What Abi Makes: December 2017

Burda Style 6829 - A Party-Ready Velvet Wrap Dress

Hi pinups! It's my last make of 2017, and I'm ending in style with the Burda Style 6829 wrap effect dress made with sumptuous midnight blue velvet. I suppose you could even say this is my Christmas dress, although it may also be my New Year's Eve dress, my Halloween dress and just about everything in between dress!

Here's a peek at the pattern:

Like my previous post where I try my hand at bag making (see the post HERE), I opted for a dress a little out of my sewing comfort zone. Never in a million years did I think I would sew a clingy wrap dress and in velvet of all things! But I have and I absolutely LOVE it.

I made option B of Burda's 6829 but with A's shorter hem.

When I decided I'd be sewing a dress for Christmas, I didn't want anything novelty or kitsch and I've seen a few of the velvet wrap dresses on the high street and have seen a few other bloggers sewing similar styles. This appealed to me far more than a red or Christmas pudding print fit & flare dress. This style is also a lot more versatile and will work for so many occasions. Not only is it out of my sewing comfort zone (velvet sewing virgin), it's also out my of style comfort zone and not like anything I've worn before. Maybe my style is changing...

When I saw THIS delicious deep navy blue stretch velvet, I knew it was the one! The quality is gorgeous, and it almost sparkles when it catches the light. It's also really soft against the skin, and with a walking foot on my sewing machine, it was dreamy to sew with.

The one thing that annoyed me about this dress was Burda not adding seam allowances. As a speedy, one session sewist, I find it so frustrating that these aren't included. But once I got over the hassle of cutting out, this dress was a breeze to sew.

I know I've already moaned about it, but I've had no time whatsoever over the past few months for anything other than work. So I had to leave sewing this dress until the last minute, but thankfully in an hour and a half I had a completed dress. Luckily the body con style, stretch fabric and wrap effect made this really easy to fit. I did change a little of the sewing process up. Instead of setting in the sleeves (no thank you), I opted for one long arm and side seam. This also made fitting adjustments really easy.

Sewing Summary:

Pattern: Burda Style 6829 Wrap Effect Dress

Fabric: Stretch Velvet - Navy Blue

Notions: None

Sewing time: An hour and a half

Modifications: None

Fit: Spot on!

Difficulty: Easy

Watch out for: Sewing with this stretch velvet I used my walking foot and a stretch needle.

Make Again?: I'm not sure how many velvet wrap dresses I need in my wardrobe, but if I ever need another, I'll be coming back to this pattern!

Overall, I'm very happy with my Burda 6829 velvet dress. It was great to sew, easy to fit and most importantly it's comfortable to wear. The dress also had a pretty sassy effect on me, which probably shows in these photos. But hey, it's Christmas!

Thanks for reading, pinups!

Abi xo

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by myfabrics.co.uk. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

12/23/2017 4 comments

Hi pinups! I took a little break from the Minerva Craft Blogger Network whilst I moved house and got my life together. Whilst it completely disrupted my sewing mojo, I'm so happy to be slowly getting back into the swing of things and cracking on with my makes. When I was choosing this project a few months back, I wanted to challenge myself and sew something out of my comfort zone What better way to do that then to make a bag, and a faux leather one at that!

Sewing Summary:

Pattern: Burda Accessories Easy Sewing Pattern 6961 Drawstring Hand Bags

Fabric: Plain Soft Faux Leather Dress Fabric Baby Pink

Notions: Hemline Metal Eyelets Kit with Tool Gold

Sewing time: A couple of hours

Modifications: I left out the cording and the stopper

Fit: N/A

Difficulty: Surprisingly simple!

Watch out for: Make sure you use a leather needle on your sewing machine.

Make Again?: I don't know if I need another one, but I'd definitely recommend this pattern!

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This bag also made an appearance in my latest Sew & Tell video. Watch below to see everything I've made since moving house...

For my full sewing pattern review, CLICK HERE!

If you'd like to see everything I've made so far for the Minerva Craft Blogger Network, you can view my profile HERE.

Thanks for reading, pinups!
Abi xo

12/19/2017 1 comments

I don't have any real plans for this blog post, nor do I know what to call it. But I'm still writing it! You've probably noticed I haven't done much in the way of sewing pattern reviews recently or shared many videos or makes and if you follow me on social media (@craftypinup) you may have seen some projects that are in the works.

Since moving home just over a month ago, you can catch up in my 'New Home' post HERE, my life has been throw into chaos. Not only is moving home one of the biggest upheavals your life can have, maintaining a business during the busiest shopping time of the year is stressful enough. But combine the two and that's a winning combination for chaos.

Whilst things are finally starting to settle down, finding time to sew for myself is still a challenge. But if I don't take some time out for myself I think I might actually spontaneously combust. So earlier this week I spent the morning cutting and sewing a new top.

Butterick Patterns by Gertie B6285 Top Sewing Pattern Review

I really enjoyed the B6285 top pattern this first time I made it and I picked up this ribbed jersey fabric a few months back to make another. The first time round I used a ponte roma jersey, which whilst it still worked, it was too thick for this fully lined top. The grey jersey I picked up is considerably thinner and works so much better.

I love the ribbed, marled texture of this fabric and it is exactly the top I wanted to create. Something sassy to wear with high waist jeans for right now, then come Spring it will be great to layer over dresses. I find this pattern nice and simple to sew and it was just the quick sewing fix I needed.

My Autumn sewing has been a bit sparse but I'm slowly getting back on track. Not only did I whip up this top this week, I also finished making December's Minerva Craft Blogger Network make. I took some time away from the network whilst I was moving house but I was determined to be back ASAP and I can't wait to show you what I made. I wanted to try something completely different and out of my sewing comfort zone, and the results make me feel really accomplished! But more on that soon.

Otherwise that's probably it for my 2017 sewing (well maybe a Christmas dress might happen...), a scary prospect but I think I might do an end of year type post in a couple of weeks to reflect on it and the things I've achieved this year.

Sew The Look:

PATTERN