Now that I've thought about it, I don't know if this really qualifies as a nautical theme. The dress might lean nautical, but the rest of the garments are just in the same colorway.
left column top to bottom
Burda 8-2009-104 (stretch cotton sateen)
New Look 6644 (rayon/polyester sweater knit)
Burda 8-2009-103 - tie neck blouse (rayon challis)
New Look 6274 - skirt (polyester bouclé)
middle column
Burda 5-2006-119 (stretch cotton sateen)
right column top to bottom
Burda 9-2023-125 (cotton shirting)
Burda 8-2009-104 (cotton shirting)
Burda 8-2009-104 (cotton shirting)
Overview: In all I think everything works together...maybe. I only made one bottom, so this isn't a wardrobe that lends to good mixing and matching. I mean...I can wear all of the shirts with the one skirt, but the lack of bottoms limits the variation. I had plans to make a couple of pairs of pants, but I've gained weight over the last few weeks and I'm not comfortable with how things look. I know I know, we should sew for the bodies we have. Yes, and I do that most of the time. I'm just not feeling it right now and that's okay.
Let's talk about each garment.
Burda 8-2009-104 (TNT)
When I first saw this fabric at Fabricland several years ago, I thought it would be cool to color-block the front band, collar, and cuffs. As I started putting the shirt together, I realized this was a terrible idea - at least with these two fabrics. I think it would've been better with the colors switched: main panels in the dark fabric and lighter accents.
Despite how this makes my eye twitch, I actually like wearing the shirt. Hah.
Burda 9-2023-125
I quite like this pattern because of the curved cuffs, long form, and back yoke. The fit isn't as good as my TNT, but a small FBA or other tweaking to the front bodice can fix that.
Can I get a handclap for that impressive chevron on the back? 👏 I cut two yokes and used the burrito method to attach. The inner yoke was cute on the straight grain and the outer yoke on the bias, with seam allowances. I took my time sewing, pinning, and checking to make sure the stripes matched close to perfectly. There are a couple of places that are slightly unmatched, but who's going to notice?
The tower plackets, front band, and cuffs are also cut on the bias. I opted to cut the collar and collar stand so that the lines were perpendicular to the bodice. I like the multi-directional look of the back.
The fabric for these two shirts were pulled after completing the "chains" dress. When I placed the three garments together, the reds and blues didn't match; something was off. The blue in the floral shirt wasn't navy enough and the white in the striped shirt was too bright. The "chains" dress has darker, richer hues and a softer off white.
So I searched the stash and found some alternatives:
These are far better and closer to the colors in the dress. Of the fabrics pictured, I didn't use the yellow floral cotton (first fabric in top pic) or the floral rayon challis (bottom pic).
Burda 8-2009-104
If this fabric looks familiar, it is! This is the same fabric used in the modeled version of Simplicity 3002:
My fabric came from Mood and given that Simplicity is headquartered in NYC, I assume theirs did too. It's a stretch cotton sateen titled "Red Plum Floral - Pushing Up Daisies." (I think that name could have marinated a bit longer...)
I love their stretch cotton sateens and have made several garments from the fabric. It has a decent weight suitable for a dress, button-front shirt, lightweight pants and jacket.
New Look 6644
Instead of making another button-front woven top, I opted for the knit pullover. I want to wear comfortable clothes until I figure out this weight situation. I talked about construction of this top here.
Rounding out the last two garments in the capsule are Burda 8-2009-103 (tie neck blouse) and New Look 6274 (skirt).
(handbag: Oro Rosa Luna Retro bag)
My Make Nine 2024 plan originally included Vogue 1937, a tie-neck blouse with covered front button placket. The muslin and subsequent adjustments fit horribly and I didn't want to take the time to work through all of that again. So I went back to my TNT pattern which also has a second view that includes the tie-neck. I still want a shirt with the covered placket, so I'll figure out how to do that later.
I like that this pattern has cuffs gathered into the sleeve and continuous laps. I don't do continuous laps often because I'm not that good with the technique. Most of the shirts I make are of stable woven fabrics and tower plackets are not hard to sew.
Because this is a rayon challis, I thought the tower plackets would be too heavy. Plus I really wanted to get better with the other technique.
After making a couple of samples, I felt confident in going for it on the real garment. I think I missed a step because the left sleeve (left picture) doesn't look the same as the right sleeve (right picture). I think I needed to fold something over on the right sleeve? I don't know. It's not noticeable, but it's something I'll look out for next time.
I
also need to take care to stabilize areas that may be prone to
stretching. The shoulder seam is very long and I think this is going to
be a problem in future wears. Even though I have a lot of challis, I
don't sew with it often and there are definitely some things to do in
preparation for sewing.
Conclusion: In all, I'm satisfied with the pieces I made. It may not be a traditional wardrobe or capsule because there aren't enough bottoms to make multiple outfits. I have other skirts and jeans that I can wear with these garments, so all is good.
For now, I am focused on making comfortable clothes (i.e., secret pajamas) and 3-4 piece outfits. I like sewing wardrobes, but I find that I often get tired of the same colors if I make too many pieces.
I'm almost finished with a pair of jeans to which I'll add a coordinating cardigan and top. Then I'll move on to another outfit.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading!
L
