A rare dud of the highest order
14 May 2012, 14:08Last weekend I cut into cut into one of the oldest fabrics in my stash, a dark turquoise silk charmeuse bought in January 2009, to make the cover top from the Burda April 2012 issue:
There are so many things wrong about this pattern that I’m going to revert to list form to get the rant out of my brain:
- The recommended fabric is silk, yet the instructions don’t tell you to sew French seams, or indeed finish the raw edges at all. As far as I can tell, even if you follow their insane instructions, you’re left with a triangular area of raw seams at the shoulder. If I’d liked the top enough, I’d have had to make my own weird facing to handstitch on to cover this.
- There’s a ridiculous amount of ease in the bodice – way more than Sorbetto, for example, and that’s also a non-bias, slip on shell. I ended up cutting this with the front and back pieces a centimeter or two off the fold simply to fit it onto my narrow silk, but I checked first to make sure it’d not be too small. And having completed the shell, I can say that it’s still on the loose side, even with my reductions!
- Facings on a silk. WTFOMGBBQ? Why?? I said Nuts! to the facing and did a narrow bias edge (in leftover silk from my birthday top which I still had lying around) on the neckline, and did a two-step narrow edge for the hem.
- Burda tells to to cut an extra wide hem allowance on the sleeve edges, press in and out (and shake it all about, do the hokey pokey- oh wait) and mess about with it until the sleeve is entirely completed… and then sew an invisible hem by hand. On silk. And it’s a reeeeeeally long hem. I’d rather eat glass, Burda. The much better option here would be to cut a regular hem allowance, and machine-stitch a narrow edge or rolled hem before basting any of the sleeve pleats. Realising they’re crazy and trying to do this later is much more difficult (ask me how I know).
- The sleeve instructions are absolutely incomprehensible. Burda would have you flip the entire pleated edges around the neckline and back to the armscye at the shoulder, which a) completely contradicts the photos, and b) there isn’t enough seam length to do. So I had to try and make the best of pre-basted pleats, attach to placement lines that may as well have not existed (since the pleated edges didn’t match up anyway), and a mess of raw edges (see above). My best attempt was not good enough.
- And finally, when I tried the top on to see if I even wanted to carry on finishing the raw edges, the sleeves are just ugly. Less “quirky chic” and more “80s shoulder pads”. Ugh.
Since this top doesn’t deserve a photoshoot, you just get some crappy mirror self-portrait photos, as befits a dud:
Have I saved anyone else from wasting their time on this pattern? Seriously, don’t go there. At the very least, if you still like the sleeves, then you’d be better off trying to put the sleeve pattern here onto something like the Sorbetto, and making up your own placement and pleat lines. It’s much easier to go your own way from the start than try and following wrong ones, rip things out, and end up doing your own thing anyway.
At least the silk only cost me £10, and it’s out of my stash now.
UPDATE: I went on to sew a much better silk blouse later the same day. No points for guessing which one!
tags: bwof, silk, top
Oh no! Out of your stash but not put to good use, that’s a shame… but hey, lessons learnt and all that!
I’m convinced that some of the Burda instructions are translated by a robot, I started the ‘Kasia’ dress and could just not fathom the instructions… thankfully this was before I put scissors to fabric and thought I would leave it until I was good enough to bypass the instructions and just look at the pictures, not yet… let me tell you! hahahaha
Thanks for the word of warning
B x
— Caffy Bundy May 14, 02:20 PM #
I’m sorry to hear this… and thanks for the warning too.. Can’t wait to see your other creations :)
— Far May 14, 02:39 PM #
I love your fabric, what a shame it ended up being such a disaster! Do we get to see the other silk top?
— Jane May 14, 03:03 PM #
Instructions written by a robot. I am trying to make a duffel coat from 10/2009 issue. Out of very nice melton cloth. Good thing I have a) taken my time; b) made a muslin; and c) spend a lot of time in thought. Still haven’t cut the melton but after a couple of months I think I finally understand how to put it together. May forswear Burda after all.
— annie May 14, 03:23 PM #
I blew past this in the magazine until you pointed it out. Boy, am I glad I am slow to sew new things up! Nope, will not be sewing this and fortunately I didn’t waste my time tracing it either!
— Nancy K May 14, 03:34 PM #
That sucks. :
( I always hate it when I ruin a beautiful piece of fabric, but this blouse had a lot of promise, so who knew it would be such a disaster?! :( So I take it you made up the Sorbetto?— CGCouture May 14, 03:54 PM #
Aw, this is stinko!I’ve been eyeing up this little bit of gladiator action for a while now.
— prttynpnk May 14, 08:56 PM #
Oh Melissa I am gutted I really wanted to make this top next. I loved the sleeve on the pattern when I looked in the magazine.
— Lisa P May 14, 09:05 PM #
You know, I actually like this on you. Perhaps if you put it in Mary Nann’as “magic closet” and take it out in a few days time you will like it more? I can see it being paired with skinny pants and a long chunky chain necklace. The pleats in the sleeve add a textural interest to the top. THe neckline looks a tad big bu perhaps a tiny pleat at the CF would solve that?
— Katherine May 14, 09:39 PM #
Sometimes you just dispense with the instructions and go with instinct. I wonder if the pattern might be better in a knit?
— Gail May 14, 10:42 PM #
my comment is XXXX on the
blouse. What really confuses me is in the middle picture where is your arm? same with the next picture. I do like the fabric. got lots of fabric for Meg at a garage sale for $O.25
She was so happy,not for all the fabric but because the are solids. She is so cute!!!!
— cris rush May 15, 12:26 AM #
Sorry for the dud with your nice silk, but entertaining post!
— Beth (Sunnygal Studio) May 15, 01:32 AM #
Oh no, it’s such a nice fabric too. What a pity. I really liked this pattern but after hearing your experience… maybe I’ll leave it alone.
— jacquie May 15, 02:47 AM #
Sending sympathy. How annoying of Burda, they are crazy sometimes,or their translators are having a very bad day.
What a pity about your fabric.
— kbenco May 15, 04:54 AM #
Sorry it didn’t work out. Does Burda ever mention finishing seams? I normally find myself having to figure it out for myself.
— Catherine Daze May 15, 07:44 AM #
Hi Melissa,
I loved that pattern and sleves and your fabric. Was going to make it myself (eventually)and as am only a novice wouldve been a nightmare, hope you could salvage something out of it.
Maeve
— Maeve May 15, 01:49 PM #
Hi Melissa,
I also love that sleeves. I pinned a finished version Pinterest and it was ‘liked’ by Dagmar Billy herself (she is the chief edtior of the BurdaStyle Magazin) – don’t know whether she is aware of the problems which cause the pattern for us?
— Immi May 15, 05:13 PM #
So sorry to hear! I absolutely agree with you looking at the pics. Thanks for telling us, I had my eye on this pattern… so very much no go now!
— Baking Soda May 16, 10:22 AM #
Such a petty you used that nice silk for it! Mine turned out bit better http://kalinchenscloset.wordpress.com/2012/06/13/disaster-dress-burda-april-2012/ but I agree that the sleeves are not easy – nor well explained in the instructions.
— Kalinchen Jun 13, 07:46 PM #
thanks for this, i just saw this magazine at the local library yesterday and was really tempted to borrow this due to this exact overdress/top.
— sassy Aug 29, 09:03 PM #
i am so glad to have seen this – i had a disaster on this one. i got it sewn up (in a ponte jersey) but it is awful and i have never/ will never wear it. so glad i didn’t have silk for it. it was my first ever knit project and it wasn’t a good start!
— Sew Little Time Sep 14, 02:33 PM #