Burda 6933

It's taken me this long to finally make a pair of pants for my son.  Well, when he was little I used to make him pants, but I haven't made him any pants (aside from pajama pants) since he was five.  Clearly, I haven't earned my "Mom of the Year" t-shirt....yet.

So here they are!  My son's not a fan of wearing jeans, so I decided to make a pair of chinos from Burda 6933.  I originally decided to make him pants because he's a 29" waist and a 34" inseam and folks, that's not an easy find.  I'm able to find jeans in his size but finding chinos is a different story.  And...he was completely open to the idea for which I am grateful...and since he's 14, I'm also fortunate.

Friends, I want you to know there were no sewing notions or fabrics hurt in the construction of these pants AND I didn't cry but....this was one of those projects that just didn't go together easily.  The majority of my difficulties came with fitting the pants (I took them apart 2, 3 or maybe 4 times) because they are a very slim fit and very short.  

I made several changes to the pattern to make it work for him:

• Added 4" to the length (he is tall) 
• Added 1/2" in the seat and 1" on each side so he had a bit more room to move and sit down.
• Widened the leg width from 11 1/2" to 13 1/2". 
• Made the belt loops 1/2" longer.

They look great on him even though I was quite frustrated.  I plan on making them again and if you plan on making them, here are some things I would change:

• Lower the welt pocket so it doesn't fall above the tip of the dart but over the dart (you can see in the picture above, the bottom of the dart falls below the welt.  It would look better and smoother below the dart).
• Use this tutorial from Poppykettle for the welt.
• Make the pant legs overall a little roomier.

Truth be told, I think I will be able to use this pattern again but I don't recommend this pattern to anyone unless you have some experience with pant construction.  We don't want any crying while sewing, right?

I have a gray pair on deck....wish me luck!

Burda 8292 - Final Challenge Coat

One of my favorite projects from the Fabricista challenge was the coat I made for the finale.  

I used Burda Pattern 8292 and you can read about my contest entry and check out my Kollabora review.  And I want to publish my Pattern Review here for any of you who are interested in making it.  I can say that Burda pattern instructions assume quite a bit of sewing knowledge so I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner but for those with coat construction knowledge, the pattern pieces went together beautifully.

Here's the review:

Pattern Description: 
Fully lined coat with panel seams and seam or patch pockets.
Pattern Sizing:
Misses 8-22.  I made a 12.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Burda instructions were not detailed and difficult to follow. The pattern pieces went together well but I didn't follow the instructions.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
This coat has classic style and a beautiful collar.
Fabric Used:
I used a cotton/spandex sateen and a solid red silk/cotton lining.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I made view E with inseam pockets instead of patch and made a 3/4 length sleeve.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would definitely make this again.