Back for more Burda! With Birdies!
But first, does this happen to you?—
Bad kitties!
Ok, back to the blouse. The bird fabric is a chiffon I bought at Designer Fabrics. (I know the birds-on-all-the-clothes trend has been around an awfully long time but I still catch my breath when I see bird-patterned fabric. Or real birds, for that matter; I’m a bit of a twitcher. Although not the kind who’s willing to get out of bed before 8am. So that probably disqualifies me from being an actual twitcher…phew.) The blue fabric pictured above is a light polyester crepe I used to line the top. I didn’t do a ‘proper’ lining…I just layered the outer fabric and the the lining fabric on top of each other and sewed them up like they were one piece.
The pattern is from BurdaStyle magazine, August 2015 issue, model #115A:
I was a little worried about the very wide-looking neckline on Burda’s model, so I extended the front, back, and sleeve pieces an extra couple of inches at the top, then after I sewed them together I just trimmed away a neckline that suited me.
I’m also wearing the first-ever silver clay pendant I made, featuring a bird silhouette. Seems appropriate, even if the quality of the pendant is not quite up to par now that I’ve honed my metal clay skills a little more since I made it about 18 months ago.
I totally LOVE this top! It’s super comfortable, like a sweatshirt, but of course it looks far more elegant than one, and I love the soft drape of these fabrics.
And while we’re talking about birds, this little cutie visited me back in July in my backyard. At first glance I thought she was just another sparrow, but she caught my attention by flying right towards me and I noticed she’s not the usual sparrow we see around Toronto. I gave her something to eat and she let me get close up and move all around taking her picture. Perhaps she’s an escaped pet? Maybe you know what kind of bird this is?
And I’ll leave you with one of my favourite-ever photos of me and my wild bird friends.
Frivolous At Last 
Oh yes, I have feline sewing assistance, but mine is just an elderly fat inconvenient pattern weight. Pretty top, I love a stylish raglan.
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LOL! If only I could get mine to stop fighting they might actually make useful pattern weights.
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Nice top, it’s a lovely base colour. I don’t have feline help or otherwise. I didn’t really get into the bird fabric craze that seemed to abound a few years ago but funnily I am wearing a raglan top I made yesterday with some (looks to me like) Australian birds and flora too. I also like your clay metal necklace. Of course I recognised the lorikeets!
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Thanks. I do like the base colour, too, although I was unsure if it would suit me at first. Now I love it. It’s a sort of greyish-periwinkle blue. I’d love to have fabric with some Aussie birds on it. Living in Australia was what turned me into a twitcher in the first place. (Well, extremely lazy twitcher, that is.)
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Super cute! I really enjoy your funny, upbeat blog! ( and love it when you mention where you buy fabric in Toronto)
Joyce 🇨🇦 ( Sudbury )
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Hi Joyce! Thanks for your comment. If/when you come to Toronto let me know and I’ll give you a whole list of fabric stores to check out. Have you got some good ones in Sudbury?
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Your bird has a very finch-like beak. Maybe it’s a juvenile without full coloration? I come from BC so the species isn’t familiar
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I think you’re right that it’s some kind of finch. I couldn’t find it in any of my Ontario bird books, so that’s why I was wondering if it was someone’s escaped pet…
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Love that top on you! & I enjoy you blog posts…
PS have you ever seen this movie? I just loved it:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wild_parrots_of_telegraph_hill/
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YES! I loved that movie. I saw it in the theatre shortly after moving back to Toronto from Sydney. Made me so sad to have left my little bird friends behind. What a great film.
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And I am loving your pants!
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Thanks! They’re faux-leather leggings from Zara.
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Really? That would be so Great! My daughter, lives in TO. Leslieviile. Queen St east.
We have absolutely nothing but fabricland here..(.by the by, my daughter has birds, two of them, and a bull dog…ha.) I am guessing my daughter is your age…you remind me of her! I’m desperate to know where to shop for nice fabric in Toronto.
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The leggings look fab with the top. The bird fabric really rocks my world I love the contrast between pretty girly tops and edgy bottoms. I too have helping cats (drive me bonkers!)
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Your little bird friend looks like a society finch! I’m not sure where they belong in the wild, but they’re not uncommon pets.
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I think you’re right! Thanks! Mystery solved. I hope she makes it on her own out there. Poor little thing.
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Lovely blouse the color looks great on you and the drape is beautiful. I have two cats, they are like two year olds they sit or lay on everything like “mine!!!”. Brats!
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Great job ..love this..
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Your not a real lining technique sounds alot like underlining I have read about on other blogs. Two pieces of fabric, same pattern piece, attached in the seam allowance and then sewed into pattern as one piece. Underlining. A real thing.
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Yay! It’s a real thing! I can never be sure cuz I’m just making this shit up as I go along. 😀
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