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Today’s post is from Carrie of Oh She Dabbles.
Shirt: Burda Wrap Blouse, details below//Jeans: Ginger Jeans//Shoes: Ecuador Sandals by Nisolo//Necklace: Six Eighty Eight
This blouse was my first ever Burda experience and there was definitely a learning curve! I’m so pleased with the end result though and definitely plan on making more. First challenge was tracing. The Burda sheet is packed with so many pattern pieces that trying to see the one I needed was nearly impossible:
Solution? Highlighter! I have lots of different color highlighters (thanks to being an elementary school teacher) so I can always highlight other patterns with a different color, but man was this helpful:
It also made it so much easier to see when tracing. Usually tracing takes me forever but tracing the highlighted lines was downright speedy. Plus, there are only three pieces to this pattern, which is a nice change of pace (I’m looking at you, Ginger Jeans!)
Construction-wise, the directions were pretty minimal. Everything was straight forward except the mitered seam at the front, which, if you mess up, is extremely noticeable. The directions helpfully say “Miter front hem corners: Lay hem allowance and front edge seam allowance outward, stitch at an angle.” Great, thanks. After a little trial and error, I realized that if you notch the edges of the seam allowances and line those up, then draw a line to where the seam allowances cross, you’ll get a nice, straight mitered corner. One of mine ended up a little funky, so I just used that as the underneath front piece.
All in all, I’m thrilled with how it came out. I cut a size 40 based on my bust size (my waist and hip are closer to a 42) and it is plenty roomy. The fabric I used was a silk twill that was supposed to be used for ties (printed in panels) but worked perfectly for a shirt like this that is made up of relatively small pieces. Despite it being silk, it was only $4/yard at Mill End Fabrics in Reno, NV so it was perfect for a test run. So far, I’ve worn it for a job interview, to the symphony, out to dinner, and to school, so I’d say it’s pretty darn versatile.
The only things I changed about the pattern were to lengthen the sleeves to bracelet length (I added 1.5″) to cover my tattoo for my interview and to cut the back piece on the fold. I used ready made bias binding for the neckline to help stabilize it and I French seamed the sides and shoulders for a nice clean finish.
There are definitely going to be more of these Burda wrap blouses in my wardrobe…I think the next one I’m going to make will be in double gauze!
The shirt is lovely, but the jeans are amazing! I am putting these on my list.
Thanks so much!! The Ginger Jeans are such a fun make!
great job on both the blouse and the gingers!!
Cute blouse! It looks perfect with your Gingers.