My weekend, part 2: The splurge

I was anxious to get started on the Burda origami hem coat, and the thought of ordering fabric online and waiting a week (or probably more) for it to arrive seemed unbearable. So I decided to treat myself at my local fabric shop. Nancy's Sewing Basket is a favorite among Seattle seamstresses, it's here that you'll find supple Italian wools, silky soft Swiss cottons, and everything in between.

My goal was to find a type of fabric and a color that would make the coat wearable in the spring. I spotted a Nicole Miller matelasse - an ivory cotton with gold metallic threads running through it - and it was love at first sight. Before making my final decision, though, I folded some of the fabric to see what the origami would look like; I wanted to make sure the fabric would hold the folds crisply and that multiple layers would not be difficult to manage. It passed the test!

I failed to take pictures of the fabric this weekend when the light was good. Still, I want to share some of my progress, so please excuse the dark photos...

I included a swatch of the matelasse with a load of laundry I was running. I ironed it dry and it held up just fine, so I hand-washed the entire yardage before cutting. I let it line dry, but I hurried it along a bit by ironing it using low heat.


I decided to underline the fashion fabric with cotton flannel to provide a bit of structure, and minimal warmth too, as the matelasse itself is not very substantial. How convenient that the current issue of Threads (#135, Feb/Mar 2008) has an article by Kenneth King on underlining! As described in the article, I first cut out the underlining pieces (in the cotton flannel), and I used those as my pattern pieces for cutting out the fashion fabric in a single layer. The underlining is basted to the fashion fabric before cutting.

So far I've got the bodice and sleeves of the coat complete. Each seam provides shaping, and the fit is fantastic.

***********

A few notes on the Burda Easy Fashion magazine...

As you may know, Burda Easy Fashion is only available in German (it used to be available in English but perhaps it wasn't profitable?). Those of us in the US can order it from GLP News, just like our BWOF subscriptions.

Each grouping of coats, blouses, pants, etc, is essentially one pattern with several variations. For example, this is the pattern sheet for the jackets & coats; they've all got the same bodice but it is easy to mix and match elements like collars, pockets, etc.

The patterns are printed on a tissue sheet, and the pattern pieces are not overlapping like the regular Burda magazine. Still, I traced the pattern so I can preserve the original sizes. The markings on the pattern sheet are shown in 3 languages: German, English, and Russian.

The instructions are entirely in German. If you use BWOF, the format will be familiar to you. Well, except for the pictures! Yes, there are some pictures included to illustrate the construction process. Here, most of the pictures are included with the instructions for the first jacket, 1A, then additional pictures are provided with the instructions for 1B, 1C, 1D, etc, that show details specific to those garments.