Burda Style 7535

In a nutshell: love the design and finished product. The pattern SUCKS and is 98% useless. While a beginner could handle this design fine, the horrid, poor excuse for what should be instructions bumps it up to the more experienced stitcher. On to the finished pants...

The Pattern:  Burda Style 7535, from the catalog at Joanns. I knew the catalog patterns had seams and hems included but I didn't know their directions were as obtuse and nearly non existent as the magazine patterns. Lesson learned! I love this design and will make it again. I think it is flattering for a short pear bottom like me and would recommend it to any petite with the appropriate adjustments.

I mentioned previously how the triangle flap stretched out on the muslin. The first direction on the pattern sheet tells you to stabilize the bias edges of the flap with fusible interfacing. This worked great and I had no further issues. Where the crotch seam meets the beginning of the flap is a dot. 3/4s of an inch up is a little dark bar. At no point do the instructions reference any of the many dots on the pattern pieces. Who knows what they are they for? But where the crotch seam ends and meets the flap you are instructed to snip at the snip mark. What snip mark? There is a dark line close by that could be a snip mark so I snipped.It was against my better judgment.  This just did not work and the pants front would not lay flat when I did this. I had to take this out and literally flat fell the seam by hand  as it faced up on the right side to get things flat.Oy.....The pattern then instructs you to topstitch for about an inch on the start of the flap, right where I had the issues, and this seemed to get things back under control. Once topstitched the flap layed flat as it should.

The front has inward facing pleats and the legs have huge darts front and back near the bottom so these pants will hang on the straight but get pulled hither and yon. It is the same on the pattern photo and I am fine with that. They are VERY comfortable and in linen, just summer fabulous. About the funny leg darts:

There is a dart front and back on the leg. They are about 4 inches wide at the seam and hang perfectly cross grain. Now, it doesn't take much gray matter to figure out this will pull up the hem once stitched. That is fine and that is the design. But the tech drawings on the pattern show the hemline hanging perfectly horizontally. There is no way this can happen with the way the pattern is drafted. Yes, you the sewist could make it happen, but, hey Burda, don't show us something in your line drawings that just isn't going to happen, OK?  Good thing I like this funky hem! In looking at how the pants hang on the pattern model photo, mine are similar.

I am pretty happy with the butt fit although I did make a booboo. I always alter for a high right hip. I made the adjustment on the pattern and cut all my pieces. I usually cut for the right hip and then cut back the left hip to normal. Once the waistband was all installed and topstitched I realized I didn't cut back the left hip so they both were installed with the high hip adjustment on both sides. You can see my right side is not hanging as nicely as the left side, but you know, I can live with this. As they say in New Bedford, "Tahkee!" to anyone who has an issue!These are big, baggy summer pants, alright?

The Fabric: This is 100% linen from who knows where. If I see linen at a good price I buy it anywhere! I love the color.Linen takes so beautifully to topstitching which you saw in the last post. It truly is my favorite fabric to sew and it is just heaven to wear. I made a pair of white linen pants a long while back and wore them till they were frazzled. Then I wore them for pajamas, great pajamas. Those pants had a 12 year lifespan. I hope these do as well and I think the funkiness of the design helps that.

Conclusion: I will definitely make this pattern again and even now consider it a TNT with all the adjustments it took to make it work for a petite. I can see it in a nice black ponte for winter. I also can see it without the leg darts in a white cotton twill,  a great summer "sailor" look. That might be my July pants. I also think it would make great shorts as well, so there are a lot of possibilities here. I highly recommend this pattern if you can make a pair of pants without a pattern. It is a bit too lacking in information for a beginner and I plan to get on PR and say so. I will be at the Cape next week and these pants will be PERFECT.
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I have already cut out a sleeveless white hanky linen top, Simpliciy 2501, View E,  similar to the one shown on the pattern cover for 7535. Of course I had to do a bit of fiddling with the design and you will see the results soon. I hope to get it done before I head down to Massachusetts....Bunny

Oh, if you noticed in the first photo that there are only two buttons on the pants and it is being held up by a binder clip, you are not the dull knife in the drawer! I got my makeup on, hair decent and started to dress in the pants for the photos. The buttons literally fell apart as I dressed with every backing coming off these vintage babies before I had a chance to secure them. Of course the pants were beautifully ironed at that point. So now I had to put on 4 new buttons, still vintage but not perfect, and re iron the pants, Nothin's easy!....Bunny