These are some not-very-good pictures of a dress made from my favorite Burda Modemagazin dress pattern:

I made this a while ago, right after I got the issue, I think. (I was a bit slimmer at the time that I made this dress than at the time of the photos, so it looks a little overfitted here.  But I wear it and love it anyway.)

I haven’t seen model 125 from the May 2008 issue of Burda reviewed on Pattern Review, or seen any other versions of it made up.  I can’t understand why this pattern doesn’t have a cult following.  Just look at it! Elegant, classic, but with just the right smidge of clever detailing to make it fun to sew and distinctive, but still a relatively quick and manageable project:

I know you’re all thinking the same thing right now: Why haven’t I made this dress? (Well, I’m not thinking it.  Because I HAVE ONE.) Maybe you weren’t drawn to it because when Burda made it up, they insisted on using that crinkly fabric  (yawwwwwn) that they love so much (why would you use this for a tailored style with ruching??) and letting the model swim in the upper part of the bodice:

That photo nearly threw me off too.  But thank goodness for line drawings!

My version is made of some $1.79 bargain table fabric that feels like cotton poplin, but was probably too cheap to be 100% cotton.  It’s deep olive green and has an interesting cobalt or navy blue sheen to it from certain angles, I think because some of the warp threads are a slightly shiny blue.   The dress is fully lined, and it has a mock wrap front.  The skirt is actually a regular pencil-type skirt with an extra flap over the front to give the wrap look. The bodice has princess seams and a waist seam in the front but not the back.

I love the style lines and the slim silhouette of this dress so much. Look carefully- it almost gives the impression that I have a waist rather than being shaped like a slightly flattened cardboard tube from the center of a roll of toilet paper! I also used the lining pattern from this dress as a block when drafting my Audrey Hepburn-style little black dress and I suspect I’ll use it again for future variations.  

Why are you still reading this?  Shouldn’t you be hunting eBay or your giant Sterlite container of Burda back issues in desperate search for this pattern? GO NOW.

(Warning: No trench pictures in this post) 

Ugh.  I thought I was going to wear my trench today.  I had just the finishing stuff left to do… You know, buttons, belt buckle, hand sewing, etc.  But everything takes so long.  You think it’s going to be quick and then it’s painfully slow-going.  I’m not complaining, although it may sound like it.  Really I’m not.  I just can’t wait to wear this coat. 

As mentioned earlier in the sew along, I intended to cannibalize my existing Burberry trench coat which I detested for numerous reasons.   I can’t tell you how satisfying it was to take it apart and be able to use the things I love about the coat: the leather buckle, the cool Burberry buttons.  I am also going to salvage the Burberry lining (which isn’t slippery at all and totally useless as a lining) and use it for something else.  I don’t know what but something.  Maybe I could make a scarf for my trench?  I wonder if I have enough fabric left from my trench to use on one side.  Hmmm… 

Prym Vario-Snap Kit (image from Atlanta Thread)

I have to tell you how much I love my new Prym Vario-Snap Kit.  I put the eyelets on my belt and love them.  I want to put eyelets on everything now.  What a cool thing this is.  LOVE IT!  It’s so easy to use.  I just want to point out one thing for anyone who has not used one of these things before that’s not explained on the very spare and terse instruction sheet.  Once you’ve pierced the fabric, place the eyelet so that it protrudes through the hole in the fabric so that when you use the “pliers” to press the eyelet into place, the metal “bites” all the fabric all the way around.  If you don’t, you run the risk of not all the fabric catching and the eyelet attached only half way.  Ask me how I know this.  *nodding sagely* 

There is one itty bitty problem with the trench however.  THE LINING SUDDENLY GREW OVERNIGHT AND HANGS BELOW THE HEM NOW.  Thea and I checked and double checked the length of the hem.  I think we even triple checked.  How could it suddenly grow an inch and  half?????  Please let me know how I can remedy this situation.  PLEASE!!! 

I would really like to use my trench coat tomorrow.  I will attempt to avert the lining disaster and finish the last bits of hand sewing and attach the buttons tonight.  Wish me luck and send me lining suggestions please.

(Warning: No trench pictures in this post) 

Ugh.  I thought I was going to wear my trench today.  I had just the finishing stuff left to do… You know, buttons, belt buckle, hand sewing, etc.  But everything takes so long.  You think it’s going to be quick and then it’s painfully slow-going.  I’m not complaining, although it may sound like it.  Really I’m not.  I just can’t wait to wear this coat. 

As mentioned earlier in the sew along, I intended to cannibalize my existing Burberry trench coat which I detested for numerous reasons.   I can’t tell you how satisfying it was to take it apart and be able to use the things I love about the coat: the leather buckle, the cool Burberry buttons.  I am also going to salvage the Burberry lining (which isn’t slippery at all and totally useless as a lining) and use it for something else.  I don’t know what but something.  Maybe I could make a scarf for my trench?  I wonder if I have enough fabric left from my trench to use on one side.  Hmmm… 

Prym Vario-Snap Kit (image from Atlanta Thread)

I have to tell you how much I love my new Prym Vario-Snap Kit.  I put the eyelets on my belt and love them.  I want to put eyelets on everything now.  What a cool thing this is.  LOVE IT!  It’s so easy to use.  I just want to point out one thing for anyone who has not used one of these things before that’s not explained on the very spare and terse instruction sheet.  Once you’ve pierced the fabric, place the eyelet so that it protrudes through the hole in the fabric so that when you use the “pliers” to press the eyelet into place, the metal “bites” all the fabric all the way around.  If you don’t, you run the risk of not all the fabric catching and the eyelet attached only half way.  Ask me how I know this.  *nodding sagely* 

There is one itty bitty problem with the trench however.  THE LINING SUDDENLY GREW OVERNIGHT AND HANGS BELOW THE HEM NOW.  Thea and I checked and double checked the length of the hem.  I think we even triple checked.  How could it suddenly grow an inch and  half?????  Please let me know how I can remedy this situation.  PLEASE!!! 

I would really like to use my trench coat tomorrow.  

Happy sewing!

Don’t be mad at me for teasing you guys last night.  I was deep in the throes of getting my new iPhone in working order and am exhausted this morning.  It took so long to set up and I didn’t even get my contacts loaded yet.  But enough about me, let’s talk about my Burda skirt.     I just posted this review on PatternReview…

Pattern Description:  This pencil skirt is anything but stiff, prim and proper! The deep, diagonal, unpressed pleat in front is both
a special feature and the waist fastening.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, yes, yes!!! Especially since I used a similar fabric.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Shockingly, yes! I am a newbie to sewing and pattern reading challenged, and even I could understand these directions!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  I loved the pleat drape, the ingenious way of using the pleat as a closure and I especially loved that I didn’t have to insert a zipper.

Fabric Used: A grey wool/lycra suiting from the Paron’s 50% table.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  I changed the pleat closure from a button fastening to a suit closure fastening. This worked and I like the clean look of it, but it did make the waist a tidge smaller to put on. So if you have ease issues it might make it difficult to get on and off.

I also added a full lining thanks to advice from Karen. I attached the lining to the inner waistbands for front and back skirt panels and then stitched the side seams in one go from the fashion fabric through the waist bands and then the lining. Once both side seams were complete, I stitched in the ditch to attach the front waistband to the back waistband. My ditch stitching isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty good and I didn’t want to spend a lot of time hand sewing as I was anxious to wear this skirt right away. Some people in other sewing blogs had mentioned concerns over too much bulk at the seam, but I didn’t find that to be the case at all and I like how the lined skirt feels on. It also reduced wrinkling!

This skirt has a pegged skirt hem which makes hemming a bit difficult, especially with the drape pleat. To counteract this problem I opened that particular sideseam up about 2 inches and restitched it at an angle opposite to the peg shape. That way, when you fold the hem allowance up, you can hem flat against the skirt instead of making a bubble edge. Does that make sense?

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  I will definitely sew it again for next summer, possibly in a linen.

Conclusion:  I love this skirt. As a beginning sewist, this super easy project was a huge confidence builder. The end result looked pretty professional. I wore it to work the next day and everyone was impressed.  Here are the pics!

full lining

Hem

alternative drape closure

as worn at work

Now I just have to finish the trench coat.  Happy sewing! 

Don’t have time to do the full review, but I thought I would tease you with a sneak peek at the finished skirt…

Review will be posted here and at PatternReview tomorrow.

I know, I know.  I’m such a tease.  Sorry! 

Happy sewing!

In addition to hypothetical sewing, mocking readers, and hawking stuff, it turns out that I also sew! Hahahaha.  Okay, this is sooooo not something that I would wear. Dan says it makes me look like I’m from Cirque du Soleil. 

But S.W.A.G. present #3, a sequined taffeta bolera for her mommy, is almost done. (Yes, I am a grown woman who calls her mother “mommy” still.  I’m not going to give it up, so mock all you want!) I hope she decides it’s her style at least. My mommy is a sweet person. But much like her Selfish daughter, she won’t wear something she doesn’t like just because it was a gift. She knows that people’s feelings are important, but looking good comes first!  Smart lady.

For having only 5 pattern pieces (other than the lining), this was an awfully fiddly project with difficult seaming at the collar and under the arms, and the taffeta is not very forgiving of tiny imprecisions.  You get to see it on me since I don’t have a dressform at the moment.  It’s cut in a size 34 as my mom is a smidge bigger than I am, so there’s a little extra room in there.  But then again, I’m not really sure how fitted a garment like this is supposed to be. I do need to finish hemming up the sleeves, but I’m trying to decide whether I want it to hit halfway between the elbow and the wrist or just below the elbow.  Thoughts?

I have some fabric left now, and I’m not sure what to do with the rest.  I’d like to make a matching top to go with the bolero, but I’m having trouble picking one out. I definitely don’t like what is going on in Burda’s photo:

That’s a whole lot of fussy for that much shiny.  I’m contemplating this Ottobre top, which would suit my mother’s taste for tailored sleeveless tops with necklines that are neither deep nor wide.  Plus it would justify the fact that I impulse bought this issue of Ottobre for something like $14 while on a trip to Switzerland even though I KNOW I never make anything from Ottobre:

But I’m wondering if that neck opening is too narrow to go with the bolero.  I don’t think it will look nice if you can see the shoulder straps when the bolero is on.  If it were for me, I’d just do a simple princess-seamed bodice with spaghetti straps and perhaps boned at the seams, but that might barer than my mom wants go to. What do you recommend?

This is from Burda’s September issue, but I can’t find the line drawing on their site. It has shirring at the waist and arms, and shank buttons at the front. This came together really quickly, even though it was my first time in a long time using a plaid print. I was worried that since I started cutting out the pieces around 11pm that nothing would line up, but it all turned out fine.

The fabric is from JoAnn – one of their “Indian Summer” pieces I think. It’s a pretty loose weave and it frays really easily – the inside is a mess. Good thing you can’t see it!

For the shirring, I tried the Burda-suggested method: put down the shirring elastic and zig-zag over it, then pull. This gave me an enormous amount of control, unlike the last method I tried. Thanks for the suggestion, Mary Nanna!

More photos on Flickr.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Remember how I ♥’d this skirt in the December Burda?

Burda 12-2009-112

Well, I made up the muslin yesterday (sz 40) and it fit!  Here’s a pic of my muslin. 

I can’t believe it but I actually understood all of the directions on my own without any help.  It’s a 1.5 dot pattern with 1 dot being the easiest, hence the title of this post.  It went together pretty easily.  I hope making up the fashion fabric goes even better.

stretch suiting from paron's

I pre-treated the fashion fabric (the grey one) by steaming it with a wet towel in the dryer and cut it out last night.  I have two yards left I think, in case someday I want to make a matching jacket or a dress. 

Today, while Jack is napping, I’ll try to sew most of it.  I am adding a lining using a method from this book, “Easy Guide to Sewing Linings,” by Connie Long.  It sure sounds easy.  Let’s hope that’s the case. 

I hope Jack takes a long nap! 

Happy sewing!

Gegen 21:00 Uhr  hat mich – während der drögen Bambi-Verleihung -  ein akuter Fremdschäm-Anfall ergriffen, den ich bestimmt zwei Tage auskurieren muss.  Liebe Katie Witt, bitte geh’n Sie nach Hause!  Liebe Frau zu Guttenberg, kann es sein, dass Sie sich gern  am allerliebsten selber reden hören und Ihr größter Fan sind? Sie gehören von der Bühne getragen. Sofort!

Ich brauche jetzt erstmal’n Schnaps, aber nen doppelten.

Die Fernsehkritik fällt diesmal wegen Ohnmacht aus. Niggemeier hat aber durchgehalten und bringt das Grauen in  all seinen schaurig schönen Details treffend auf den Punkt.

Burda 11-2009-120

Although the pleats intimidated me, I knew that I had to try to make this skirt.   I made it out of a tan wool crepe and lined it with the striped lining that I bought tons of and use for everything.

Since I have such a short attention span, I couldn’t read all of the directions. I did it my way.  **Cue Frank Sinatra singing**

• I serged all of the edges of the fabric and lining, including the pockets before I began sewing, which saved me from having to go back and finish the seams.
• I added about five inches to the length since everything that I make turns out too short, and I am very short to begin with.  I don’t like anything to be above my knees.  It’s a bit longer than I intended, but since it turned out so full, the length works.
• I attached the front of the waistband (the part that is seen) to the front of the skirt and the back of the waistband to the lining.  I placed the skirt and lining right sides together and sewed them at the top of the waistband.
• I sewed the tops of the pockets that were to double as belt loops closed.
• I omitted some of the top-stitching
• At this point I haven’t hemmed it, but have left the serged edges exposed.
• The pleats are more open than on the line drawing.  This is either because of my hips or because I didn’t ensure the pleats were totally closed when I sewed the pockets on.

I like it!  It looks great with boots.  I won’t make it again because one is enough, but I find it amazing that my best results come from Burda patterns.  Hmmm…

Heute Abend ist es wieder soweit. Deutschlands Medienpreis Nummer 1 wird vergeben und Millionen von Fernsehzuschauern werden das Event live verfolgen. Von Michael Jackson über Pink und Britney, Til Schweiger, Maxilmilian Schell und Genscher- alle gaben sich beim BAMBI schon die Ehre. Das Who is Who aus der Öffentlichkeits- Branche findet sich immer wieder gerne auf Einladung der Burda Media zur Verleihung ein. Dieses Jahr ist Potsdam die gastgebende Stadt und wird sich schätzungweise genauso glamourös präsentieren, wie die beiden Moderatoren, die dieses Mal beide aus der Sportbranche kommen. Kati Witt und Tom Bartels werden uns kaum Zeit zum durchatmen lassen, so groß ist das Staraufgebot. Shakira, Silbermond, Helmut Kohl, Maximilian Schell, um nur einige große Namen und gleichzeitige Preisträger zu nennen. Nicht minder populär wird das im Saal sitzende Publikum sein, wetten dass ?

Fast wichtiger, als das mediale Großereignis ist der ” Tribute to Bambi”, der jedes Jahr am Tag (Abend) vor der Verleihung stattfindet und in dessen Vorfeld  Spenden für sozial benachteiligte Kinder gesammelt werden. Partner wie Schwarzkopf, P&C, etc. verkaufen speziell designte oder limitierte Produkte, deren Erlös komplett oder in Teilen den jeweiligen Stiftungen zugeführt wird. Am Charity Abend werden dann die Prominenten selbst noch um Spenden gebeten, was in den letzten Jahren zu einer Summe von 2,6 Millionen Euro geführt hat. Patricia Riekel, die Schirmherrin dieser Veranstaltung,  hat sich fest vorgenommen die 3 Millionen Grenze zu knacken. Mit der prominenten Unterstützung der Klitschko’s, Peter Maffay, Marit Larsen und anderen dürfte ihr das auch gelingen.

Einige Highlights der letzten Jahre findet man unter:

http://www.amica.de/mode/modetrends/tribute-to-bambi-2008-charity-looks_aid_6730.html

oder direkt unter:

http://www.bambi.de/flash/#bambi,scheduling

Nachdem ich mich wieder so einigermaßen eingekriegt habe, widme ich mich jetzt mal der Dezember-Burda, in Kurzfassung.
Als Kreativtrend werden Schlauchschals unter dem Namen Loop-Schals als Entdeckung des Winters gepriesen. Schön sind sie ja, aber die Dinger als Entdeckung dieses Winters zu präsentieren, halte ich für gewagt.

Immerhin trugen wir solche Teile schon, als ich noch zur Schule ging… Sekundarstufe I, meine ich. Pailletten sind mir immer noch nix, aber die Reißverschlußideen könnten die eine oder andere Inspiration in sich tragen.
Im ersten Modethema namens “Champagnerlaune” sticht die Bluse Nr. 108 mit Ärmeln wie Mickey-Mouse-Ohren heraus, allerdings nicht positiv.
Das Ein-Träger-Kleid Nr. 106 in Wickeloptik ist allerdings sehr hübsch, aber: Kurzgrößen und viel zu klein? Das wäre wohl ein bisschen viel Bastelarbeit .
“Ganz entspannt” geht es weiter und die meisten Modelle gefallen mir hier ganz gut. Die Wickeljacke sieht gemütlich aus, und das überlange Kapuzenshirt 120 macht mich auch sehr an. Da könnte sich das Nachbauen lohnen. Unter aller Kanone ist allerdings der Text zur Hose 115. Nicht nur, dass das Bild wirklich komplett bescheuert ist: Das Model steht an eine Wand gelehnt, hat zwei weiße! Wollknäuel auf den Boden vor sich geworfen und strickt, während ihr Blick verträumt in die Ferne schweift. Der Text ist der Brüller. Unter der Überschrift “Fingerfertig” steht:

Im Stehen strickend verlieren Sie sicher nie den Faden… Vor allem, wenn die weite, nach unten gerade zulaufende Hose so herrlich schlank macht.
Burdastyle 12/2009, Seite 32

Da denke ich mir nur noch: “???” Da fallen mir nicht mal mehr dumme Sprüche zu ein.
Weil ich mein letztes bisschen Verstand nicht noch wegen derartiger Formulierungen auf’s Spiel setzen möchte, werde ich ab jetzt versuchen, nur noch die Bilder anzugucken. Zuviel Lesen schadet bestimmt auch den Augen.
Der Walkblazer 113 macht ein schönes Bild ; interessant ist hier, dass er trotz offener Kanten durchaus für’s Büro geeignet ist (kommt natürlich auf die Branche an). Allerdings würde ich ihm für’s Büro eher einen Knopf spendieren als mich nur auf den Gürtel zu verlassen. Die Idee, dem schmalen Rock vorne einen Akzent durch eine Faltung zu verpassen, ist zwar nicht gaaaanz neu, sieht aber trotzdem gut aus.

Die Bikerjacke Nr. 111 im nächsten Thema hat es mir dann auch angetan. Das scheint ja bei einigen Bloggerinnen ein beliebtes Modell zu sein. Ansonsten mag ich das Kleid 128 noch sehr gerne, der Retrotouch gefällt mir total.

Die Deko-Ideen sind ein Totalreinfall, jedenfalls für meinen Geschmack, und brandgefährlich sind sie obendrein. Sowas macht mich immer nervös. Ausgesprochen wenig gelungen finde ich auch die Paillettenfische Nr. 177, deren Anblick bei mir zuallererst einmal unkeusche Assoziationen geweckt hat. Und ja, von mir aus habe ich eine bekloppte Phantasie… (aber seltsam sehn’se auch aus).
Und beim Vivienne Westwood-Design Nr. 149 stehe ich vor einem Rätsel, denn ich begreife die Anleitung nicht. Elastikjersey = check, Punkte Markieren = check, oben zusammennähen = check, ‘ne Falte falten = check. Und ab da verstehe ich nur noch Bahnhof. Egal, ich glaube eh nicht, dass ich in einem enganliegenden Jerseyschlauch besonders elegant aussähe.

Und nun sind die kleinen Schwarzen an der Reihe, diesmal in Plusgrößen. Hmm, die Kleider sind größtenteils nicht schlecht (okay, 140 und 139 sind furchtbar), aber so recht will der Funke bei mir nicht überspringen. 137 ist ganz nett, aber gerade für mich überhaupt nicht nötig, Nr. 136 ist ganz schön, aber irgendwie aus der Burda Plus zusammengefrankensteint: ein bisschen Shirt 404 am Ausschnitt und an den Ärmel, ein bisschen Standardjerseykleid und wupp, isses feddisch. Vielleicht versuche ich mich mal an Kleid Nr. 135. Ach, ich weiß auch nicht.

So, here is a short review of the December 2009 Burdastyle. They recommend so called loop shawls as the new must-have for this winter. Uhm, I really love the look of those, but I swear that we wore these things when we were attending high school so I am not buying the NEW. Turning the page there sequins. I am not into that. Never was, never will be. But I definitely like some of the designs using zipper for embroidering.

The last topic are the LBDs for plus sizes. The designs aren’t bad (apart from 139 and 140 which are hideous) but I am not convinced. It’s just not love. Nay. Yay. Sigh. Maybe I’ll sew No. 135. One day.

Olhem que inspiradora (e linda) a capa da Burda francesa que eu acabei de adquirir. O tema principal da revista é Audrey Hepburn e Paris.  Estou louca pra começar a testar os moldes…

At the advice of Sue who commented on my last post about the December Burda issue, I trotted over to Gorgeous Fabrics online and bought some fabric to assuage my need for instant gratification.  I know, you’re shaking your head at me right now.  Why is this girl buying online when she lives in NYC you’re asking yourself.  Well, even though I live in the city, it’s not very convenient from my home or work to pop over to the garment district and I haven’t sourced out a store for sweater knits here yet.  So I found the following two fabrics on sale and can’t wait to receive them. 

Feast your eyes!

This sweater knit…

Heathered Gray cotton sweater knit from Gorgeous Fabrics

 For this Burda sweater.

Burda 12-2009-119

This tweed…

Brown Harris-type tweed from Gorgeous Fabrics

for this Burda skirt.

Burda 11-2009-120

And let’s not forget one of these fabrics…

stretch suiting from paron's

for the latest Burda pencil skirt.

Burda 12-2009-112

I think I have more than enough to keep me busy now.  Don’t you think?

Happy sewing everyone!

Es gilt als eine der wenigen deutschen Erfolgsgeschichten im Internet: Das Hamburger Online-Netzwerk Xing ist seit seiner Gründung im Jahr 2003 profitabel – weil es von Beginn an auf zahlende Mitglieder gesetzt hat. Nun bekommt Xing einen neuen Hauptaktionär. Verleger Hubert Burda erwirbt ein Viertel der Firmenanteile und bezahlt dafür 48 Mio. Euro. Verkäufer ist Lars Hinrichs, der Xing gegründet hat und die Unternehmensleitung bereits Anfang des Jahres abgegeben hatte. “Xing ist eine finanziell lukrative Beteiligung mit einer strategischen Komponente”, sagte Burda-Sprecher Nikolaus von der Decken. Das börsennotierte Online-Netzwerk hatte im vergangenen Jahr einen Vorsteuergewinn von 10,9 Mio. Euro erzielt, der Umsatz lag bei 35,3 Mio. Euro. Wie genau die strategische Komponente aussehen soll, wollte Burda nicht mitteilen.

I absolutely j’adore the following two items from Burda’s December edition.  LOVE THEM!!!  Can you say pencil skirt here I come?  Or how about the comfy sweater thingy??? 

Burda 12-2009-112

Burda 12-2009-119

I checked FabricMart and they have a navy sweater knit that might work, but I am not sure it’s as “thick” as this sweater knit.  If you have any suggestions on where to get a similar fabric for this extremely comfy looking sweater, I am all ears!!!

Can it get any better than this?  And, I think I actually understand the directions for both AND they’re at my skill level.  A marriage made in heaven!

Happy sewing!

Ok, so here are my Burda contenders for my next project after the trench….  They are not all pencil skirts.  What do you guys think?  I haven’t yet checked PatternReview to see if anyone’s made them up yet.  Let me know if my fabric choices are not appropriate to any of these projects.  Remember, I’m clueless a newbie. 

First up in no particular order preference, 11-2009-120.

Next, 4-2009-101B.

And finally, 6-2009-125.

And for memory purposes, here’s a repost of the fabric.

stretch suiting from paron's

So what do you think?  Let me know!

Out of the 6-80 patterns I own, I have only one or two skirt patterns and neither of them are tickling me just right.  I really want to make some cool pencil skirts with the fabric I got at Paron’s a month or so ago with Karen.   Something simple with one little design feature that will make it look special, but not a feature that will torture my little mind.  This skirt is supposed to be my palate cleanser after the trench coat.  So I guess I am going to peruse my Burdas tonight in search of the perfect little pencil skirt.

These are the fabrics I think would look great as a pencil skirt:

stretch suiting from paron's

In trenching news, I finally put up my update post.  Check it out at the Trench Sew Along…

No, I am not finished with my trench yet.  But at last here’s my long-awaited, twice-announced update.  I have been laid up with a nasty stomach virus this week, so you will have to forgive the lateness of this post. 

I believe the last time I wrote, I had just finished the pockets.  Since then, I have eked out some more progress but am probably only two-thirds finished.  I am only working on this project in my lessons as each step of the way is a new technique for me and I would rather do each thing under the tutelage of someone who is more experience than I am. 

So, on with it…  I have since sewed up the side seams, the back seam, inserted the raglan sleeves and top stitched them.  I have sewn the belt and added the belt carriers, added the front facings, sewn and attached the cuffs, and sewn and attached the collar.  I have also sewn the lining together, but have not yet attached it.  Sounds like a lot doesn’t it?  Well there’s still so much to do.  I have yet to attach the buckle to the belt, or even buy the eyelets for the belt.  I have to attach the lining, sew the vent up and top stitch.  Speaking of top stitching, I need to top stitch the collar now too.  Then there are the buttons and button holes, oh my!  So, there’s a lot to do. 

Remember how I spent a long while choosing a pattern, insisting on raglan sleeves because I had heard they were easier to insert?  Well, they are easier if you don’t have to top stitch them afterwards.  I had to put those puppies on twice in order to get the order of construction right and get all the seams pressed the right way so the top stitching would match from front to back.  It took me a while and a lot of seam ripping, but I got there and it looks great now.  Also, it doesn’t hurt to clip curved seams too.  I forgot to do that and it really started puckering quite a bit and I thought a disaster was going to happen.  So folks, let this be a lesson to you, please clip your curved seams!

Enough of me talking, let the pictures do the talking now…

raglan sleeve exterior

raglan sleeve interior

sleeve cuff

trench collar unpressed

trench lining

My next lesson with Thea is on Monday.  Can’t wait to get back in the game.  Until then, I might practice a buttonhole or seven.

Happy trenching!

German media giant Burda has used its digital arm to purchase a 25.1 percent share in XING, the business social network that is biggest in Germany and competes with LinkedIn. The 1,323,041 shares were sold to Burda by Cinco Capital, the investment vehicle owned by the former XING co-founder Lars Hinrichs. Priced at EUR 36.50 per share, the deal is therefore worth EUR 48.3 million. This makes Burda Digital the largest shareholder in XING. Burda already has positions in Glam Media, the GameDuell startup and Zooplus. Hamburg based business social network XING continued to grow revenue and EBIDTA in the first nine months of 2009 while profits were smaller than last year. XING is floated on the German stock exchange and this new investment by Burda simply re-inforces XING’s profile as a German company. It’s tried to expand internationally, mainly in Asia, but it looks locked into its roots. The question is, can it maintain its position in Germany forever? Asked recently if LinkedIn would buy XING to further its expansion in Europe co-founder Konstantin Guericke said “It’s just not necessary. LinkedIn grows “by the size of one XING every three months”.

http://eu.techcrunch.com/2009/11/18/burda-buys-25-stake-in-xing/

Ständig ist es irgendwo zu vernehmen, dass die großen Zeitungs- und Zeitschriftenverlage wegen Umsatzrückgang klagen und den freien Journalismus des Internet beschuldigen daran eine Mitschuld zu haben. Heute ist im Freitag mit der Überschrift Öffentlichkeit 2.0  ein Dossier von Jakob Augstein zu finden, der auf der einen Seite aufzeigt wie viel zum Beispiel beim Axel Springer Verlag verdient wird und dann anführt welche Erklärungen und Appelle für den Erhalt des status quo der Öffentlichkeit 1.0 verabschiedet wurden. Diese sind nicht in erster Linie für etwas, sondern sprechen sich gegen z.B. Google, ARD und ZDF, etc. aus. Und dann noch das Internet-Manifest der Blogger gegen Alle (ha-ha!).
Die Vorstellung dass zukünftig Journalisten und Blogger zusammenarbeiten müssten ist irgendwie nicht nachvollziehbar. Denn schließlich sind Journalisten schon längst Blogger und umgekehrt. Eben nur nicht immer für die Verlage tätig.

Wenn der Burda Verlag das Fragen-Antwort-Portal Lycos IQ übernimmt -> jetzt COSMIQ, dann fragt man sich, was geht da ab? Als angemeldeter Nutzer merkte ich dies erst nachdem die Zensur zugeschlagen hatte. (Ich durfte eine Frage über mögliche Gründe warum sich eine Schwangerschaft nicht einstellt, nicht beantworten. Die Frage wurde verbannt.) Ich meldete mich prompt ab und bat um eine Kündigungsbestätigung auf die ich noch heute warte.

Der nächste Coup von Burda heisst Xing. Dort wurde der Verlag zu 25% Eigentümer. Ob ich mich auch dort bald abmelde?

Ich weiss nicht, ob das Klagen dieser Verlagshäuser noch lange mit ihrem Geschäftsgebahren des immer größer werden wollens Schritt halten kann. Staatliche Schutzrechte und Bestandsgarantien für deren Produkte sollten für solche Unternehmen ausgeschlossen sein.

XING - ab sofort Business-Datenlieferant für Bambi-Burda?

Der Adresshändler BURDA Digital übernimmt 25,1 % an und wird damit Hauptaktionär der Business-Beziehungs-Plattform Nr. 1 in Deutschland: XING.  Finde ich besorgniserregend! Wer hat mich als XING-Kunde eigentlich gefragt, ob Herr BambiBurda meine Daten kaufen und weiterverschachern darf? Niemand. Und das, obwohl ich bei XING Premium-Mitglied bin! So nicht, liebes XING! Denn wenn das in der Form läuft, daß alles kontrollieren-wollende Großverlage mit Adresshändlertöchtern plötzlich an meine persönlichen Kontaktdaten durch schnödes Cash kommen, frage ich: Wer schützt XING-Kunden eigentlich vor den deutlich auf der Website des neuen Mehrheitsaktionärs publizierten Interessen der “zielgruppengenauen Ansprache”? Soll man also alle seine Kontakte sofort zum Umzug zu Linked-In einladen, um künftig von dort aus erfolgreich zu networken? Heute antwortete der XING-Support auf meinen Thread in der XING-Politikgruppe:

Sehr geehrter Herr Korus

vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht.

Für XING stehen Ihre Privatsphäre und der Schutz Ihrer Daten an erster Stelle.
Daher können wir Ihnen versichern, dass wir keine Daten unserer Mitglieder an
Dritte weitergeben (auch nicht an die Firma Burda). Diese Daten bleiben
definitiv bei XING.

Da wir ein börsennotiertes Unternehmen sind, ist es möglich, dass sich die
Aktionäre ändern. Unter folgendem Link finden Sie eine entsprechende
Stellungnahme sowie die Pressemitteilung:

http://blog.xing.com/2009/11/burda-digital-neuer-hauptaktion…

(Anm. DK: und hier gibt’s die Pressemitteilung direkt:
http://ow.ly/DH5E )

Wir hoffen, wir konnten Sie überzeugen nicht zu kündigen und Sie weiterhin als
treues XING-Mitglied behalten.

—
Für weitere Fragen können Sie auch gerne unsere Online-Hilfe nutzen.
https://www.xing.com/cgi-bin/help.fpl

Mit freundlichem Gruß aus Hamburg

Gut, liebes XING, an BURDA gehen die Daten nicht. Aber wohl doch an BURDA direct, oder etwa nicht? Darf der neue Mehrheitsaktionär den Vorstand also nicht nach dem Datenbestand fragen? Aber warum hätte er sonst XING-Aktien kaufen wollen, wenn nicht zur Nutzung genau dieser Daten – zu welchem Zweck auch immer? Freue mich über Kommentare!

Burda Digital purchased a 25.1% share in Xing from Cinco Capital, becoming the largest shareholder; http://j.mp/25LFZj

The local Spotlight was revamped and officially re-opened recently. If I am seeing things right, the fabric section seems to have shrunk. The selection is also uninspiring at the moment and I hope things improve. I’d wanted a nice cotton to make view B in Burda 7937. Something of the fashion fabric kind. It wasn’t to be had here so I popped over to Daiso, a floor below in the same building. Cidell writes about Daiso in the US in a blog post and the concept is similar here. There are a few stores around the island, some larger, some smaller. I found something suitable here surprisingly. Fabric remnants they were, but since the pattern required less than a meter and there was a lot of piecing involved, the remnants here did fine.

This is the resulting top:

I love the corset-like waist in the style. I don’t usually see this in something casual.

The main fabric is pretty delicate and I underlined the top fully and might have overdone it.

My first time sewing from an envelope pattern. It wasn’t hard. Just different. I was insecure without traced stitching lines but otherwise this was a good experience.

My review is here.