Doctor T Designs

Burda has announced it’s semi-annual catalog collection for Spring/Summer!  Burda tends to be my favorite pattern brand, both in terms of style and fit, but because I have an extensive magazine collection, I find I can often limit my envelope purchases.  But for some reason my first impression of this collection was that I wanted all the things!  My pattern acquisition had slowed somewhat last year, and I was hoping to keep it at a more minimal rate, but Burda is making it tough on me.  Once the initial squee of new Burda excitement died down I was able to be a bit more objective, but, there’s still a lot of good stuff here, so let’s take a look:

6442 – Love this!  Both the evening gown and the day-midi dresses are beautiful.  The neckline looks quite low, so I’ll likely have to pay attention to that if I make this style, but I’m a sucker for a good twist dress, so I’ll definitely add this to my stash.

6441 –  Another dress that is winning me over with the oooooh, pretty factor.  I’m not sure I love the pockets on the strapless gown – it’s an interesting feature, but I don’t love the button choice Burda went with.  However, I’m in love with the simple, chic style lines of the long gown!  It’s so simple, but it’s also so elegant.  I’ve got yet more weddings to go to this year, so I’m sort of in a gown phase at the moment.

6423 – Another dress that is pretty simple, but is still on my sewing radar.  I love the neckline and straps of the sleeveless version.

6438 – I like the color blocking on this dress, but I do feel that it is quite similar to other Burda patterns we’ve seen in the past.

6440 – I love all the details on this shirt dress.  The simpler version in the print fabric is definitely something I’d love to add to my wardrobe.

6411 – Another twist dress that I’m rather excited with.  I think it looks great in both the solid and the print; I also love how the details can make it more or less formal so easily.

6421 – This is a nice halter dress, and I really like both versions.  Fabric choice can definitely make this style feel more or less formal too, which is great.

6439 – This dress is pretty simple, but is great to showcase a large print, as shown on the model.  I’m not sure I’d love a dress with so many buttons down the back, but the overall silhouette is pretty cute.

6412 – This is definitely more of a summer resort vibe, but I do like the idea of having it as a beach cover-up, as shown on the right.

6414 – Another simple style, but it looks comfortable and easy to make.  Another great pattern for large-scale print fabrics you might have in the stash.

6419 – The red variation is bold, but not my favorite.  The shorter version of the dress is pretty cute; looks like the sort of thing that would be a great workhorse sort of piece for a spring/summer wardrobe.

6420 – Another dress that is simple, great for a larger print, but with enough details to also look great in a solid as well.

6418 – I love the look of this dress in the denim.  It’s sort of unexpected, but rather fun.

6413 – Another fairly simple dress that would be very comfortable to wear during summer.

6413 – I’m not in love with this dress; I do enjoy the use of the border print, but the silhouette and ruffles are definitely not my style.  It does follow the recent trends though; I saw many people wearing similar styles of dress this past summer.

6401 – I’m happy to see that Burda has kept the ruffles to something of a minimum.  This dress reads pretty young to me, so it’s not something I’d add to my personal collection, but I do live the way they’ve used the embroidered denim here.

6422 – Another dress I’m leaving off my list.  Yes, it can be belted, but I think I have enough of this type of silhouette from the magazines that I wouldn’t need to add this to my collection.

6403 – Another style that seems pretty youthful.  I’m not the biggest fan of these prairie style dresses, yet there always seems to be at least one in every spring release.

6431 – This pencil skirt is pretty fabulous though.  I love all the seam lines – great details that are very subtle in the solid or tweed fabrics pictured.

6417 – Another skirt I’m going to add to my list.  Yes, Burda has many similar versions in their magazines, but I really love the way that red skirt looks on the model.  Something about the placement of these pleats seems particularly flattering.

6416 – A pretty simple skirt pattern.  Nice that it includes pockets.

6410 – This basic skirt seems geared towards the younger crowd; I’d definitely feel selfconcious in something this short.

6430 – I’m surprised by how much I enjoy the look of this pleated skirt on the models; Burda chose excellent fabrics to showcase this design.

6432 – I love these pants!  I’m really impressed with the angled front pockets, and the in-seam back pockets are a very cool feature.  Definitely putting this one on the wishlist.

6436 – I’m usually a sucker for a wide-legged trouser, but these seems just slightly over-voluminous.

6433 – I really enjoy the look of the navy jumpsuit; the contrast collar gives it a nice punch, but the overall look is very effortless and easy for summer.

6408 – This overall/romper/jumpsuit pattern is somehow oddly appealing.  It isn’t the sort of thing I’d normally be drawn to, but I’m enjoying Burda’s take on elevating overalls into the long suited trousers.  I’m not sure it’s something I’d be daring enough to try to pull off, but I find I’m far more appreciative of this pattern that I thought I would be at first glance.

6409 – These are pretty basic shorts, but I think they could be a good piece for a summer wardrobe.

6425 – I like the style lines of this blouse.  The ruffles at the sleeve cuffs are a nice proportion, and a nice nod to the trend without being too overdone.

6428 – The neckline on this top looks super wide, but I do think the version with the ruffle is pretty cute.

6424 – I like the look of this top, but I know the choker neckline would drive me nuts.  The black version with the lace insert is pretty though.

6415 – This is one of those patterns that looks sort of weird in the line drawing, but really cool on a person.  I’d probably wear the heck out of this, because it is a nice simple top with just a bit of interest.

6429 – Another top that I think gets the ruffled sleeve proportion right.  I actually really enjoy the way this looks in the photo, and I think the sleeves  have just enough volume without being too much.

6435 – I’m sort of obsessed with this top.  Apparently it’s challenging to sew, but that isn’t a detractor for me.  I love the way it looks – it’s a nice top for those sorts of events where you don’t want to be too dressed up, but you can’t just wear a basic t-shirt either.

6426 – I prefer my button-up shirts to be a bit more fitted, but I do think these look great on the models.

6427 – I like the top with the simple waistband tie; cute, but not fussy.

6405 – And this is where the ruffles have taken over.  At least it’s contained to a few looks, and not on every look in the entire collection.  I think it’s a bit much here, especially on the solid blue version.

6404 – I don’t think I’d need a simple tank like this in my pattern stash, but it does look like a comfortable addition to a summer wardrobe.

6437 – I’m not in love with this jacket – it just seems too bulky.  I see the vibe they are going for, but I prefer a slimmer cut.

6407 – The vest is a bit much with the trim, and I’m not a huge fan of the ruffle on the jacket, but I do appreciate the attempt to add interest to a fairly typical jean jacket style.

6406 – Obviously the last line drawing is an error on Burda’s part, and should be for the v-ruffled version in the lower left.  The hooded versions and simple crew neck versions look great though; the is definitely a pattern that has a lot of versatility, and could be really popular with the younger crowd.

6443 – This petite dress and top are super cute!  Love the collar and simple wrap style here.

6448 – This Burda Plus dress looks like it would be simple to make and rather comfortable in the summer.

6449 – I really like this Burda Plus dress too!  The style is super cute, and the sleeve options are nice.  It’s definitely a style I could see my sister wearing, so I might have to pick this one up as well.

6446 – This top/dress combo is the ruffle/trendy option for the Burda Plus it seems.  I think the tunic is actually rather pretty in the border print Burda used, and with a belt I’d actually rather like the dress as well.

6447 – This wrap dress and top are super cute!  Love the pleating details that give such a flattering waistline to the look.

6445 – This basic t-shirt is one of those patterns that isn’t exciting in terms of detail, but I know I’d wear a top like the black and white version obsessively.

6444 – I love the way Burda has styled the tan jumpsuit, they’ve totally sold me on the look from that photo.

6400 – These are some rather practical bags; large and well suited to carrying books, laptops, or tablets.

9338 – I don’t have much to say about the baby stuff, but it is nice to see such a range of ages available.

9342 – I’m not a fan of the drop crotch, regardless of what age you are.

9341 – This style reminds me very much of dresses I wore in the early 90s.

9344 – Simple, but cute.

9337 – The baby overalls are pretty cute.

9339 – More baby dresses.

9343 – Seems like the kids jumpsuit is popular in the Burda offerings this year.

9345 – It’s cute how they used different fabrics in the jumpsuit on the left.

9346 – This seems like a rather practical pattern, and the raglan sleeve top should be pretty quit to throw together.

9340 – This tunic has lots of cute details, and looks really easy to sew.

And that’s it!  After sorting through everything, it seems as though this release is rather dress heavy – not many new bottoms, and very few lightweight summer coats and jackets.  It also feels like many of the styles are somewhat repetitive; there are a lot of simple straight dresses and tops with ruffles, though, certainly more toned down than what we’ve been seeing from the Big 4 of late.  There will definitely be several of these patterns that make it onto my wishlist (I particularly like the fancier gown patterns), but I definitely think that I will be able to make a smaller, more curated selection from this release.  What do you all think?  Has Burda made you want to sew all the things?  Or is this new collection somewhat disappointing and narrow in its offerings?  Feel free to discuss in the comments!