Pattern Battle: Burda 6741 vs. Simplicity 1021 Pajama Shorts for the man

  Burda 6741 view D

measurements at the time: actual waist: 47 pants waist: 44 hip 46.5

Size sewn: straight 48

Date started and finished: December 24 2023

Fabric: 2 yards required; no fabric width given but cotton is listed as an acceptable fabric. I used this amazing Dwight Schrute, The Office, Cotton Woven that I purchased 04/30/2023 from Marshall Dry Goods.  it is labeled “45" CAMELOT FABRICS OFFICE SCHRUTE BUSINESS” 100% Cotton, SKU: 96090109-01, 2 Yards, $4.99/yard. Troy is an enormous Office Fan so he loved the fabric print.

A 5/8-inch Seam Allowance is hidden in the very beginning of the instructions and no elastic measurement is given

There is no cut diagram, so do I cut one or two of the waistband?? It says cut one on fold on a tiny part of the pattern piece - no fold arrows, no fold lines. After a bit of head scratching, I figured it out -you fold it in half like a hot dog, the long way. Then cut it on the fold - this tiny little long piece, and then open it with fold in the middle of the piece - not on an end like normal patterns. If you were to do it this way, Burda, why not just have the pattern piece flat with no fold! It is really odd.

The waistband ends up being 25 inches long for the largest size, but the largest waist is 45.75 inches? There is no “cut 2” or anything. I used my better judgement and cut 2.

I used 31 inches of no roll elastic 3/4 inch wide. Initially I used 44 inches of elastic that a previous pattern suggested, and worked, but the man changed his mind during try-on and preferred them really tight - because he has no rear to hold up his pants.

The hems are a narrow 1/4 inch on the legs, gross. So, add 1/4-inch next time to do at least ½, though I would prefer an inch hem.

Buttonholes: step #19 says “put in buttonholes” that's it, no further instruction where or how, apparently to insert cording. But that is not shown on the diagram or covered in any of the instructions.

step 12 to 13 - No instructions to under stitch the pocket seams to the pocket side, remember to do this next time. Also, clean up with serging on the straight edge of pockets before attaching or you will regret it later.

I thought instructions in the Burda magazine were terrible, you would think it would be a little bit better in the paper envelope, but the instructions were just terrible. It's easy enough to sew shorts, but if I was a beginner, I would need more instruction.

 

The man's thoughts: he prefers knits. He says cotton is scratchy and he's not really fond of it. His favorite shorts are the Greenstyle Hamptons that I made a while back in 2018; he wears them nonstop. Those would be his perfect pattern. He also doesn’t like that these don't have a fly and he wishes there was a fly. However, they fit well, and the length is good, and the crotch is nice and snug, not droopy.

Simplicity 1021 View C

measurements at the time: actual waist: 47 pants waist: 44 hip 46.5

Size sewn: straight 48

Date started and finished: 01/20/24

The pattern gives no waist measurement only a hip measurement. I sized up to extra-large because the pattern gave me the measurement of 47 - 49 inch hip for XL and 43 - 45 inch hip for L

HOWEVER the actual pattern piece says extra-large 46 - 48 inches for hip and it lists a finished measurement of 53 inches on the hip

Also, no fabric requirement was listed for just the shorts.

 

Pieces 7,8,9,10 and 11 are for the shorts All of the pattern pieces were on one sheet except piece #11, WHY? Piece #11 is the elastic length guide, why is it not on the sheet with every other pattern piece I don't know, however, for extra-large it is 1” x 41” for pattern piece #11, the elastic guide. Made absolutely no sense to unfold a huge flimsy pattern sheet for just that measurement.

I started with two yards, and I had 11 inches leftover, so I would say 2 yards are needed for the shorts. Thanks, Simplicity, for not saying how many yards I needed for just the shorts.

Fabric: 45" Camelot Fabrics Looney Tunes That's All Folks, purchased from Marshall Dry Goods on 06/27/23, 2 yards for $4.99/yard.

Shading in the instructions drove me crazy because it's wrong!! It's opposite - right side up was shaded and wrong side up was white, when it should be the other way around - so I was getting confused and I kept looking at the beginning and the beginning of the instructions show, like every pattern, RSU white and WSU is shaded.

There is no instruction to have you stabilize the fly where the snaps or buttonholes go. At step 5-6, in the future, stabilize at the fly where the buttonholes or snaps go.

The Pattern does have a nice 1-inch hem on the legs.

Overall, these instructions were better than the Burda instructions - besides the shading mess up. These also have a real fly, which is nice, however I knew right away that they weren't going to be a favorite for my husband for the exact reasons he lists below.

 

The man's thoughts: he doesn't like scratchy cotton; he likes knits better as above. These pajama shorts also have a very droopy crotch, yet very short legs and are very poofy in the legs, too. He was reminded of his grandpa's old boxer shorts for this pattern. He does not like it. He does not want me to make it ever again. He prefers his shorts to reach his knees. He grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, so he likes things long. He does not like the length of these short shorts.

Side by Side Comparison:

There you have it, the winner is Burda 6741 even though the instructions are terrible, there's no real fly, and they aren’t knit. (it's easy enough to change it to a real fly, but the instructions are still terrible) Since my husband prefers knit fabric, I won't be making either of these again. Unfortunately, I had other flannel and cotton fabrics for him in my stash…… I guess I get to find other uses for them.

Happy Sewing!

Kristin

Tale of Two Tiered Dresses – M4M Blythe and BurdaStyle 04/2013

Pattern:
 Made for Mermaids – Blythe Dress

Measurements at the time:

• • high bust 39 inches

• • bust 42 inches

• • waist 39 inches

• • hip 49 inches

 

Size Sewn:  shoulders and neck at size green, the rest straight size Yellow

Started and finished Sewing:  11/12 & 11/13/2022

Adjustments:

•  I made 1/2-inch forward shoulder adjustment
• Low neck option
• Double tier option
• Short sleeve option – green size for sleeve cap and top grading to yellow at bicep
• I used Fold Over Elastic to strengthen the gathers like I always do

Fabric:  Black Double Brushed Poly Elephants I’ve been saving in my stash for a long time. I squeaked this dress out of 1 & 7/8 yards.  I have 3 yards total of this fabric and I bought it sometime from Knitpop. Probably around $6/yard so total for this dress= $11.25

Thoughts:
Likes: the seam allowances and hem allowances are marked on the pattern itself. I love that. The instructions are easy to follow as well.

I tried two methods to gather just to see if one was faster/easier.  I first gathered by doing a zigzag over a string and then pulling the string to gather – I do not like this method at all. It doesn’t look clean and it just takes too much work for me to bother. I then did what I always do, I basted 2 lines and then pulled them to gather – much faster for me and ends up with even gathers – I much prefer this method.  Then I like to serge fold over elastic at the waist.  It helps the gathers retain their shape and the FOE is soft so it doesn't irritate my skin the way elastic does.  There is a picture of this near the end of my Boundless Dress post from 2018. 
I felt like there were not many gathers on the top tier and overall I wish the tiers had more gathers.  The hem calls for ½” allowance and I feel that is just too short for a dress.  I prefer a nice thick 1” hem or at least a ¾” hem otherwise my fabric likes to flip there.

After sewing the dress up it was WAY to wide at the bust and side to waist. I didn’t like it and it felt frumpy. So, I took off fabric from armpit to hip. I started at 0” armpit then to 1.75” at bust to 1” at waist and then 0” by hip on both sides. This means I took a total of 5.5 to 6” off the bodice. However, now it looks so much better, and I love the dress.  I guess I should have sewn a green size for the bodice. I love the look and feel of the dress.  It is comfortable and fun.  I would make it again if I remembered to size down the bodice to size green and leave the rest in size yellow.

left is before taking off excess, right is much better.

Video of Blythe Dress in action on Instagram

Also on YouTube if you don't Instagram

Pattern:  BurdaStyle 04/2013 #129B Peasant Dress

Measurements at the time:

• high bust 39 inches
• bust 42 inches
• waist 39 inches
• hip 49 inches

Size Sewn:  Bust 48, Waist and hips 50

Started and finished Sewing: 10/21/2022

Adjustments: 

• • I made 1/2-inch forward shoulder adjustment

• • Bicep elastic called for 12.75” and I used 14.5” because my biceps are bigger.

• • Guessed at neck elastic (read below why) and used 24”

Fabric:  This dress took 3.5-3.75 yards.  I used this aqua floral Double Brushed Poly that I have been saving for something fun.  I purchased it June 17, 2020 from the now gone fabric. com for $5.38/yard. So dress total= $20.17

Thoughts:
The directions on this Burda were…… well, worse than most.  The neck just says “use ends of remaining elastic” with no exact measurement.  I ended up using 24” of ¼” elastic for neck. I’m not sure what the waist instructions said but I serged it at 6.5 width on my serger, then flipped up the seam allowance and triple zigzag stitched on the elastic.  The hem called for 5/8” and I did ¾”.

For fun I calculated what Burda wanted the neck elastic to be (as it said “use ends of remaining elastic”).            Sleeve: 12.75 + 12.75, waist 33 = 58.5” of elastic. The entire pattern called for 72.625” of elastic so in essence burda wanted me to use a 14&1/8” neck elastic.  That would have choked me completely!

SO to recap for later reference: I used 14.5” elastic on sleeve hems, 34” on waist, and 24” on neck. 

It was only after sewing the entire dress and scratching my head at the instructions that I realized Burda wanted me to use a LIGHT DRESS WOVEN fabric…… and here I was using a THICKER KNIT.  (Facepalm moment).  Now some of the instructions made sense for woven fabric.

I’m not sure how I feel about the dress.  It is pretty. I love the fabric and color.  But my body shape. Ugh.  I can’t handle these changes.  My thyroid belly sticks way out in this dress.  It didn’t in the double tired one above as much as it does I this one.  You can see how much my belly sticks out in the second picture above.  The first day I made it I didn’t like it at all. But I think it may grow on me in time.  Partly it is my own fault on using the wrong fabric.  The gathers are really thick on this dress too because of the knit not woven.

Happy Sewing!

Kristin

 

Lots of Pajama Pants - Jalie, Burda, 5oo4, etc.

As I mentioned before, I am trying to catch up on blogging some past makes that never made it to the blog.  My goal is to blog every make so I have details of what fabric I used, what alterations I tried, how they fit, how they sewed up, and so on.  Also I love looking back at past makes, it';s like a time capsule for me.  Unfortunately prior to 2019 I didn’t keep detailed notes on my makes.  I have to resort to what snippets I can find on my spreadsheets and what info I can gather from my pattern traces.  I used to write a lot on those thankfully.  I have always been a pattern tracer.  I use a lot of Burda and Ottobre so it made sense to me.  I trace EVERY pattern because I make lots of alterations and I change sizes a lot and sometimes Miss K wants the same pattern.  It doesn’t matter if its McCalls, Simplicity, Kwik sew, Jalie, Ottobre, Burda, or any Indie pattern online.  I print pdfs withmy copy shop printer so I trace then too. A couple years ago I made a great blog post on Pattern Tracing paper; what works best in terms of use, price, and accessibility.  I am STILL using the same pattern tracing paper and love it.  It works amazing for me and its cheap.  If you are interested in that post it is on my old blog here and the info is all 100% still relevant.

And now back to the pajama pants.  Some of these are far back as 2016 and I just had life get in the way and didn’t make time to post them.  I love some of them and STILL wear them to this day.  They deserve a spot on the blog for sure. So here are a handful of some older and more recent pajama pants makes. (most pictures are from way back when the pajamas were made).

Let’s start backwards and move forward.

Jalie 2686 Classic Pajama Pants previous makes: sheep pair and candy pair for Miss K in 2016

Sewn: Feb 24th, 2016

Fabric used: 2.5 yards Pink Beige Floral Flannel 44W, purchased Feb 2016 for $4.95/yard from fashionfabricsclub.  Total: $12.38 for the pants

I wear these ALL THE TIME.  I love them.  They have popped up in my Me Made May feed a few times.  They are so comfortable and just a classic pajama pant.

From my pattern paper, I used a size Y for the front piece and for the back piece I used Y for the waist and graded to a size AA for the hip downward.  I remember experimenting with this back in 2016 because my backside was larger than my frontside and pants seemed to fit better with the smaller front piece and larger back piece.  I don’t do this method much anymore – I find I just alter things similarly, lol. I also scooped the butt curve 1/2”.

Thoughts: Well, I made these 6 years ago and I still wear them often so I would say they are a hit.  I would make another pair in a heartbeat.

Miss K Fleece Pj Pants

Sewn: July 24, 2016

Fabric used: 2 yards Blizzard Fleece Fabric- Blue And Gray Argyle, purchased Oct 2014 from Joanns for $4/yard. so $8 total for pj pants.

Miss K cut and sewed these fleece pants up herself.  She was so proud at the time.  She wore them often.  The problem is they are a complete mystery as to what pattern she used.  It could have been Kwik sew 3604, or Simplicity 2046, or even Jalie 2686. I honestly have no idea.  She did a great job and needed no help.  Even though I have no information on them I wanted them on the blog because she made them all her own.

Jalie 3243 – green flamingos previous makes: Sept 2013 blue linen pants for me, 4 pairs for Miss K in 2013, pink flannel in 2014 for Miss K, more pink flannel trees in 2014 for Miss K, and pink plaid in 2015 for Miss K.  I’ve used this pattern quite a few times I guess!

Every now and then I get fiercely determined to get my pants fitting exactly right.  These two pair of shorts are a product of that.  I was testing crotch curve fitting on all three of these.

Dec 11, 2018 – flannel green flamingos.  they needed more butt and thigh room in the end. I still have these, but they sit in a “too small” bin. they are an inch high waist in front and low in back. but the pockets are so nice on these!  Some day I will conquer this pattern. From my paper pattern I used a size V for the waist and Z for the hip downwards.  I lowered the front waist 3/4” at CF, I added 1/2” to the front crotch curve at inner thigh, the back piece I used a size V at waist to BB from hips downward.  I scooped the butt curve 1/2” and added 2” to the hem length.

Fabric: Flannel Flamingo Kisses Aqua, 44W, purchased from Fabric.com in May 2016 for $4.89/yard.  used 1.5 yards so $7.34 total for shorts.

  Jalie 3243 brown stripe

Dec 18, 2018 – Brown stripe. So I went back to the drawing board on these and did a ton of alterations and it really didn’t seem to help at all.  These shorts turned out fitting worse than the flamingos and I just scrapped them. I also put the back pockets in too high. this was 70cent fabric so no real waste -thanks Hancock's, I miss you. From my pattern paper I used a size Z for the waist and BB from hip down.  I did a lot of weird alterations on this pair. I moved teh front waist in 1/2” from Z, added 1/2” to the front crotch curve tapering to 1/8” added at inner thigh and another 1/8” to the outer thigh at hem.  I added 2” to the hem length. 28.5” in waist elastic @1” wide. For the back piece I used a straight size BB and then took in 3/4” on both sides of waist. I added 1/4” to the outer hip tapering again to 1/8” added at inner thigh and another 1/8” to the outer thigh at hem. I also scooped the butt curve 1/2”. All these weird additions and subtractions didn’t make the shorts fit any better at all.  Sometimes simple is better than complicated.

Fabric: Brown Pinstripe Suiting, purchased May 2018 from fashionfabricsclub.  It has slight stretch to it.  90% cotton, 10% polyester.  I got it for only $2/yard and used maybe a yard –1.5 yards.

Jalie 3243 pink floral

April 7, 2019 – I came BACK to try again with this pattern and was into testing crotch curves at this point.  these are slightly better than both pairs above but I still don’t wear them as they just don’t feel right - I'll admit, they do look and fit much better than the other 2 pairs above. From my paper pattern I used a size V for the waist grading to a BB for the hips.  I used 28.5” in of elastic in the waist @ 1” wide. And I used a very modified crotch from my “crotch bowl” fitting.  I learned a few things by fitting a crotch bowl.  It was helpful, but I don’t think it is as useful as I wanted it to be.  It did point out to me that I have a low hanging butt so a scoop is always needed.

Fabric: 1.25 yards Pink Beige Floral Flannel 44W, purchased Feb 2016 for $4.95/yard from fashionfabricsclub.  Total: $6.19 for the shorts

Thoughts: I am bound and determined to get this darn pattern to fit me right.  I love the pockets and the look of the pattern.  I will revisit it again someday.   I feel I have come a long way from 2018 and even 2019 fitting pants.  So I am looking forward to trying new things to make these fit well.

Burda 11/2007 #122 previous makes: Sept 2017 black stripe for Miss K, Dec 2017 Red yoga for me, Dec 2017 purple stripe for me, Dec 2019 red xmas pjs for Miss K, and Aug 2020 my favorite pair of gray french terry pants for me.

Sewn April 1st, 2020

Fabric: Double Brushed Jersey Knit Fruit Widely Fruity Mint Fabric, 2 yards, purchased Feb 2020 from fabric.com for $3.12/yard so only $6.24 total for these lovely pj pants.

These were for Miss K and she loved them.  this is probably her favorite pajama pant pattern.  I have made her and I countless pairs over the years.  I sewed up a size 42 for her, scooped the butt curve 1/4”, took 1/2” off the waist on both sides, tapered the legs in 1” on each side as she prefers straight leg.  Then I took the waistband and divided  it in half, she doessn’t like a yoga band.  I put in elastic for her (29 in for future reference).  I scooped the front crotch 1/4”.  I also noted I took 1” out from crotch to knee – why? I am not entirely sure now.

Another Burda 11/2007 #122

Sewn: January 19, 2022

Fabric: Turquoise/White Tie-Dye Print Rayon/Lycra Jersey, purchased May 2017 for $4/yard from fabricmart fabrics.  Its a very soft rayon jersey knit. I used probably 1.5 yards so $6 total for these pjs.

I made yet another pair of these for Miss K – I warned you they were her favorite pattern.  This pair I used the same alterations because I had the pattern all ready to go.  This was sewn after my craniotomy and I was struggling but wanted to make her something.  She’s been begging for more pj pants for a long time. I got through them and she is happy so win-win.

Thoughts:  It’s clear both K and I love this pattern.  I will continue making it for a long time.  Expect to see many more pairs.

5 out of 4 Pajama Pants previous makes: A pair for all 4 of us

sewn: January 1, 2021

Fabric: super soft and plush yellow polka dot flannel.  This fabric is so nice. “Pineapple/White 100% Cotton Small Polka Dot Flannel - Robert Kaufman – 42W” purchased Sept 2017 for $2.92/yard in the FabricMart Precut Sale (please please have another one of those!!). 2.88 yards used so $8.40 total.

I used a size L with a M for the waist in Low rise.  I was sewing up a purple pair just days before in an XL and they were comically huge on me so I had to scrap them and start new.

my measurements at that time were: 33 waist and 45 hip. The pattern says for women to size down on these since they are unisex, If you are a pear shaped woman with an ample bottom half I strongly suggest ignoring the instructions and sew the size your hip corresponds to. alterations:  I do know I did a 1/2” knock knee alteration on these.  I have found this makes ALL the difference in how my pants fit below the butt to the knee.  This is by far my most ah-ha moment in pants fitting.  I never thought I had knock knees but now, its all I can see.  this alteration is gold. I talk about the knock knee alteration and show the photo how to do it in the middle of this pj post here.

I scooped the butt curve an entire 1.5” and added 1.5” to the length of the pants too.

Thoughts:  I find 5oo4 patterns just aren’t drafted well to my shape.  Which is ok, not every company will draft to the same shape and no shape is standard.  I do love these pj pants. I love how the pockets are put in.  They don’t flop around when sewn.  I have made these pants for everyone in the family and they all get worn often so they must be a hit with them.

Whew!  Lots of pajama pants and shorts here.  Some were hits (Jalie 2686, Burda 11/2007 #122, and 5oo4 pj pants); and some are just a work in progress still.

Thanks for reading! And Happy Sewing! Kristin

Burda Style Top and Skirt (03/2017 #124 and 01/2009 #125)

Often I have spur of the moment thoughts about what I want to make. The fabric “speaks to me” or an outfit pops up in my mind – it gets stuck in my head, and I just have to make it. This outfit is one I envisioned and hoped it would come to light just as I dreamed up.

Let’s start with the skirt.

Pattern: BurdaStyle 03/2017 #124 Maxi Skirt with Side slits

Magazine description:  “A perfect last-minute piece! The skirt with slits along both sides has a casing at the waistline and contrasting coloured cord to draw it together. It is a comfortable choice for styling with many options.  And, it works with sneakers, too.”

Date Sewn: 08/28/2020

My measurements at the time: 31 waist, 45.5 hip

Size used: straight 48

Alterations: I used a 69” long drawstring instead of the 74” the pattern called for. I ended up with 34” long of the 1.5” wide elastic in the waist.  I could tighten it by an inch or so next time.

The pattern stated to add 1&5/8 “ to the hem but the skirt was so very long when I tried it on.  I ended up taking 2” off the hem and then folded up 1” and up 1” again to make the hem.  (The pattern states to turn 1” hem to the inside and then turn the edges under to half allowance width before stitching in place). So in all I took 3” total off what the magazine said for the hem length.  For reference, I am 5’7” tall.

Instructions:  They were actually good.  I had no issue following them or understanding what was asked to sew.

Fabric: 3 yards of a precut from FabricMart.  It says 100% cotton in the description but it is clearly made with some, if not all, polyester. It made that snapping sound under my needle, frayed like crazy, and just feels like polyester.  Pattern calls for 2.5 yards of fabric and I guess that could just barely work; I used the 3 yards I had and there was very little left over.  Black/White Swallow Polka dot print sateen shirting 100% cotton, is the description. I purchased it in Feb 2019 for $4.80 TOTAL so $1.60/yard? (The dots are actually tiny birds!).

close up of “dots”

Thoughts: This looks like such a simple skirt from the picture, but you have hip pockets, a drawstring to add, and awesome self facing slits on both sides of the skirt.  It took a bit longer to sew than I expected but it was enjoyable.  Everything came together nicely and all the pieces matched up perfectly. I would love to try to make it in a Challis like as the magazine suggests.

I made this skirt to go with the shirt below but I don’t like how they pair up after all.  So now I need to figure out what sort of shirt to wear with this skirt. I like the skirt and I can see myself wearing it often – I especially love those slits in both sides; however, the waist is a bit too big and I don’t know where it sits best on me – lower on my hips or at my actual waist.  Here are some pics of the two together.

And now for the top.

Pattern: Burda 01/2009 #125 “polo shirt” (I just have to say, the magazine calls this a polo shirt, maybe because of the placket? But to me a polo shirt has to have a collar as well, this to me is a t-shirt)

Magazine description:   “The fine jersey knit is pleasant to wear and lends this little top with polo fastening and short, puffed raglan sleeves a sporty look. And nothing can go wrong if you follow our illustrated sewing course in the sewing supplement.”

Date Sewn: 08/28/2020

My measurements at the time: High Bust 37, bust 39, waist 31, hip 45.5

Size used: I had to do some grading out on this top.  The magazine only goes 36-42 and I am a 44 bust/waist and 48 hip in Burda.  So I graded the pattern out to the 44 bust/waist and 48 hip. It wasn’t very hard to grade out these sizes as the pattern pieces are very straight forward.

Alterations: This pattern had you add 1.25” for the hem allowance but this shirt was crazy long on me.  I have sewn a decent amount of Burda patterns now and I don’t remember other ones being so long.  I took 2” off the hem and sewed a 1” hem.  In the future, I don’t need to add the hem allowance on this pattern.  After I was all finished it was too big in the bust so I went back and took it in from the sleeves/underarms/ through the bust and graded back out to 0 at the waist. This made the shirt sizing 42 for the sleeves/bust, 44 for the waist, and 48 for the hip.

Instructions:  This pattern is actually the “sewing course” for this issue.  I had no problems with the instructions.  Even with the placket, everything was explained well and there are great pictures for each step.

Fabric: At first I thought this was a wine colored double brushed poly from my stash, but it was an absolute bear to work with.  I sew with dbp all the time and have no trouble so I got really frustrated.  This fabric would not cooperate no matter what I tried.  I had to walk away from sewing this top for 2 days to settle my frustrations.  When I came back to the top, it finished up nicely.  I then looked at my fabric database and see it is a modal jersey.  It is soft and brushed like dbp, but much thinner, more fluid – refuses to hold an iron press.  I don’t think the placket lays well at the bottom because the fabric is so thin.  I love this top design, but I honestly despise this fabric.  I will remake it in a nicer jersey knit sometime.  Anyway, I used “cranberry knit activewear” modal/lycra jersey that I purchased from LDG textiles going out of business sale, in Aug 2019, for $2 for the yard.

Thoughts: I love the design.  The gathered neck and sleeve edges make for interesting details – they make this no ordinary t-shirt.  I actually do like how the placket looks in this design too – with proper fabric. Even though I dislike this fabric, once I put the top on it was so soft and comfortable that I just didn’t take it off! I made it to go with the above skirt, but I really don’t like the two together.   I like the placket and spent the time making the button holes all proper, attaching the buttons.  And then I realized when I was all done that I didn’t need to actually open the buttons to get the shirt on or off.  So if you make this, you can just sew the buttons right down over those button holes if you wanted to save time.  The magazine says to use snaps but I didn’t have any that matched so I went with real buttons. This top will go with many of my pants and shorts in my wardrobe though so it will get lots of wear.

I was taking my blog pictures like normal and Miss K decided to come in and make fun of me. After a bit of banter it turns out she wants to be my photographer.  So today’s pics are courtesy of Miss K. Here is my “what do you want?” pose.

Also, I dyed my hair this reddish color this month – for fall, because I was bored, and because I used to dye my hair all the time but haven’t in like 2 or 3 years.  I’m not sure if I like it or not.  I am a “cool” coloring and I think this shade might be too “warm” for me.  Oh well. It isn’t like I’m going anywhere!

Thanks for reading!

Kristin