I guess I should have seen this coming in light of yesterday’s discovery of the 50-foot tall Burda Professor. Dan arrived home a little while ago from his trip abroad to get me the July 2010 Burda issue, and as soon as he got in the door I pried it out of his bag with my selfish little hands, looking desperately for the coveted pants that I’ve been lusting after and…
… of course. It’s the one pattern in there for the extra tall girls. Burda sizes 72-88. Duh, how did I not see that one coming? The model is a freakin’ Amazon. (Though to be fair, I have seen issues of Burda in which they used the same model for both the tall girls garment and the petite girls garment, so you can’t necessarily guess based on the model.)
Needless to say, I was mad. “Can’t you do ANYTHING right?!” I screamed at Dan. “You get your sorry butt back to Frankfurt and YOU. FIX. THIS.” But after I punched a hole through the wall and calmed down some, I decided that it wasn’t worth sending him back because he’d probably just return with some lame excuse about having checked every newsstand in Germany and how all the Burdas were the same. Which would mean even more days with no one to cook dinner for me, and still no viable pants pattern. So I sent him off to the bedroom to think about what he did.**
I’m not sure what my plan of action is now. I may just try to draft a similar pair of pants myself. Going from a pant pattern designed for extra tall ladies and editing it for my sub-petite inseam is probably asking for trouble, given all of the weird pulling and sagging issues that can occur when you start messing with the crotch/hip/tooshie area of an existing pants pattern. I don’t know.
The Selfish Seamstress is just going to ponder why nothing ever seems to go her way while eating some of the cookies and chocolate Dan brought back for her from Europe. Poor, poor Selfish Seamstress.
** It is also possible that Dan may have just wandered into the bedroom himself and passed out from jetlag. It’s unclear.
The Selfish Seamstress 
38 comments
Comments feed for this article
June 18, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Katie
Ugh! What’s wrong with that boy? Surely it would not have been too much work to storm over to the Burda offices and demand a petite version! He’s not worthy.
Too bad, too. Those would have been cute on you.
June 18, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Stephanie
I’m very timidly in awe of your rage and humbly suggest it might be possible to alter the leg length to fit your perfect frame? I suppose that still leaves issues of your frame not fitting the amazon proportions. Drafting is a great idea, I thought of drafting those myself. Or at least stealing design elements to put onto an existing pants pattern that I know fits me…? I’m good at ducking vases thrown at my head, I can see you reaching…
June 18, 2010 at 7:22 pm
SA
This woman just keeps growing in each pic !! and look at the heels like she really needs them
On a side note…..have you seen the latest arrivals at anntaylor.com
I think this dress seems to bear any uncanny resemblance to your coffee date dress patter….
http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=25856&N=1200003&pCategoryId=3939&categoryId=2459&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_2459&loc=TN&gridSize=sm&showAll=true&defaultColor=Ocean%20Pine&defaultSizeType=Regular
Coincidental?? or the selfish is now selling her designs too !
June 18, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Victoria
Yeah, she is pretty tall LOL! I’m 5’9 and I feel she’d tower over me. Hey, maybe all of the guys are just short LOL! Sorry you can’t use the pants but I believe in your ability to redraft them. It’s kinda nice Burda has something for the tall chicks. I always have to lengthen EVERYTHING. But I know this is no good for petite lil’ cuties like yourself. Don’t worry it’s a conspiracy. Everytime I see a Burda mag, I always love the designs made for the lovely plus size women. It never fails, if you like it and it probably won’t be in your size. Goes for clothes, shoes, and patterns (wink)
June 18, 2010 at 11:48 pm
arnysews
I am tall and have used Burda’s normal to petite instructions to great effect to size up a normal pattern to tall. http://www.burdamode.com:8080/en/Workshop_How_to_shorten_or_lengthen_patterns_/1437262-1662078.html
If you check the tall size chart the measurements are the same as normal sizes except the lengths and the size numbers double, ie: 36 becomes 72, 38 becomes 76 etc.
Perhaps you could try doubling measurements for the normal to petite alteration to take the tall down to petite.
June 19, 2010 at 12:04 am
Anonymous
In your vast collection do you have a pattern for non pleated trousers for the freakishly tall? This would allow you to compare the two and discern the draft for the pleat. This could then be applied to whichever is your usual trouser draft?
But straight out the magazine would have been nice, I agree.
Cheers,
AJ
June 19, 2010 at 1:07 am
Karin van D.
You poor thing you. The world is too mean for a soft-hearted, sensitive person like you.
By the way, why does everyone have Burda magazine already? I have a subscription but always seem to be the last one to get it. Weird.
Every tried Patrones for trouser patterns?
June 19, 2010 at 1:17 am
Em
What’s the thing with burda moda and making all those beautiful airy garments for tall people? What do we tiny women get? “Oh, but you could sew ugly flowers all over your bustline, and enchant it” Why, thankyou?! I’m utterly discontented.
June 19, 2010 at 9:15 am
selfishseamstress
I’m with you in general, but actually one of the coolest garments this month (that ruched halter top/dress) is the petite model! There are going to be some disappointed tall ladies when their Burdas arrive. And for some reason, there are a lot more garments that start in size 34 this time around than usual. Often it’s just the most basic garments that start in size 34. So a pretty good issue for the petites this time. (Unfortunately, the plus clothes this time are pretty blah, which is unusual.)
June 19, 2010 at 4:17 am
Marie-Christine
Really, they get Burda in Germany a week before the rest of Europe? Harumph. So we can all be grumpy together..
But let me remind you that if you take an inch off the rise (maybe in 2 parts so that you keep a nice curve) and then a further inch off mid-thigh, you should be able to work out the final length without distortion of the shape or proportion.
I know it stinks, but many of us have to do something like that routinely :-)..
Courage! All is not lost.
Just finish a leopard coat or jacket while you mull it over, so you’re in the appropriately pouncy mood..
June 19, 2010 at 9:17 am
selfishseamstress
I’m not sure when the rest of Europe gets it- I thought Tany said she already got it in Portugal? I *may* try doing an alteration to the pattern, but given that it would be going from tall to petite, rather than just regular to petite, I worry that there’s a lot more room for error. In addition, I’m actually a fair bit shorter than Burda petite too :) But thanks for the method!
And leopard coat is definitely nearing completion :D
June 19, 2010 at 4:31 am
Kerry
Although it will take some work, you can totally grade these down. I once bought a vintage Simplicity pants pattern off eBay in a size 16 because I HAD to have the pants (functioning button sailor style front). Not only were they too wide, but they were of course too long. And they had FOUR pieces, not the standard two (front, side front, back, side back), as well as two different front facing pieces to work with the button front. And I managed to successfully grade it to fit. I won’t say it was easy or fast, because I think I spent one whole day doing that, and then I made a muslin which showed me where I had screwed up on the grading (the facings were not the correct dimensions), but the second time around was perfect.
And I am somewhat of a clueless halfwit, so if I can do it, you can certainly do it, oh Selfish One.
Or you could send me your mag and I could grade the pattern for you and (ahem) gladly accept payment for my services by not returning the magazine.
June 19, 2010 at 9:10 am
selfishseamstress
If it were regular sized, I would attempt a petite alteration. But the fact that it’s already designed for taller than average makes me think that simply doubling the amount I would normally alter would also cause some distortion issues that would make it more trouble than just starting from another pattern or from scratch, just like the way that proportions start to get weird when you try to grade a pattern up or down more than three sizes without making changes in the proportions.
And darling Kerry, there is nothing half about your wit ;) But I do want to see what you’ve been up to lately! Fascinating as bike tire volume may be…
June 20, 2010 at 5:15 am
Kerry
You know, I have actually sewed a shit ton of stuff, but have bee to lazy to photograph or update my blog, as I am in deep in the midst of finishing my manuscript/preparing my defense/interviewing for jobs. Since my blog is my name, I fear a potential employer will Google me and find a blog all about sewing and fashion and think I am some sort of a weirdo. I am working on creating a new anonymous blog to chronicle my sewing exploits. I’ll let you know when it is up. Maybe we’ll do a photo shoot today.
June 19, 2010 at 5:21 am
Clair
Wow – this is hysterical. This was shot here in Cape Town, South Africa (Burda seems to like SA for shoots), but please don’t think that we are a nation of freakishly tall women and short little men. We are all pretty normal :)
June 20, 2010 at 5:11 am
Kerry
Clair – were any of those shot at SACS? My fiance went to school there and he said he was thinking the freakishly tall model shot was done on campus. Or perhaps UCT? His other thought was Cape Town Gardens.
June 19, 2010 at 5:26 am
inkstain
I know that in the last years, Burda did the same pants for normals and also for petites. Do you want me to look when I’ve cleaned the house out of visiting musicians in a few days? (see my website for current preoccupation.)
They always call them “Marlene” pants….Do you have a home archive? Burdas are only about 5 bucks on our newstands here. In fact, what with Burda Patchwork, Burda Kids, Burda Easy, Burda Fatsos, BurdaWOF and Burda Lace/Crochet/Macrame Nuts, they have whole newstands devoted to Burda.
June 19, 2010 at 5:34 am
inkstain
Okay, you’re right, Burda doesn’t want petite people wearing Marlene pants. But before you try to cut down tall girl, check out these normal patterns of the past:
10-2007-107
3-2009-39
11-2009-122
8-2008-105
8-2009-105
They all have wide legs, some have pleats,some have wide waistbands, but forget the tallgirl pattern..you’ll drown in that crotch measurement.
June 19, 2010 at 9:12 am
selfishseamstress
Thanks, Dinah! I was actually doing the same last night (sorry you did all that work!) and am thinking 8-2009-105. I think Burda actually recommends (like many) that short women avoid wide pants. I typically avoid them too, so I think I’ll probably regret this :)
June 19, 2010 at 6:01 am
Victoria
christ – as if it wasn’t insulting enough that short people routinely have to ask people to get things down from the high shelves in supermarkets, shorten what are supposedly ‘petite’ trousers/jeans bought from shops and reportedly earn less on average than tall people…
Is it any wonder we are full of rage?
June 19, 2010 at 9:06 am
selfishseamstress
Also? Overhead compartments on larger aircraft! I usually just struggle until someone nearby takes pity on me :)
June 19, 2010 at 6:51 am
Rena
Hey, enough about “freakishly tall women” already! As someone who is (nearly) 6 ft. tall, I guarrantee you that all of you shorties have alot more choices (whether in home sewn or in ready to wear) than us Tall women.
Geez…..
R.
June 19, 2010 at 9:05 am
selfishseamstress
Ohohohoh not where jeans are concerned, ma’am!
June 20, 2010 at 5:16 am
Lucy
Sorry, I’m with Rena on this one (as a curvy 6ft-er)…!
June 19, 2010 at 8:14 am
Angie R
You tell em Rena!!!
June 19, 2010 at 9:34 am
Kihli
Poor selfish seamstress! Enjoy your Kinder Pingui at least! ;-)
June 19, 2010 at 9:22 pm
icansewthat
Your entire 3rd paragraph made me LOL. And made *my* Dan cringe in fear. Lucky for him, he doesn’t have any business trips to attend to in Europe any time soon.
June 20, 2010 at 3:01 am
Alison
You could always make them for me – I’ve got really long legs and I think I’d look great in them…go on, break your principles for the poor girl over the pond who’s too scared to make trousers…
June 20, 2010 at 7:25 am
Drama Queen Jacket: Finished, but not quite right « The Selfish Seamstress
[…] McCall 5478 The Selfish Seamstress has decided to take the moral high road and forgive Dan after yesterday’s unfortunate Burda incident. As a gesture of goodwill, I graciously permitted him to take photographs of my newly finished […]
June 20, 2010 at 10:23 am
Rebecca
I wanted this Burda just for those pants too! WTF? I’m short (at about 5’2″) and I resent Burda for their extra tall patterns. They are always the best ones IMO. I bought the May 2010 issue for #132, the short sleeve trench. Its for Amazons….Damn.
June 20, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Karen
I have to give my vote to Rena. But it isn’t about the options of patterns or ready to wear, it is about the choices of men!
While 5’7″ works for me, closing in on 6′ as Rena is, would start to limit things for me. Many men feel uncomfortable dating someone taller than they are.
And unfortunately, unlike patterns, most men are not comfortable being altered.
June 20, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Amie
This is the first entry I have read of your blog! You sound like fun and I am completely hooked.
June 21, 2010 at 5:43 am
Kate
SS, I have been lurking for a while and you are truly hilarious. And handy with a needle, too. I have to side with Rena on this one, though – you shorties have all the options. Jeez, every store has a “petites” section, but hardly any have taller sections. And don’t even get me started on larger shoes…. I, for one, am now VERY excited about the July Burda.
Pity my poor husband who is 6ft 6in, yet slim. Clothes are nigh-on impossible for him to find. Sadly his wife is a similarly selfish seamstress who has yet to make ANYTHING for him.
June 21, 2010 at 8:15 am
Sewing Sue
All I can say is I’m tall. Freakishly 6ft tall…..bwhaaaaaa this pattern is all mine all MINE!!!
June 21, 2010 at 8:21 am
amber
For this gal that often has to buy tall pants and have them hemmed, that is good news. But, I’m sad for you. :(
June 22, 2010 at 8:54 am
German Girl
Hi,
I love your blog, it actually got me back into sewing!
I just bought Burda’s July issue today (easy, I live in Germany and just have to go to the next “Kiosk”). I love, love the “Plusmode” blue chintz blouse – but, let me put it that way, I can easily shop in H&M’s kids department. Do you have any experience with downsizing Burda patterns (i.e. from a Continental 44 to a Continental 34)??
I’ve already made the grown-up ballet skirt, the coffee date dress is on my (rather lengthy) things-to-sew-list for the summer holidays!
Grüße aus Deutschland,
G.G.
June 22, 2010 at 11:11 am
selfishseamstress
Hmmm. Grading down is just part of my normal process, as I wear a 32 in Burda, but I think you might run into some proportions problems if you try to grade from a 44 to a 34. I think even Burda recommends that you only grade a maximum of 3 sizes up or down. I guess what you could do is try the 44->34 grade and then make a muslin to do additional adjustments. For something like a blouse, I would be especially careful to make sure that the arm and neck openings after the grade are still correct and comfortable.
You can check out this tutorial I wrote on how to grade a multisize pattern up or down:
http://www.burdastyle.com/techniques/make-a-pattern-larger-or-smaller
It illustrates doing this for one size, but you can of course repeat it to go down another size or two. Good luck!
June 30, 2010 at 8:54 am
Pants-with-a-bow! « The Selfish Seamstress
[…] 2010 in finished objects | Tags: drafting, pants with a bow After discovering last week that the coveted pants from Burda July 2010 were not meant to be, I pulled out my entire Burda collection and started sifting through for other […]