A tale of many shorts

My summer sewing bug seems to have left me. The sewing machine is in its case, and my sewing motivation is currently at 0%. Until next summer, I guess. Or somebody's birthday. 

So here are the last summer projects I did. To sum it up in one word: Shorts. Or pants, you choose. 

 

I based all of these on shorts from the store - I just traced the shapes and sewed the pieces together. With great success, I might add.

I hope you can tell this thing has pockets.

Boxers. They make a nice summer PJ shorts.

So that's pretty much it. It's still very warm here, so I still have a chance to wear these before I put them away for the winter. And maybe next year I'll sew some tops.

Summer sewing - wearables (more or less)

These past few days I've been sewing like a maniac. Fabric storage has become a problem lately - there is just no room in my tiny apartment to put it all. Don't even let me get started on the yarn. My yarn storage is not the most elegant solution, interior design-ly speaking.

I honesty thought all my yarn would all fit in the green box.

But back to fabric. Same problem, it's just stuffed in my closet along with my clothes. The super smart solution to this problem - use the fabric to make clothes. That I will have no place to put. 

I really should start to sew for other people, but as far as my technique goes,  I'm not just there yet and I don't want my friends to give me the side-eye when I gift them with a too short/tight/long/wide piece of clothing. 

I'll just stop my moaning now and post some pictures. 

Pajama pants. Cotton. No lion - he sleeps tonight ;)

 

 

Burda shorts from the 3/2011 issue.

Pockets and a front zipper. The zipper nearly did me in. 

 

Very thin and see-trough jersey tank.

Messed up the back a bit.

The jersey top was sewn following the tutorial Sewing with knits tutorial from Noodlehead. Let me tell you something about sewing with knits - it's hell! From the cutting to the sewing - nothing went nice and smooth. I hate jersey. I hate the fact that I still have jersey fabric in my stash. But I love to wear jersey clothes. It's comfy. So I guess I'm in for more jersey frustration. 

I left the edges of the top unfinished, because that seems to be very trendy right now (at least on my shirts from Zara or h&m). I just might wear this one out in public.

The Burda adventure. Or lamentation.

I've bought maybe three Burda magazines in my entire life. I looked at the modeled pictures of the finished garments, thought some of them were cute, got the delusion I could make some of that stuff and then opened the pattern 'thing' - a piece of folded paper as big as my entire apartment, filled with a bunch of interlocking lines - and gave up. 

But as it turns out, Burda also publishes a simpler edition, for those of us who don't want to spend an entire day sitting on the floor looking at a bunch of lines, whispering 'where is it' and slowly going crazy while trying to find the pattern we want to make. 

Enter Burda Easy. Each pattern on it's own part of the giant paper. I was very happy when I found that. I chose the German version because I speak German (the alternative was Italian, which I totally forgot).  I chose the only pattern for a pair of shorts that was in the magazine. It was high waist, but the model was working it, so why couldn't I. 

Image from burda.de

So I got the Burda, got some fabric I bought ages ago for a bag but never used and my super awesome knowledge of the German language - I was all set.

BUT THEN! As it turns out, I don't speak Burda German. At all. The detailed instructions for a simple pair of shorts that were supposed to be easy gave me so much grief you wouldn't believe. Freaking German and its composite words. I re-read everything at least ten times and still only got maybe half of it. Some of these words aren't even in the dictionary, okay? So I said: whatever, let's take some measures and cut the fabric. 

It turned out I'm between sizes - big butt, small waist. I chose the larger size, cut everything, ironed it out, and went back to reading the step-by-step instructions before sewing everything together. Spent more time reading than actually sewing.

Successfully managed to sew two back pockets and install a side pocket. Made darts on the pant fronts and backs. Managed to sew a not-so-invisible invisible zipper. Sewed the pants together. Sewed a top border, folded it down and attached it to the zipper sides. And then I tried it on. 

The pants were too big in the waist. As it was to be expected. I had to rip out the top border and adjust the darts to make it fit better around my waist. It wasn't enough, but I left it as it was - had I taken it more in, I wouldn't have been able to pull the pants over my ass.

Final steps included figuring out how to use the blind hem stitch on my machine to hem the pant legs. Haven't quite mastered that, the stitches show on the front a bit too much. 

But all in all, after a day and a half I managed to produce my first garment made from a Burda pattern - a pair of high-waist shorts too wide in the waist area, made out of material that matches absolutely nothing in my closet.

But still, I'm pretty proud of myself. Maybe now I can try to sew something from the 'real Burda'. 

Are you ready for pictures? 

Maybe a belt?

Belt, definitely.

Yes, the zipper is blue. It's the only one I had.

This pocket is the straightest thing I've ever sewn.