Progress report: Burda 1-2009-112 high waisted pencil skirt

February 5, 2010 in work-in-progress | Tags: Burda, high waisted skirt

Well, I have to say, yesterday was a pretty good day. Not only did I get invited to about a half dozen weddings on the condition that I wear some ridiculous combination of Burda 3.2010 garments, but I also got started on the stupid easy high waisted skirt from Burda 1.2009, model 112, using some of the sweet potato plaid Banana Republic wool I picked up at Paron for a song during my holiday fabric binge. (Please parse that last bit as “holiday-pause-fabric binge” rather than “holiday fabric-pause-binge.” The Selfish Seamstress does not do holiday fabric, thank you very much.) It doesn’t look like much now, but the test fittings are promising. And yes, I think I’m probably the only person who is still stuck on autumn clothes while everyone else plans their new spring dresses. I need to remove a pinch at the bottom of the corset-y midriff bit because it’s creating some extra folds of fabric over the belly.

Here’s the technical drawing:

More exciting than the skirt itself, however, is the fact that the tan, dark brown, and orange skirt seems to go with almost every pair of shoes I own. How neat is that?

Goody. I hate when I make something and then find I never wear it because I don’t have the shoes to go with it. Since people will undoubtedly ask, the shoes, clockwise from the left are:

1) Espresso brown Prada T-straps with huge chunky heels (picked up for $35 at a DSW sale!)

2) Nine West brown heeled platform oxfords

3) Michael by Michael Kors tan suede Mary Janes with huge triangular heels (another $35 bargain at Nordstrom Rack, mecca for size 4.5 and 5!)

4) Sweet Pota-toe loafers from ModCloth, with huge not-quite wedge heels (anyone starting to see the trend here?)

5) Antiqued brown Max Studio Mary Janes with the same not-quite-wedge heels (another steal at Loehmann’s)

How about you? What’s your favorite handmade garment and accessory combo?

16 comments

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February 5, 2010 at 10:15 am

Karen

You are capital H hilarious :) I stumbled in here after seeing your rockin’ jeans on Burdastyle and I don’t want to leave. But I have to, though I know I’ll be back. Thanks for sharing your many skills!

February 5, 2010 at 11:04 am

Beangirl

I hate you.

February 5, 2010 at 11:06 am

Beangirl

OK fine. I don’t HATE you… (well…) but I really really want your shoes. You’re leaving them to me in your will, right?

Oh wait. I dont’ wear a size 5 anymore. CURSE YOU, MISERABLE CHILDREN WHO MADE MY FEET GET BIGGER!

February 5, 2010 at 11:13 am

Nancy K

I do hate you. My size 8.5 C width feet, flat to boot, don’t do well in heels, nor do such wonderful shoes come in my size or at bargain prices. Sigh.

February 5, 2010 at 11:39 am

rachel

Your skirt is looking good. I love your blog – you really are F.A.F (Funny As Feck!!!) as we say in good old England. Especially your jeans post – great jeans by the way! Thanks for making me laugh and inspiring me – though while I’m reading and laughing at your blog I’m not exactly sewing – which is bloody selfish of you!!

February 5, 2010 at 11:40 am

Claudine

That skirt will be great! I made that pattern last spring. I really should wear it more. http://couturedetails.blogspot.com/2009/03/tulip-skirt.html

February 5, 2010 at 12:13 pm

Tenshi

I don’t even like brown. But I really, really want pair No. 5 of your shoes. To make my feet fit into them, though, I guess I would have to chop off my toes and maybe some more of my feet – they were size 5 when I was about 10 or 11.. Hm… doesn’t really sound like an option. Sad.

I do love to make jewelry that goes well with my clothes. Color-matching is no big challenge for me, though, since I wear mainly black, purple/violet and teal with the occasional gray or navy thrown in. I’ve been bold and bought a pair of purple pumps – the rest of my shoes are black. I do have favorite combinations that I wear again and again, and stuff I’d never combine, but basically, everything goes with nearly everything. ;)

February 5, 2010 at 12:45 pm

CindyC

Egads, perfectly matched plaid, even. I hate you. Just kidding! But, of course, I can’t resist:

Potato plaid Banana Republic wool
Is the next from a stash so full.
A Burda skirt soon
To make us all swoon.
What next? A “shrest” from some tulle?

February 5, 2010 at 1:08 pm

Catherine

Ok, interesting post… great skirt, interesting details, technical drawing, good stuff… WTH? LOOK AT THOSE SHOES! I am totally gonna fight you for them. I don’t care if my feet are a size 9.

February 5, 2010 at 1:33 pm

selfishseamstress

oh my goodness, you ladies have to be kidding! *all* shoes come in sizes 8 and 9! most manufacturers don’t even make shoes smaller than a 6 or a 5.5. any size 5 ladies out there will attest to the fact that they’re lucky if they walk into a shoe store and there’s even ONE pair that comes in their size, let alone whether it’s what they wanted or needed. we go through all kinds of shoe acrobatics, shoving 3 gel insoles and a wad of tissues into a size 5.5 in desperate effort to keep them from falling off of our munchkin feet. i can’t even imagine what it would be like to be a size 7 and walk into a shoe store and think that i could buy any pair i wanted and I just had to pick the ones I liked best. that being said, thank goodness for nordstrom rack for understanding that ladies with kid-sized feet don’t necessarily want to wear kid-styled shoes, because i’m pretty happy with my collection :)

February 5, 2010 at 2:43 pm

Kerry

I am one of the lucky ones, with normal size feet despite munchkin stature. Seriously, my feet are 6.5 US (37.5 European).

I LOVE HAVING BIG FEET. You’re right, no one makes size 5 shoes. I can walk into any shoe store and get shoes. And I do not have to special order my cycling shoes from European manufacturers with a children’s cycling shoe line. But then again, I’m not much of a shoe person. I have 9 pairs of Dansko clogs and a bunch of soccer sandals and that’s basically it.

Yay for big feet (of course the big feet also means I have freakishly long arms, my wingspan is 2″ longer than my height. I’m like a female Michael Phelps, only shorter and not very good at swimming).

February 5, 2010 at 3:37 pm

Tenshi

Kerry, you don’t have big feet. Not really. ;) Mine are size 9 or 10 (European 40 or 41, the latter more often than the former) depending on the shoe, my best friend’s are even larger (43). NO shoes come in sizes like that. At least not the pretty feminine ones. Trust me, I’ve heard the dreaded “Oh no, we only have those up to size 39 (US 8).” too often – it has left a permanent mark on my sanity. ^^ Shoe manufactorers or maybe shoe stores seem to think big-footed women want to wear mannish shoes. Not me. I refuse to wear shoes without heels.

February 5, 2010 at 6:51 pm

Kerry

Tenshi – we need to start our own shoe line -stylish shoes for larger feet. And then Munchkin over here (That would be The Selfish Seamstress) and I can work on Jeans for Short Adult Women.

We’ll be millionaires.

Or not.

February 5, 2010 at 9:06 pm

Sue