This week in patterns (10-Oct-2014)

So, we've got lots and lots of patterns to recap this week!

I debated whether to include Big 4 patterns in my weekly recap. Other people have been doing Big 4 recaps much longer, but I felt that to ignore a new Vogue release would be like ignoring the elephant in the room.  I've already read several other roundups of this particular collection on other blogs even though the collection was just released on Monday, and while I'm probably not saying anything new in my rundown, I still felt that I should include it in this week's post.

Pull up a chair and grab a cup of coffee. We had a LOT of patterns released this week, so this is a bit of a LONNNNNNG post.

Bluegingerdoll - Bonnie knit top

The Bonnie is the first knit pattern offering from Bluegingerdoll and is now available for instant download for PDF format or pre-order for the printed version. The pattern includes three views with interchangeable sleeve and bodice options.

• View A: Banded hem crop top with crew neck and flutter sleeves. (The pattern announcement mentions that this view was inspired by 1940's-era sweaters.)
• View B: Banded hem crop top with scoop neckline and 3/4 length sleeves
• View C: Hip-length top with a boat neckline and long sleeves

Bluegingerdoll Bonnie

You might (justifiably) be wondering if the world really needs another basic knit top pattern offering from another indie pattern company. However, given that Bluegingerdoll drafts for a D-cup, hourglass figure, I'd put it in the "drafting niche" category along with tops like the Sewaholic Pendrell or SBCC Tonic Tee, which are drafted for certain figure types. If you were a new-ish sewist who didn't already have a full pattern stash with a figure similar to the Bluegingerdoll block, this pattern could be a good choice for you.

Winter Wear Designs - Women's Aviator Pants

If you've been eyeing the True Bias Hudson trackpant but feeling discouraged because the Hudson's size range stops at a 46" hip, you might want to check out Winter Wear Design's take on the trackpant trend with the Women's Aviator Pant, which was released earlier this week:

Winter Wear Designs - Women's Aviator Pants

The Women's Aviator goes up to a 51" hip and also includes cargo pockets and a yoga waistband. I'll admit that these caught my eye because I have a similar pair of pants that I bought from Old Navy several years ago that I have pretty much worn to death.  With the yoga waist on my pants, I was able to wear them well, well into my pregnancy in 2012, and now they're my go-to dog walking pants with those cargo pockets. I haven't sewn anything from Winter Wear, so I can't comment on their drafting or instructions, but I wanted to call these out for both their size range and comfortable and utilitarian design.

Blank Slate - Marigold Dress, Blouse, and Skirt

If you follow my blog, then you know that I love Blank Slate's children's patterns--they're practical, cute, have great instructions, and most importantly, actually fit true-to-size (unlike most of the Big 4 kids' patterns I've tried). Melissa, who is the owner and designer for Blank Slate, has been expanding their women's pattern offerings in recent months. She's got a few women's designs that I've been eyeing, but I haven't taken the plunge yet. I think that might be about to change.

The Marigold dress, blouse, and skirt were originally offered as part of the Pattern Anthology collective's 8 Days a Week collection that was released a few weeks ago. Starting on Tuesday of this week, the patterns became available for individual sale.

The Marigold is so "me", it's not even funny. There are blouse and dress options, cap and long sleeve options, and the dress has pockets. On top of that, Melissa says that it's drafted for a D- or DD- cup bust, so many women will be able to skip the FBA or just have a minimal one.

Blank Slate - Marigold dress, blouse, and skirt

While I'm kind of over peplums at this point, in this style, in the sample photos, the blouse doesn't scream PEPLUM! like on some knit designs. I like the banded collar, and the shirring at the shoulders will make an FBA on this pattern very easy to do. I like so many of the views/options for this pattern, I'm truly not sure which I'd tackle first.

Vogue Patterns - Holiday 2014 Collection

Like many other bloggers who have already reviewed this collection, I found the Vogue Holiday collection to be a mixed bag. The formal and semi-formal dresses have some gorgeous and unique patterns, while I found the rest of the collection to be kind of "meh".

"Interesting" is the go-to word for me for the cocktail and holiday dresses in this collection. As much as it would be fun to dress up, I have zero need for a cocktail dress in my wardrobe (my company's holiday party is held at a football stadium, and we likely wouldn't go anyway due to a lack of a sitter).
 

Badgley Mischka V1426

The Angelina's leg pose aside, I think that this is a stunning dress. I love the cascading ruffle and contrast. If I had any occasion to sew or wear this (and access to a longline bra in my size), I'd be all over this Badgely Mischka dress in a heartbeat.

Vogue 1426

Belville Sassoon 1423

This Belville Sassoon dress would probably look awful on my figure, but I think that the cutouts are quite interesting in a showing-hints-of-skin-but-not-trashy way:

Vogue 1423

Claire Shaeffer 9046

This Claire Shaeffer dress-of-a-million-pintucks is interesting and would probably look fantastic on someone long-waisted with an hourglass figure. This is another dress, like the Belville Sassoon one, that I like the idea of, even if it wouldn't work for me or my lifestyle.

Vogue 9046

For the non-holiday dresses, though, the collection largely seems like a rehash of what we've seen the past few years--more peplums (still)!, more seamed sheaths that can be used for color blocking, and more semi-fitted raglan tops. The two vintage designs are nice--one is a coat and the other is a jacket/dress combo.

Vintage Vogue 9052

Here's one of the vintage offerings--the dress and jacket combination. The dress is pretty basic with the exception of the neckline cutout. I could see the jacket actually blending in really well with a modern wardrobe--to me the only thing that screams "vintage" about it is the styling for the photo shoot.

Vintage Vogue 9052

Vogue 9067 - Five easy pieces

Looking at some of the regular offerings, there's the "Five Easy Pieces" wardrobe pattern. This is more of that "art teacher chic", which is totally not my thing:

Vogue 9067

Vogue 9062

The one "custom fit" pattern (i.e. with cup sizes from A-D) is a dead ringer for one of the views of the Colette Laurel dress:

Vogue 9062

BurdaStyle Plus Collection

I won't be reviewing every single BurdaStyle collection in these weekly posts, but since I and many of my readers fall into Burda's plus size range, I will be including the monthly plus size patttern collections in my posts. On Wednesday of this week, BurdaStyle published the October 2014 Plus collection to its website. As is often the case, there are a few really cute garments and a few headscratchers. Let's take a look at the highlights and the lowlights.

First up is my favorite piece of the collection, the #139 seamed shift dress with a keyhole neckline:

BurdaStyle Plus 10-2014 #139

There's darts, seaming, and an interesting neckline. Oh and pockets. You know that I'm a sucker for pockets. Plus, it's a winter pattern with actual long sleeves!

Continuing with the positives, this blouse with a pleated neckline appears in three different variations in this collection. My favorite view is #136, which looks like raglan sweatshirt with a cute bow detail at the neckline:

BurdaStyle Plus 10-2014 #136

And if you don't already have a bomber jacket pattern, Burda has offered a plus version in this issue. Unlike a lot of boxier bomber jackets, #133 has bust and waist darts:

BurdaStyle Plus 10-2014 #133

I didn't care for this oversized jacket with an attached chiffon scarf. I guess that attaching the scarf helps prevent you from losing it?

BurdaStyle Plus 10-2014 #134

And then there's this layered tank set. By themselves, the tanks are fairly inoffensive. But seeing them layered/styled like this, they're screaming trend-that-should-have-been-left-in-1987 to me. I'm surprised that they didn't style them with a pair of zippered-ankle Guess? jeans and an Esprit bag.

BurdaStyle Plus 10-2014 #141

HotPatterns - Metropolitan Rothko Faux-Wrap Skirt

And finally, we have our last pattern for the week. This morning, HotPatterns released their Metropolitan Rothko Faux-Wrap Skirt pattern:

HP Rothko Wrap Skirt

I like this skirt a lot. First of all, it's a faux wrap, so if you live in a windy city like Seattle or San Francisco, you don't have to worry about your skirt blowing open when you step off the bus. Second, the piecing opens up a lot of design possibilities. You could color-block, print-match, or just do a solid version with top-stitching. In fact, I'm picturing a denim version with jeans-colored top-stitching on either side of the seams.