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 (20-Nov-2015)

Happy Friday, everyone!  We've got a short round-up this week, which is probably a bit of a relief for both you and me considering that I squeezed in two project posts over the course of the past week.

This week, we have new releases from two companies:

• Closet Case Files
• StyleArc

Closet Case Files: Clare Coat

We've already spent a fair amount of time discussing the newest Closet Case Files pattern release on my blog post where I talked about testing this pattern.  But, in case you missed or skipped that post, the gist of it is that the pattern gets a big thumbs up from me. It's a really great pattern in a lot of ways for inexperienced coat sewists, and it's got two pretty stylish views even if you don't need the hand-holding.

I'd love to see some more patterns like this one, both to help expand my own and others' skill sets and to give us the confidence to lose the training wheels on the interesting coat patterns offered by other pattern makers who trend to more sparse instructions.

CCF - Clare Coat

StyleArc: Design Contest Winner Patterns - Hampton Crush Collection

Earlier this week, StyleArc released a trio of new patterns, one of which was the winner of the pattern design competition that StyleArc hosted on Instagram a while back. You can see all of the contest entries on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/stylearcdesigner/

StyleArc: Vicki Top

First up is the Vicki Top, a breezey swing top with armhole darts. This pattern is free with the purchase of the collection as a discounted bundle. As is so often the case with StyleArc, the sewn up sample on the product page is much more appealing than the line drawing.

StyleArc - Vicki Top

StyleArc: Emily Skirt

I'm not sure how this skirt would look on someone with a tummy, like me, but I quite like the design itself:

StyleArc - Emily skirt

StyleArc: Christia Pant

The Christia is a woven pull-on pant. It's a fine enough pant, but I'm a little disappointed that this was the design winner when, IMO, there were more interesting designs submitted. On the other hand, interesting takes on a pull-on pant seem to be the bread-and-butter of StyleArc, so maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that this won. It's fine, but as someone with a tummy, I'm leery of the pleats.

StyleArc - Christia pull-on pant

Final Thoughts

I've already made the Clare Coat and have the paper pattern on its way.  I can see the appeal of the StyleArc patterns, but I don't feel like they're the best style choices for my figure. What are your thoughts? Like, love, or hate anything?

Finished Project: Closet Case Files - Clare Coat (Tester Version)

I have been dying to talk about this coat project.  If you're a regular reader of this blog, you could probably tell that based on all of the hints that I'd been dropping about a really well-done coat pattern that I tested with really great instructions. Drumroll...it was the Closet Case Files Clare Coat:

Closet Case Files - Clare Coat

Apologies for the crappy lighting here; I took these photos a while back (note the sandals and lack of tights on my legs), early in the morning. I've wanted to re-do this photo shoot, but if you follow weather in the Pacific Northwest at all, you'll know that we've had an awful lot of rain these past few weeks. (I finally snagged ~10 minutes of non-raininess to photography my StyleArc Misty jeans this morning...which I finished over a week ago and have worn several times.)

First off, let's get a couple of things out of the way. Yes, I pattern tested this coat and therefore received the pattern for free. However, I wasn't asked to blog about this pattern and all of the opinions that I express are mine, blah, blah, blah. And I'm just going to be blunt here; I love this coat. I loved working on this coat, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Clare Coat - Side with Zipper

Now let me go on a mini-rant: In blog posts and in the comments sections on other people's blogs, I have two pet peeves that I lament on a semi-regular basis:

1. The lack of details in the instructions for commercial coat sewing patterns. I found this horribly frustrating last year when I sewed my first coat. As a newbie coat sewist, you don't know what you don't know. The Big 4 patterns that I've looked over typically tell you to interface the collar and the facings, and that's about it. There's nothing about back stays, interfacing the hem, or adding interfacing anywhere else that might give your coat the structure that it needs to actually look good. (When I look at the coat I sewed last year, I suspect that it would have benefited greatly from an interfaced hem...which I didn't do because I didn't know that I should do it.) We can cobble together tips from books and online sources, but I had yet to see a pattern that actually walks you through the process of making a coat.
2. So many indie patterns are really basic and beginner-oriented. When you look to the brands that carry more detailed and more advanced patterns (e.g. StyleArc, BurdaStyle), the instructions often leave something to be desired. Where are the Intermediate or Intermediate-to-Advanced patterns with the detailed instructions that could help a sewist advance her skills?

Whether intentional or not, this pattern addresses both of those issues. I feel like Heather was really smart choosing an untailored coat style like this one for her first coat pattern--we dip our toe into things like adding support to the garment, but we don't have to worry about lapels, roll lines, pad stitching, or many of the other things that might make coat-making seem intimidating.

 

But it's $18!

 

I know that a lot of you are interested in this pattern but probably want to hear more about it before pulling the trigger. I've already seen a few comments online expressing hesitation at the price ($18 USD).

CCF - Clare Coat

IMO, if you like the style of the coat, this pattern is totally worth the $18 investment. And while I technically received the pattern for free, I kind of freaked out over the number of pages to print/tape in the standard PDF version and wound up taking it to a copy shop. So yeah, I've already paid over $18 for this pattern (and will be receiving a free copy of the print pattern), and I'm totally fine with that. Here's what you get for your $18:

• Two distinctly different coat views. The two views do share a few pattern pieces, but where the views diverge (other than length), you get separate pieces.
• Separate lining pieces. None of this having to remember to take an inch off the bottom of the bodice pieces, etc. It's done for you.
• Separate INTERFACING pieces.  Yes, you read that correctly. This pattern includes separate interfacing pieces for the coat front, shoulders, zipper area, hem, etc. 
• Two-piece raglan sleeves. Yay!
• Really great instructions. Constructing this coat was a joy. If you're looking to expand your skill set, View A (the one with the zipper) includes clear instructions for constructing welt pockets, when and where to grade/clip your seams, inserting an exposed zipper with a zipper shield, and bagging your lining. (View B is a bit simpler, so if you don't want to tackle those detail, you don't have to, and you'll still get a nice-looking coat.)

Here are a few details/construction shots of my coat:

Clare Coat - Zipper shield

Clare Coat - Neatly bagged lining

Clare Coat - My awesome welt pockets

I realize that I might sound like a commercial for this pattern, but I wasn't asked to write this. I simply feel very strongly that we need more of this type of pattern and fewer boxy woven t-shirt patterns from the indies. I truly feel like Heather knocked it out of the park with this pattern.

On a side note, Heather gave us the choice of sewing View B or View A for testing. I was completely torn as to which view I wanted to make (really liking both views is a big reason why I threw my hat in the ring for testing on this one). I ended up going with View A because I decided that I really liked the zipper and also wanted to try out the welt pocket instructions.

 

Fabric and Notions Used

 

I used the following fabric and notions for my coat:

• Shell: Wool tweed coating from my stash, originally purchased from (now-closed) Fashionista Fabrics. It's quite warm but also quite bulky. This fabric had been sitting waiting in my stash for me to tackle a coat without a ton of seaming, and it felt like a great match for this pattern.
• Lining: Poly charmeuse purchased years ago from Gorgeous Fabrics.
• Interfacing: Medium-weft fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply.
• Zipper: Custom-shortened separating zipper from Zipperstop. (Pattern testers were given a fair amount of lead time on this coat to source supplies, and I wanted to use a nice zipper.)

Check out my sweet zipper!

PDF Assembly

 

The test version of the pattern had 80 pages to tape and assemble. (Note that not all pages were used for all views.)  I saw that and promptly sent my pattern to a copy shop to have it printed. The copy shop version printed without issue.

Unless shipping is a major concern or you love taping PDF patterns, you'll probably want to pay a few dollars extra and go for the print version of this pattern.

Pattern Drafting, Sizing, and Alterations

 

This pattern is available in Closet Case Files sizes 0-20, ranging from a 31" bust/33" hip (79cm/84cm) to a 46" bust/48" hip (117cm/122cm). I'm a little outside of the size range but wanted to keep my pattern alterations to a minimum, so I sewed a size 20 and added a touch to the size 20 seam allowances throughout the body of the coat. I'm actually really happy with the final amount of ease in my coat, but it is riding up a little in front, indicating that I probably should have done some sort of length-only FBA. (This is to be expected, considering my very large bust.)

You can see that it gets slightly hung up on my rear high hip in back, but that's an easy fit issue to fix in future versions.

Clare Coat - back view

I really like the ease-of-movement that I get from the two-piece raglan sleeves. I did not need to do a full bicep adjustment on this pattern, so that was nice. I can easily drive and take my laptop bag on and off this coat without feeling like my movement is restricted.

I found the pattern to be very well-drafted. There was a small error in one of the sleeve lining pieces that the testers caught, but that is supposed to be corrected for the final version. You might notice a slight twist in my raglan sleeve in some shots--this was also corrected for the final pattern. In addition to the sleeve, Heather altered the draft of the collar piece in View A from the test version so that the collar would stand up better.

Lining shot.

You might notice that I reversed the side of the coat where the zipper opening is. That's due to a combination of user error (I cut one of my pieces wrong) and personal preference (for asymmetric things, I prefer to have the opening on the right side because I'm right-handed).

Another alteration I did was to add a coat loop at the back so that I could easily hang the coat up on our rack at work:

My added coat loop

Pattern Instructions

 

The instructions for this pattern are pretty great; I found them to include just-the-right-amount of detail for a newbie coat sewist. They tell you "sew the bust darts" without holding your hand (I'd assume that if you're sewing a coat, you know how to sew darts) but then go into detail on sewing the welt pockets and bagging the coat lining. 

Final Thoughts

 

Can you tell that I love this pattern? I realize that the style isn't for everyone. Yes, a more open neckline would "suit" my large/large-busted figure more than View A's neckline zipper, but I don't care; I like it. And if I want to break up the large expanse of fabric, all I have to do is throw a scarf around my neck. Problem solved. Would I sew it again? I don't need another version of View A, given that it's pretty distinctive, but I would like to sew View B, which I think is really cute, too. I love the idea of doing View B in a bright color (like Heather's sample of View A), so I think I'll keep an eye out for an appropriate wool for that version.


So that's my take on the tester version of the Clare Coat. Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments section!

Last Week in Patterns (28-June-2015)

It's Sunday, and we have a LOT of patterns to look through, including early Autumn releases from Simplicity and McCall's, both of which had some nice patterns. Grab a cup of coffee and a nice breakfast pastry because we're going to be here for a while.

Here's the list of the releases that we'll be covering today:

• Cake Pattern: Tidepool Collection
• Closet Case Files: Sallie Jumpsuit and Maxi-dress
• McCall's: Early Autumn 2015 release
• Peek-a-boo Patterns: Friday Harbor blouse and dress
• Simplicity: Early Autumn 2015 release

Cake Patterns: Tide Pool Collection, Wave 1

After a long hiatus of about a year and a half, StephC from Cake Patterns has released a new pattern collection for summer called "Tidepool". She'll be releasing this collection in two waves, and it will consist of three top patterns that can be paired with two bottom patterns, all with multiple views. She's just released the Wave 1, which consists of two shell patterns and a pattern for pants or shorts.

I'll admit that while I was turned off a bit from Cake after Steph's social media meltdown a while back, I do like a few of the patterns in the collection. Granted, I'm not sure that anyone needs three different knit shell patterns that, at first glance, all appear to be pretty similar but with different details.

Pipi Shell

Like all Cake Patterns, you'll draft/trace the Pipi Shell to your own measurements. This is a simple pattern, but I like it. Cut out backs and back details are all the rage these days, but unlike a lot of patterns I've seen along that line, this one is actually bra-friendly. I'd consider this one.

Cake - Pipi Shell

Janthina Shell

Whereas I kinda liked the Pipi shell, I'm pretty meh on the Janthina. It just reminds me too much of those tops with flounces that everyone was sewing a few years ago. Both Simplicity and HotPatterns had variations on this, and I'm just not ready for flounces to come back yet.

Cake - Jathina shell

Endeavor Trousers

These are easily my favorite pattern out of this bunch. The seaming and pocket details, while not totally original, are also something that you don't see in a lot of sewing patterns. The trouser legs are a bit wide for 5'2" me, but I suspect that's something that you can customize with this pattern, at least somewhat. And I just think that the shorts are really cute and wearable.

One thing that I'll point out is that the shorts and pant samples fit Steph very well--no weird crotch wrinkles or butt drag lines or anything. Granted, this is easier to accomplish with a wide legged trouser than, say, a pair of skinny jeans, but we've also seen plenty of pant patterns from other indies that have had insane crotches or other fitting red flags. Outside of the fact that I feel like these look too long on Steph (or that she should have been wearing different shoes), I think that many of us would be really happy to have trousers that fit like these.

Cake - Endeavor Trousers and Shorts

Closet Case Files: Sallie Jumpsuit and Maxi-Dress

I don't have a whole lot to say about this one. I think it's cute, but I've been hoarding jumpsuit and maxi-dress patterns for a while and have options that are fairly similar to most of the views here that I'd wear.

If you're not like me and don't hoard jumpsuit and maxi-dress patterns; however, this one does provide you with quite a few options. I do really like that Heather included both bra-friendly and non-bra-friendly views in this pattern, so that those of us who do not have the option of wearing a strapless bra aren't left out in the cold. I'll be putting this one in my "like it, but probably don't need it" pile.

Closet Case Files - Sallie Jumpsuit and Maxi-dress

McCalls: Early Fall Release 2015

Much like their early spring release about six months ago, there are quite a few patterns that really like in McCall's Early Fall release. What's interesting to me about this collection is that I've been seeing many of these looks popping up in RTW around Seattle. A valid criticism of the Big 4 is that their patterns are sometimes a step behind RTW trends, but you could walk into a department store today and buy pieces that are similar to a lot of the patterns in this collection.

Also, remember that cute brunette model with the short hair that we all liked so much from the Early Spring release? She's back, and she's still damn cute.

If you haven't already refilled your cup of coffee, now is the time to do so.

M7187: Misses' Dress with panel inset and drop-waist skirt options

I think that this dress is really cute. I like the princess seam inset/panel, and the skirt options on the drop-waist are interesting.

M7187

M7188: Misses Dress (with cup sizes)

Princess seams, a short midriff band, and a quarter circle skirt? I'm there. The styling in the sample photo is really unfortunate, but look beyond that and see what a cute, potentially flattering dress there is in the line drawings.

M7188

M7199: Knit jacket with asymmetrical zipper

I've been seeing this style of jacket all over Seattle. They're really cute on a lot of women. I was actually figuring that I'd buy the StyleArc Marie, which is relatively inexpensive in PDF form, to knock off this style, but now McCall's has put out a nearly identical version of this look. The "No provisions provided for above waist adjustment" is a little concerning, though, given that I know I'd need to FBA this.

M7199

M7192: Misses' Tops with sheer overlay

I've been seeing these blouses with the asymmetrical sheer overlays around town a lot so far this summer. I've stayed away from these patterns with the overlays on the front before because I was afraid that the fabric would hang unattractively off of my boobs, but I'm less concerned about that with this version, since the overlay fabric would be a lightweight, drapey sheer.

M7192

M7195: Misses' Woven Sweatshirts

Woven t-shirts have been huge for the past couple of summers, so it makes sense that the next step in this trend evolution would be a woven sweatshirt, right? I live in the sweatshirt capital of the world, so of course, I'm going to give this one a try.

M7195

M7203: Misses' Romper and Jumpsuit

Because I hoard but don't make romper and jumpsuit patterns. Well, to be honest, part of that is that I've been searching for a romper/jumpsuit pattern that had the following elements that previously had been difficult to find all in one pattern: button front, elastic waist, easy to FBA. This pattern checks all of those boxes. Have I finally found the pattern that I'll use to test drive this trend?

M7203

M7214: Kids' and Adults TMNT and Minion costumes

Minions! And Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! All part of the same pattern! Eva is really into minions right now, so this pattern will be a likely contender for this year's Halloween costume.

M7211: Frozen Costumes for Dogs

Frozen costumes for dogs. I have nothing else to say about this.

M7211

Simplicity: Early Fall Release 2015

Simplicity released a small batch of patterns earlier this week (although these patterns had been appearing around JoAnns' stores for at least a week before this). As is typical with their early fall releases, this batch contained a few costume patterns that I suspect Simplicity expects to sell well for Halloween. There are also some nice basics for fall, including a jacket that I absolutely love.

Simplicity 1066: MimiG Lined Jacket

Generally, MimiG's style and my own style don't have a whole lot of overlap, but OMG, I LOVE THIS JACKET pattern! First off, it's actually a lined jacket pattern (as opposed to draft your own lining and figure things out), it includes multiple cup sizes--up to a DD in the larger range, which is what I use, it has shoulder princess seams (yay!), and I really like the optional details--you could either go with a bit of a military look or incorporate some faux leather piecing.

We know what jacket pattern I'll be making this fall, right?

Simplicity 1066 - MimiG jacket

Simplicity 1063: Misses' Knit Tops

Based on my experience with a similar HotPatterns knit top that I ended up not wearing much, I don't think that Simplicity 1063 is the best look for me, but it's an interesting pattern that incorporates some draping and a crossover in a kind of cool way. (There was also a similar BurdaStyle pattern about a year and a half ago.)

Simplicity 1063 - Misses Knit Tops

Simplicity 1061: Sew Chic lined dress and jacket

This dress is cute as heck (especially in the fabric that they chose), although it's probably not something that I would sew/wear. I suspect that we'll see lots of cute versions of this one out and around the SBC in coming months.

Simplicity 1061: Sew Chic dress

Simplicity 1095: Misses' (Dr. Who) Costumes

I don't watch Dr. Who myself, but I know plenty of people who are really into it. One of the most Seattle cars I've seen since moving here was a Fiat with a "My Other Ride is a Tardis" sticker on it. This costume is for the driver of that car.

Simplicity 1095: Misses' (Dr. Who) Costumes

Simplicity 1094 & Simplicity 1097: Girls' and Misses' Frozen Fever costumes

Were you a child in the early 80's? Did you play with Star Wars action figures? Do you also happen to remember how George Lucas would license and Kenner would sell action figures who appeared in all of ONE SHOT of the original trilogy? Like this guy--Hammerhead? (He was featured in exactly one shot of the Cantina Scene in Episode IV.)

Star Wars Hammerhead action figure

Disney/Simplicity appear to be heading down a similar route with the movie Frozen and its characters. With a true sequel somewhere on the distant horizon, Disney ran a 10-minute animated short called "Frozen Fever" before the live-action version of Cinderella a few months ago. We now have a set of women's, children's, and 18" doll costumes from Simplicity, based on the dresses that Anna and Elsa wore in that short. Has Frozen jumped the shark? And is this worse than Anna and Elsa costumes for a dog? (FWIW, my 3-year-old is currently more into Thomas the Train and minions than she is into Frozen.)

Simplicity 1094

Simplicity 1097

Final Thoughts

So when is the next McCall's sale at JoAnn's?

Scrolling through this post, I feel like a cat in a room full of laser pointers. This one! No,  I'm getting this one!

My picks for the week are the Endeavor (I actually have a voucher for a free pattern from Cake from my "house" winning a long-ago sewalong), the MimiG jacket from Simplicity, and a whole lot of the new McCall's patterns. Which are your favorites out of this bunch?

Last Week in Patterns (14-June-2015)

We had a moderately interesting week of releases and pattern news this week, with various types of announcements coming from the following pattern designers:

• Closet Case Files
• HotPatterns
• Jalie
• Maria Denmark
• Pauline Alice

Closet Case Files: Extended Size Range and Pattern Refinements

Heather Lou from Closet Case Files did something this week that I can't remember any other pattern designer doing: She published a set of revamped patterns (available to anyone who previously published one of her patterns) with a number of fitting issues addressed. Additionally, all of her patterns except for the Nettie bodysuit all go up to a size 20 (46" bust, 48" hip) now. So, if you bought a Bombshell swimsuit pattern a while back but had been hesitating making it up because you were just outside of the size range, you can now re-download your pattern with the size 20 included and not worry about grading up.

I think that this is awesome. While you could argue that some of the fitting adjustments should have been caught in the pattern testing stage, it's not uncommon to see a number of people have the same fitting issue in a pattern, regardless of whether that's a Big 4 or an indie pattern. I think that it's great that she both recognized these issues and made the fixes available to all of her customers. And she's also the first pattern maker that I can think of (other than BlueGingerDoll) who retroactively went back and added an extended size range to her older patterns. To celebrate the relaunch, all CCF file patterns are currently on sale for 20% off.

Now, if only Sewaholic would go back and extend the size range on the Minoru...

HotPatterns 1190: Fast & Fabulous Pull-on Palazzo Pants

HotPatterns has released their take on the palazzo pant trend that's been popping up this summer. I've been seeing a lot of this style around town--usually made up in some sort of rayon with a tribal or Native American style print. According to Trudy, these aren't a super wide palazzo, but are light and flowy. These pants have a yoga pant-style waistband and an option for pockets. This pattern is currently on sale for 20% off through the end of this weekend.

HotPatterns Palazzo Pant

Jalie pattern sneak peaks

I'll cover these patterns more when they're officially released, but Jalie has been giving sneak peaks of their upcoming collection for 2015 on their blog:

Jalie Blog

So far, they've all been activewear patterns of some kind: running tights, a leotard, a tennis/cycling dress, a one-piece cheerleader outfit, and a skating dress. There are rumors that one upcoming pattern will be a pair of pull-on skinny pants.

I can see the usefulness of these patterns if these are the types of garments that you sew, but I won't lie and say that I'm really hoping for a useful knit top or cardigan to be included somewhere in this batch.

Maria Denmark: Rachel Wrap Dress

Yes, it's another wrap dress pattern, but this one is Maria Denmark's take on it and addresses many of the wrap dress issues that many of us complain about:

• Uses bands instead of facings. 
• Bands are cut shorter than the neckline to prevent gaping.
• Gives the option of wrapping the ties around the waist to act as a waist seam or tying without wrapping around the waist.
• Offered in European sizes 34-54

I haven't made a Maria Denmark pattern yet, but I know that many people who have made them really love them. They're supposed to be true-to-size and well-drafted, and it sounds like this pattern solves many of the issues that can be irritating about wearing a wrap dress.

Maria Denmark - Rachel Wrap Dress

Pauline Alice: New pant and dress patterns

Xerea Dress

When I initially saw the blog post for this pattern with its seam-obscuring busy print, I thought, "Oh god, not another boring shift dress pattern for beginners."

But wait, there's more! Underneath that busy pattern, there are actually some interesting seamlines and pockets:

Pauline Alice - Xerea dress

The panel seams will help add shaping to this design, and those pockets are similar to the ones in the highly coveted OOP Simplicity 2245 Lisette Portfolio dress. Now that I see the line drawings, I really like this dress. The version with the front pleat will be hard to pull off on anyone who isn't tall and small-busted, IMO, but the more traditional shift should be fairly wearable for a lot of women. I'm not really a shift dress wearing person, but I do love creative pockets, and if I were a shift dress wearer, I'd be awfully tempted by this.

I also noticed that Pauline Alice has upped their size range recently to add a size 48 (42 1/2" or 108cm bust), which won't help me much, but it's a step in the right direction for sewists who were previously outside of the Pauline Alice size range.

Sorell Trousers

I'm also not a high-waisted, pleated trousers-wearing sort of person, but if I were, this pattern has some fun details.

Pauline Alice - Sorell Trousers

Now, the samples appear to have some fit issues, especially from the front where there appears to be some pulling at the waist and the crotch looks a bit long. However, yay because at least this isn't a track pant pattern?

 

Final Thoughts

So, to me, the biggest bits of news are from Closet Case Files and Jalie. With the size range expansion and sale going on right now, I finally pulled the trigger on the Bombshell swimsuit, and I re-downloaded my yet-to-be-made Ginger jeans pattern.

At the other side of the spectrum, so far I've been kind of disappointed that all of the patterns in the new Jalie release have been activewear patterns. If I was a runner, I'd be all over the running tights. The tennis/cycling dress is really cute, but I don't play tennis or cycle. Eva isn't old enough yet for gymnastics/cheerleading/skating yet, although I suspect that if she were into those sports, I'd be all over that new batch of patterns. I wonder if we'll see anything like the releases of a few years ago where we got knit tops, jeans, or outerwear. 

Is anyone else disappointed by the Jalie previews? I know that people love their patterns, and I'm guessing that these niche patterns must be their best selling types of patterns, but I'd kind of been hoping for something that would actually make sense for me to buy.

This Week in Patterns (6-Feb-2015)

Happy Friday!  This week was a busy one for pattern releases, and maybe it's just my mood, but sadly, I wasn't super excited by any of them. In any case, there are lots of pictures and patterns to dissect in this week's post.

StyleArc - February release

StyleArc's February release was a bit more interesting than their January release, although I don't feel particularly tempted to place an order for this month's patterns/freebie, either.

Marley Woven Shirt

So, first up is a darted, easy-fitting blouse with side and sleeve vents. It's a nice enough basic, but nothing to motivate me to place an order.

StyleArc - Marley Woven Shirt

Erin Woven Culottes

Because every pattern company seems determined to release a pleated culotte pattern this spring, here's StyleArc's take on the style. I think that these could be interesting, in theory, but I don't see all of those pleats opening up over my (full) tummy possibly being a flattering look on myself.

StyleArc - Erin Woven Culottes

Saskia Woven Bustier

If I wasn't so ridiculously busty, I'd totally be digging the Saskia bustier. I really like the line drawing for this, and if there was any human way that I could go braless without putting someone's eye out, I'd be looking to give this pattern a try.

StyleArc - Saskia Woven Bustier

Dixie Woven Top (freebie)

The freebie this month is the Dixie woven top. This is probably my favorite/most realistically sewn pattern for myself this month, although I'm not sure how that seam placement would look on someone with a very full bust. This one reminds me a little of my Olive Spliced tee, which I love and was designed for knits. I like the keyhole neckline on this one, too.

StyleArc - Dixie Woven top

Colette Patterns - Seamwork Issue 3

So, with the third issue of Seamwork, Colette patterns jumped on the lingerie/bra-sewing bandwagon that's been going strong in the online sewing community for the past few months. The patterns included in this month's issue are a bralette pattern and a panty pattern.

I'm going to link to these patterns, not because the images are particularly NSFW, but I suspect that some of you work in an open-plan office (like I do) and would probably prefer not to have modeled lingerie pictures show up on your monitor, especially if you work with a bunch of men (like I do). So here are the pattern links:

• Florence lounge bra
• Geneva panty

My G-cups laugh hysterically at the idea of a lounge bra, so I'm clearly not the target demographic for this pattern, even if it is available up to a 3X. The panty is cute, but I prefer a higher rise on my panties, otherwise my tummy flab tends to cause the waistband to fall down, and I spend all day hiking them back up. They're nice ideas, though, I guess for those who can pull off and/or be comfortable in these styles.

Butterick - Early Spring Release 2015

The elephant in the room this week is the spring Butterick release. To be blunt, I hated it. As wonderful as I thought the most recent McCall's release was, I thought that the Butterick release was awful. Let's look at some fug.

Butterick 6168 - Lisette

I think that the most notable thing about this release is that Liesl (from Oliver + S and Liesl + co) has apparently moved her Lisette line of women's patterns from Simplicity to Butterick. I have to admit, though, that I preferred her designs for Simplicity, as this batch seems a bit uninspired. The best of this lot, to me, is this dress, although I feel like there's something "off" about how it looks on the model.

B6168

B6169 - Lisette

B6169 is another new Lisette. The moto jacket is okay, but it's nothing that we haven't already seen dozens of times from other pattern lines over the past few years. The dress is a shapeless sack with a hi-lo hem and an optional tie belt. This one is featured in that video that McCall's put out a few days ago, and it didn't do anything for me seeing it on a "live" person, either. Pass.

B6169

B6164 and B6184

I'm only calling these two out because they both feature external darts. Weren't external darts in style just a few years ago? Are we really at a point where we're cycling fashion trends every five years? How can we miss you if you won't go away?

B6164

B6184

B6170

B6170 is the type of shapeless sack that Burda editors think that plus sized women should dress in:

B6170

B6171



B6171 is another entry in the shapeless sack category. Maybe some of the Burda Plus designers decided to follow the trend of leaving Simplicity as a distributor and moving over to BMV?

B6171

 B6178

Speaking of trends that were around just 10 years ago...  Because Spring 2015 is the Spring of the Pleated Culotte, here's the Butterick version of this trend. View C looks awfully similar to the Erin Culottes that Style Arc just released.

B6178

B6185

I thought that the best pattern out of this whole batch was B6185, a wardrobe pattern featuring a v-neck jacket and a top and dress with Chelsea collars (the collars conveniently fit over the neckline of the jacket). I would maybe pick up this pattern on sale.

B6185

B6167 - Patterns by Gertie

We'll cap off this less-than-inspiring collection with what's probably my pick for "worst" out of the batch--the new pattern by Gertie. This is another pattern that features a shelf bra with some sort of ruching or pleating and cuts the model right across the bustline. I just don't know who this would be flattering on--it makes the slim model look completely flat-chested, and I suspect that it would look ridiculous on anyone with a large bust.

B6167

I'm sure who the target audience is for these Buttericks, but it definitely isn't me.

Closet Case Files - Carolyn Pajamas

Whether you like or or not, based on her blog, etc., I have to really hand it to Heather from the Closet Case Files for carving out a really nice little pattern niche of Patterns That Aren't Available Elsewhere. After the semi-unique Bombshell swimsuit, she's released three patterns in a row that don't really have equivalents in current pattern catlogues--the Nettie bodysuit, the Ginger jeans, and now the new Carolyn Pajamas.

Carolyn Pajamas

Closet Case Files - Carolyn Pajamas

In my previous life as a non-sewing, single, professional woman with a little bit of disposable income, I once splurged on a set of BedHead Pajamas as post-breakup retail therapy. Yeah, I paid that much for a set of pajamas. As embarrassed as I was to shell out that kind of cash for pajamas, I LOVED those pajamas. The Carolyn PJs appear to have similar detailing--cuffs, piping, and a feminine, non-oversized silhouette, PLUS they have pockets (both a shirt pocket and slant pockets on the pants, and both summer (shorts and short sleeves) and winter (long pants and long sleeves) options.

Closet Case Files - Carolyn line drawings

I've seen Heather come off as a bit...emotional on blogs, but I admit that much like the Ginger jeans (once I saw them made and modeled on a few curvy figures), I like these quite a bit. I'm pretty sure that in the modeled pics, she's hiding some pocket gape of those slant pockets with the styling/hand positions, though.  This one isn't a must-buy for me right now, but I'll be keeping my eyes open for both finished versions by other sewists and possible (cheaper) Big 4 alternatives that I've overlooked with similar details.

Final Thoughts

I can't say that any of these are a "must buy" for me, and some of them are downright awful, I think. I've liked some of Gertie's designs from her books, but she appears to be in a bit of a shelf-bra rut with her Butterick designs. I can't say that I'm really tempted to buy any of the new Buttericks.

I'm not particularly tempted on the StyleArcs, either. Maybe I'll feel differently when I start to see them made up.

The CCF pajamas are a "maybe"--I'm not inclined normally to shell out indie dollars for a pajama pattern; however, the Big 4 pajama patterns that I've made up have all run pretty big and been pretty baggy. I'll wait and see on this one.

Am I missing something with any of these? Also, do any of you plan to hop on board the pleated culotte trend? My feeling is that if I'm going to do it, I'm going to go all out and make that culotte-jumpsuit that Vogue just released. Personally, though, I just don't think that the pleated culotte trend is one that will be flattering on short, stumpy me-with-a-tummy, but I'd love to be proven wrong!