Thursday 22 April 2010

Burda Magazine, April #105, ruffle top - finished!

As I was making this one it was definitely coming under the heading of Never Again!

Burda give this top a two dot “Easy to Sew but More Time Consuming” rating and I have to say that, although it was reasonably easy in the sense that it wasn’t too difficult to figure out what you had to do, it was a bit of a pain to put together. There’s all that curved ruffle hemming, which is a little bit tricky to get perfect, and then getting the bodice with the slit neck, the two ruffles, the facing and the collar all layered and sewn together accurately wasn’t very easy for me. But, hey, don’t they say no pain, no gain?

And there was some gain because, once I had completed it, I have to say that all my frustration and irritation with it was (almost) forgotten and now I really like it. There’s something about the frivolity of ruffles that I love! Here’s a picture


And here’s a close up of the ruffles (sorry that it’s not very easy to see the detail because of the colourful print)


The neckline is quite low but I did actually raise the slit by an inch. To alter the bodice front I just redrew the marking for the start of the slit a bit higher and traced the facing piece to match. After that however it was necessary to alter the ruffle piece where the ruffles are attached to the neckline slit. To do this I pinched out an inch at the inner curved edge of the ruffle pattern where it joins the bodice front, then folded it so that on the other side (the part of the ruffle that is free) the curved edges met up – this creates a wedge shape that is taken out of the ruffle. Here’s a picture of the altered pattern piece so you can, hopefully, see what I mean


The other change I made (which I mentioned in my last post) is that when making a muslin for this top, I discovered that I didn’t need a zip. I guess, however, if you want to make it to be more closely fitting then you might need one but mine comes on and off very easily without. The fabric, in case you are interested, is a cotton and silk voile: it’s sheer but not see-through, very lightweight and very nice to wear.

So, that’s done, what’s next? The weather here in London is quite remarkably sunny (and no evidence of Icelandic volcanic dust to be seen!) so I am thinking that another summery garment will be in order.

33 comments:

  1. Fantastic top and it looks great on you. I bought this issue just for that top.

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  2. The end result looks great! I was wondering if I wanted to sew this top or not myself. Thanks for pointing out how fiddle-y it is to actually put together. If I decide to go for it, I will give myself plenty of time and make sure that I am in a patient mood. Instead of assuming it's going to be easy based on the dots criterion.

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  3. I love your top. I just attached ruffles to two pillowcases for my granddaughter and that was a pain. I can imagine how difficult it was
    to attach the ruffles at the neckline without catching anything. Gita

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  4. Eugenia-- What a fun, lovely blouse. The fabric is perfect for the ruffle. Your projects are very inspirational. I need to keep up!

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  5. Oooh, LOVE it! This is on my definitely must sew list. Sorry to hear it was such a pain but the trouble was totally worth it! Gorgeous color on you as well.

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  6. That is very nice! I love the fabric, and I bet if feels good on too.

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  7. Great top! Thanks for the note on the ruffle alteration, I've been meaning to make this one, and that's good to know.

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  8. Gorgeous!!!! This was my top pick from that issue and you have definitely reinforced my thoughts.

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  9. Beautiful!! I absolutely love that print! I need to go buy this issue based on your last two creations from it... they are just fabulous!

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  10. Fabulous!! The fabric is lovely and those ruffles are really a wonderful touch. I hope you think it was worth the trouble! I do!

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  11. Love this! And the color looks great on you!

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  12. Very nicely done - all the effort paid off!

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  13. It looks great on you! I love the print!

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  14. Beautiful top - Ruffles are so in! And I do love the fabric you chose!

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  15. Gorgeous - sassy and summery!

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  16. First off, that print is fabulous!!! I actually want to stick my hand into your photo and rip the top off of you. I LOVE it. Beautiful job as always.

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  17. That's very pretty. I like ruffles too--very feminine and flirty!

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  18. You did a wonderful job, and I love that print.

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  19. The top looks great on you; love the ruffles! Very stylish.

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  20. Great top and that print looks fabulous on you. Excellent job!

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  21. Really lovely top. It looks great on you.

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  22. All your hard work paid off - you look amazing in your fabulous new top!

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  23. Hi Eugenia! This is such a fabulous top! You did a superb job on it!You convinced me to add to this my list.

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  24. Marvelous. I haven't worn a ruffle in years, but I think I will give this topo a try. You look great in it!

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  25. I love it too, thanks for posting the details of the pattern adjustment, I'm sure I'll be needing it.

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  26. Absolutely gorgeous!!!! This top is on my must sew list, too.Alternation suggestions are really useful.

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  27. Won't be able to pick you out among the Spring blooms in that top. You look gorgeous.

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  28. I love this top! The ruffles are wonderful, I think I need one now, too!!

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  29. The fabric is uh-mazing. Where is it from?!

    This top was definitely worth the work. Have you tried topping it with a cardigan? I love wearing ruffly blouses w/ cardis b/c it makes the ruffles really stand out!

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  30. The pain looks like it paid off. The blouse is beautiful. Looking good. ;-)

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