Paisley Dress.

I finished something. Unbelievable!

I altered BurdaStyle's Anda pattern to make a tunic last year, and I finally made a dress, as the pattern intended. (Sort of.) I gave it a v-neck, and put the elastic on the inside. This is really the simplest pattern. It's airy and perfect for the current terrible heat, too. I used a simple quilting cotton (plus binding and elastic) from my stash, so I didn't even have to buy anything. I did make the neckline just a bit too wide, but that won't keep me from wearing it.

It's nice to finally make something again. It feels like things are getting back to normal.

Sparse Posting.

You may have noticed that I haven't been around in a while (or at least the interns Googling "BurdaStyle" may have). This is What Happened: I became gravely ill. Like dying Victorian heroine, coughing-your-lungs-up-in-an-opera ill.

For months.

Really.

And it wasn't even Swine Flu, just severe bronchitis. This started before the holidays and I have only just started to feel halfway normal again. (Let us all take a moment to praise the power of inhaled steroids.)

Anyway, I have finally started "making stuff" again and will resume posting soon -- sporadically, as always.

Knitting = Service?

I recently took a little trip to San Francisco, where I promptly ran out of room in my suitcase. I decided to send some stuff home via UPS rather than buying a second bag to check (and paying the fee to check it), which made me feel pretty clever.

Except that I am an idiot...and wrote down my own zip code incorrectly.

So...UPS sent the box back to some facility in Palo Alto or Tatooine, or something -- rather than returning it to the return address, which was written correctly. (And was the same address as the other address, save the zip code.) Anyway, I didn't have a tracking number, so I had to call the original UPS Store where I sent the package from. I was passed from employee to employee, and was given no satisfaction. I was getting ready to get a little crazy with them until (on the fifth phone transfer, literally) I explained that it wasn't the clothes or the book that I was worried about getting back, I was worried about a half-finished knitting project that I had spent many, many hours on.

And that was all it took. The lady's entire demeanor changed. Suddenly my package was located, re-routed, and back on its way to me.

Apparently just mentioning knitting gets you the goods. Well, that and an additional $25.00 charge. But who's counting?

Now We Play Devil's Advocate.

Despite recent criticism, I do find BurdaStyle useful at times -- they just don't understand the the plus sized market. However, I recently made an Anda tunic, and I was very pleased with it...


I made only minor changes to the pattern (too few to enter the Anda contest): I shortened it to tunic length, graded the lower part, and put the casing on the inside with elastic instead of a tie. But it's very comfortable in light cotton, which is nice in the searing heat of summer. It is a bit busy, but that's my own fault -- I picked that fabric on my own, after all. It was incredibly easy to sew, and I'm thinking of making a full-length version.

So...I'm not a full-time hater. (In case you were wondering.)

Expletive deleted.

BurdaStyle posted another plus sized pattern this week: Elastic waist jeans.

Do you think they can hear me retching all the way in New York? I hope they can.

I give the f*ck up...

BurdaStyle B.S.

I have a real love/hate relationship with BurdaStyle. I like the fashion-forward sensibility over there, but I am frequently disappointed by the pattern sizing. Most BurdaStyle patterns only go to a European size 46, which is about 14 or 16 misses ready-to-wear in the U.S. (Though I will point out that that's already a generous sizing scale compared to other patterns, as many U.S. patterns only go to a 16, which would be ready-to-wear 12 or 14.) I mean, as a plus sized person I am used to that particular disappointment. That's not what I'm talking about here.

Recently BurdaStyle released their first plus sized sewing pattern. I didn't post about it here, because, honestly, I found to be a shapeless mess. I went ahead and downloaded it, since I could see some potential in the pattern -- you know, after I completely altered the neckline/placket, the length, and the sleeves. I was saved the trouble of grading up the pattern, sure -- I suppose I should have been grateful. Aren't fat people supposed to be apologetic for simply existing, and therefore ecstatic when someone throws a semi-fashionable sewing pattern at them?

Right.

So...I was disappointed with that first pattern.

Anyway, fast forward a few months, and BurdaStyle releases a new plus sized pattern. And voila, it is both versatile and fashionable. It's interesting and almost as nice as the "straight" sized patterns. It's a little bit (dare we say) exciting. At first glance.

But...it's not available as a "print at home" PDF. What the f*ck?

Great. Thanks once again, BurdaStyle, for the table scraps.

Seriously, I don't know why they bothered to post a second plus sized pattern. This new one can't be printed at home, so it's not exactly free for us fatties -- maybe you guys have stock in Fedex/Kinko's? I don't know.

This is ridiculous. For one thing, I'm sure that a given design could be split into two print-at-home PDF files if necessary. You can create a billboard in Adobe. A plus sized pattern isn't quite that big, despite tent-sized stereotypes. However, the real issue is that the cheapest quote I could find was $48.00 to print this pattern. I could buy several regular sewing patterns for that. And I'm in Houston -- not, say, a rural area where printing would simply be impossible (as evidenced by a commenter in Tennessee, who had no print shop available).

It's just insulting. If BurdaStyle doesn't want to offer plus sized patterns -- they shouldn't offer them. I've downloaded many of the standard sized patterns, and I've even paid for one. I've learned a lot grading up and altering BurdaStyle patterns (I'm a Euro 48 bust, 50 waist, and 52 hips) and I suspect that I am not the only one.

But really, how disingenuous is it to offer a useless download for women who, let's face it, represent a large portion of the population in the US (where dress size 14 RTW is average)?

It's BullShit, BurdaStyle. BullShit!

(ETA: I e-mailed BurdaStyle customer service with a far less, um, potty-mouthed version of this rant, but they never even bothered to e-mail me back with a form letter. Whatevs!)