BWOF 10-2008-107 & 5-2009-108

This picture is so fuzzy because it was misty the morning I took the picture. My shoes are Steve Madden "Magnolia" from several years ago. The skirt is BWOF 10-2008-107 and 5-2009-108. Sewing this outfit was an interesting experience in that I worked with one of the easiest well-written BWOF patterns I have ever seen and one of the most confusing I have ever tried to decipher.

Let's start with the well-written one first: 10-2008-107, the skirt. This pattern was very easy to follow. I cut a size 40 and worked straight from the patten, except for some minor modifications. I did not do pockets at the side zippers. If you unzip them you see inside the skirt. I also did not do that fabric strip they describe putting on the inside of the front separating zipper. Also, I used 3/8" elastic at the back skirt hem instead of making those drawstrings. I purchased the snaps at Walmart. My husband had to put them on the skirt for me because I could not figure out the instructions. I used the same fabric I used to make these pants. Here are some up close shots.

upclose of back hem

side view

Here is my 12 year old cat (his bday is this month) watching my sewing process.

Now for the not so well-written pattern. I have not sewn very many BWOF patterns, but the waist coat instructions (5-2009-109) were HORRENDOUS!!! I got some help on Stitcher's Guild and also read some reviews on it on Patternreview.

I used some white, 100% cotton sateen that I bought from fabric.com and lining that I got from my local sewing shop. I cut a size 38 and followed the instructions exactly without any modifications. Deciphering the instruction was the problem. Here is the finished product:

My problems began with the 2nd line of the instructions:

Stitch shoulder seams on waistcoat and facing (That is perfectly clear to me now, but when I first read it I was trying to figure out how stitching the waistcoat to the lining was going to work).

Once I got that figured out, I read the next set of instructions and they were even worse:

Stitch top sleeve seams on waistcoat and lining. (see pic below this paragraph for interpretation) Lay sleeve lining right sides together with satin sleeves and stitch lower edges together. (I didn't get the satin part until I realized they were talking about the fabric ---ahem, I am using sateen, not satin). Lay lining down and stitch to seam allowances close to seam (this means understitch the lining)

The real doozy came about about halfway down the 7th bullet of instructions:

...Lay lining right sides together with waistcoast again. Stitch edges of armholes together from side seam edge to sleeve joining. Trim seam allowances. Stitch lining to seam allowances close to seam (again, this means understitch).

For the life of me I could not figure out how I was supposed to stitch the armholes. A very nice lady at Stitcher's Guild straightened me out and, also, BWOF 5-2009-109, a variation on this waistcoat, is the sewing course. What you are supposed to do is on page 30, Fig 6 of that sewing course. You have 4 separate seams where you have stitched a lining armhole to the main fabric armhole from the armhole edge to where the sleeve ends. Here is a pic:

I used some buttons from my stash:





I really did enjoy making this waistcoat, but after it was over, I felt like my two dachshunds--like taking a nap.
Doc & Taz