Burda 7184

I made a muslin to test out a new-to-me silhouette.  I wasn't sure if this would overwhelm my 5'5" body or if this proportion would work with my figure.

The muslin of Burda 7184 turned out so well, it made it into my regular wardrobe.

(I tidied up my office last week.)  I just love the undulating stripes.

I made the shorter View A, but trimmed the front 4" so that the back dips slightly relative the front.

[I M Pei is so clever.  That cutout to my right is not a mirror.  It's a window into the office that is a mirror image to mine.  The building is loosely modeled after Anasazi architecture.  The bottom part of the window to the outside tilts open.  On summer afternoons, the shape of the wall underneath the window directs a stream of air right into the window--just as they do in Anasazi cliff dwellings.

Architecture fans and people curious about climate and weather science can tour the building.  Plan your visit.  Sorry, we no longer work behind glass windows for public viewing, but you can see where the supercomputer operators used to work.  They have been replaced by tape robots.]

A dummy view to show off the gigantic pockets.

I didn't like the in-seam pockets in the pattern.  Instead, I taped a piece scratch paper to figure out the size, shape and placement I prefer.

The pattern envelope drawings do not show the two-piece sleeve with a seam down the top.  If I had known that, I might have shied away from the pattern.  I'm glad I didn't.  I cut single-layer, but made no attempt to match the seam at the top.  After all, I thought I was making a muslin.

The pattern had one match point, at the underarm seams. I matched the stripes there, and paid attention to the grain lines. All the rest of the stripes automagically lined up.  I am very impressed with the engineering that went into this pattern draft!

I've used this poly Ponte knit (purchased cheaply by the pound at SAS Fabrics) before, and was disappointed in the lack of stretch and breathability.  However, the beach is very humid; the mountains are very dry. What is too clammy to wear at the beach is perfectly comfortable in Colorado. Yeah!

The ponte doesn't curl or ravel so I sewed it using a narrow zig-zag on my main sewing machine, and then pressed the seams flat.  This was a super-quick and relaxing sew. I thought I didn't need another one, but I have a suitable piece of magenta ponte in my stash.

My Burda 7184 PatternReview