Turtleneck Tee - Burda 104 9/2012

This is the second top that i made last weekend and the third Burda 9/2012 make. I was going to post it with the Stripy Lace Back Tee, but ended up with too many photos. 

I cut a Burda size 40 grading down to a 36 on the sleeves form pattern 104 view a. I made no changes (apart from grading down the sleeves). I used the same fabric for the Stripy Lace Back Tee, it is a soft jersey with grey and white strips.

It was very simple to make; just zip up the seams, then add the turtleneck and sleeves. I must have sewed it in under an hour.

 Verdict: It is a really comfy tee, I have already worn it three times and i can see me wearing this as a base layer in the winter. The only gripe i have is the turtle neck is a little too loose. I noticed that the model in the magazine also has it very loose, but i think it looks a bit odd.

For my next make i promise colour..... Ok, no i don't (but i want to).

Stripy Lace Back Tee - Burda 123a 9/2012

I am getting Burda magazine obsessed. I really don't want to be buying anymore patterns or fabric, because i am hoping to move in a few months, and probably wont be able to take much with me. However, as soon as Burda magazine is in the shops, i am down there scanning the pages, and the last two months this has resulted in purchases. The August issue was good. The September issue was amazing, the parker, the mod dresses, and loads of knits. I want them all!! So far i have made all three knit tops, the cowl neck top, the turtle neck top (not yet blogged) and the shoulder yoke top (here).

This is Burda 123a from the 9/2012 issue in size 40. I think this is a really nice basic long sleeve tee pattern, however i could not understand why there was only a front yoke. So i improvised and made a back yoke. It was quite simple, i just traced the original pattern piece for the back, and drew on the back yoke. Then i retraced my new pattern pieces and added seam allowances. The hardest part was sewing the two curvy back yoke pieces together. I also eliminated the keyhole at the back, as it was unnecessary and would have made the back far too fussy with the lace. The other alteration i made was to the arms, after making the turtle neck top i found the arms to be far too baggy, so i cut them down by about 1cm each side on the top.

Update - Victorian Crochet Collars

Wow, it been a busy making weekend for me. In the lead up to the weekend i washed, laid out and cut the fabric for three garments: two long-sleeve tees and a second Burda Skirt. I finished the tees, but the skirt is still on my to do pile. I'll blog about the tees later as have been too busy to take photos today.

On my Victorian crochet collar project i have started to make some progress too. After my first initial fruitless searches for Victorian patterns i have at last have found some. Google Play has some free e-books (scanned copies of Victorian crochet books). I was definitely overly excited at finding them.


These old crochet books make for an interesting read, i love reading old knitting and crochet books. The way the crochet and terminological is presented has not really changed. The book i have chosen to use "The Crochet Book" has some good illustrations of the stitches, so could be used by a beginner. There are also some interesting patterns for bags in other books that i might give a try, but there are no pictures, so it will be a case of follow the instructions and see what takes shape. Which will be fun to do when have the time, but for now my focus is making some Victorian crochet collars for the Shifnal Arts Festival. It starts in only a month so i cant really experimenting as much as i would like.

So first i am making this collar:

The ref is: Eléonore Riego de la Branchardière, 1847, The crochet book, Simpkin, Marshall.

I have never done crochet, using crochet cotton and small hooks before. Working with fine cotton and small hooks is  definitely  a skill, and it took me a good couple of hours to get the knack of hooking the cotton. But the result is rather attractive. Despite spending all afternoon and evening on the collar, progress is slow, my work still fits easily into the palm of my very small hand.

Victorian Collar Project

This year i have been asked to participate in the Shifnal Arts Festival. The arts festival has been running for several years now, and runs between the 4-7 of October 2012. The festival is inclusive of all arts and crafts, from music, painting, theatre and knitting. This year they have decided to have a Victorian theme to the festival. Focusing in on local Victorian history.  As people know that i like to do a lot of knitting and crochet they have asked me to crochet some Victorian lace collars for next month.

I gave an tentative yes, if i can find a pattern, pictures etc to work from, then i could not see the problem. Only there is a problem, finding a genuine Victorian crochet lace collar pattern, or picture that i can work form is nearly impossible.  I also have the added blessing/or curse that "Victorian style" collars are fashionable again. Making it nearly impossible to find genuine usable examples on the Internet. But yet i am still finding loads of beautiful collars with a more contemporary feel to them.

The best pattern i have found, so far is: Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. XLII, May 1851. This is an American journal from this era. It contains a pattern for a lace cuff (Etruscan Lace Cuff), that i shall give a try. 

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I would hate to display a set of collars knowing that they are not genuinely of local or British Victorian construction. I have people telling me that it does not matter, and that they are just making stuff up and saying that it is Victorian. However, i am a perfectionist and it matters to me.

I know that a lot of the other artists are also having similar problem, some of their there art forms or crafts just did not exist in the Victorian era. Others are painting Victorian era houses with PVC windows and other later attachments. The fact is that not much remains form this period, which can be recreated by amateurs with little historical knowledge of their craft in the Victorian era.

So far i have started work on one collar, making the pattern up as i go along. I don't know if it is something that they would have worn in the Victorian times but it is a start. I'll just have to make it clear in writing that it is, what it is. Plus i shall make the Etruscan Lace Cuff.

So i am making a call to anybody who can help me out in the next few weeks. Do you have a Victorian crochet collar that you can send me the pictures of, or even better a written pattern? Please help...