Many of you have been asking how my SWAP was going. And to be honest, I hadn't worked on it much since I first blogged about it, partly because I was taking in all your feedback and because I was also waiting for more spring patterns to come out. Well the other day I realized that there are less than three months until I leave for Brazil. So last night, I sat myself down and got some work done.
I presented you with 25 patterns in my original pattern pool. Some of you and the wonderful folks over at the burdaenglish group said that they saw two themes emerging and you were right. As a result, I decided to leave the amazon/safari/"let's get down and dirty to get to know Brazil" look behind because I pretty much have most of those clothes in my wardrobe already. Plus the thought that I could stain and tear my clothes, the ones I made just for this trip, was killing me! So everything that is left now represents the fun, feminine and flirty side of my Brazil trip.
I decided to go with 4 tops, 4 bottoms, 2 dresses and 1 jacket for a total of 11 garments. I've successfully narrowed the field down to 15 so I'm going to need your opinions to help me drop 4 patterns.
a. BWOF 2/08 #101 A
b. BWOF 5/06 #109 B
c. BWOF 3/08 #107
e. BWOF 2/08 #122
f. BWOF 2/08 #119 B
g. BWOF 2/08 #123 A
Tops b, e and f are already finalists. Tops a and c would are both good because they have a little more coverage and would also be good as cover ups, especially if I'm feeling a little self conscious about just roaming around in just my bathing suit. Top g is also really cute, but is this just your basic knit top? Would my time be better spent on something a little more special for the SWAP?
h. BWOF 2/08 #111 A
i. BWOF 3/08 #122 B
j. BWOF 3/08 #114 B
k. BWOF 2/08 #121
l. Simplicity 4110
Bottoms k and l are finalists. Because skirts h and j are have very similar silhouettes, I need to decide between those two. Skir t j is great because it's got pockets, but skirt h is also great because it can be sewn in a more forgiving fabric, one that wouldn't require a lot or any ironing. Skirt i isn't a final, final selection as this, for now, is a place holder for a softer, more flowy skirt. I'm still open to ideas for specific patterns for this.
d. BWOF 3/08 #104
m. McCalls 5575
n. BWOF 2/08 #125
o. Vogue 8468
The only finalist in this category is dress n, my party dress. The two other dresses I must choose between are entirely different. Dress m is the trendier knit dress that can also double as a tunic and a cover up. Dress o is the sweeter, vintage-esque daytime dress that I can wear to just walk around in, explore and go shopping. The original jackets I choose were entirely wrong for this. While I love my new selection, jacket d, I'm not 100% sure this fits with everything else. Any suggestions for other patterns are greatly welcomed. Of course I can also forgo the jacket altogether and substitute it with another dress, too, not saying that that's what I want to do. I'm just sayin'.
So give me your input please! I'd love to know what you're thinking so far.
And if you haven't noticed, practically all the patterns are from BWOF. Am I asking for trouble? Let me also remind you that I still have NOT sewn one of their patterns yet. Oh dear..
Comments (14)
I choose D for the jacket. I choose J for the skirt. I pick e and g as the tops. I pick g becasue it is a knit top that you can throw on when you really don't want to think about what to wear.
Posted by Lashell | March 7, 2008 8:11 AM
Top F makes me swoon. Now I can go back and look at everything else.
Posted by Rachel | March 7, 2008 8:49 AM
tops: drop a & g. c is an easier more versatile fit.
bottoms: pick j. pockets on vacations are essential. ;]
dresses: pick m. it looks more "brazil."
good luck! =]
Posted by amy | March 7, 2008 9:09 AM
I like all of your choices and am still eagerly awaiting the arrival of my March Burda (for some reason, I can never get it before the 15th of the month). I just wanted to point out that Nancy at Encue Creations (http://encue.blogspot.com/) has made f. BWOF 2/08 #119 B and has some helpful instructions on her blog if the Burda ones seem unclear.
Posted by Jillian | March 7, 2008 9:11 AM
Gosh, this is hard! Here are my opinions:
Top C is going to be quick to sew, and it will more "fun, feminine, and flirty" than top A.
I'd choose skirt H over skirt J - I like that it's more fitted and sleek.
I'd choose dress M over dress O, as you mentioned it will be versatile enough to act as a beach coverup, and you can wear it day or evening thanks to the plunging neckline.
Now get sewing!
Posted by christina | March 7, 2008 9:44 AM
Wow! Alot of ambitious sewing!
Here's my .02 cents:
Tops: Drop A & G. All that extra shirring can go horribly wrong on a home sewing pattern. B is the exception, 'cause it is super cute and worth it.
Bottoms: Drop J. Proportionally, the pockets look a bit too big and maybe, low. The pleats might look strange and poofy. And that's alot of top stitching, when you have so many other things to sew!
Dresses: Drop M. The other two styles are more modern and fresh. I'd maybe drop the pockets on O, or make on seam pockets. Plus O would be a darling swimsuit cover up. What fabric were you thinking?
Hope this helps!
Posted by carrie | March 7, 2008 10:02 AM
Girl I was thinking that last time we talked you still hadn't made a BWOF yet lol. Hmmm great choices... I can't help you with the narrowing down! LOL
Posted by adrienne | March 7, 2008 10:06 AM
I think as long as you don't stress about getting all of the details "perfect" you'll be fine sewing from BWOF, in my vast experience of sewing one of their patterns!!
I found when sewing your pattern labeled "K", that I deviated from the pattern at a certain point and never looked back. Potentially it wasn't done "correctly" but I like how it turned out, so in my mind it was a success!
Posted by loriz | March 8, 2008 2:16 PM
Here's y 2 cents worth:
I would forgo top G mainly because of its blouson style. I've never found that style flattering because it seems to make the middle look big. I like skirt J better than h, and I can actually see it sewn in a thicker knit so that it does not wrinkle. I think the jacket looks a little too fussy, and too warm, what with that high collar. How about some kind of simple short jacket with some bell sleeves?
Posted by bettyc | March 9, 2008 8:58 AM
Hmmm... lots to think about and contemplate. The two things I would go with are dress M and blouse C. Blouse C seems like a super easy project that you could finish quickly. I like the versatility of dress M. I can't wait to see what you decide to do!
Posted by mari | March 9, 2008 1:57 PM
Oh man! I would have the hardest time choosing. Can't wait to see what you do though!
Posted by tiennie | March 9, 2008 10:01 PM
Sounds like you've picked all I think I would have. Not that you need more choices but have you looked at The Sewing Workshop patterns, a little high but some are really easy to sew and versatile. Thanks for the links too, I jsut may get into buying Burda online :)
Posted by Terry | March 10, 2008 6:02 AM
2 more cents. would definitely make skirt i - an aline skirt is wonderful for travel. i find separates more practical for travel than dresses, so i might cut the dresses down to one and make more bottoms. also loved skirt h.
I've been making burda patterns for years, and i doubt you'll have problems. they are beautifully designed and cut. but i do find they are more generous in the bust than the big 4 - if you make a fba in vogue or simplicity, you may not need to with burda. most of your tops are flowy, so just make a muslin for the jacket.
Posted by sue | March 10, 2008 7:13 AM
I have a hard time picturing some of these on the body, like top a and g, they don't look very flattering in the drawing, so I think you're choices of b, e and f are great. I like dress m, but I think dress o would be cute if the neckline was a bit lower.
Posted by Steph | March 10, 2008 10:38 AM