Burda III

Before I go any further, I have to take a minute to remember what today means. My company lost 13 people in Tower One, seven years ago. They'd been given the all clear and went back. Today, I work less than a mile from the Pentagon. This is a picture I took at lunch. Just down the street from my office. I was going shopping, but couldn't get there - Jeff Davis Highway was closed for POTUS to attend the Memorial Dedication at the Pentagon. I'm tempted to tell "my story", the where I was tale. Maybe next year. This year, just walk down this path and remember your own way.

I finally sat down for a few minutes this afternoon and worked on the Burda pants. I was stumped/frustrated for a while because they seemed too large. I kept taking them in and messing with the back center seam to make them right. Knowing all along that I was messing with the waist band and didn't know what do to about it. So I sat down after work for a few minutes and took out all my sizing basting. Then I pinned on the waist band as cut-only one 'layer', machine basted it and tried them one. Good news and bad news.

Here's my cutting photo (and Kacy). Lightened a bit to show the fabric. See - it isn't ugly, just isn't great feeling. You can see my thread tracing (THANK YOU ANN! from Stitcher's Guild) as well as my initial attempts at marking at cutting line seam allowance. Now let me just take a minute and whine about how long this took. Seriously, I spent most of last Friday - probably 6 hours total - in cutting prep work. Lay out - fabric was a little tight, kind of narrow to fit it in, messing with the marking, making the thread tracing - what a lot of thread that takes! Maybe I'll get faster at it and learn to thread needles better, but it was pretty tedious. But I REALLY do like having a seam line to sew on. Notes for next time: leave bigger loops and use a less contrasting thread. In other words, LISTEN TO ANN! ANN KNOWS BEST.

Now, back to the good news, bad news....

Good News: darned if they didn't fit to a TEE! Absolutely awesome. Can't wait to finish them great. Want to make another pair perfect! I haven't had on a pair of pants at any price that fit like that. Who knew I had a German shaped ass? Seriously? Who knew?!?

Bad news: I put the stupid thing on inside out. Or however you say it. Right side to wrong side. So off that comes. Oh, and I put one of the front band peices on backwards. This Burda,-no- pattern-markings thing has been a bit of a struggle for me, I need to mark my pattern pieces better next time. Add to that (or subtract maybe) that there's no right or wrong side to my fabric (I hope!!! It isn't apparent to me, so I'm just plowing ahead) and I get all turned around.

Flushed with success, I cut and fused my interfacing for the waist band and cut the 2 still missing front facing pieces. Then DH called, said he was just getting home and did I want to meet him for dinner. Duh.... ye-ah. Thai food.

I have to work tomorrow, but DH will be out of town ALL WEEKEND so I'll finish them tomorrow evening. And may start pair #2. Upgrade the fabric a bit, I have some good stuff for next and some Zegna wool from Michaels for really nice (that will require a lining - itchy stuff). Woo-Hoo! My Burda virginity is almost lost, LOL.

Also on the weekend docket is a trip to G-Street for more waistband interfacing, the new issue of Burda (yeah, I'm hooked), and some general deal shopping. They extended last week's sale due to Hanna and I have a couple of coupons. A little UT football (get your stuff together Phil, this one's for real!), and I REALLY want a jacket at NY&Co. I saw today. And I have a $30 off coupon for just such an emergency. And maybe a call to Pizza Hut.

And as a parting shot, we went to Ocean City Maryland over Labor Day and walked along the boardwalk. Here's my favorite shot from there. An ART GALLERY!!!