I recently made a knit dress that I loved - the style was perfectly "me", it fit great and I felt great wearing it. So great, in fact, that I've worn it 3 or 4 times in the past month, including yesterday to the office. But to my horror, I noticed the back and right side were pilling already, and those little balls were just from everyday wear, as I hadn't even washed it yet! The worst part was, the fabric I used was one that I'd seen lots of sewers rave over so I thought I'd be okay!

If you spend all that time getting the fit perfect and creating the garment of your dreams, then your time deserves a fabric that will stand up to the test of time. So how do you know if your fabric will be worthy of your masterpiece?

Look at fiber content - I've learned from experience that natural fabrics like cotton, wool, linen, silk, and bamboo feel so much nicer to me than synthetics like polyester and lycra. The latter definitely have a place in sportswear, but natural fibers tend to hold up better to everyday wear in my experience. If you're not sure what your fabric is made of, a quick burn test can usually narrow it down.

Look at weight - some online fabric stores list the weight of the fabric in gsm, but other times you just need to infer to from hand and drape whether it's suitable for your project. I once tried to use babywale corduroy to make trousers even though it was far too lightweight and was intended for shirts. The end result was that the corduroy rubbed away in the thighs in a matter of months! So a lightweight fabric might be great for a drapey blouse, but not so great for a jacket or coat!

Cheap fabrics are great for muslins - if you've already got some "what was I thinking?" fabrics in your stash, don't throw them away! They've still got great uses for practice garments since they don't have to stand up to repeated wearings or even leave the house!

There's always a chance you'll be caught out like I was with my knit, but if you follow this advice, you'll hopefully be well on your way to fabric harmony!

Photo: onebyjude under Creative Commons

The BurdaStyle Mini challenge is back but with a twist! Starting today Sunday the 12th of October you have 2 weeks to make and upload your creation to the site for a chance to win some special secret sewing treats and BurdaStyle goodies! And the twist? Your creation MUST be recycled. You may use any patterns, how-to’s or techniques featured on the BurdaStyle site.

THE RULES:

• You need to be a registered member to take part.

• Your creation MUST be recycled.

• You must upload your creation into the ‘Mini Challenge’ category by Sunday the 26th of October.

• When you upload your creation you must give a detailed description of how you made your creation, the patterns, how-to's or techniques you used, materials you used and how it was recycled etc.

• Show us your ‘before’ materials in a photograph.

The mini challenge will be judged by you the members. Voting will start on Tuesday the 28th of October, more details about how to vote will be given at a later date. When voting you should take the following into consideration:

• Creativity.

• Wearability.

• Skills and techniques used.

• Best use of recycled materials.

• And of course your favourite!

• You can vote once only.

This is going to be fun!!! Are you up for the challenge?
Feel free to ask any questions.

This week's member blog showcases Ruby Lime Designs from BurdaStyle member, RubyLime. Her cool and interesting ways of using fabric can certainly give many people inspiration. My favorite are her card something I am certainly going to remember as we enter the holiday season.

BurdaStyle is going to Maker Faire Austin! We are so incredibly excited! There are going to be tons of our friends from the sewing and crafting world (Average Jane Crafter, all our friends from Craftzine, Singer sewing machines and over 50 other crafters) as well as all the absolute awesomeness that is Maker Faire!

There is going to be a giant swap-o-rama where you bring old clothes and refashion them (with the help of local designers), tons of demonstrations, a Refashioned Fashion Show and so much more. Plus I just found out that not only is there a life size Mouse Trap game, the great band Mucca Pazza (who I first saw at Renegade San Fran) is going to be performing on Sunday. I am really excited to be going down south to represent the BurdaStyle team.

We are going to be located in the Show Barn giving out freebies and raffling off 10 Charlie Bags filled with goodies. I hope you all come say hi check this out, it is going to be awesome!

October 18-19th

Travis County Expo Center

Maker Faire Austin

BurdaStyle will be in the Show Barn

I didn't imagine what a burning question this is when starting to browse the web for some material for this blog: I have come across skirt wearing men's forums and discussion groups; exhibitions in London's Victoria and Albert Museum and New York's Metropolitan Museum that have explored this topic; and a variety of designers who have dedicated themselves to design men skirts and similar attire. Yet, apparently to little avail. Regression in male's freedom to dress came with the early Victorian period. Bright colours and luxurious fabrics were replaced by sober dark coloured suits and plain shirts, which dominate most male wardrobes ever since. It seems, much to the anger and frustration of many men who would like to enjoy the same comfort, versatility and variety as their female counterparts others like to redefine established gender roles or simply end what they call "trouser tyranny."

The answer of Star Trek Next Generation Designers was the "Skant" a short sleeved top with attached skirt which establishes "the total equality of the sexes presumed to exist in the 24th century." Mind you, in many parts of the world outside the west, it is common to see men in skirt or dress like clothes such as caftans, djellabahs, or sarongs; most famous in Europe, are kilt-wearing Scots. Yet, efforts by various fashion designers such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Giorgio Armani, John Galliano, Kenzo, Rei Kawakubo, and Yohji Yamamoto, in the 20th and 21st century to make the men's skirt street fashion seem not to have made an impact neither has it become more fashionable, nor have we become more tolerant: Male skirts reappearing on New York's cat walks this July and photos posted by the Sartorialist (excellent fashion blog) received comments such as "it's just not right...unless, of course, it's a kilt..... " or "we can't get past the fact that they're men wearing skirts, and something about that trend just doesn't look or feel right." Yet, some "absolutely love men in skirts."

BurdaStyle members -whether caftans, sarongs, your own skirts or the Start Trek skant serve as inspiration- I challenge you to brighten up and diversify the wardrobes of your male partners and friends! You could start off by sewing a modern kilt using instead of the traditional Scottish Tartan patterns, other materials such as leather, or denim.

1. Where are you from and/or where do you live?

I'm from Germany and live in Bavaria.

2. What was the 1st thing you made? How did you start sewing?

Like every child I sewed some easy things at primary school, for example cushions. But I only started sewing clothes one year ago at a sewing class where I made a skirt and a coat. But the sewing process took so long so I got sick of them and haven't finished them yet.

It plays a very big part in my life as I always seem to be thinking about how to sew something or what to do next. I sometimes even cannnot fall asleep at night when I'm in the middle of a project and it won't get off my mind.

My favorite thing is to find new projects and the right fabric for them and also to alter patterns. The thing I dislike the most is when the whole process of sewing just doesn't seem to come to an end and all this little details have to be done to get a good result.

I've sewn some pajama pants for my sisters. But at the moment I wouldn't dare to make anything else for another person. I don't have enough practice for that.

Every week I look forward to the newest pattern and I really appreciate all the how tos from which you can learn a lot of new techniques. It would be good if the posting dates were shown for every creations.

Am I bovvered?