Green polo top

In recent months I am suddenly aware ( and upset by) the changes to my neck. Its becoming very "turkey neck" and there seems nothing to be done about it so I decided to make a new version of a Burda top I made several years ago. When I looked back at this I had similar concerns about my neck then and  it would seem though I must have just forgotten them and moved on afterwards.  I actually really like this top anyway and always meant to make another but I think now my neck is aging I might make several. Its polo necks or scarves I think!

Of course aging is unavoidable and even if I was to suddenly become very rich I would not go down the surgery route. I might go for a few collagen ( or whatever is currently used because this is an area in which I know very little) injections if I could afford them but they would be for the face not the neck so I would still have the same neck issues. Its not really that bad as yet but of course aging is just constant downhill as far as looks are concerned. You just have to accept it but I reckon a polo neck or two would currently do wonders for my own confidence so I decided to try this and see how it goes. 

For some reason I have a problem with the font today and I have not discovered how to fix it, so I apologise for that and hopefully I should work it out by my next post. As you can see the rest of this post is in a different or smaller font. According to my HTML (font-family: arial; font-size: medium) for both different fonts, but there is definitely something wrong here. Still as I say I have not worked out how to change this.

Back to my top: 

I have only worn this the once so far since I literally just made it. Its currently waiting to be washed. 

The pattern is from Burda style magazine 114, 12/2014. Last time I made the neck a bit too big for a polo. I have still very much enjoyed this top though but its now quite pilly and has a few pulls on the very delicate fabric. 

The khaki green fabric I used for the new top is actually very similar ( in feel) to the first version of this pattern, so I think it will be similar when made up and really I want to repeat the first top but correct the not so good bits. For example I have always found the cuffs a bit short for my arms so I made them double the length plus an additional 10cm longer just to make sure. It means they fold right over but that also means I have more substantial ( thicker) cuffs and they are adjustable as I need. Hopefully that will stop my sleeves from going up my arms inside jackets and sweatshirts. 

I made a dress last summer from this khaki green fabric and this top will be good to wear this Spring I think under/ over that dress. On top of that it should also go well with my new, not quite finished jeans. I still need a button and buttonhole for them so will give you an update once I have braved that bit. For me button holes are almost as bad as welt pockets. I am rubbish at both!

Anyway,  I am aiming for some khaki green co-ordinates for Spring. I have a second top planned from the left-overs after making this top, which will give me a pretty easy mix of garments for those "I haven't got time to plan or think, I just need to be dressed and get out to work" days. 

I cut the neck out as accurately as possible to ensure its a proper polo neck and it worked. Not sure but maybe this fabric is more stretchy. For some reason my previous version of this pattern has a very loose neck which almost makes for a cowl rather than a proper polo. This is how its meant to be.

And of course you could actually make the polo shorter simply by folding it over. I want it high to hide my neck. And its much warmer than a normal T-shirt neck which I need right now. 

I really like the puffed sleeves on this. And the princess seams which is something I tend not to go for. I never really knew why I made the first version of this because its really not at all my usual look. Still I have very much liked something a bit different in my wardrobe so it proves I ought to try and be a bit more adventurous. I have literally hundreds of patterns yet tend to make the same few again and again. I need to still do that of course because its all stuff I want to wear, but include the occasional "different"  pattern so I explore other sides of myself ( and fashion!). 

In case you wondered this top is a very easy make. Its was a bit slippy due to the silky fabric ( I think its a viscose mix from what I remember)  I chose but even then its an easy one and well worth the effort. The hardest bit is over the CF panel because its a double layer of fabric on that panel only, where I found it wanted to pucker but I just sewed very slowly and adjusted the foot occasionally and it worked out ok.

Thanks for popping by. I hope by next week I will have braved the buttonhole on my new jeans so I can show you them and also so I can wear them because its the right weather now and they will I think look great with this new top.

Have a great week,

Bracken

Green snakeskin dress and top

I started to write this blog post back in September 2019. Then I never got round to taking the photos because I did not really like the dress and just forgot it existed.

At that time I thought that I chose the wrong fabric for this snakeskin print dress. The dress turned out huge. The fabric is just too lightweight and stretchy (or so I thought then) and I ended up taking this in loads.
 

I must have taken it in about 4-5cm in total front and back so at least a full dress size and probably a bit more. The same with the cropped top under the dress which is the same cotton lycra T shirt type of fabric.

My conclusion then was that this pattern which is Burda Style 102 04/201 was just not right for the fabric and I had wasted this snakeskin print which I saved for a nice project all last summer so it was a bit upsetting at that time. But that was with winter approaching. I made this back in September 2019 just before my hip replacement.

How things have changed since then!

I got the dress out to have a look at what it is like, put it on and wow I do like this dress after all.

Maybe its the time of year?

Maybe its the weather?

Or maybe I just feel good now that I am able to walk and no longer feel like an old lady? 

Whatever it is I like both versions of this dress very much this year.

Loads of pics below!

And the all green snakeskin version................

I made 3 tops back in September from this pattern. A black, a white and a coral. The photos of these tops were taken just before my hip replacement hence the stick. Perhaps really that was the problem. I thought at the time I made this that this dress was a disaster. But this dress feels young and summery. I was feeling very old when I made these. I was in pain and winter was coming so it was the wrong time for a bright, lime green, snakeskin dress. Now I feel young again, at least until the other hip goes anyway 😀



The tops are, I have to say a success. The one shoulder layered look really works for me though I have yet to wear any of them on their own. They feel surprisingly OK with tracksuit bottoms. I have worn these loads in winter though, despite the size being a bit big because I have worn a vest under them for warmth and because they are a little big they were still comfortable. You cannot really see in the pictures above but I made the coral top a hem length shorter than the white which gives a nice intentional layered look.

So the three 3 tops are a success despite them being too large for me. When I make more I will make smaller. I never took in the coral or white tops but they work Ok layered especially in winter and spring. I took the plain black and the snakeskin top and dress in loads. They are at least two sizes smaller and maybe more. Burda sizing for you!

 I will be making more of this style because its been really fun to wear. And that is right through the seasons.

Its not a "usual" style with layering of one shouldered tops but I love the look. Its made me adventurous in what I make now rather than sticking with basics. Though perhaps next time I will just make the longer version because I rarely wear the short black undertop.   I wear two opposite long top layers so one for each side. I may next time though try making these with no darts because o be honest I do not think my size needs them. Its stretch fabric after all.

 

The black top which I made back then works really nicely with this dress. Its more clingy than the other two. I actually though prefer the snakeskin top which gives it a proper "dress" look. You can see the black and snakeskin layers better in the photos though. Mind you I expect in reality I will wear it both ways. Ring the changes and all that.

My posture is better now which probably helps to make this dress wearable - and look good. Having a dodgy leg really makes you stand weird. When I made this dress I really could not stand up straight because of the pain in my hip. Now I am all fixed😀

I am just so amazed at how looking at something a few months later can mean you like what previously you thought a disaster!

I have worn this dress twice in the last two weeks and its very much a nice dress. Perfect for the slightly colder days of June.

Soooo glad I did not chuck this one out!

Bracken

Wrap Trousers 11/2016 #106

 

I decided to make yet another item form the Burda 11/2016 magazine.

No idea why but its my go-to mag for just about everything it seems.

I cut these out back in January and it took absolutely ages to work out what was going on with them. In the end I got up at 3am because I could not sleep cos it was bugging me why they just would not work. They kept going together all twisted. Well, as usual the Burda instructions are wrong.

Well its because the line drawing is wrong!

Or at least by missing out the outside back yoke I made these work.

So maybe its me but I reckon the line drawing is wrong.

Who knows?

Burda gets you to do the darts, front pleats and then the inside leg seams. Well fine to here but then I just could not work out the waistband. I unpicked the outside legs must have been 4 times over a period of several months and kept just giving up and making something else.

So there I am at 03:00 and I cannot sleep and I have light-bulb moment when it hits me!

 If you miss out the back yoke, but still use the inside part, you have a facing for the back. So my trousers have a lovely wrap-over front with yoke and inside facing and a plain back (no yoke) and inner facing. 

Back with no yoke but with inner facing

It means you have 2 extra bits cut out that form the two halves of the outer back yoke as shown in line drawings that actually you do not need.

The pattern also says to use an invisible zip. That was my original excuse not to finish them, back in January, because I did not have one. Then I bought 3 but ended up using them for these trousers I made.
http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/navy-blue-work-trousers-from-burda-7122.html
So still I did not get round the finishing these.
But summer is over and its starting to feel cold and my trousers made using these zips are not warm enough so I need to finish these and I decided stuff it I will finish them and use a normal zip. Its actually recycled from something years ago but is a perfectly good zip despite being second hand.

Lapped side zip

Side zip

And suddenly everything lines up, the legs are not twisted and these trousers are not only finished but they are very usual and I love wearing them. The massive pockets are a dream for slouching around and for keys, phone etc. So they are definitely not quite like the Burda pattern but they do work.

 

These are lovely warm, slouchy, but smart trousers,  but I did feel they were a little OTT when I wore them to work. Someone did comment on them and I would rather be ordinary at work. So I think these will be really nice weekend trousers despite being made from suiting which normally I would avoid for my days off.

Still that's the point of making your own clothes.

You change the rules and make it fun.

Thanks for visiting my blog,

Bracken

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#MMM17 Day 11

Day 11: I wore my top made here:
http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/86-black-and-yellow-leggings-and-87.html
 to work with RTW trousers.

I almost forgot to take a photo and changed into my PJ trousers made here:
http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/burdastyle-012016-112-track-pants-or.html
They were not intended as PJs but have ended up being really good for that.

Luckily I remembered the photo.

I did not wear the track pants all day though it is still May and I did make them!

Thanks for reading, Bracken

Life!

Well I have been very busy doing DIY. Not clothing you understand but house stuff and it has taken all my time it seems. I decided stupidly to redecorate my living room so I stripped off some of the wall paper. The first wall my partner has started to tidy up. Here it is:

It started out similar to the picture at the start of this post but he has chiseled away the edges to get it ready for the plasterer. This is what the second wall is like. Now I really never intended for us to have to replaster but I now we must. So my great idea to redecorate is really a compelete disaster!

Worst of all is on the first two walls I spent ages actually stripping off the old paper. On the third wall I had realised all the plaster is loose so I just pulled it off and did not waste time stripping it.

I will still have to strip off the bits where the plaster is not loose of course but no point when half the wall is this bad. I am devestated to be honest since have bought some lovely new wallpaper and although Christmas is months away I am now worrying it will still be undecorated then! So I now have three out of four walls that need plastering and yet to strip wall number 4! Such is life eh!

So sewing-wise: I am not too sure about the rules of the Monthly Stitch challenges but I have been very busy making my 3 items for the August challenge. Hopefully finished tomorrow when I will do a proper sewing post. I do not want to show anything before I put it onto the Monthly Stitch in case it is not allowed to do that so my new items must for now stay secret. I will reveal all very soon I promise.

I can tell you that I am intending to make this outfit next:

Recently I bought this Burda from Ebay for £2.99 which I consider a bargain because I am after lots of patterns in this issue. Of course I will still need to trace them. I want to make the trousers from this pattern here:

With the bustier from 06/2016#114 here:

I bought this really soft stretchy woven cotton fabric in  a citrus colour last summer with an idea to make a shirt.

Anyway I thought better of it. I have 2m in total so its a risk because really I do not know if I have enough to make this work but with luck I might do and I think it would be lovely amd comfy to wear.If I carefully cut out the trousers I should have just about enough left to make the top because the top is all tiny pattern pieces. I suppose I can always add a second fabric to my bustier. So once I get the Monthly Stitch challenge up online that is my next sewing project which I think should just about take me comfortably into Autumn. Then its make a coat time I think since I planned to make one all last winter but never did it. This year I will be better.

Thanks for reading and see you soon

Bracken