Finished: Burda Plus Fashion FW-07-404 & 405

This outfit represents the last of the fabric I bought during PR Weekend 2010. I can't believe I held on to it for five months!  I knew I wouldn't be sewing them until the Fall even though I bought them in May.  But still - five months?!?

Top  BPF FW-07-404 

The right side of this fabric has a velour-like pile and the wrong side looks like a knit.  It reminds me of a less beefy version of a velour bathrobe.  (I'm amazed at what I don't know about fabric!)  Patterns don't get any simpler than this: three pieces – front, back and sleeve.  This top was shown using a sweater knit so the neckline was not bound, but turned in.  I added a french binding to the neckline because I prefer that look.  I also move the neckline up about 1/2 inch.  Otherwise, this top would have been just too easy!  This is going to be a TNT top for me.  In the winter, I live in jeans and knit tops.  This pattern will definitely get used for more knock-around tops.  I'm determined to sew more knits and this simple pattern is a good one to use.  

Pants  BPF FW-07-405A 

For some reason, the designers decided these pants needed a sewn-on fly facing.  Since I  already took a walk on the wild side when I changed the neckline on the top,  I threw caution to the wind and decided against the sewn-on fly facing.   I just taped the extension pattern piece to the front and continued happily.  The fabric is rather heavy and a sewn on fly facing would have resulted in extra bulk at the fly.

A recent post on Nancy K Sews caused me to think about waistbands.  I pulled out Making Trousers for Men and Women (Coffin, 2009), read the information and studied the samples on the accompanying DVD-ROM.  More often than not, the waistband was faced with petersham or lining fabric rather self fabric.   Since I didn't plan for any waistband modifications for these pants, I didn't have any petersham or lining fabric on hand.   I used bias binding on the bottom the the inner waistband.  I like the look, but the waistband is still bulky.  I am definitely going to investigate further so I can produce a less bulky waistband.

I was able to finish this outfit relatively quickly.  I fought a cold for most of the long Thanksgiving weekend.  The cold won so, except for Thanksgiving Day and a few quick but necessary errands, I stayed home and spent most of my time in the sewing room.