Burda 7368 review – DIY Blouse

Oh! Burda 7368 – how this blouse has tried and tested me.

A combination of drapey, shifty fabric and a less than stellar pattern, plus a couple of big schoolgirl errors really pushed me to the edge with this.

To start, I tissue fitted on Maud, made the required alterations and then tissue fitted on me. So far so good. Except that I omitted to tissue fit the sleeve!

That was big schoolgirl error number one.

I then sewed the darts, the bib the neck and went to sew in the sleeve, only to find it’s 3″ bigger than the armscye. After much head-scratching I measured the armscye and the sleeve head and confirmed that the sleeve pattern piece is significantly larger than the armhole it’s meant to fit.

I should point out that this is a flat fitted sleeve, not an inset one, so no gathering or easing is required.

I’ve double checked all the pieces and all the measurements and can find no reason for this, so I’m calling misprint.

I scientifically cut the excess off one side and crossed my fingers.

Having sewn up the side and sleeve seams I tried it on and I’ve got away with it!

But….I had no idea what was going on with the darts.

At the fitting stage I’d already raised the bust darts by 2 inches, and they’d looked good. Here they were, still a good 1.5 inches too low. And schoolgirl error number 2…..I’d already trimmed and overlocked the seam.

What was I thinking?

I finangled the darts into an approximation of the right place. The fabric thankfully hides them, and if someone is looking that closely I have bigger problems.

I have checked the internet and it seems to be a problem with my copy of the pattern, not the pattern as a whole. Perhaps just a printing error at Burda. With the quantity of patterns they produce, it’s bound to happen occasionally.

The sewing of this was a bear too. I constantly caught the fabric in the seams and had to deploy the seam ripper. At one point I even caught it in an overlocked seam. It was a close thing!

However the blouse is finished now and I’ve worn it a couple of times. And whilst I don’t love it, I don’t loathe it either. It’s a perfectly serviceable every day blouse that fits better than a ready to wear top would.

This fabric (from Guthrie and Ghani, about 2 years ago) isn’t one I would purchase today as my taste has moved on. No shade thrown at G&G…this is a quality fabric! Thankfully it is also a very busy, softly draping fabric which covers a multitude of construction sins!

I made Version B and raised the front hem to create a hi-lo effect. If I were to make this again, I would probably raise the back hem too. I could go back and do it but….

I think I could also benefit from going down a size and making a slightly larger FBA to compensate.

So, rather like my Sew Me Something Imogen top, Burda 7368 didn’t quite work out the way I’d hoped. However, I now have a new top, am edging towards better understanding the fit changes I need to make, and I have contributed to my goal to reduce my stash in 2019.

I’m calling that a win!