After a short, much too labour-intensive and difficult existence, Burda 7731 Coat, latest sewing project of The Sewing Lawyer, was removed from life support on New Years Day, 2010.
Burda 7731 was a lovely idea - a long, elegant, flared overcoat with cut-on sleeves, a high and sinuous pleated collar, cute button-on belt and in-seam pockets. Burda 7731 was an eagerly-anticipated addition to the Sewing Lawyer closet - the fabric a lustrous and waterproof taffeta in iridescent teal, the lining a satiny and elegant ikat-like floral print. With light and warm interlining of Thinsulate, Burda 7731 would have been the go-to workhorse of a winter coat for wet/snowy workdays. Burda 7731 will be sadly missed.
Burda 7731 Coat had a difficult birth. A few hours into its existence, a congenital pattern defect needing immediate, experimental surgery was discovered. The surgery was successful but Burda 7731 would continue to struggle. Sadly, the Sewing Lawyer's choices for Burda 7731 only added to its (and her) misery. The in-seam pockets were a disaster given the thinness of the fabric and the lack of any stabilizing for the pocket opening. Further surgery was needed to install piping at the openings. The fabric was also constantly prone to puckering at the seams no matter how much The Sewing Lawyer adjusted stitch length and tension, used "taut sewing" (holding the fabric behind and in front of the needle, applying tension to the fabric as it passes through the needle but without pulling it), and labour-intensively edge stitched each and every seam. This is why even though Burda 7731 Coat was within striking distance of actually being finished, there will be no photos.* The Sewing Lawyer has her reputation to uphold and Burda 7731 Coat was, at the end, a sad wrinkled thing.
Although The Sewing Lawyer is one seriously stubborn person with lots of experience in curing apparently-fatal defects which have cropped up in many of the older sibling sewing projects of Burda 7731, it became clear with the end of 2009 and in the clear (okay, snowy and gray) light of January 1, 2010, that Burda 7731 would never recover, that further surgery would be extremely painful for all concerned, and that it would not likely succeed. And that is why, after much anxious thought and with sincere regret for the iridescent teal taffeta-like fabric and all that sewing time which are now lost forever, The Sewing Lawyer decided that she had to let go.
R.I.P. Burda 7731 coat.
* As Vicki has pointed out, a picture is available on my Pattern Review. That's for the scientific interest of other sewers who need to know why they must run far away from Burda 7731 so as to avoid having this fatal condition attack one of their own sewing projects... But the point of this post is only to mourn the brief existence of Burda 7731 Coat. (Closed casket, ya know?)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Oh, my... Can't decide whether to wail & weep OR snicker & snort!!
ReplyDeleteKay, you're a HOOT!! ;)
Kay, so sorry for your loss :( ;)
Soft, caring hug,
Rhonda
I'm sorry to hear of the demise of Burda 7731 as I was anxiously awaiting it's appearance. I will take a moment of silence here for it..hopefully a replacement with less challenges can be found soon!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
It will live on in our memories...
ReplyDeleteI too, have lost patients to this malady.......
ReplyDeleteGoodforyou!!!!! I was going to suggest the very thing - but it occurred to me you might perceive it as lack of faith in YOU - not so! I'm all for cutting one's losses. Just think of all the other drop-dead gorgeous coats out there with your name on them. Happy NY, Kay!
ReplyDeleteHi again!! Shared your Obit with DH... We (laughed--sorry!).
ReplyDeleteDO drop by Rhoto's Rag, ok!!
Soft hugs again,
Rhonda
Don't bury it yet. Put it into an induced coma for a few weeks and it may come back to life.
ReplyDeleteThis is an ingenious post. Thanks Kay. I don't feel nearly as bad, knowing this happens to you too:-) Not that I don't feel a twinge for Burda 7731, or sorry for your lost time and gorgeous materials. OHHH those materials. I could cry... but I will show this to my husband instead:-)
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid there is a photo lurking on your Flickr! And it is a good thing you put it down!! Glad I found your blog :))
ReplyDeleteMy condolences.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your Burda 7731...you did try! :)
ReplyDeleteI was sure with the addition of the underarm gussets you were going to make it work. May it RIP. Onward!
ReplyDeleteOh dear. Well, we all enjoyed the post-mortem anyway. :) I know we can all relate to your experience. Doesn't make it any easier for you, but we do feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteBetter off it's gone. It would have been horrible to just linger. . .
ReplyDeleteMy condolences.
ReplyDeleteIt's in a better place. :-) Moving on, is it too soon...to start another project?
ReplyDeleteAdd my condolences to the list. You took extreme measures to save this coat, but really, would it have wanted to live that way? May your mourning period be brief and another coat find you before long.
ReplyDeleteRIP, Burda 7731
Sometimes its just best to cut your losses. I commiserate; certainly all of us have been there, even with years of experience. It was a terrific idea for a winter raincoat though. Maybe you'll find a better pattern and equally nice fabric.
ReplyDeleteBurda 7731 blog - hilarious! Loved reading it - sorry about your coat, though.
ReplyDeleteLoved to read this hilarious post. Pity for the coat, but looks like it's the only right decision, if you can't make it work, it's beyond repair. On to better projects (of which I've just seen the first steps).
ReplyDeleteYou know what, I made this coat for my mother in law last year.the review is stil in PR. You can imagine what an ordeal it was. All the more so that my mother in law is very short. It was like hell to make all the alterations, and I was not so happy with the final result though I made a muslin. I started this this project after a long hiatus, nevertheless it has not discouraged me and the recipient is still wearing the coat. At the time, I did not know much about the sewing bloggosphere and I thought that my failure meant that I was not very good at altering a pattern properly. Kay, your story is very sad but it makes me think that I am not so bad afterall lol
ReplyDeleteI came across your review as this coat is featured in this months Threads magazine. I was going to take it on but your obit is making me think twice.
ReplyDelete