them open and now they want to stay together and not stay open nor lie flat when I am wearing the skirt, which make a little bulge along the seam line.  Again, maybe the choice of fabric has something to do with this. 

Here are some close-ups of the details:



Double Back Vent and Blind Hem





Invisible Zipper
(Wish I had had an olive one handy, but the blue does not bother me too much since there is blue in the blouse.  Also, I think this outfit would look great with a wide belt, which would also hide the zipper pull.)




Front Curved Horizontal Panels

 The Blouse:

I used Burda pattern 8153 and also cut a size 36.  My fabric is a designer, cotton/silk, digital print.  What a fantastic fitting long sleeved blouse this is.  It has bust darts and front and back shaping darts at the waist.  I did not have to make any alterations.  The collar is a smidge wide and gives it a bit of a retro feel, which with this fabric, I love.  The sleeves have vents with facing and two pleats on each side.  The cuffs are interfaced.  I put two buttons on mine instead of just one.  I used all french seams in the construction except where I set in the sleeves.  I was so nervous working with this fabric and I did make one big mistake, which thankfully I was able to hide when I attached the collar.  Instead of attaching the collar from the outside of the shirt, I had to attach it to the inside and fold it to the outside then stitch it down.  I think I will be the only one who notices this since the collar hides the collar stand.  The inside is evenly stitched and this is the side that shows.  I am going to love this blouse not only with the above skirt, but more casually with jeans, like this:

Cuff Detail

Sewing is my absolute favorite hobby.  I love pushing myself and trying new things.  And... I just love the whole creative process.  I love browsing for fabrics and thinking, "Hmmm, what could I do with this?" or "That's a cool detail, I'd like to try that..." or "What if I tried this print with that pattern."  I still have so much to learn and the fabric, pattern, design combinations are endless! 

What's next?  Something tiny, adorable, and soft!