Friday Housekeeping from 2015, etc. (15-Jan-2016)

I don't have a pattern roundup post this week because we only saw one major new pattern release and an expansion pack (that I'm aware of). So, instead of a pattern roundup, I'm writing a housekeeping post. I've got a handful of projects from 2015 that I never actually blogged here. I had every intention of blogging them here, but at this point, they just feel like a lead weight around my neck. Consider this post mostly just a logging post for my own purposes.

Decades of Style: Decades Everyday - Three's a Charm Jacket

Before I get into the project log, I just want to give a heads up about the one new pattern that I saw released this week. If you follow them on social media, Decades of Style has been teasing their new unlined jacket pattern for a while, and this past week, it was finally released. It's also 20% off (use code JANUARY20) until the end of the month.

I love this and snapped it up. Decades of Style (and particularly the Decades Everyday line) get such great reviews from curvy sewists, and this simple jacket looks both like it should be easy to make and super versatile. You get the structure of a jacket, a nice open neckline, but none of the fussy jacket details.

Decades Everyday - Three's a Charm Jacket

Muse Patterns: Jenna Expansion Pack

Kat from Muse just released an expansion pack for her popular Jenna cardigan. The expansion pack gives an open neckline option (yay!) or the option of a Peter Pan collar. The open neckline option is actually a cardigan that I had in my head (with the shoulder ruching), so it's nice to see that Kat has drafted this for me now without having to try to hack it myself.

Muse Patterns - Jenna Expansion pack

Finished Project (from months ago): Blank Slate Denver Tunic

If you follow me on the Curvy Sewing Collective, I wrote this up back in October (ugh), with plans to do a more comprehensive post about my alterations, etc, over here. Clearly, I never got around to that follow-up post. After having this tunic in my wardrobe for a few months now, I can easily say that I love it. That cotton-lycra jersey is SO soft, and it hasn't been pilling at all yet.

Blank Slate Denver Tunic

Closet Case Files - Carolyn Pajamas

I made a set of Closet Case Files Carolyn Pajamas as my December project for FabricMart. I try to keep my posts over there fairly light and non-technical and didn't go much into my alterations for the pattern, which I had intended to do over here. Given that I finished these PJs nearly a month ago, trying to reconstruct my construction process just seems like a monumental task at this point, so I'm going to just let this one go.

I love these pajamas a ton and have been wearing them several times a week. I absolutely expect to make this pattern a few more times, and I'll try to share my alterations, etc, with you on the next pass when the info is more fresh in my brain. In a nutshell, this was a really fun pattern, and I found the fit to be expected per the sizing chart.

Closet Case Files - Carolyn Pajamas

Blank Slate - Pocket PJs

The Pocket PJs were Eva's Christmas pajamas this year. She's been hugely into Thomas the Tank Engine for the past year or so, so I made these from jammies from two different prints of Thomas-themed quilting cotton. I've used Blank Slate's Pocket PJ pattern for Eva before and really liked it, so it was a no-brainer for me to pull out this PDF again. She's grown out of the Pocket PJs that I made her last summer, so I made the new pair in a 4T rather than the 3T that I used last time. Yay for PDF patterns and just printing off a new size as your child grows!

Because she's Eva, and she never stops moving for photos, I don't have any decent modeled shots, so here are a couple of tormenting-the-cat modeled shots and a couple of flat shots.

Blank Slate Pocket PJs

Blank Slate Pocket PJs + petting the cat with a thing of dental floss

Detail shot

Full set - flat

Final Thoughts

It feels good to get caught up and to not have those posts hanging over my head. Things just got so busy around here at the end of the year that my personal blog was one thing that I had to let slip a bit.

On top of that, after going through a big year-end-push, my sewjo has been seriously AWOL. To try to not let it slide too much, I'm currently working on the SBCC Pinot Pants (a yoga-style pant) and one of the new HotPatterns sweatshirts. Cozy is a good thing in January.

This Week in Patterns (13-Nov-2015)

I don't have much of a roundup this week because there weren't any actual releases. I do have a few pattern-related updates to share, though.

• Blank Slate Patterns
• Curvy Sewing Collective
• HotPatterns
• Sinbad & Sailor

Blank Slate Patterns: Denver Tunic and Dress

The Blank Slate Denver Tunic and Dress pattern, which I reviewed over at the CSC, is now available as a stand-alone pattern and no longer requires purchase of the whole bundle.

Blank Slate - Denver tunic

I will say that I've really been loving this tunic--it gets worn nearly every wash cycle. I never actually put the pattern away after my last version because I really want to make another one soon, although I'm still on the fence as to whether I want to make another tunic first or try the flared dress view for my next one.

Curvy Sewing Collective: Nominate Your Favorite Curvy Patterns of 2015

Of course, I'm going to plug my own poll.

Over at the CSC, we're going to be doing a year-end roundup of our readers' favorite patterns. To narrow down the voting for the final poll, though, we're soliciting nominations first.

As someone with access to the data, I will say that in some of the categories the nomination voting is VERY close. So please, if you have a favorite pattern or two that you want to see get some recognition, please nominate it to ensure that it makes the cut for the final vote. You don't have to vote for every category, either--just vote for the ones that you want:

Curvy Pattern Nominations Poll

HotPatterns: Boudoir of Bliss - Bel-Air Lounging Pajama Limited Re-issue

On the HotPatterns Facebook group earlier this week, a member posted a picture of luxurious-looking vintage-inspired pajamas and asked Trudy if she could draft something like that. The picture wasn't terribly different from the Out-of-Print (OOP) Bel-Air pajamas that HotPatterns put out a while back (~ 6 years ago, if I remember correctly). When a number of members chimed in their disappointment that the pattern was out of print, Trudy offered to do a very limited print run for a re-issue of the pattern.

HotPatterns - Bel Air Lounging Pajamas

My understanding is that there are only a few copies left, but if you missed the pattern the first time, it's now available again for a short time, so here's your chance! (I actually own a copy of this from back when it was originally in print but haven't yet made them up.)

Sinbad & Sailor: Shop Closing Announcement

London-based indie pattern maker Hannah of Sinbad & Sailor announced this week that she'd be closing up shop at the end of the year. I've seen her patterns some around the SBC but I haven't ever featured S&S patterns in my weekly posts due to both the lack of recent releases and S&S's limited size range. If you have previously purchased but not downloaded any patterns from S&S, Hannah advises you to download and save your patterns before the shop closes.

 

Final Thoughts

That's it for now!  Any thoughts or questions on this week's updates?

Finished Project: Blank Slate Patterns - Fiesta Frock (Tester Version)

To those my readers who wonder why I don't sew more for my daughter...muahahahaha...  After last week's robot costume post, this week's dress post, I still have yet another unblogged dress that I made for my daughter (ages ago, it feels like) that I haven't managed to get photos of yet. Of course, then if you consider that I haven't photographed my recently-finished StyleArc Misty Jeans yet, written up the Blank Slate Denver Tunic on my own blog for my own record, or blogged the coat pattern that I tested back in September...yikes, that's a lot of unblogged projects.

Anyway, after the robot costume insanity, I needed a palate cleanser project. I lucked out in that Melissa from Blank Slate put out a call for testers for her new girls' party dress pattern, which I fell in love with from the sample photo. This pattern was a very easy sew with no fitting involved, and I think that the final dress is adorable.

Here it is...the Blank Slate Fiesta Frock!

Blank Slate - Fiesta Frock

You can see that the line drawing is pretty accurate:

Fiesta Frock line drawing

I love how the final dress turned out, and given how easy it was to sew, I'm planning to use this pattern for Eva's holiday dress this year.

Fabric and Notions Used

 

I used the following fabric and notions for this dress:

• The main fabric is actually a Mickey Mouse quilting cotton, originally purchased to make a set of pajamas for Eva. I probably wouldn't have chosen this fabric for this dress; however, the skirt is a bit of a fabric hog (but it TWIRLS), and none of my dress-length cuts of fabric for Eva in my stash would have been enough fabric. Eva has been bugging me for a Mickey Mouse dress for a while, so I figured that I'd give her her way this time.
• Collar and sleeve binding: a scrap of white cotton shirting from Gorgeous Fabrics
• Buttons and bias binding (for the neckline) purchased from JoAnn's.

Faux Peter Pan collar

PDF Assembly and Pattern Drafting

 

The PDF for this pattern went together smoothly. One thing that I liked is that although the skirt is just a gathered rectangle, Melissa gives you the option of either printing/taping the pattern piece or drafting it yourself from the dimensions that she gives. I'm a printer-and-taper, so that's what I did.

I ran into no drafting issues, even though this was technically the test version of the pattern.

 

Pattern Sizing, and Alterations

 

This pattern is available in girls' sizes NB-10, so it covers a really wide age span. Eva's measurements best fit the size 3T, so that's what I sewed. I didn't make any fit alterations, and I'm happy with the off-the-printer fit.

Fiesta Frock - back

 

Pattern Instructions

 

Even though this was just the test version of the pattern, I only ran into really, really minor nitpicky things with the instructions, which should be fixed in the final version. (We're talking about a couple of typos here.) I hadn't seen the included method of binding the sleeve hem/sewing the side seams before, but it was easy to do and made for a nice finish. Melissa's method should be much easier, especially for the smaller sizes, than trying to attach the binding in the round on a small sleeve opening.

I'd rate this as a solidly "Advanced Beginner" pattern from a difficulty standpoint.

 

Final Thoughts

It's so nice to have a project where everything goes smoothly, especially after a difficult one like the robot costume.  Of course, Eva loves it--she finally got her "Mickey" dress, and it comes with a big twirly skirt!

Twirl!

This Week in Patterns (30-Oct-2015)

Happy almost Halloween! I am so far behind on my project blogging, it's not even funny. Over at the CSC, I've been busy working on a few things that I hope you'll all like, or at least find entertaining, and that's been eating up a lot of my blogging time.

In the meantime, we have a LOT of new patterns! This week, we had releases from the following pattern companies:

• Blank Slate Patterns
• Butterick
• Muse Patterns
• New Look
• Simplicity

Blank Slate Patterns: Novelista Shirt

Disclaimer:  I tested this pattern and received a free copy of it, so my opinions (which are my own) are based off of my testing experience with this pattern.

A lot of people love the Grainline Archer shirt, but I also know that a lot of people feel that it's too boxy and would prefer a shirt with the same details but more shaping. Here's the shirt pattern that you've been looking for--the Blank Slate Novelista:

Blank Slate - Novelista shirt

Blank Slate- Novelista (line drawings)

You can't necessarily tell from the line drawings and sample photos, but the Novelista has the classic shirt details that a lot of blouse patterns lack: sleeve plackets (long sleeved version), a yoke, and a collar-with-stand. I'm really excited about this pattern, and you'll be seeing my version of it once I've had a chance to sew up a non-muslin/non-test version.

Butterick: Holiday/Winter 2015

Butterick was the last of the Big 4 to release its winter collection. This collection is heavy on sleep- and loungewear, so if that's your thing to sew, you'll probably find a few patterns in this batch to add to your shopping list.

B6285: Gertie Top and Skirt

I'm only calling out this Gertie pattern, which to me is otherwise uninteresting, because it strongly resembles the Cake Pavlova pattern from a few years ago. Gertie's skirt is pleated, and the Pavlova is a circle skirt, but those are the biggest differences that I'm seeing.

B6285

B6282: Retro Dress and Belt

This retro shirtdress is cute:

B6282

B6288: Misses' Shirt

This blouse has an interesting back detail, which is nearly entirely obscured by the fabric choice of the sample, although you can see it in the line drawing.

B6288

B6031: Maternity Vest, Coat, and Belt

I had to pick this pattern just because it's the first pattern that I've seen for a babywearing jacket, period. I see RTW versions of these all over the MLS Sounders games that my family attends. These weren't a thing, really, even three years ago when my daughter was a baby, but I love the idea of it and would have wanted one of these if they had been around. There's a maternity view for the pre-baby mom, too.

B6301

B6292: Lisette Pajamas

This is Liesl's (of Oliver & S and Lisette patterns) take on classic pajamas. They're quite similar to the Closet Case Files Carolyn Pajamas in that both patterns have similar details: piping, pockets, and both long and short views.

B6296

Muse: Tahi Skirt and Shrug

Along with the Blank Slate Novelista, we have another entry in the category of Patterns That Fill a Glaring Hole in Current Pattern Catalogs--this time from Muse Patterns. Kat's new pattern includes a shrug and a skirt with four different views of various fullnesses and lengths. The maxi- view is exactly what I had in mind this past summer when I was trying to find a pattern for an interesting maxi-skirt that wasn't the Sewaholic Gabriola. I really like all four views of the skirt, although I think I prefer the flared versions slightly. I'd never personally sew the shrug (shrugs and large busts don't mix, in my experience), but it's a nice pattern extra to include for most women.

Muse - Tahi skirt and shrug

New Look: Winter 2015

Whereas the previous release from New Look appeared to be made up entirely of refreshed and reissued patterns, the Winter release includes entirely new patterns, as far as I can tell. (Please correct me on this in the comments, if I'm wrong.)  Not a whole lot of it excites me, but there are a few decent basics in the group. Here are the two patterns that stood out the most to me:

New Look 6417

This cardigan/jacket/coat is similar to the popular StyleArc Harper jacket. I've been seeing this style around town for the past year or so, and it's surprisingly wearable on a lot of different body types. If I didn't already own the StyleArc, I'd probably pick up the New Look version.

New Look 6417

New Look 6421

I think that the color used in the sample is hideous, but this pattern includes a nice princess seamed shift-style tunic and cigarette pants. There's also a basic pencil skirt pattern, if for some reason, you need one and don't already have one.

New Look 6421

Simplicity: Winter/Holiday 2015

The online reaction to Simplicity's Winter/Holiday collection this year has been mostly "meh", but I feel like there are a few gems in here. Overall, this collection certainly grabs me more than McCall's and Vogue's Winter/Holiday releases.  There are definitely a few in this bunch that I'll be picking up at a future JoAnn's sale. The Vintage offerings are particularly strong this time around, IMO, but that could be my own bias because I'm one of those odd people who actually likes some 70's fashions.

Simplicity 8019: 1970's Vintage Skirts

First up is this A-line gored button-down skirt. I had a rayon challis skirt from Express like this in college--another time that the 70's were a big fashion influence. I loved that skirt. And I got really excited when I saw Bowfinger because Heather Graham was wearing the same skirt that I owned. In any case, this seems like a no-brainer to pick up when it's on sale.

Simplicity 8019

Simplicity 8013: 1970's Vintage Dresses

This woven wrap dress pattern is unbelievably 70's-tastic in a very awesome way.  It kind of makes me want to curl up on the couch with a glass of Riunite and watch Love Story.

I have no idea where I'd wear this, but I think I need to buy this pattern just for the sake of owning it.

Simplicity 8013

Simplicity 8014: Misses' Shirt Dresses

Can a person own too many shirt dress patterns?  I don't think so. This one is kind of similar to the famous McCall's 6696 (aka "Mary's shirtdress"), but the Simplicity has an option for a partial circle skirt and an option for a shirdress without a waist seam. Like the McCall's the Simplicity has some cup size options, too.

Simplicity 8014

Simplicity 8034: Animal Stuffies

I am so not usually a craft person, but the stuffed unicorn here is way too cute.

Simplicity 8034

Simplicity 8027: Girls' Sportswear pattern

OMG, a girls' moto jacket pattern! And my daughter is big enough for it!  I am so making this. In addition to the adorable moto jacket, there are some really useful everyday coordinates in this envelope, too. There isn't a piece in this bunch that I wouldn't sew or dress my daughter in.

Simplicity 8027

Final Thoughts

There was a lot to like this week, IMO. If you're looking for an Archer with more shaping, the Blank Slate Novelista is your pattern. I also really like Muse's new skirt pattern--enough that I ordered it right away while it was still on sale. There aren't any must-haves for me out of the Butterick or New Look collections, but from Simplicity, I want the girls' moto jacket, 70's wrap dress, and the shirtdress.

What were your favorites this week?

Finished Project: Blank Slate - Marigold Blouse

I officially kicked off my fall sewing (not counting the pattern test coat that I made) with revisiting a pattern that I made earlier this summer and loved: Blank Slate's Marigold. Even as our weather has cooled, I still wear the shirtdress version that I made in July, although now I'm layering it with boots and a jacket. (Here's a recap of my fall sewing plans.) This time around, I opted to make a long-sleeved blouse.

Blank Slate - Marigold blouse

I won't write up a full review of this pattern, since my very positive opinion of this pattern hasn't changed since the first time that I made it. I also used the same fit alterations as last time--tracing a new copy of the bodice front and back from my previously altered pattern to make my alterations to turn the dress bodice into a blouse.

I used A Happy Stitch's post as a loose guideline for my dress-to-blouse conversion. Here's how I modified the pattern:

• Raised the sleeve cap height by 1/2" due to the cap feeling too flat in my shirtdress version. 
• Added 6" in length to the side seams.
• Added 8" in length to the CB and CF.
  
  I'm on the fence as to whether I need to add more length next time. The length looks good standing in photos, but it's a little short when I raise my arms. I'm leaning a bit towards adding 1" inch length to both the sides and CB/CF in my next go-around.
  
• Added a 2" ease pleat at the top of the CB. I had hoped that this would be enough ease for the blouse to skim over my large bum, but you can see some pooling in the rear view, so that still needs some tweaking:

Marigold blouse - rear view

•  I did NOT alter the neckline like A Happy Stitch did. I didn't feel like the dress version I made needed that alteration. However, the cotton lawn that I used for my blouse version doesn't sit open quite as nicely. I think that for next time, I will go ahead and open up the neckline a bit. I never button the top button on anything (hello uniboob), so I might as well make this alteration.
• The blouse pretty much fits straight up and down in this version. I toyed with the idea of adding some shaping, but wanted to see how it fit unaltered first. I do think I could use a little more width through the hips, and I'll probably nip in the waist a touch for next time.

Check out my new shoes!

I'm including the above shot because it shows off my new shoes that I got for my birthday. Is there a more wonderfully 90's pair of shoes than floral print Doc Martens? And no, I don't care if they clash with my floral print blouse.

 

Fabric Used

 

The fabric for this blouse is a Robert Kaufman cotton lawn that I bought on sale from Craftsy last summer. It's nice and lightweight but not sheer. As usual, my interfacing is a lightweight fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply, and the buttons were picked up at JoAnn's.

Final Thoughts

 

Because of the frustrations that I have with fitting my bust, I hadn't made a button-down blouse for myself in 4 or 5 years. Is the fit on this particular blouse perfect? No, but it doesn't gape or pull at the bust, either, which is a huge accomplishment when you're dealing with G-cups. I'll be perfectly happy to wear this and also to continue to fine-tune this particular pattern until I get all of the fitting kinks worked out.

And here's an outtake pic from my photo shoot. No idea what I was doing here--I think I was trying to twirl or something.

Outtake!

This Week (and Last) in Patterns (25-Sept-2015)

So, no pattern roundup post last week because the only patterns released that I was aware of were the ones from the new Pattern Anthology collection. So, this week, we'll be covering those, the new Sewaholic collection, and the holiday Vogues:

• Pattern Anthology
• Sewaholic 
• Vogue

Pattern Anthology: Unbiased Collection

Ok, I'll admit that I bought this collection back when it was available for a super ridiculous pre-order price, even though there isn't a bloody chance in hell that I'll make two of the patterns. And why would I do this? Do I really have that much of an excess of disposable income? Well no, of course not, but for the time being, the patterns also come bundled with a bunch of significant coupon codes to some of my favorite online vendors and also a few that I've been wanting to try (like Spoonflower). So, out of the four patterns in the bundle, there's one that I'll definitely make, one that I really like and will probably make, and two that I can't see myself ever making. But between the two patterns that I like and all of the coupons, I figured it was a good deal, cost-wise. Anyway, here are the patterns.

Note that the designers in this collective have all recently expanded their size ranges up to 3X--well into the plus sizes. So, regardless of whether you like the designs or not, I feel like more designs for us plus size women is ALWAYS a good thing.

Also note that until the end of the year, these patterns are only available as part of the collection and not available individually. So, that's another reason why I didn't just hold off and buy the 1 or 2 patterns that I really wanted.

Blank Slate: Denver Tunic & Dress

Let's start off with the one that I'm definitely making. In the Blank Slate Facebook group, Melly had actually put out a call for plus size testers for this one a while back, but I passed on it based on the description. Of course, when I saw the line drawing, I ended up kicking myself because with the princess seams and various options, this is right up my alley. I have immediate plans to sew the tunic view, but I also like the fit-and-flare dress (not pictured), too. I'll also admit that I'm biased in that I've had a lot of success with Blank Slate's patterns in the past and am now at the point where I look forward to Melly's new releases.

(And yes, I do notice that one of the models appears to be wearing a garment that's too small in the shoulders. And yes, it's driving me nuts.)

Blank Slate Denver Tunic and Dress

Go To Patterns: Adora Dress and Top

The other one that I like out of this collection is the Adora Dress and Top by Go To Patterns. I like this, frankly, because I think it'll be easy to fit over my giant bum and because I think that it gives some fun options for mixing knits and wovens. I do like the top view of this better than the dress view.

Go To Patterns Adora dress and top

Shwin Designs: Diamond Dress and Top

This is just way too boobtastic for me. Maybe on someone pear-shaped, but not me.

Shwin Designs - Diamond Dress and Top

See Kate Sew: Gwen Dress and Top

This one is just way too Tilly for my personal preferences.

See Kate Sew - Gwen Dress and Top

Sewaholic: Vancouver Collection

After lots of teasers and buzz on Instagram, Tasia from Sewaholic released the Vancouver collection: a collection of active- and outdoors-wear inspired patterns. I'm not Tasia's target customer, so I'm not likely to buy any of these. I do appreciate that she's branching out from beginner patterns and basic skirts and dresses, though.

Fraser Sweatshirt

The Fraser Sweatshirt is a slim-fitting sweatshirt with inset options. I feel the same way about this that I do about the Grainline Lark tee. I can understand why Tasia added this to Sewaholic's portfolio (especially with the success of the Renfrew top), but I won't be buying it.

Sewaholic - Fraser Sweatshirt

Dunbar Top

The Dunbar top is an exercise top with a built-in shelf bra. Given that Sewaholic drafts for a B-cup, there's no way I'd touch this one with a 10-foot pole, even for light exercise like dog walking. This would be too much work for me to re-draft when I already own the Jalie Anne-Marie anyway. The Fehr Trade VNA top is also similar and reportedly tested up to a D-/DD-cup size. But, if you're a pear shape, the Sewaholic is cute.

Pacific Leggings

The Pacific Leggings join the Jalie Cora leggings and Fehr Trade PB Jam Leggings and Steeplechase Leggings as running tights patterns. I can see the appeal of these if you're pear-shaped, but I feel like the piecing/colorblocking potential is more interesting in both the Jalie and Fehr Trade patterns.

Sewaholic - Pacific Leggings

Cypress Cape

The Cypress Cape is probably the most tempting pattern to me, out of this bunch. A) My giant boobs are less likely to interfere with this one and B) it would be practical to own and/or just keep stashed in my desk at work for unexpectedly rainy days.

Sewaholic - Cypress Cape

Seymour Jacket

One of the more interesting pieces in this collection is the short-sleeved hooded Seymour Jacket. If we ever still got rain in Seattle, particularly in the summer, I could see the appeal of this. I also just think it's kind of cute and definitely unique.

Sewaholic - Seymour Jacket

Vogue: Winter/Holiday Collection 2015

Lots of formal and cocktail dresses in this bunch that I have no need for, but a few patterns did stand out to me.

V1468

Let's get this one out of the way first. It's the pit/period-stain dress that has the entire online sewing community giggling. C'mon Vogue, you couldn't do better than this? The dress isn't bad based on the line drawing, but it's not interesting enough to justify that questionable flower placement.

V1468

V9160

Lace romper, anyone?

V9160

V9157

LOVE this jacket/coat. It even has cup sizes!

V9157

V9158

Unappealing styling aside, this is a nice take on an 80's style dress without it actually screaming 80's, IMO. The lack of giant shoulder pads is a huge plus here.

V9158

Final Thoughts

Love it or hate it, the new Sewaholic collection is the most interesting out of the bunch.  As previously mentioned, I do own the Denver tunic and will be making it up and reviewing it soon.  What grabs you out of this bunch? Any must-haves? Or must-avoids?

Finished Project: Blank Slate - Marigold Dress

You may or may not have heard, but here in the Pacific Northwest, we're off to our hottest, driest summer on record so far. We're just finally exiting a heat wave here where we've had temperatures in the 90's for over two weeks. (BTW--Hardly anyone up here has central A/C.) During this heatwave, I made the painful realization that many of my summer clothes from the past couple of summers are either really beat up from wearing and washing or currently fit more snugly than I'd like.

Basically, I need hot-weather clothing NOW, and I decided that the best way to get the most bang-for-my-buck as far as my sewing time goes would be to sew some work-appropriate dresses. For the interested, I've got a handful of recent-ish McCall's patterns, a Lekala, the Colette Hawthorn (of course), and two Blank Slate patterns pulled as candidates for my summer dress sewing marathon. First up is the Blank Slate Marigold dress.

Blank Slate - Marigold Dress

I saw a lot of potential in the Blank Slate Marigold dress when it was released last summer. I liked the yoke/shoulder gathers, which is a good design combo for dealing with a large FBA/dart rotation, the lightly gathered elastic waist, pockets, and the full-but-not-too-full skirt. Oh yes, and it has jeans-style pockets in front, as opposed to having pockets in the side seam. This is a nice feature because you get the benefits of pockets without worrying about gape or bulk at the side seams/on your hips.

The line drawing is kind of blah, but it does show you the pattern's design features and options. Note that it includes options for long or cap sleeves, a band or traditional stand/shirt colllar, a blouse option, and a skirt option:

Blank Slate - Marigold dress

Outside of the fact that I wished that Melly's drafts included more sleeve cap ease, I've been very happy with her children's patterns that I've sewn for Eva. The patterns are true-to-size, and the instructions are well-written and clearly photographed. I bought a few of her women's patterns as a bundle last year, but I hadn't made any of them yet. I've been seeing a few cute versions of the Marigold popping up around the SBC in recent weeks, so I decided to give this pattern a shot.

 

Blank Slate Marigold vs. Sewaholic Nicola

 

I was almost finished with my Marigold when Tasia from Sewaholic released the Nicola. The Nicola's release amused me because it's awfully similar to the Marigold.

Sewaholic Nicola

 Here are the key differences between the patterns, based on my observation:

• The Nicola is drafted for pears. I'm not sure that Blank Slate drafts for a particular body type, but based on my experience, I'd say that it's for a proportionate hourglass. Granted, in a flared, full skirt like this, you only really need to worry about fitting the bodice.
• The Nicola's neckline is more open.
• The Nicola has a faced neckline and button closure. The Blank Slate has a more traditional collar and button band closure.
• The Nicola's buttons extend down the skirt. The Blank Slate's skirt is cut on the fold.
• Nicola: no pockets. Blank Slate: No-gape pockets at skirt front.

 

Fabric and Notions Used

 

I used the following fabric and notions for this version of this pattern:

• "Frock" rayon in the cobalt "Hana" colorway by Cotton + Steel. Purchased on sale from Craftsy.
  
  Wow, did I love working with this fabric. It has the hand and drape of a rayon challis, but is beefier and as opaque. It also pressed beautifully. I wouldn't hesitate to buy more of this stuff in other colorways.
• Lightweight fusible interfacing (on button bands and band collar) from Fashion Sewing Supply.
• 1/2" elastic purchased from Fashion Sewing Supply.
• White shirt buttons from JoAnn's.
  

 

Pattern Drafting, Sizing, and Alterations

 

This pattern is available in Blank Slate women's sizes XXS-XL. (30" bust/33" hip - 44" bust/44" hip) and (76cm bust/84cm hip - 112/cm bust/112cm bust).

Before I get into my alterations, I want to point out that Melly included finished garment measurements on nearly every pattern piece AND also included lengthen/shorten lines on many of them, as well. I really appreciated these inclusions, and I, uh, was a bad girl and skipped the muslin because I felt pretty confident knowing how much I'd need to add and where.

So, let's cover my pattern alterations. They were all pretty standard alterations for me, based on the size chart and finished garment measurements. (I'll be making a few additional changes when I make this again.) I started with a size XL (44" bust), which was the closest option to my 43" high bust measurement.

• 3" FBA with dart rotated to the shoulder and waist gathers
• 1" broad back adjustment
• 1" full arm adjustment
• Lengthened cap sleeve by 1" for more coverage
• Did NOT shorten the skirt, but cut skirt on "above knee" length cutting line, which ended up being *just* below the knee cap on me (I'm 5'2"). Since I have to shorten most patterns, I figured that the "above knee" cutting line would give me the length that I was looking for, and it did.

Marigold bodice with 3" FBA and rotated dart

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the fit. I could use a smidge more room across the back, so I'll probably up my broad back adjustment to 1.5" and incorporate it as an ease pleat on my next version.

The shoulder seam does extend slightly out past my shoulder joint, which is a little unusual for me when picking a pattern size by high bust. (My shoulders aren't particularly narrow.) As is typically the case with Blank Slate's kids' patterns, I also found that I wished that the pattern had a higher sleeve cap. I suspect that the shoulder length/sleeve cap drafting issues are related.

A few more drafting notes:

• The armscye on this pattern is nice and high and tight.  I suspect that many of us could go sleeveless with this pattern (which isn't included as a standard view) without worrying about bra coverage a whole lot. 
• The pockets on this dress are nice and deep. They're actually big enough to comfortably hold my OtterBox-protected iPhone 6. I will likely use these pockets in other dress/skirt patterns.

 

Marigold - back view

PDF Assembly

I didn't run into any issues assembling the PDF for this pattern. I've consistently found Blank Slate's PDF patterns to be clearly formatted and to not have any issues with the pattern lines lining up correctly.

 

Pattern Instructions

 

I found the pattern instructions and accompanying photos to be very clear. There was one bit where the instructions for attaching the waistband to the skirt view was partially mislabeled to make it seem like you had to attach a waistband to the dress, but this was easy to figure out--the dress instructions are on the next page.

 

Final Thoughts

 

A few fitting quirks aside, I love the final dress. I've already worn it twice, and I finished it less than a week ago. I will definitely be making more of these.  This is a nice, basic shirtdress pattern that's easier to fit than some shirtdress styles and should lend itself well to a lot of the fun, lightweight cotton prints that seem to have exploded on the garment sewing fabric scene in recent months.

Marigold Dress - full length

Additionally, if you're interested in this pattern you'd like to open the neckline or would like the blouse view without the elastic waist peplum, blogger Melissa from A Happy Stitch wrote a post explaining how she made these alterations:

Marigold Blouse/Dress Hack

I like the waist definition that the elastic waist gives me in the dress view, but I do want to try making a blouse version with a simple shirttail hem like Melissa did. I'm also tempted to give one of the long-sleeved views a try (either dress or blouse) when the weather starts to cool a bit.

Overall, I'm quite happy with this pattern, and I am looking forward to having more dresses and a few blouses made from it in my closet.