Burda Ruffles

I'm on a little bit of a Burda kick right now. I made this little top over the Labor Day weekend, but I had to wait for an available teenager to be my photographer, and lots of direct sunlight since the top is solid black. Better late than never, though, right?
This is top #121 from the July issue of Burda Style.

I really liked this top when I first saw it, but I hesitated to make it, because a.) I haven't quite worked out my fitting issues in regard to Burda's sizing, b.) it has kimono sleeves which worried me, c.) that seam that runs right across the bust looks good in theory, but how would it work in real life, and d.) this top just looks so darn easy, and it's very often those easy patterns that give me the most trouble.

Well, I saw the top again in the current September issue with this awesome pencil skirt (which I am working on right now) and I decided to just go for it.

I am happy to report that the blouse turned out great. I used some black poly cotton broadcloth from stash (because everyone needs a cute black top) and I cut a size 44. (Yes, I made a muslin first.)

The only adjustments I made were to fold out 3/8" across the front and back above the bust (petite adjustment), which put the bust seam at just the right spot, and I made my armbands considerably bigger than the pattern to accomodate my large upper arms. I think the pattern calls for 13" plus seam allowances, and I cut mine 14.5" plus SAs.

Here you can see the kimono sleeves. They turned out just fine- I have plenty of room to move and the sleeves are comfortable.

Obviously the ruffles are the focal point of this design. Burda gave some vague instructions for finishing them with zig-zag stitches, but I just used my serger to roll hem the edges. I think it gives them a really nice, RTW look.

After finishing the edges of the ruffles, I used my sewing machine to run gathering stitches along the length. I marked the placement lines on the top with chalk, pinned along the lines, and sewed down the centers of the ruffles. Once the ruffles were attached, I removed the gathering stitches.

The ends of the ruffles are caught into the neck band and the sleeve bands.

Like I mentioned, this is a very easy project. The pattern is well drafted and goes together easily. I'm tempted to make it again in a lighter color since the details tend to get lost in black. If I do make it again, I'll lengthen it slightly at the waist. I plan to wear this tucked into a high waist skirt, however, so length isn't really an issue. I wore it to work this week untucked with jeans and I got lots of compliments, so it makes a nice casual top as well.

Stay tuned for an update on the pencil skirt from the September issue (BS 09-2010-116.)

Happy sewing!