Purple wool sweater
12 November 2008, 12:08It’s definitely the chilly season here again, and since I’ve had the pattern and material for a few weeks and I hit a lull in my Christmas sewing (I’d finished everything I could and I’m waiting on patterns and fabric for the last gift!) it seemed the perfect time to make Burda 7724. I used the purple and black flecked wool sweater knit I bought for £7.50 from A to Z Fabrics on Goldhawk Road here in London (and I’ve got a little left for mittens and a hat!). It’s just so warm and comfortable that I (shh!) wore it three days straight after I made it!
It looks mostly black in the photos (except where I increased the contrast so you could see the details), but here’s a close-up of the fabric so you can see it’s purpleness:
The pattern itself is fantastic – from tracing the pattern to walking out the door wearing it took maybe 2-3 hours, and the construction was really simple. It’s only 5 pattern pieces – the front, the back, sleeves, and a rectangle each for the collar and waistband (and the latter both have folded edges so the only hemming is on the sleeves!).
One thing I will say, though, is that the technical drawing is pretty misleading. If you look at the collars, views A and C look like they’re gathered at the shoulders, whereas B is more folded over. In actuality, the pattern pieces and instructions are identical for the collar across all views, and mine definitely looks like B in real life. I honestly have no idea why it’s different in the tech drawing, so just be aware that it’ll be like B when you’re done! That’s my only comment about the pattern, though – otherwise, it’s good ol’ reliable Burda – expert drafting, concise instructions with good diagrams, and included seam allowances (which feels weird to me now after all my magazine sewing!).
I’m thinking I’ll probably use this sweater as my starting point for Pattern Review’s Endless Combinations Contest, which is a bit like an anti-SWAP (“Sewing With A Plan”). Instead of starting out with a huge plan of exactly what you’re going to make with all the patterns and fabrics laid out, you instead start with one garment, then sew something to wear with it, and then sew something to wear with anything else you’ve made previously. I tend to lose interest in SWAP-type wardrobes so this really appeals to my “sew by the seat of my pants” nature and also because I need quite a few trousers and tops for winter… No points for guessing what I’m up to next, though!
PS: Everyone who is not my mom should go here to see the Christmas present I just finished for her, too.
Tags: burda, knit, top, wool
Nice and comfy top. Perfect for this time of the year!
— senaSews Nov 12, 01:01 PM #
I have a sweater knit I need to use up soon. Nice top. Thanks for the tip.
— cidell Nov 12, 01:57 PM #
Oh I love it!! It looks very cozy. I just shoveled off our deck so I hear you about the “chilly season.”
— dawn Nov 12, 04:15 PM #
That’s a great pattern but I’d never would have guessed with the technical drawing and the site photography.
— Cristina Nov 12, 04:37 PM #
Ooh, that is lovely! I was in Goldhawk Road yesterday looking for something to make a nice warm purple skirt from (e.g. some sort of drapey boucle thingy) and somehow accidentally bought the end of the bolt of that fabric, 3 metres but with a join up the middle, so got it for a tenner. Yay!
— anwen Nov 12, 11:17 PM #
This is a great pattern – love the fabric you found for it.
— AllisonC Nov 13, 01:33 AM #
Left my good comment on PR on your mom’s dress. Please let us all know after the holidays if it worked out. I thought it was an inspired view to make – relatively simple but with excellent details.
— luckylibbet Nov 13, 07:42 AM #
What a great sweater! This Burda pattern has totally slipped under my radar. And the fabric is gorgeous. I love reading about your Goldhawk Road finds, think I need to get a cheap ticket to London soon…
— Johanna Lu Nov 13, 11:26 AM #
oooo love that sweater!
— E Nov 13, 02:42 PM #
I like your sweater. I think that the difference in collars is due to different fabrics. A,B- thinner fabrics, C – thicker fabric.
— Eva Nov 14, 12:22 PM #