Burda Waist-Detail Top 119 10/2017

Hi, lovelies I hope you’re well? I know the weather’s been a bit grotty lately. Well, at least it has in the UK (hurry up Spring!). So I think we should we take our mind off it and talk sewing instead. Pull up a chair and I’ll show you what I made last week. It’s a Burda waist-detail top from the monthly magazine and is from the October 2017 edition of the monthly Burda Style magazine.

My top qualifies as another make towards the Burda challenge that I’m doing all year (my other entry so far is here)…You may remember me mentioning the Burda challenge 2018 that Hila (Saturday Night Stitch) is hosting? Well, the idea is to join in as and when you like and sew Burda garments throughout the year. If you want to join in don’t forget to share on Instagram, use the hashtag #burdachallenge2018 and tag Hila. 

Another challenge that my top qualifies for is called #makeyourstash and it’s being run by my friend Kate of Timetosew.co.uk and also @pilar_bear.  The idea of the challenge is to use up stash fabrics older than 6 months and make anything you like between March and May. There are pattern prizes on offer too. Kate and Pilar want to encourage us to be more mindful of our sewing and to use up what we have by wasting less, using less and having a more sustainable mindset. Feel free to join in the challenge on Instagram and be sure to tag Kate and Pilar and to use the challenge hashtag.

A wardrobe staple

Long-sleeved tops and lightweight sweaters are a bit of a wardrobe staple for me. Even in Summer, I wear them a lot because I’m often too chilly in sleeveless tops unless it was a proper hot day. Viscose and cotton jersey are the fabrics I use a lot for my tops and the deep red fabric that I used here is a viscose and lycra blend which I bought last year from Jersey Fashion. If you haven’t heard of the company, they are a Netherlands based fabric retailer and have a wonderful selection of plain and printed jerseys in different weights, as well as some linens, cotton and fine wools. Go and take a look, I dare you not to get tempted!

Hooked on Burda

So as you know, I mentioned before that I’m getting a little bit hooked on the fashion-forward styles in the Burda magazines. This top is no exception. I just love the unusual asymmetric gathered detail with the look of a half belt and an angled panel insert. I’m still getting used to the process of tracing off the pattern pieces, but thankfully there weren’t too many for this design and I think I was a bit quicker than last time. I even remembered to add seam allowances!

On the Jersey Fashion website, the fabric details state that there’s no need for pre-washing…who am I to argue? So I didn’t. I went straight for it and cut out. The only thing that I changed was to cut two of the angled waist inserts because I wanted a bit more structure and to add topstitching, so I made them double thickness. Adding the extra piece of fabric made it a bit tricky to work out the best way of going about sewing in the double layer. In the end, I sandwiched the lower peplum between the two layers and where the piece attached to the upper bodice I stitched a single layer seam and just hand slip stitched the remaining edge of the second layer in place on the inside.

Instructions?

Burda Style magazine instructions can sometimes be a bit vague. Overall they weren’t bad at all for this top. The only part where I struggled was how to create the little fold-over tunnel for the loop (or in my case an elongated metal ring) to fit through which the belt thread gets tied to. I had made things a bit more complicated for myself by making my waist insert double. In the end, I managed to neaten both sides of the end tab, thread the ring through and then stitch the seam and tab all together…It’s not too pretty on the inside but it did the trick

There’s a centre back seam down the body and there’s a shaped peplum at the back too. I think it gives a lovely shape to the top. The armholes are pretty unusual as well and actually really nicely drafted. The sleeve head shapes down like a dropped shoulder and then you have a regular fitted underarm seam. You have to slash right into the corners of the underarm curve to achieve a neat finish so a dab of Fray Check helped me out there to ensure the corner didn’t pull or fray. I also added a row of topstitching to highlight the dropped sleeve head and to echo the waist insert stitching.

Neckline Solution

For the neckline, I went slightly off-piste (don’t I always??). The instructions want you to stitch a narrow folded piece of fabric around and then completely flip it to the inside and stitch it down. I don’t always seem to have much luck with this kind of finish and my necklines don’t seem to lie as flat as I want. I also find them to be rather bulky.

As my fabric is pretty bouncy in nature my solution was to just add a regular binding all around the edge instead. I also decided on doing the front and back neck sections independently of each other and then seamed up the shoulders, straight through the binding afterwards. For the final hem finishes, I did nice deep hems which I overlocked and simply stitched with one row of stitching.

So would I recommend my Burda waist detail top?

My answer is a resounding yes! Firstly, I love the fact that it’s drafted so well. The fit is divine. Then there are the lovely details that elevate it from a basic long-sleeved tee. The subtle waist shaping with the peplum and the gathered section is so unusual and the most important thing is that it’s comfy and fuss-free to wear. I would definitely make another.

Have you made a pattern lately that you’re impressed with, love to wear and can recommend? I’d love to hear about it. And as always, I love to read your comments so please don’t be shy…talking sewing is my favourite thing 🙂

PIN FOR LATER: