Red Ruffles and Green Sleeves

Merry Holiday Wishes to You!


Heather, after we just attended Christmas mass

Heather almost ready to open more presents while visiting my parents at their home (10 minute drive) later that Christmas day.


More smiles on the birthday of our Savior.



I have not seen many styles from Burda that have captured my interest, maybe cause certain styles seem to recycle one way or another. I was tempted to start tracing from the January 2010 issue (certainly arrived early), but opted to revisit past issues. Maybe the time lapse makes me appreciates things that I overlooked or what I intended to make when I first saw it. I have not been too impressed with Burda's tribute to certain decades, but in the November 2009, I liked the looks of this blazer/jacket which would be a refreshing change from the cropped or shorter styles that I had sewn.

My Honest Rating
"Nearly a wadder after a promising start." Actually, operator error is the major reason.

I can relate to the "Nobody's Perfect" song, with the verse "Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days". If you have a Hannah Montana fan, then this song should be VERY familiar.



Burda's Description
"Happy together
This fitted velvet jacket is so wonderfully soft! The first impulse when you see it is to cuddle. We're sure he'll agree with us on that! "

Now I cannot get that song by the Turtles out of my mind!
"Me and you, and you and me, no matter how they stitched the seams, it had to be, the only one for me is you, and you for me, so happy together..."

My Description
Fitted blazer/jacket with wide collar and lapels, vertical front darts, pleated pockets, and buttoned sleeve vents.


Sizes
Misses' Burda sizes 36-44. I sewed a "40" instead of a "42" from a previous experience with a Burda jacket. If I wanted a "looser" option, I would have gone with the "42".

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, somewhat. I somehow moved my front vertical darts further away from the center, thereby affect the placement of the pleated pockets more towards the sides.


Fabric Used
Baby wale stretch corduroy in apple green.


Pattern Pieces
* Front (x 2)
*Front facing (x2). I traced a front facing piece from the original front, and added the 5/8" seam allowance.
*Center back (x 1)
*Side back (x 2)
*Collar (x 2)
*Collar band (x 2)
*Upper sleeve (x 2)
*Lower sleeve (x 2)




Favorite Features
*Wide collar and lapel, but not distinctively wide enough to qualify for "that 70's collar"

*The steps in my case, prior to the collar, were simple and straightforward to construct.

*The pleated pockets


Other Features
*Some steps were nebulous and others were more specific, but still seem convoluted due to not having helpful diagrams

*Had some challenges in attaching the left collar due to the bulk caused by the band. I cut into the "bulky seam" and left a hole which nearly made the jacket unwearable. I salvaged it by topstitching the collar to the neck edge (past the junction to the front facing) from the outside. There is some "asymmetry", but I decided to accept it.

*There is a lot of ease in the upper sleeves. I trimmed a maximim of nearly an inch at the top of the sleeve caps, tapering to zero along the sides.


Directions
I did not have difficulty in first few steps dealing with sewing the side backs, top yoke to the upper edge of the lower back,

I was somewhat baffled with attaching the upper band of the pleated pockets. I skipped the lining and sewed the band to the basted upper pleat, right sides together. I turned under, pressed and stitched a 3/8" hem on the other edge of the band. Then I folded the band along the halfway line, right sides together, sewed a 3/8" seam from the ends and turned it inside out.

*Bound buttonholes
They seemed fine if you are very familiar with them, and in my case, I would have used Kenneth King's or Annette1's tutorials.

*Attaching the collar to the neckline
Here is where things can go chaotic. There was no mention (at least that was what I got from reading the directions) of sewing the collar pieces together BEFORE sandwiching the collar between the collar bands and stitching them together and along the front edges of the collar band. I am familiar with then sandwiching the entire collar between the neckline and front facings (the back facing had not been yet attached).

After sewing HP's shirt for the first time, I discovered Pam Erny's (Pam-Off-The-Cuff) very helpful tutorial on placement of the collar and facing.

Part One, Collar Tutorial

Part Two, Collar Tutorial

I saw the familiar angled collar and made note of the marks on the facing and on the neckline and saw how they related to sewing this classic collar with lapel, thus avoiding the large gap I experienced from sewing the HP shirt. What stumped me was the position of the collar band as I sewed the collar to the neckline. I wondered if it would have been wiser to omit the collar band, and thus avoid that "bunching" at the neckline before sewing the back facing.

Then I recalled that last year, I sewed a 9/2008 jacket (with fabric that I admit with embarrassment, won by another PR member's creation for use in the hideous fabric contest) where I figured out what do with the collar band (had no collar) with respect to the neckline and facing.

Back facing and tab collar of unlined version of jacket, Sept 2008, #102



The directions for the collar and front facing from my 60's vintage Vogue jacket (Jo Mattli) sewn March 2008 assisted me in figuring out the collar band for this argyle jacket. For my current jacket, I assumed that the collar was sandwiched between the collar band.

Modifications
*1" petite adjustment between waist and hips.
*I also did not add the hem allowance while tracing the pattern (did not need to)
*Omitted the lining. I am glad I did, because the jacket already looked and felt bullky.
*Omitted the lining in the pleated pockets
*Double topstitched the pleated pockets
*Made machine buttonholes instead of the recommended bound buttonholes.
*Made French seams at the center back and sides.
*After getting further discouraged and did not want to spend more time on the project, I omitted the vent sleeves and buttons.


Conclusion
Despite my wrestling experience with my right collar and lapel, I still want to give this pattern another try, but next time using the recommended velour and also extending the lower edge of the collar a tad to eliminate the collar band.


I wore this jacket out of the house twice, and yes, it is surprisingly comfortable and am beginning to like the overall style.

Somebody was very happy after opening a box from her uncle/godfather Bernie (my brother) and her aunt (his wife) who reside in Texas.

Go Green!