SEW OVER IT Ella Blouse & Burda Culottes

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com
SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com
SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Hi there! It’s been a while. We’re back from our summer vacation and the weather is finally cooling down enough for me to be able to use my sewing room again. (The drawbacks of having a very light space…) I did get some sewing done, though!

Today I’m sharing one of my most recent makes plus one make that was finished two years ago but never got any blog time.

I made these fabulous Burdastyle culottes a while ago. They turned out really neat, but were way too tight at the waist, although I had made a muslin before I started. So I had these really neat culottes that I couldn’t wear. Two years later they fit me well enough to be put on and photographed, but the fit is far from perfect. I won’t be wearing them any time soon.

The pattern is Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A.  If you’re interested in a more detailed review of the pattern, check out the wearable muslin I made. I used a medium-weight midnight-blue cotton, that was a breeze to sew with. I overlocked all the raw edges and used some purple satin bias binding to encase the edge of the seam at the waistband.

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.comSOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.comSOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.comOh, and check out my new amazing labels! (Courtesy of The Dutch Label Shop – there’ll be another post giving more details soon!) I had them match my blog layout, which I’m super happy about. I’ve got so many of them, I seriously need to up my sewing game now! But winter’s coming, so there’ll be plenty of time spent in doors way too soon!

But now on to the blouse!
SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

That second little pattern is the wonderful Ella Blouse by Sew Over It. It’s a pattern they’ve released quite recently. It’s a fairly simple and super quick little project I cannot recommend enough.  It doesn’t use up much fabric and a nice cotton or rayon fabric will do the job just fine. Another plus, no inserted sleeves, no zips or buttonholes! Which makes this project extra quick and pretty much fail proof.

I’m really happy with the fit. I was a bit concerned about gaping in the front, but there’s been no nipplegate yet. The only drawback I find is that you need some super high-waisted trousers or skirts to match with it, otherwise it’s not appropriate for work. Unfortunately, most of my high-waisted skirts are patterned, so I will have to make more plain skirts or more plain Ella blouses. I guess, I’ll end up making both!

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com
SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.comSOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

So…what’s next on my sewing list?
I’ll certainly make a few more Ella blouses, just because they are so easy to make, but as I said, I need more matching skirts! Also, there’s a Sew Over It Juliette Blouse already cut out waiting to be sewn and a few more Silk Camis planned. So quite a few SOI patterns! When I’m done with those, I have some really great autumn patterns lined most which are mostly going to be from Burdastyle magazine. (And there’s knitting to be done!) I definitely won’t be bored!

What are you sewing at the moment?

 

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!

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Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A

 Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A by thisblogisnotforyou.comHello everyone! Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend! Mine has been great so far – had my last day at work on Friday followed by leaving drinks in the evening which was fun and pretty sad as well! Yesterday we hit Walthamstow market and I went a bit crazy fabric and notions shopping, because, who knows, there might be no fabric in Germany! (Or that’s what I kept telling me). And today I’m resting my feet and will tidy up and sort out all my sewing stuff in preparation for the big move.

Ahh, and did I tell you that I spontaneously made a Dirndl dress (including handmade Dirndl blouse and apron) last week because we had a fancy dress fundraiser at work? Well, I did, and it was pretty crazy as I had slighlty underestimated how much work that would be. But hey, I ended up with a pretty fab costume, lots of compliments and an actual Dirndl dress which I might even wear again in the future should I ever go to Oktoberfest. Anyhow, this project isn’t photographed yet, but you can head over to my Instagram (see sidebar) to see the end result! Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A by thisblogisnotforyou.comBut let’s talk about these culottes now! The moment I saw the pattern in Burda Style magazine I wanted to make them. I wasn’t sure whether they would be flattering or practical, but they just looked too comfy and cool.

Pattern and Construction:

source: burdatsyle.com
source: burdastyle.com
source: burdastyle.com

The pattern is Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A.  Burda Style seems to have a thing for culottes now, as they only just had another pattern in the March issue.

The pattern came together very easily, the fit was spot on. I didn’t grade up as usually, as it’s a wide fit and went with size 10 (EUR 36) which I normally use for Burda Style bodices. The waistband sits on the natural waist. The culottes lay flat on the top thanks to the pleats and then flare out. They almost look like a midi skirt, it’s only when you start walking and people see it actually trousers.

The pattern inludes pockets (I looove pocketses!) and has a front fly which is the only slightly more complicated bit of the construction. Luckily, this pattern is featured in the magazine with detailed and illustrated instructions, so everything came together smoothly.

 Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A by thisblogisnotforyou.comThe Fit:

As I said, the fit was pretty much spot on. They are very flattering, also you can’t really see that in the pictures. (I really need to give those pleats another good press.) I love the high waist. The midi length might not work for everyone, but I think shortening the culottes might make them look a bit awkward. Although midi length often is on the verge to looking a bit frumpy and old-fashioned, it really works with these culottes especially when you wear them with heels. Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A by thisblogisnotforyou.com Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A by thisblogisnotforyou.comFabric and Notions:

lightweight polyester (charity shop), polyester thread (Isacord), extra fine (70) sewing machine needle (Hemline on Amazon), overlocker to finish fabric edges, trouser hook with rivets (Weaverdee.com), 9 inch zip

The fabric is definitely not the perfect choice for this garment, but I wanted to make a wearable muslin first and this fabric was cheap and on hand. It’s a very, VERY light-weight polyester, which you can see in most of the pics as it  only was a bit windy that day and the culottes basically wouldn’t hang straight.

The fabric is actually a 5m sari shawl (that’s probably not the right technical term for it) that I got in a charity shop for only a few quid. The fabric drapes beautifully and is super comfy, but I will definitely go for something with a bit more volume next time. I bought a pretty navy blue polyester-cotton-blend in Walthamstow yesterday which I will probably use for another one.
 Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A by thisblogisnotforyou.com Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A by thisblogisnotforyou.comSo overall, I’m quite happy with how they turned out. Obviously, the fabric isn’t quite right, but it sort of works. I think they look quite elegant – the Mr. says I look like a pirate in them. Well, I don’t mind that. Yoho! Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Will I make it again?

Yes, I’m pretty sure you’ll see another one soon! It wasn’t an overly complicated project and it’s good for practising sewing a front fly! I already have fabric for another pair of culottes.

What do you think of the culottes trend? Do you like it? Would you make some yourself?


Happy sewing!

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