Burda Style...Free patterns!

For those who are new to Burda or read about it a lot and want to try something from the magazine, a good intro is the sister site, Burdastyle.com. The site is called an "open-source" sewing site, meaning that they offer their patterns up for you to interpret and post about. It's also a good way to get your feet wet with the so-called Burda way of doing things, without having to trace out your pattern or worry about seam allowances. There is also a pretty fantastic how-to section, with things like how to sew a bound buttonhole, a photo tutorial on constructing a notched collar, and other tutorials on the patterns on the web site.

I'm going to work on this dress that I particularly like, Shari 7951. This technical drawing is typical of what Burda Style provides for all of their patterns, and as you can see it has lots of info regarding the details of the dress and for required notions, etc.

I have an orange silky embossed type fabric that will work really well, left over from the orange craze of last year. However, I do have some printer issues that have to be resolved first. One of the things that I dislike most about Burda World of Fashion patterns is the tracing and the lack of seam allowances. Burda Style is like the Big 4 in that the seam allowances are included. More posts to follow...