This Week in Patterns (8-Jan-2016)

First pattern roundup of the new year!  Not surprisingly, we've got several batches of new patterns to go through.

• Colette/Seamwork
• Simplicity
• StyleArc
• Vogue

Colette/Seamwork: January 2016 Issue ("The Body Issue")

Colette's Seamwork magazine this month has an "activewear" theme. For the two Seamwork patterns this month, we get an exercise top and exercise pants.

Seamwork: Aires Exercise Tights

The Aires Exercise tights are notable less for design and more for the fact that they include a crotch gusset for easier movement and are available in a 3XL (56" or 142cm hip size). Off the top of my head, this is the largest size range for a commercial pattern for actual exercise tights. (If you're a plus sized sewist, you might have found that it's nearly as difficult to find plus sized activewear sewing patterns as it is to find plus sized activewear in RTW.) I'm really glad to see that there's finally a pattern to fill this niche. Sure, there's some gratuitous piecing/color-blocking here, but I could see this being quite a useful pattern for many of us.

Seamwork - Aires exercise tights

Seamwork: Rio Tee

The Rio is a hi-low tee that can be used in activewear.  I don't have much to say about this one way or another--it doesn't really fill a niche the way that the Aires does, but I guess Seamwork needed to release a second pattern this month.

Seamwork - Rio tee

Simplicity: Spring 2016 release

I'm linking to Pattern Review's version of this batch of patterns because the Simplicity website is nearly completely unusable right now. As far as I can tell, these patterns aren't even up there yet, even though they're available through PR and in some big box stores. I do like some of the patterns in this batch and will probably buy them at a future JoAnn's sale.

Simplicity 8047: Amazing Fit Dress

It's Simplicity's take on the over-crop-top trend that we're starting to see for Spring. We'll see it again in the new StyleArc patterns. I like this option--it's a way to do the crop top trend (if you're a trend person) without showing skin, if that's something that you tend to avoid (like I do).

Simplicity 8047

Simplicity 8053: Misses' shirts

Hey, it's a Grainline Archer shirt, but with shoulder princess seams AND cup sizes up to a DD! There's even an open v-neck option, similar to Colette's Aster shirt. This one looks like a great wardrobe basic pattern to me.

Simplicity 8053

Simplicity 8050: 40's dress reissue

I haven't watched Agent Carter, but I'm seeing a lot of people online saying that this pattern is a call to that character's costuming. I'm going to assume that's the case with Simplicity, but having not even seen the show, I still love this dress as a standalone pattern.

Simplicity 8050

Simplicity 8074: Misses' Costumes

So, here we've got a couple of different takes on Sand Snakes costumes (interesting, considering how poorly those characters translated from the Song of Ice and Fire books to HBO's Game of Thrones), and what's that hidden in the back over on the right?  Is that an unlicensed (and probably rushed into production after the trailer was released) Rey costume from The Force Awakens? On a related note, if my daughter wants to be BB-8 for Halloween next year, does that give me an excuse to dress my husband up as Kylo Ren?

Simplicity 8074

StyleArc: January 2016 release

With StyleArc drifting towards a minimalist, boxy aesthetic for many of their recent releases, it's nice to see this new group of patterns for January. Most of these patterns capitalize on current trends, and when combined, could even be used to make a capsule wardrobe. Additionally, for January, in addition to the monthly freebie that StyleArc always offers (this month, it's the Kendall knit top), if you buy two of the new patterns, you can select a third for free. So, doing the math, that's four patterns for the price of two.

StyleArc: Crystal Over-shirt

The assymmetrical hem on this one is starting to feel a little dated, but other than that (which could easily be altered), this is both a really unique and wearable design. The back detail is unexpected and fun.

StyleArc - Crystal over-shirt

StyleArc: Kendall Knit Top (January Freebie)

The Kendall is a nice basic knit top with a draped shawl collar. It's also the "official" freebie for the month of January, if you buy any other paper patterns this month. It's not the world's most exciting design, but it's definitely one that you could get a lot of mileage and wear out of with different fabrics. Not bad for a freebie.

StyleArc - Kendall knit top

Madison Top

The Madison is a trapeze-shaped raglan-sleeved top that be made up either in a knit or a stable woven.  This is probably my least favorite pattern out of the January bunch in that it's the least interesting (to me). Again, like the other patterns this month, it's certainly a fine basic, though.

StyleArc - Madison top

Taylor Knit Skirt

The Taylor is a pull-on knit skirt with a split hem. From the line drawings, it almost gives the effect of a faux wrap skirt. I like this one--it's a fun design and looks like it would be comfortable and easy to make and wear.

StyleArc - Taylor knit skirt

StyleArc: Kylie Knit Top

The Kylie knit top has an overlay to mimic the appearance of the crop tops that were everywhere last year, but with its underlayer, will show less skin than a traditional crop.  I love the design of this one, although with the boxy overlayer, I'm doubtful as to how it would look on my own busty figure.

StyleArc - Kylie Knit Top

Vogue Patterns: Spring 2015 release

I know that I've made this confession before, but I'll make it again. It's hard for me to do Vogue recaps because Vogue patterns, while often having interesting details, are so far outside of my own personal style aesthetic. I know that I've seen a lot of positive comments about this collection in other online sewing communities, but I largely reacted to it with a shrug--there are a LOT of boxy and/or artsy-type designs in this batch that aren't anywhere close to the clothing that I wear.  That said, here are the picks that I found most interesting:

V1488: DKNY Shirtdress

This wrap-tie is an interesting way to bring some shape to this shirtdress. This could be cute and fun to wear in the summer. Realistically, it's probably the only pattern in this collection that I could realistically see myself buying.

V1488

V9168: Misses Flutter Sleeve Dress, Belt, and Slip

In its maxi-length (as shown), this dress is a bit too Laura Ashley for me. But imagine it shortened to, say, knee-length, and I think it could be really cute. I'm intrigued by the sheer-dress-over-slip concept, too.

V9168

V1494: Sandra Betzina Coat and Vest

I'm not normally a big fan of Sandra Betzina's designs (again, they're fine; they're just not my style at all), but I do really like the interesting seaming on this coat and vest pattern.

V1494

Final Thoughts

So that's this weeks' patterns. I'm tempted to order a few of those StyleArcs--particularly with the 4-for-the-price-of-2 deal that they have going for the January patterns. Beyond that, I can see myself picking up the shoulder-princess-seamed button-up from Simplicity and that 40's dress (just to have...because it's awesome). I think I'm at the point where I'd probably collect Star Wars costume patterns just for the sake of having them, but I'd be shocked if we don't see some actual officially licensed ones in the coming months--especially with Simplicity having the license for Disney's other costume patterns. Your thoughts/favorites?

Last Week in Patterns (12-July-2015)

This past week was a good week for pear-shaped sewists; however, I didn't feel that it was such a good week for my own figure or own personal style. We had releases this past week from the following companies:

• HotPatterns
• Itch to Stitch
• Sewaholic
• Vogue

HotPatterns: Fast & Fabulous Trilogy Shift Dress, Tunic, & Top

The Trilogy dress, tunic, and top appears to basically be HotPatterns take on the RTW trend that I'm sure inspired the True Bias Sutton blouse. I've been seeing similar blouses all over Seattle for the past few months, so it makes sense that multiple pattern companies would offer a take on this style. I already purchased the PDF for this (it's 20% off right now). I've nearly bought the Sutton several times, and since I'm familiar with and trust HotPatterns drafting, I figured this was a sign to finally pull the trigger on this one. I'm currently working on the mini-Southport for my daughter, but I've already prewashed fabric and will be making up the Trilogy top after that.

HotPatterns Trilogy Top, Tunic, and Dress

Itch to Stitch: Angelia Shorts

I don't follow Itch to Stitch all that closely. A few people have brought her patterns to my attention, but I'll be honest that I didn't really pay attention because I was a little turned off by the way she was putting calls out for pattern testers--they're done on a super tight deadline, which makes me question the thoroughness of the testing. Not to re-open the debate on pattern testing again, but I'm of a firm belief that pattern testing is something that you do to check the fit/grading on your patterns and/or the clarity of your instructions.  Outside of that, you're probably looking for someone to sew up your samples for you for free or for free marketing.

Anyway, I'm posting this because frankly, I really like these shorts. I love all of the details on the pockets, and I've been seeing some of these military-esque details on RTW shorts a lot lately. And as a fan of fly fronts, it's really nice to see a new-ish pattern designer offer a pattern with a fly front and not automatically fall back on a drawstring or elastic waist because it's easy.

I don't know if I'd buy these until I see some more reviews on women of larger sizes, but I definitely can see myself morphing some of these details onto a pattern that I already own.

Itch to Stitch: Angelia shorts

Itch to Stitch: Kathryn Top & Dress

Released at the same time as the Angelia shorts was the Kathryn knit top and dress. This top is so wrong for my figure, it's not even funny. Those pleats would open up and look horribly sloppy on my G-cups, not to even get into the bulk that they'd add. It looks okay on the slender, small-busted testers, though. Obviously, this one is a "hell no" from me.

Itch to Stich: Kathryn top and dress

Sewaholic: Harwood dress

The Harwood is one of those dresses that I like the idea of, but I think you need to be Sewaholic's target pear-shaped figure for it to look good. That closed-up neckline is the opposite of what I need for my upper body to avoid looking like one giant boob. The placement of this particular yoke and gathers could also potentially be problematic on a large bust.

On the other hand, if you're small-busted, I think that this dress could nicely balance out your figure, if that's something that you're looking for.

Basically, I like the design of this dress, but this one's not for me.

Sewaholic: Harwood dress

Sewaholic: Nicola dress

I had to laugh (in a good way) when I saw the blog post announcing the Nicola dress. Why did I laugh? I laughed because, as you'll see when I get a chance to blog it, I was just finishing up the very similar Blank Slate Marigold dress and was super happy with how that dress was turning out. A few of the details are a little different, but the basic idea is the same--a shirtdress with a shoulder yoke, shoulder shirring, elastic waist, and flared skirt.

So yeah, I like this a lot, but I have no need for it since I already own and have figured out the fit on the Marigold. I will say that although Tasia from Sewaholic drafts for a pear figure, I think that this dress is going to be a pretty flattering shape on a lot of women, pear figure or not. Those shoulder gathers are a convenient place to rotate a dart from an FBA. (I'll talk about my FBA in more detail in my Marigold post, but everything that I did FBA-wise for the Marigold will apply to the Nicola.)

Sewaholic: Nicola dress

Vogue: Fall 2015 Release

*sigh*  I must be one of the very few people in the SBC who didn't care a whole lot for this Vogue collection. There are very few patterns here that suit both my lifestyle and my figure. It figures--I loved the McCall's Fall Release (and have already bought 3 patterns from the collection), so I probably wasn't going to like any of the other Fall collections from the Big 4 nearly as much.

V1465: Donna Karan Jacket, Skirt, and Top

I like the jacket here, and the top and the skirt are okay, although I wouldn't wear a turtleneck. StyleArc has a few similar jackets, though, and I tend to trust StyleArc's drafting a bit more than most Big 4 drafting.

V1465

V1461: DKNY dress

The early 90's fashion revival, influenced by grunge and riot grrrl influences has been around for a few years at this point. It would figure that we'd start to see fashion influences from the mid-90's starting to show up in collections. This dress just screams "Clueless" to me.

"Sometimes you have to show a little skin. This reminds boys of being naked, and then they think of sex." --Cher Horowitz

V1461

V9124: Misses' Dress

If V1461 screamed Cher Horowitz, then V9124 screams Elaine Benes. Get out!

V9124

V9125: Misses' Dress

Nipple darts!

V9125

V9122: Very Easy Vogue Misses' Jumper

I wonder if these jumpers with the bias insets are expected to be a big thing for fall. McCall's had a variation on this in their fall catalogue.

V9122

Final Thoughts

First of all, I want to mention that a few of us Seattle-area sewing bloggers had a lovely meetup at Drygoods Designs here on Saturday. I even got a chance to meet my fellow CSC editor Jenny/Cashmerette in person! I'll try to pull a few pictures off of Instragram when I get a chance.

The only must-have for me here this week is the new HotPatterns top/tunic/dress, which I'll be sewing up soon. There are a few wait-and-see's, but that's just about it. I know that a lot of people really loved the new Vogues, but I felt that they were mostly kind of "meh". I guess I'm just more of a McCall's woman, when it comes to BMV. Were there any released this week that are on your must-have list?

Spring sewing plans, part 2: Dresses, shirtdresses, jumpsuits, and rompers(!)

Because I couldn't contain my entire "to sew" list in one post (that first post was getting seriously long), I split my spring planning into two posts. I realize that these planning posts are probably boring for others to read ("Hey, a blouse pattern! Oh, another blouse pattern!"), but I like to write them every few months to jot my thoughts down somewhere so that I can refer back to them for inspiration. From a purely self-indulgent standpoint, it's also fun for me to go back a few months later and look at what I was planning to sew and compare that list to what I actually did sew.

Spring sewing wouldn't be spring sewing without a ton of dresses on my list, so this post calls out the non-separate sewing patterns that I'm looking to make for this spring/summer.

Dresses

HotPatterns Cote d'Azur Dress

First up is an old favorite. I made this dress last summer, loved it, wore it a ton, and got a ton of compliments on it. Unfortunately, the fabric is starting to fade and pill a bit, and I want to replace last year's version with a new version sewn in a higher quality knit.

HotPatterns Cote D'Azur dress

BlueGingerDoll Violet

Tanya's versions sold this pattern to me while back during a BGD pattern sale. Mary's recent version reinforced that I want one of these in my wardrobe sooner rather than later.  For mine, for warm weather, I'd be going with the short sleeved option on the dress with the fuller skirt.

Bluegingerdoll Violet dress

On a side note, when one of these Violet dresses pops up in the blogosphere, am I the only one who then immediately winds up with Courtney Love screaming in her head, "Go on take everything, take everything, I want you to!"  It's just me? Oh well, carry on, then.


Modcloth Coach Tour Dress knock-off (McCall's 6796 & Colette Moneta frankenpattern)

When browsing Modcloth, I became smitten with the Coach Tour Dress:

ModCloth Coach Tour Dress

I couldn't find a pattern that was all that close of a match to this one, but McCall's 6796 does have that collar, and the gathered skirt is similar to the Colette Moneta.

McCall's 6796

 I'm envisioning a frankenpattern of the two patterns, and my version will have short sleeves, rather than being sleeveless. Since I'll need an FBA on the McCall's, I'll just rotate the resulting dart to the waist gathers, and I'll add a waistband/belt detail between the bodice and the skirt.

Shirtdresses

Will Spring 2015 finally be the season that I finally sew one of the shirtdresses that I've been openly ogling/pinning/talking about for months, but not actually sewing? If I'm going to deal with the hassle of fitting woven blouses, I might as well tackle fitting a shirtdress, right?

Lekala 4115

The dress that started my recent streak of wanting to knock off Modcloth dresses was this one: the Soda Fountain dress:

ModCloth Soda Fountain Dress (in grape)

I'd sent my husband a link of a swimsuit that I wanted his opinion on (he liked it, I bought it), and I apparently got him browsing the site. He sent me a link to this dress and said, "You should make this!" That immediately sent me browsing pattern sites looking for a pattern that I could use or patterns that I could frankenpattern.

Lekala 4115 is pretty close to the inspiration dress:

Lekala 4115

So, I paid the $3 for another Lekala experiment. I'm not a fan of the super puffy sleeves, but I can modify those. My first experiment with Lekala was a total wadder, but it was a knit, and they seem to do better with woven patterns, so I thought I'd give them another shot.

McCall's 6696 & McCall's 7084
McCall's has a few good shirtdress patterns. The two that really jump out to me are the ever-popular M6696 (aka Mary/Idle Fancy's shirtdress) and McCall's 7084.

McCall's 6696

M7084

Both dresses have a separate button band. M6966 has a waistband as well. M7084 has shoulder princess seams (yay!) but no separate cup sizing (boo!). M6966 has the separate cup sizing (yay!) but uses darts for shaping (meh, compared to princess seams). Both patterns have options for a straight skirt or a full skirt--M6966's full skirt is pleated, whereas M7084's full skirt has a bunch of godets. I'm really on the fence as to which of these I'd rather sew and wear--I think my perfect pattern would be if these two patterns mated had had baby shirtdresses.

StyleArc Italia

The StyleArc Italia is the only dress on this list that doesn't have some sort of a waist seam. However, it does have a fair amount of shaping through bust darts, waist darts, and back darts. This pattern is also easily the most modern/least retro looking of the group that I've picked, so if I end up sewing two shirtdresses, I'm sure that this will be one of them.

StyleArc Italia shirtdress

Colette Hawthorn

Because it has to be here, right? I'm going to keep the Hawthorn on my to-sew list until I finally sew the damn pattern. Or maybe if I keep including it in these lists, it will fit and sew itself, right?

Colette Hawthorn

Jumpsuits and rompers

Like a shark drawn to chum, I've been picking up and hoarding jumpsuit and romper patterns every time they're on sale for the last few months. Have I made any of these patterns yet? No, and I'm not sure if they're work on my figure, but I'd like to imagine that they will with the right fit and proportions! I'm determined to at least muslin at least one of the following patterns in the upcoming months.

Vogue 9075

My desire to make this pattern hasn't decreased in the months since it was released. I suspect that I'm not the only one, given that the larger size range was sold out on the Vogue website for a little while. On paper, this pattern sounds like a horrible idea--a culotte jumpsuit! But really, in the photos, it looks like a fit-and-flare style dress (a good silhouette on me) that just happens to have wide-legged pants instead of a skirt attached. In reality, this is probably the "safest" pattern choice out of this bunch, between the shape and the fact that it has shoulder princess seams.

Vogue 9075

Lekala 4053

On my many visits to San Diego over the past few months, I saw rompers everywhere, on women of all shapes, sizes, and ages. I went to brunch with a friend one Sunday morning (at one of those places with an outdoor patio that's great for people watching), and I swear that every third woman was wearing either a romper or a jumpsuit that looked like a maxi-dress. This convinced me that I could pull off this look with the right pattern, fabric, and fit adjustments.

That said, a romper/playsuit on a 5'2" uber-busty plus sized woman should be an ultimate test of Lekala's custom drafting abilities, right? I like this one because it's a little more conservative than some of the romper patterns out there, with its longer shorts and short sleeves, but it doesn't look dowdy.

Lekala 4053

McCall's 7115

McCall's 7115 is probably the closest style-wise, to most of the rompers that I saw in San Diego. It's also similar to the rompers that were popular in the mid-90's that I always coveted but could never wear because my top half was two sizes larger than my bottom half. I still think that I could make this work with the right fabric choice and fit adjustments:

McCall's 7115

Final Thoughts

So, those are the patterns that have made it to the top of the pile on my sewing desk for the next few months. I am sure that there will be at least a few bright and shiny new patterns released this spring and summer that will vie for my sewing attention as well.

I'm extra, extra torn on the various shirtdress selections. I feel like I'm a housecat trying to chase a laser pointer when it comes to choosing one to sew. Here! No, over here! Do any of these grab your attention over the others?

This Week in Patterns (23-Jan-2015)

I'm posting this from my company's office in Irvine at the tail end of a whirlwind business trip for me. As someone who grew up in and spent most of my life in SoCal, it's been a brief trip down memory lane, as I've managed to squeeze in some In-n-Out, KROQ, and Green Flash's West Coast IPA in the 24 hours that I've been here. It's also in the mid-70's here, temperature-wise, and I'm finding that I really DON'T miss wearing short sleeves in January. In fact, if I still lived in SoCal, I wouldn't even be considering purchasing my favorite pattern this week. I'll be driving down to San Diego tonight to celebrate my mom's birthday with my family, then flying back to Seattle tomorrow, where I'm looking forward to being able to wear layers again.

We did have several high-profile pattern releases this week, let's take a look...

Grainline Studios - Cascade Duffle Coat

I think that I may have finally found my perfect "everyday" jacket/coat pattern for our weather here in the Pacific Northwest. If you heard a loud "squeeeeeeeeee!" earlier this week, you were probably hearing my reaction all the way from Seattle to Jen from Grainline Studio's latest release:

Cascade Duffle coat and jacket

Unlike the somewhat similar Colette Albion duffle coat, the Grainline version is drafted for a woman, rather than having a unisex draft, includes a zipper closure beneath the toggles, and has both collar and hood options. I'm seriously planning four different versions of this pattern in my head from fabric in my stash by mixing up the jacket/coat and hood/collar options.  On one hand, I don't want to dive right into another involved/coat project after just finishing my Simplicity 1254/Leanne Marshall coat, on the other hand, I want this coat.

I've already ordered this pattern (paper version, since I prefer PDFs only for less complicated patterns) and am thinking that I'll finally make my rain jacket using it. I have some of that Marc Jacobs waterproof poplin in my stash that FabricMart had a while back and stumbled unintentionally into a perfect lining for that fabric with another purchase.

Grainline Studios Cascade Duffle coat and jacket

Vogue - Early Spring 2015 (aka "Culottes for Everyone!")

Remember when those knit gaucho pants were all the rage about ten years ago? Vogue (and a few other pattern designers) have apparently decided that that silhouette is back. I haven't seen these pop up on the street in real life yet, but I'm guessing that we'll start to see them this spring.

In other news related to this release, Vogue's patterns this time around included a lot of interesting details. Now, whether the patterns themselves or not for you is up to you. From what I've seen online since the collection was released, most of these individual designs are either love-it or hate-it. And while most of these aren't my aesthetic, I do highly appreciate Vogue putting out a very "not boring" collection. Honestly, I could comment on most of the designs in this particular release, but in the interest of time and space, I just pulled out a few of the most interesting ones (for better or for worse).

V1435 - Tom and Linda Platt dress and jacket

I love the back detail on this Tom and Linda Platt jacket. The sheath dress is the same old boring sheath dress that we've seen a million times, so I'd expect most people would be buying this for the jacket. I won't be buying it, though, because I think that that cropped, drapey shape in front would look terrible on my ginormous bust, regardless of how much I like the jacket back.

V1435

V1437 - Ralph Rucci separates

I can't see myself making/wearing this, but I do love the lines on this Ralph Rucci jacket. The blouse is cute, too.

V1437

V9096

I was surprised when I clicked the link to this jacket to see that it wasn't a designer pattern. Again, not my personal aesthetic to make/wear, but I do appreciate the design and look forward to seeing this pattern made up by others in the online sewing community.

V9096

V1439- Anne Klein separates

These Anne Klein separates are much more to my own taste. I really like that jacket, and the pants are a nice, basic straight-leg trouser.

V1439

V9075

I can't believe that I'm going to type this about a culotte-jumpsuit, but, um, I actually really like this? And I could see myself making/wearing it? It's got the silhouette of those princess seamed bodice fit-and-flare dresses that work so well for so many of us, but with a really full, skirt-like set of pants. And it has sleeves, unlike so many jumpsuit patterns!

Don't get me wrong--I realize that there's a ton of potential for bad-elementary-school-teacher-wardrobe here with this pattern, but I think that in the right fabric, this could be really cute and practical.

V9075

V9091

Oh hey, look, if you didn't want a culotte jumpsuit, here are the culottes on their own in three different lengths:

V9091

V9086

V9086 is a pretty blouse with some interesting details and seaming:

V9086

V9076

Annnnnd my pick for unintentional comedy pattern of this release goes to this oh-so-70's dress that looks like it came straight out of an unopened box found at an  Gunne Sax warehouse. This dress looks like something that Sissy Spacek would sport as Carrie, if Piper Laurie weren't yelling at her to not draw so much attention to her dirty pillows.

V9076

V9097

And Vogue randomly included a men's tuxedo pattern in with all of this:

V9097

Pauline Alice Eliana Dress

To round things out from the excitement of the Grainline Studios and Vogue new releases, Pauline Alice release a new dress pattern this week:

 Eliana Dress

The raglan-sleeved version is cute, simple, and I'm sure easy-to-sew. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I'm sure that there are similar patterns to this floating around out there among the Big 4--it's essentially a dress version of a peasant blouse.

Pauline Alice Eliana Dress

Final Thoughts

As I said, I absolutely love the new Grainline jacket and coat pattern and have already ordered it. Of the new Vogues, the two that I am most likely to add to my stash (and who knows, maybe make at some point) are V9075 (the culotte jumpsuit) and V9086 (the blouse with the hidden placket/scooped neckline).

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.