Sunday, February 6, 2011

Burda 7731 - back from the dead

The Sewing Lawyer hates UFOs and sewing failures.  So she has been stewing over Burda 7731 since January 1, 2010, the date on which she took it off life support, and told you about it.  It was so sad.  And so frustrating, since there ought to have been a warm, wind and waterproof winter coat in there somewhere.  But Burda 7731 languished, unfinished, in the Sewing Lawyer's sewing room, for the last 13 months.  It mocked her from its hanger.  It loomed over her.  And heck, she wanted a coat like that!  Recently, the Sewing Lawyer was even spotted trying on coats, in stores (!) that were kind of like Burda 7731, except shorter.

And so, an idea was born.

Really, there was little that remained to be done - just the hems and buttons.  So much easier after 34cm were lopped off the bottom (marked with a line of pins in the picture at left).

Now, the Sewing Lawyer likes to think that the rumpled and puffy synthetic taffeta looks sporty instead of sad.

Details?
















In the stash were these interesting vintage plastic buttons, and some firm black round elastic.  It was a simple matter to poke the elastic through the seam attaching the facings to the coat front.  The ends of the elastic were first singed to prevent fraying of the synthetic outer coating, and knotted inside the coat before being stitched into place.

The lining is a poly satin (Fabricland).  Quite some time ago (October, 2009 if Flickr is to be believed), the Sewing Lawyer used the scraps left after cutting out the lining pieces for Burda 7731 for a top (left).

Truly, this coat has been a long time in the making.

Hallelujiah for Finished Objects!

32 comments:

  1. Wow, what a great coat. It must get very cold in your part of the world. The shorter length is so much more attractive and I really like the elastic fastenings.

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  2. Beautiful coat! I love the changes you made to it:)

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  3. Nice save! The length is perfect on you.

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  4. This gives me great hope to the little graveyard of UFO's mocking me from the corner.... Awesome!

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  5. I love it. Looks really good and as we still have quite a bit of winter left it will be useful
    Terry

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  6. Nice! For a second I thought this was the coat with the fur inside it! When will we see that finished project? :)

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  7. Great idea to shorten the coat and a fabulous new shell to boot! Awesome. Hurray for finishing your coat.

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  8. Shorter is so much better. Congrats on finishing it after all.

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  9. You're in Canada aren't you? I could see why a long coat would be a really good thing there.. But I think flare absolutely requires some kind of drape, which completely rules out thinsulate :-(. I think I'd have tried to still keep my knees covered if I were you :-). But the shorter length is much nicer looking.
    Ah well, a nice spring and fall coat, that's much better than a blanket hovering menacingly at the back of the closet..

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  10. What a difference the length makes! Before it was just too overwhelming on you. Now - perfect. Looks pretty warm too!

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  11. I love the style. You can certainly wear it where you live!

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  12. That is a great re-do. Fortunately, the Sewing Lawyer did not have to put the coat to rest by cremation!

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  13. very, very nice!
    great save.

    Enjoy wearing it!

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  14. So glad that you were able to make this work. Looks wonderful!

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  15. Big round of applause! I DO hope that this means you'll have got winter coats out of your system for the season - and that you just might reconsider turning that fabulous mink coat into lining?!!! BTW, I need to return a pattern to you within the next 10 days.... ;)

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  16. Woaw ! You are much better then I with your UFO's mine stay there for years... Congratulations, the short version is great. I really like it. Good girl ;-)))))))

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  17. So cute! I love it when a previously unfinished project can be saved!

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  18. Wow! It looks so much different in the shorter length! You can be proud of yourself for rescuing that coat - it is lovely now and perfect for Canadian winter.

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  19. The hemline change makes a huge difference! What a cozy coat.

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  20. Agreed...your shortened version makes it a winner!

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  21. Ha! The original version of the coat was rather frightening. Attack of the Tafetta Monster! Bravo on fixing it.

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  22. It's so much better shorter it also no longer makes the very thin Sewing Lawyers look 4 sizes bigger than she is. Good solution and it still looks perfect for the weather up north. Good for you getting it done.

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  23. Great save! Shorter is better.

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  24. Congratulations on the rescue! The coat is really nice at this length...great save! Plus, now you don't have to hang your head in shame over a sewing failure! ;)

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  25. Delurking now - sometimes the best ones are the ones take more time. The redesigned coat is perfect on you. The buttons are adorable as is the lining and you even got a top out of it. Just wonderful.

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  26. Great job! The redesign looks great --- the shorter length is much more flattering. It is such a great feeling to finish a project, especially one that has been sitting around for a while. The guilt is gone!

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  27. I love your coat! Your stick-to-it-iveness is inspiring!

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  28. Can I ask you a question: If you were to make a suit jacket washable instead of dry cleanable, how would you go about it?

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  29. I absolutely love the coat - I was in Patagonia (headquartered right here in Ventura) and they have several outstanding coats - very similar to your coat! Congratulations for overcoming the frustration and mindblock to finish!

    (And Congrats on your Pattern Review Active Wear Contest win!)

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  30. From "Men in Black" to sporty! What a great save! This is good evidence that it can pay to keep a "failed" project around until inspiration strikes. Great result!

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  31. The coat is amazing! It's great you were able to save it and end up with a very wearable coat! Great job!

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