Pipe Up and Button Down

I love naps.  You, too?  Oh, you're talking about the sleeping kind.  No, I mean, yes, I like those, too, though they are rare these days.  I'm talking about the fabric kind of nap.  Have you ever noticed when you run your hand up or down a piece of fabric it feels different each way?   Nap.  Corduroy frequently has a nap.  And did you know another thing?  When you cut out your pieces on a fabric with a nap you want it to feel smooth when you run your hand UP an article of clothing?  That way, if the nap is going toward your face, the fabric looks darker and more saturated.  I love naps.

B/W Christmas Dress Two: In high school I always heard about how you should never use Burda patterns because the seam allowance was not included [!].  That stigma stuck and I never touched a Burda.  Until now.  I was on the search for a jumper just like this one and couldn't find it anywhere until I began browsing burda's collection.  It was the one.  I wasn't sure where to make my purchase, however.

I went to Joann fabric store and asked one of the employees if they carried Burda patterns.  No, she said straight to my face, they did not.  I harumphed over to the pattern book table and laid my eyes upon a Burda book!  If they have the book, they surely have the patterns!  I went around the corner and voila!  I was so excited to get the pattern in my hands and rather annoyed with the employee.  I ran into her again and let her know that they do indeed carry Burda patterns.  Was that rude of me?

Pearl had on a grumpy face for the photo shoot, so I told the ever wandering Clover to make her laugh.  I turned around to see how she did it:

I love this pattern, although the translation in the directions are a bit off and rather convoluted. I began to just study the pictures and made some changes in the construction.  Do not start with this Burda pattern if you are just beginning, or if you're the type who likes 3-4 pattern pieces at the most.  This one had 13 for a total of about 30 pieces you cut out.  And, incidentally, Burda now includes seam allowances in their patterns.  Goes to show, just wait 15 years and things change for the better!

What I loved about this pattern was the many lines.  I knew they would get lost in just a plain black, so I added the contrasting piping.  I think it made construction more than twice as long, but I'm pleased that it actually all lines up.  I used regular store-bought piping, although I think a great big chunky piping would have looked really great, too.

The shoe buttons are from New York's M&J Trim, but you can get them online here.

I got the vintage, glass white buttons in Boston at a little beading store for a steal of 15 cents each!  The girl at the register said, are you sure these are 15 cents?  She went over to check because she didn't believe me.  I should have bought all of them.

I was uncertain about the little accessory I made until it was atop my carrot top.

Pearl wanted to keep on her ensemble until Ryan came home from work to show him.  We all want to please daddy, right?

Two down.