Saturday, July 31, 2010

Burda 7-2010-108 - Aqua & brown knit twisted bubble skirt

***Updated pictures of this skirt can be viewed here***
Yeah, I know in the last post I wrote that my next garment would be a purple stretch velvet dress. Well, the desire to squeeze in a 4th project before the end of the month was too great, so I made this simple skirt from last month's Burda instead.

I cut this out night before last and stitched most of it yesterday, finishing with a bit of hand sewing today. I did make several mistakes that required some seam ripping, but that's really quite fast for me. For most other sewers it would take just a few hours. This fabric is an ITY knit purchased last year from Denverfabrics.com. I originally bought it to match the wardrobe of teal and brown I made in the fall, but didn't end up using it.

As for modifications to the pattern, I cut 3 inches off the hem and 4.5 inches off the lining. You can see the lining of this skirt on page 19 in the magazine, and I didn't want mine to show. Also, after reading this great review by Sonoemi, I twisted it only 45 degrees instead of the 90 degrees per the instructions.

The MOST difficult part of this project was the stupid invisible zipper. I am never fond of zippers in knits, especially a super stretchy ITY knit. However, I wanted to be able to tuck tops into this skirt, so wanted a smooth wasteband with interfacing. Hence the zipper. Well, I must have sewn it in at least 5 times, always getting it too stretched out at the top or not meeting smoothly at the bottom. I cried. I beat my palm against my forehead. I prayed fervently for God's mercy. It sounds funny to me now but I was so frustrated!!! Anyway, it finally went in smoothly:

I had a lot of this fabric, so went ahead and used it for the lining as well. This knit is very slippery and will wear nicely over winter tights.

Here it is with my brown brocade jacket made last November. Picture it with tights and boots for a nice winter look.

Tomorrow my friends are throwing me a baby shower and I'm super excited about it. Then my in-laws will be taking the boys to their ranch for a week and I've got to get the baby's room completed, and hopefully several more sewing projects as well. Whew! This summer has certainly flown by! I'm looking forward to baby girl's birth and slowing down for a month or so.

25 comments:

  1. That looks super cute! The zipper ended up looking fabulous and perfect of course.
    I have had my eye on this skirt pattern for awhile, but I can't find any good knits for it. Do you think it would work in a drapey cotton woven?

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  2. Looks great. I might be stating the obvious, but did you stabilise the zipper area with fusible knit interfacing before you installed the zipper? I also like to machine baste invisible zippers to the skirt before I sew them...that way you are not trying to control both the zipper curl and keeping the zipper straight at the same time. Anyway, your skirt turned out great.

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  3. Great skirt and just love the jacket. They go well together.

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  4. I love the skirt! I agree it would be great paired with your jacket and boots!!! Have fun preparing for your little Princess!

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  5. Great skirt! Looks wonderful with your jacket.

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  6. I bought this Burda magazine and saw this skirt ! I love yours. In my mind, I don't understand how it goes together but I thank you for the wonderful discussion. Wonderful skirt!!

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  7. Your version turned out really nice. I wish I had seen Sonoemi's review before I made mine. (Ha, I don't want to redo mine, but maybe a fresh start on one in the future!) I noticed my hem being "bunchy" but didn't think too hard about it. Great she did, so others will avoid all the bulk and pulling at the bottom, which definitely is related to twisting the hem too far. Have a wonderful time at your baby shower.

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  8. What a cute knit - it looks lovely in this design! Great idea to use it as the lining too.
    By the way, I can't wait to see all these new things on you once you have had your baby!

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  9. Very nice skirt and I love the outfit you put together with it too. Let's see photos of the baby's room when you get a chance.

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  10. What a great outfit! I adore that fabric.

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  11. I like this skirt and wear it very often. He is so comfortable!
    Your fabric choice for this coat is very beautiful and fits perfectly with the jacket!

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  12. I hope you think that this fabulous skirt is worth all the frustration - I always admire the way that you keep going until you get something perfect!! The fabric is so nice and it looks like it hangs and drapes perfectly for this style. Have a wonderful time at your baby shower.

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  13. Absolutely fantastic skirt! I need a new one to update my wardrobe and I'm thinking this is the pattern for me. Thank you for all the great reviews and pictures that you post. Your skills are top knotch and you are a lean mean sewing machine!

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  14. Cute skirt! It really looks nice not having the lining show. I recently came across your blog, and wow, you sew really beautiful things!

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  15. That's a fantastic skirt--different. It looks great with the blazer too.malin

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  16. Cute skirt! I have this same fabric and I keep changing my mind about what to make with it. I love how you used it for your skirt. Hope your baby shower was fun and fruitful!

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  17. Cute skirt! I love the way it's styled!

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  18. Cute skirt. I originally passed by this pattern when flipping through my Burda, but now I'm thinking about making it. So glad you made and reviewed this pattern.
    Have fun getting ready for baby girl!

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  19. What great fabric for that skirt. I really like the changes you made, less rotation, shorter lining, and lining in the knit.

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  20. Lovely skirt, Amanda. I'm glad God answered your prayers. Hmmm.., I thought I was the only one who expressed my sewing frustration that way.

    Have fun at the shower.
    C

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  21. Oh, this is really cute! So smart to line it in a "slick" fabric so you can wear it with tights in the winter.

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  22. This is so cute! I love the skirt. Looks really nice with the brown jacket.

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  23. You inspire me! Another wonderful piece!!

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  24. I just love it. That skirt is so cute

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