This week in patterns (17-Oct-2014)

It's Friday again, so it's time for a rundown of the week's pattern releases! We've got a mix of indie patterns and a new release from one (two?) of the Big 4 in this week's post.

Note that as of right now, the New Look and Simplicity releases aren't up on the Simplicity website yet; they're only visible on the Simplicity app and on Pattern Review. Because of this, the links for these patterns in this post go to the appropriate pages for these patterns on Pattern Review.

Muse - Gillian Wrap Dress

The Gillian Wrap Dress is the second offering from new New Zealand pattern company Muse. (The Jenna Cardigan was their first pattern, released about a month or so ago.)  Just when I thought that I'd seen just about every design variation possible for wrap dresses, along comes this retro-inspired version. The Gillian Wrap dress has the same shoulder ruching detail that several views of the Jenna Cardigan has. I like that they included an option to sew this as a top and an option for long sleeves. So far, I'm really liking what I've been seeing from this new company; both of their patterns have had quite a few options, so that you're getting a lot of bang for your buck per pattern.

Muse - Gillian Wrap Dress

Grainline Studios - Linden Sweatshirt

Jen from Grainline Studios, who brought you the popular Archer blouse, Alder shirtdress, and Scout woven tee released a new pattern on Sunday--the Linden Sweatshirt.

Grainline - Linden Sweatshirt

The Linden has raglan sleeves and can be sewn either as a long sleeved traditional sweatshirt or as a short sleeved crop top. Personally, I'd probably go for one of the lower-priced alternatives from the Big 4, such as Simplicity 1317  or McCall's 6992, which are both raglan-sleeve sweatshirt patterns that could be used to create the same look as the Linden and have larger size ranges.

Paprika Patterns - Jade Skirt

Paprika Patterns is a new pattern company (another one!) started by a Dutch woman living in France. The Jade skirt is a knit pencil skirt with a really cool pleated detail on the front. It's available in two lengths--mini or knee-length. For now, it's only available in sizes up to a 41.5" (106cm) hip, but they say that they'll be expanding the size range into three more sizes at the upper end of the size range soon. Going off their size chart, that should put the upper hip size in the mid-40's in inches.  They're offering the pattern as a pay-what-you-want PDF download, at least for the time being.

Paprika Patterns - Jade Skirt

I'm not planning to blog every new pattern from every new pattern company, since it seems like every time you sneeze, there's a new pattern company. However, I thought that this skirt was unique and really cute and wanted to share it. The funny thing is that I don't even recall how I originally learned about this company; I think that someone blogged about testing a pattern, which lead me down the rabbit hole of checking out the company and signing up for their email newsletter, and then I forgot about them. In any case, I really like the skirt and may give it a try when they release their expanded size range.

New Look - Holiday release

Related companies Simplicity and New Look both had new holiday releases this week. A few patterns jumped out at me for various reasons.

New Look 6338 and 6339

This collection includes two new tweens patterns a top/skirt outfit and a maxi-skirt. My daughter isn't at this age yet, but I know that there is a serious dearth of patterns for kids of both genders in this age range. Neither are frumpy and both patterns appear to be age-appropriate for pre-teen girls:

New Look 6338

New Look 6339

New Look 6325

The only women's pattern that grabbed me was this coat pattern with options for an asymmetrical hem and asymmetrical zipper. Two views even include that rare option in women's patterns: a hood.

New Look 6325

The more that I think about this one, the more I like it. Sure, it's boxy and has no shaping, but that's an easy enough fix if it bothers you. 

Simplicity - Holiday release

Love it or hate it, this new mini-release from Simplicity was anything but boring. How many of us complain that the Big 4 offer slight variations on the same patterns with each release? This release felt like a big "F- You!" to that complaint.

Simplicity 1256, 1257, 1258, 1259

First up, Simplicity introduced a new line of modular garments under the label "Multi Taskers", and each pattern envelope includes 3-5 knit pieces that can be mixed and matched as part of a capsule wardrobe. In each of these wardrobes, there's 1-2 pieces that can double as a second type of garment, for example, a wrap piece that can be worn either as a shrug or as a sarong-style skirt. Although this group of patterns aren't exactly my style, I think it's an interesting concept. I'm sure that we'll see others in the sewing community make some creative outfits with these patterns.

Simplicity 1258

Simplicity 1258

Simplicity 1251

If you're looking for a new twist on a hoodie, Simplicity 1251 features a pointed hood and tattoo-style applique. This one had me scratching my head a bit, but I'm going to guess that it's knocking off a designer look of some sort that I'm not familiar with--it's too distinctive of a garment for that not to be the case. It's not my cup of tea, but I think that the applique is an interesting design element.

Simplicity 1251

Simplicity 1261

As much as I sometimes enjoy sewing Eva and myself tops or dresses out of the same fabric, I don't think I'll ever have a need to sew the whole family matching animal ear hoodies:

Simplicity 1261

Simplicity 1246

If you're a Game of Thrones fan who has really procrastinated on getting started on your Halloween costume or just want to get a head start on next year's Comic Con, there's a new (unofficial) Daenerys Targaryen costume pattern:

Simplicity 1246

Simplicity 1254

Finally, my absolute favorite, favorite pattern out of this collection (and out of just about any recent collection that I can think of) is this coat pattern by former Project Runway winner Leanne Marshall:

Simplicity 1254

What's not to love about this? That big hood looks so cozy whether up or down, a zipper instead of buttons, and princess seams with in-seam pockets.

Simplicity 1254 - Line drawing

I had planned to get started on a new winter coat for myself and was planning to use another pattern, but I may very well switch gears and go with this pattern--I think it's a little more practical for our weather and will be a bit more flattering than the pattern I had originally chosen.

Final Thoughts

I have to say that although this was a small holiday collection, kudos to Simplicity for having some  unique designs in this release, even if they're not for everyone. On my "must have" list from this week are the Muse Ginny dress (actually, I already purchased it to get the new release discount after Debbie hinted at giving it an endorsement), and the Leanne Marshall coat (Simplicity 1254). I suspect that I'll also probably pick up New Look 6325 the next time that I'm in JoAnn's or Hancock because when you live in Seattle, you can never own too many things with a hood.

What are your picks from this week?