Burda 7691 Hoodless Anorak - Done!

The first of my seven UFOs is done and I finally have the Burda 7691 anorak in my wardrobe! I know what I'll be wearing to walk the bossy little fur baby tomorrow morning.  :-)

Here it is:

Edited to add - I had time to take pics of it on me--here it is with a ruffled top:

And here it is all zipped up over another top:

I love these pics--they show you what you might miss when you're looking at it IRL.  In the pic, the belt tab on the left looks lower than the other one.  You know what, I just went to measure it, and it is.  I originally marked the placement for the tabs, but the markings brushed off, so I winged it.  Oh well.  But now that I know the belt tabs are misaligned, it bothers me.  I wouldn't buy RTW with misaligned belt tabs, and what I sew should be better than RTW, so I'm fixing that tab before the day is over.



This anorak has some great design elements--a pair of vertical zippered pockets in the front, a wonderful wing collar, an exposed front zip, stylishly dropped armholes, wide belt tabs, a buckled belt, and wide cuffs.

This style is great for the hourglass, especially because of the vertical zipped pockets, which won't add width to the hip area. Almost forgot to add a pic of the pockets--here they are:

The pattern called for 6" zippers for the pockets, but none of the stores in my area sells that size, and I didn't want to buy the zips online, so I made my own.  I cut 9" black nylon zips down to fit.  It's easy to do--if you ever need to do this, just follow the instructions that come with the zipper.  It basically says to sew several stitches around the entire coil at the length you need.  The stitches will act as the zipper stop.  It always works perfectly!  

Also, the sleeve is made up of 3 pieces:

According to the pattern, you're supposed to topstitch the sleeve seams, and also all around the armhole.  Topstitching adds stiffness, and I didn't want that, so I skipped it.


And in the back of the anorak, a simple overlay funnels into a belt tab!

Hmm--in the pic, the overlay looks a little uneven, but that's just due to the way the pic was taken.  IRL, it's even.

The overlay is supposed to be finished with a hem, but I preferred to line it.  It turned out fine.

And I originally cut the overlay a little too short, which placed the belt tab at empire length.  I didn't have enough fabric to cut another overlay, so I decided to only cut an extension for the tab.  The extension worked beautifully and brought the tab down to waist length.  Thank goodness!

I've had this pattern for a while and am glad that it's in my stash. But to think, I almost passed on it because it didn't have a hood.  Yikes!!!

Speaking of the pattern, it was wonderful to work with.  It's drafted well--all the pieces fit together.  The details took some time to complete, but overall, this was not difficult to sew.  And sewing the details was definitely worth it. 

I love the sporty look of anoraks.  This is going to be a very versatile piece for me and I'm glad that I have it in my wardrobe!

One UFO down, six to go.  The napkins are next.

Hi Tyna--Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the compliment!  I do sew quickly, but the anorak was easy to sew.  I think anyone at the intermediate level or above could zip through this, too.  :-)

Make this day a good one!
Em