It’s definitely the chilly season here again, and since I’ve had the pattern and material for a few weeks and I hit a lull in my Christmas sewing (I’d finished everything I could and I’m waiting on patterns and fabric for the last gift!) it seemed the perfect time to make Burda 7724. I used the purple and black flecked wool sweater knit I bought for £7.50 from A to Z Fabrics on Goldhawk Road here in London (and I’ve got a little left for mittens and a hat!). It’s just so warm and comfortable that I (shh!) wore it three days straight after I made it!
It looks mostly black in the photos (except where I increased the contrast so you could see the details), but here’s a close-up of the fabric so you can see it’s purpleness:
The pattern itself is fantastic – from tracing the pattern to walking out the door wearing it took maybe 2-3 hours, and the construction was really simple. It’s only 5 pattern pieces – the front, the back, sleeves, and a rectangle each for the collar and waistband (and the latter both have folded edges so the only hemming is on the sleeves!).
One thing I will say, though, is that the technical drawing is pretty misleading. If you look at the collars, views A and C look like they’re gathered at the shoulders, whereas B is more folded over. In actuality, the pattern pieces and instructions are identical for the collar across all views, and mine definitely looks like B in real life. I honestly have no idea why it’s different in the tech drawing, so just be aware that it’ll be like B when you’re done! That’s my only comment about the pattern, though – otherwise, it’s good ol’ reliable Burda – expert drafting, concise instructions with good diagrams, and included seam allowances (which feels weird to me now after all my magazine sewing!).
I’m thinking I’ll probably use this sweater as my starting point for Pattern Review’s Endless Combinations Contest, which is a bit like an anti-SWAP (“Sewing With A Plan”). Instead of starting out with a huge plan of exactly what you’re going to make with all the patterns and fabrics laid out, you instead start with one garment, then sew something to wear with it, and then sew something to wear with anything else you’ve made previously. I tend to lose interest in SWAP-type wardrobes so this really appeals to my “sew by the seat of my pants” nature and also because I need quite a few trousers and tops for winter… No points for guessing what I’m up to next, though!
PS: Everyone who is not my mom should go here to see the Christmas present I just finished for her, too.