I never planned on making a swimsuit this year….I saw some rose printed swimwear fabric on sale online and it took me a week to realize I wanted it baaaaaaaaad. Ofcourse it was all sold out online when I finally admitted to myself I wanted it. I went to the store in person and found the same fabric but in green ( I had wanted the pink version). Once I had the fabric I had to find a suit pattern so I found the Opian Jamanota swimsuit pattern. It’s a swedish company and I have sewn one of their suits before. The Jamanota was signed as a single layer suit – no lining, no swim cups. Which is a problem for me because I don’t want strangers seeing my bits at the beach. I had lined their last suit so I thought it would be as easy this time.
I was wrong, the top was really difficult to line because it’s all drapey. I ended up doing a double layer on top which resulted in thicker straps but I don’t regret it. I lined the bottom easily.
The other issue was the pattern goes to size 10 but the instructions only go to size 8…..not sure what they are trying to say but I am a 10 and the pattern worked for me…once I guessed a bunch of measurements. Below are a bunch of images of the construction of my suit – just in case you are wondering what it should look like if you line it. I searched online and all I could find were reviews of completed suits where the pattern was a gift to them. I couldn’t really see how they constructed it. If I can help one person to line this suit….I am glad.
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I like the end result for this pattern but I will say the pattern is not very good. Swimsuits for adults should have lining – end. period. exclamation mark. The markings on the pattern didn’t work if you were any bigger than the smallest size and further to that there were no elastic measurements for the larger sizes….which if we are being honest here weren’t that big. I have seen this type of swimsuit on the Shein Curve website and it looks great on larger ladies, there is no reason this suit can’t be sized up to a 22 – 24 US pattern size. Finally, the raw edges at the end of the straps looks sloppy. I don’t know why they would have designed it that way….and back to the lining and no swimcup issue….strangers don’t need to see all your bits at the beach. Why would they have designed it like that when it could have had a few extra steps to make it stylish with a bit of coverage? I reviewed this pattern on sewing pattern review and on the fold line (where it is sold) so hopefully other people will be able to navigate the pattern better. I wasn’t able to find any unpaid reviews when I sewed it…maybe one but that person didn’t line it which I think is absolutely nuts.
I made a special present to my niece in the winter by allowing her to request any type of garment to be sewn for her. She is a teenager and I thought she might pick a cute top or a sundress but she requested a shacket. Sometimes with sewing it’s hard to duplicate a current trend, the patterns are always a bit behind. Luckily with shops like my etsy shop Stylesewciety we have access to so many patterns from the past because almost every trend repeats itself. These are the types of images my niece sent me
Ok….so it’s a shirt but it has to be in the right proportions. If you make a men’s shirt like this it might not sit right. Also, this trend is also shown in a closer fit so I wasn’t exactly sure how to make it without the exact pattern and the exact one my niece had in mind.
On top of that, we are in a lockdown so I couldn’t measure my niece exactly. As mentioned in my prior post, I used vintage mccalls 8960, which is from 1990 and a pdf pattern from Etsy. Neither was exactly right but I think by mixing the two, I got it right. I think I would have liked to have a slightly different collar but this shirt didn’t have a collar stand which made mixing a new collar in tough. I am split on the buttons as well, I think I should have made them bigger but then on some of the shackets I saw, the buttons were shirt sized. Also the fabric, I liked my pick but overall it was my ONLY pick. Fabricland had nothing to make this with unless I used polar fleece – yuck. Corduroy was what I was able to find; I wouldn’t have minded a lightweight wool….but natural fibers are few and far between at Fabricland.
Here is the finished product!
I couldn’t try it on my niece but I have it on my mannequin on the smallest size and it seems to fit closer (will not look like a men’s shirt when it’s on) but with enough room for another shirt underneath. I am not sure if she will like it because hand sewn clothes are always different from the pictures you saw in an online store or in person. I think they are nicer but if you have your heart set on a shirt from Aritizia….nothing will ever compare, even if it is better. So in my heart, I just hope she sees the hours of effort and love and can feel a big hug around her when she looks at it. It would be amazing if she loved it but teens can be fussy. The good part if she doesn’t like it …she will never ask me to sew for her again. Which means more cool stuff for me!
I sewed a bathing suit last week as well but I want to take some pictures of me in it before doing a full post. In the meantime….look what I made! I love the look, not sure how it looks on me but I am pretty excited to do a full expose on this pattern. The only reviews I can find are low on details and/or mostly free pattern given for a post types of thing (aka not very honest). I am going to blow this pattern out of the water when I review it! Opian patterns….I am coming for you.
I know lots of people were sewing before we were all told to shut ourselves in our homes for the last year and a bit. However, it seems that sewing is making a return to those who had sold their machines and donated their stash. There are also so many new people picking up sewing. Maybe they were sewing masks at the beginning but soon they will be branching into new sewing projects. How do I know this?
Evidence #1
I called my local sewing machine dealer to ask some questions about how to make a better button hole on my vintage machine and to discuss what a new machine could do for me. Stores like this live for those days when someone asks about a new machine because they don’t usually sell one ever day….until now. The dealer told me all about the new machines and then told me they wouldn’t be able to sell me one any time soon. They explained due to the pandemic, sewing machines were on short supply.
Evidence #2
Where I live, we have had a lot of shutdowns. Everything from stores not being able to sell anything except essentials in person to reduced capacity in stores. I have been sewing regularly since 2017 so I am used to being in Fabricland with a few quilters, a couple people buying some fabric to make a cushion and Hutterites (a religious group who live in secluded colonies) who sew all of their own clothes. Even on a busy day there was plenty of room for me to walk around. It’s rare that I ever saw someone buying a fashion pattern or apparel fabric. This all changed during the pandemic. I remember the first time I tried to saunter into Fabricland only to be stopped at the door and told to wait in my car. Only then did I notice a parking lot full of people with their engines running in the cold weather. A. Parking. Lot. FULL!!!! That day, I had to wait 90 minutes to get a chance to go in their store. The next weekend I went to a different store and had to wait in a line of people for an hour in the winter cold. A. Line. of. People!!!!! The store had reduced capacity but never had I been in Fabricland with more than 10 people in there with me on a regular day. The line had women, teens, old men and young men. These were sewers I had never seen before….and I go there often
Just an idea of what was outside our fabric stores…imagine this line going around the building!
Evidence #3
In Winnipeg there are 2 fabric stores – it’s actually quite sad when I consider how many places we had when I was a kid. You could buy beautiful fabrics and at decent prices. Now we have Marshall Fabrics and Fabricland. I don’t like Marshall Fabics because the prices are high for what I want. At Fabricland they have a clearance section where I can buy fabric at a decent price, albeit limited choice. Anyways, what I noticed is that in the last year Fabricland has been bringing in more fashion fabrics. This year they even had a selection of swimsuit fabric, not an endless amount but more than I saw 2 years ago when I sewed my own suit. They seem to be carrying more for people, like me, who sew clothes. Prior, it seemed they focused on quilting because I think that’s who their customers were. When they had a sale on the bargain fabrics this spring, I wasn’t the only one grabbing fashion fabrics (as much as I could carry). There were other people buying 5 – 10 different types of apparel fabric. Another thing I noticed is Fabricland has been putting out clearance patterns and people are buying them fast. They haven’t had a single sale on vogue/mccalls/butterick patterns this year because I think they know people will just buy them with their membership discount. I don’t – I wait for them to come on sale online on the Mccalls site and then buy direct from them. However in the last few years, I used to wait for the pattern sale and buy them when they went for $5 – $7…..but Fabricland is wise to the pandemic sewers, they don’t need to cut the price.
Evidence #4
I talked about seeing people I had never seen before at the store but I know they are new to sewing because of the questions they ask. I saw an older lady pull out a pattern she had bought online and ask the fabricland clerk to help her figure it out. That is the first time I have ever seen someone pull out all the tissue and lay it out on the cutting table. The next time I was there another woman asked the clerk at the cutting table to help pick out all the supplies she needed for her project. It was a bit irksome because I had to wait for 20 minutes to get my fabric cut while this lady had a personal shopper but I realized she was completely new to sewing.
Evidence #5
Finally, the one thing that has happened in this pandemic period is pattern sales. I started my shop in the pandemic so I don’t have a starting point to compare. What I am analyzing are the types of patterns people are buying and the types of customers I have interacted with. There are lots of new sewers and there are lots of old sewers starting to sew again. Around Christmas, we had so many patterns sold for Christmas presents. For myself, due to the lockdown I couldn’t shop in stores for gifts. I had to buy it online or sew it and I think many people experienced the same thing. Every time my husband wears the gifts I made him, I feel really proud. I even bought some patterns for next Christmas. It’s possible the pandemic sewing effect will not go away when everything opens again.
This makes me extremely happy! Where I live, if more people sew it means we might get more selection in our stores….or even better, get some independent stores. Right now, if I want bra making supplies, swim wear lining, hat making supplies, fine wool or silk I have to order through Etsy or China. I don’t mind supporting Esty sellers but the shipping really adds to the costs of a project so I would prefer to shop locally.
So here’s to the positive effects of the pandemic! Cheers to all those new sewers and their seam rippers!
I was on a roll a couple of months ago finishing a project every week but life happened. I had 2 elderly pugs and they both passed away in the last couple months. I knew to expect it but even then, I was still utterly unprepared for the loss. I just feel like eating chocolate and watching bad netflix originals.
That being said, I did finish one project before I fell off the cliff. Butterick 6380, which is part of the Gertie designs. I love all of her patterns, I have most of them but I am missing a few. They discontinued them through Butterick but they recently re-released some on the Simplicity brand. I still want the pink fringe dress and the one shoulder gown. I was never able to get them in my size when they came on sale at Fabricland. I think I will treat myself on Etsy one of these days to complete my collection in the near future.
I love the sweetheart neckline and the a-line fit of this dress
I found a soft rayon print at Fabricland in the clearance section, I think it was just under $10 a meter. However, now they have it on clearance on the Fabricville site for around $5 a meter. If you like this print, it comes in black and white as well. It is soft and a bit like chiffon but it’s not completely sheer. I made this dress on the fly so I didn’t have yellow lining on hand. I used ivory and it peaks through a bit on the neckline. If you are making this dress, I would plan for a close match on the lining. It looks ok the way I did it but if you are a perfectionist, it will drive you nuts every time it flips to show. I am not completely loosy goosy nor am I perfectionist, so I am only slightly annoyed I made this error. I used a fine point needle on my sewing machine and did a lot of steam ironing to get all the seams to lie flat as the fabric was so delicate it had the potential to pull a bit.
No husband camera work here – he was volunteering that night so I toughed it out with my phone. Look below and you can see part of my massive shoe collection under the bed….almost every room in our house hides shoes for me.
The dress is very flattering to a more curvy figure so if you have curves – sew this dress, it will make look skinnier. I am not saying I am fat but I definitely ate a lot of chocolate and cake in my grief and ladies…this dress hides it well. A design element of this dress is the pull to the sides on the neckline, it looks nice but it made impossible for me to wear a bra with straps. I switched to a strapless and it was perfect. If you need to wear a bra with straps you may need to do some engineering with bra strap holders to keep them out of site.
A little closer view and in this one you can see that ivory lining peaking through on the left.
And a real close shot so you can see the cute pattern of the fabric and how soft and light it is.
This is exactly the dress I would wear to stroll through Paris in September. I am more likely to visit my husband’s family in Italy at that time of year but it’s likely going to be 40 celsius in September. I would roast in this polyester dress but no worries, I am slowly building my silk, cotton and linen dress wardrobes for when can freely travel again.
So now that I have done my show and tell and patted myself on the back…let’s talk about my grief and sewing. I love sewing but I feel so sad after losing my dogs that it’s been so hard to get to it. I have bought new patterns, fancy fabrics and looked at sewing instagram daily – so far I just feel ho hum about it.
I promised my niece I would sew her a shacket and that is what I have been forcing myself to do one seam at a time. I couldn’t find a pattern by the big 4 and I didn’t have any vintage ones that were quite right so I found a pdf one on etsy. I am always weary about pdf, I know everyone is doing them but I don’t like them as much as bought patterns from the big 4. It was awful! You can’t see the pattern until you pay for it and when I looked at the fundamentals, it was missing markings, missing instructions and overall the proportions weren’t right. Waste of money!
When I finally gave up on that pattern, the very next day I found a suitable 1990’s pattern from McCalls. It needs a bit of tweaking like the bottom needs to be reshaped and the pockets weren’t right but it’s pretty close. I won’t show the PDF one because I have pretty much told you it was crap – but I feel for the person who made it. It’s their livelihood and possibly they think that it is an acceptable pattern to sell on Etsy. Maybe someone else might not have issues with it but I am spoiled by professional patterns. Once I finish with this pattern I am going to list it because there just aren’t that many shacket patterns on etsy. I may save one poor soul from buying that other pdf pattern.
This is the vintage ‘shacket’ pattern I found. I had a shacket in the 90’s….it was my uncle’s old flannel farm jacket. He saw what we were wearing and handed over his old jackets so his daughter and I could be coolI modified the pockets to be more like the picture my niece sent me of the store bought version.
I used white corduroy because back in the 1990’s Pearl Jam came to play in Manitoba and while he was on stage Eddie’s jacket fell off the stage. It was ripped to pieces by the crowd and I remember a classmate showing me a piece of his jacket. It was worn brown corduroy. The jacket you see in the video Jeremy was a shacket of sorts and a very famous piece of 1990’s music history. I thought corduroy was a perfect fabric to create a homage to this very 90’s trend. Plus it was on sale at fabricland for $3 a meter…but I will tell my niece the first story when I give it to her.
It has taken me weeks to get to this point of the project. I have been trying to do one thing a day or week, depending on how I feel. I am working on the sleeves and I think I will have it finished this weekend. It’s almost summer weather so my niece won’t be wearing this corduroy shirt any time soon. She will probably never know how much I struggled to make this for her right now….but that’s ok, that’s what Aunts do.
I hope to finish it this weekend so I can do a fast project for me to try to jump start my sewing again. I am thinking of sewing the Gertie Patreon Skipper bodysuit or maybe the Jamonata Opian bathing suit? Or maybe since everything is closed and Covid cases are high – I might try to do both.
So I will just leave with this very happy memory of my dogs when we were all a lot younger. I miss them terribly.
Do you ever read a pattern that says easy and think this will be a walk in the park? Only to face a nightmare sew? I believe the pattern companies label the pattern’s difficulty by the number of pieces. It is true that with less pieces there is usually less work to do but sometimes, the design of one piece can cause hours of headache. Such is the case with Butterick 5708.
It is so tempting to buy this pattern, look at that full skirt! Multi Ties! It oozes 50’s class and sophistication. Sure it doesn’t have many pieces but they do have issues. Let’s start with the peaked waist, pivoting to make that lie flat is near impossible. It will look a bit off no matter how many times you seam rip and re-try – believe me, I tried. Then there are straps….you need a personal assistant to help you change them. It is mission impossible to tie them nicely while you are wearing the dress. My husband was not up to the task so mine will forever look imperfect when I wear this.
I will admit one error on my dress that was 100% my fault. As the pieces are all cut on the bias, my fabric wasn’t wide enough to cut double at once. I had to cut every piece on it’s own multiple times. I cut 3 of the back and only 1 of the front and didn’t have any spare fabric to recut the front. I used a soft pink linen to line the dress instead. I think it adds a bit of dimension to the straps because the linen shows so I am not too upset about it but I did take some time to swear a bit when I realized my mistake. I had tonnes of fabric but this pattern took so much, there was no room for error.
The straps are a bit crooked here because I had one arm up, it took a while to even get them tied( ps. this room is obviously the catch all for documents lol)This is the one shoulder lookHere I tried the over the back shoulder tie – oh look you get a peak at my paper filled office at the end of a long week of work.
I finished M7902 today and I think it’s really pretty. It has the same elasticized sleeve and button up front as the original Tudor pdf pattern blouse but that’s where the similarities end. It comes with a variety of feminine and statement sleeves that you can choose from. Isn’t it pretty? I made version B.
I wanted to compare the two because of the construction of the sleeves and I was right to focus on this feature. As much as they are similar with the elastic at the top of the sleeve, the construction on the Tudor blouse is alot smoother. Yep, I said it…the pdf is better for construction. It comes together so easily and the sleeve was really stable on the Tudor. As for the McCalls pattern, as per my usual comment about PDF vs. paper patterns, the design is much more complex. The little details really add to the femininity of the blouse. I really like the little skirt, looped buttons and the fact that the top is fully lined (Tudor has facings).
Now for the downside of the McCalls pattern….the sleeves do not stay up. I think the elastic measurement should have been tighter in the pattern. I added lingerie straps to mine so it attached to my bra or camisole to fix this problem. Problem number two was the closure, there is a bit of peak a boo in the front where the front comes together. If you look at the pattern image, this is how it is supposed to come together but I am a bit shy about showing my bra. Therefore I recommend a camisole underneath. Or you may want to put a placket on one side of the bodice so you can’t see behind the loops. One other thing which was an issue in my version was the self lined top with my printed fabric, my print showed through so I used silky ivory lining instead. Without further adieu…
Isn’t it pretty? Here it is in my sewing space These are vintage buttons from Eatons but you can also see the separation at the front bodice. I moved the buttons as much as I could after this picture without overlapping the bodice unevenly but it still needed something behindQuick snap of me wearing it in my home office…see I do get out of my sweat pants to work at home every once in a while
A final note on cost of project because you know I like to keep sewing costs down (yeesh expensive hobby!). For this pattern I spent $12 on the fabric, $5 on the pattern, 75 cents on the buttons and the lining and interfacing I already had from prior projects. Total cost under $20, not bad for an original top.
There you have it….Tudor wins but the trick in this review is I actually like the McCalls blouse better. If I were to sew it again, I would use some of the construction instructions in the Tudor and the elastic measurement from that pattern. I would also add a placket on one side of the bodice so I wouldn’t have to wear a camisole underneath. This is going to be a favourite blouse come summer.
On the weekend, I finished the dress I was sewing and it was early so I decided to sew something else. At my house…we are all about production! Or atleast until spring arrives and we can finally visit friends outside. In the meantime I am a one woman factory, almost 1/3 through my whole year list of projects. I may need to add some at this rate.
Here is my finished Camp Gertie Capelet outfit complete with an Adrienne Blouse and Donna Karan Vogue Skirt…also a cute mention to my shoes from Plato’s closet and tights all the way from my inlaws in Italy
Here is a peak at the fun lining, the skirt has this as well. I swear I smile sometimes…but today was a low smile day in the picsA closer look at the Adrienne Blouse, this one only takes an hour to make and I made it out of thrifted knit so it was cheap too!
As I had already finished my suit, I started a Laura Ashley Dress McCalls 7998.
You can see the German in me here….but here is a front view of the wrap dressFinally a smile and a show of the fabulous sleeve on this dress. I wasn’t sure I liked it but it looks nice in photos so I think it won me over
Finally, my last minute outfit is from Vogue V9363. I don’t normally like the end results of the very easy vogue because they take shortcuts but this one turned out to look like the picture. The top is perfect but the pants are a bit snug because they only came in large and extra large, not numbered sizes. The blend of 16/18 was a bit small for me but wearable. A bit less cookies and wine and they will be fine. I am not sure it photographs that well but I really like it. It feels very put together and classy.
I think the whole outfit is king of 50’s chic/orientalThis top is so light and pretty in person, I think the pictures don’t do it justice I had to get a shot of the shoes because they are so cool. $7 thrift store find but super comfy and so original.
So that’s all folks….I am working on a new McCalls spring blouse to compare with the Tudor Blouse, which hopefully I will finish this week. Then I am thinking to tackling a vintage style dress or long cape for spring. It’s supposed to be 10 degrees Celsius this week so I might even get to wear some of these new spring clothes.
February is turning out to be a productive month for sewing, who knew I had it in me?
I challenged myself to complete the Camp Gertie capelet from Patreon, then I used a vintage pattern from my pattern stock to create an architectural skirt to go with it and finally, I sewed 2 tops in one day. I noticed I need to make some room in my closet for all the new clothes I am creating. I love creating and I love shopping…it’s like sewing is filling both those passions because I have so many new clothes.
I don’t have my ‘professional’ pictures yet because my photographer aka husband has been too busy to take them but I will follow up with those later. First up, the capelet which was sewn from a pdf pattern with mostly descriptive instructions. There is a video for it but I am too lazy to watch videos so I just used the written instruction. It still needs a Camp Gertie badge but they are on back order. The pattern image was shown in soft pink suiting but I thought heavy suiting would be more suitable for our cold winters….the perfect thing to drape over your shoulders when the office is freezing cold…when/if we go back to the office.
It was my first time using heavy suiting, fancy lining and piping. I think it turned out really cute. Here it is with the skirt:
A bit of morning sun hitting it but it looks cute, right? So sorry for the blurry phone pics
I made the skirt from a vintage Donna Karan V1324 pattern that wasn’t really supposed to use heavy suiting….but with a few adjustments it was made with exactly that. It’s lined with the floral lining as well. I did have to take it in almost 4 inches because the sizing on the pattern had too much ease…but I got it done. I just deleted the back vent and swapped in a regular zipper. At one point I almost called in the tailor but my husband encouraged me to keep trying….and you know what? I got it done all on my own!
Vogue 1324 You see how she looks like she is about to jump? That’s how I felt taking in 3 – 4 inches on that skirt!
I am not the queen of phones selfies….but you can see the skirt is actually quite lovely.
And a quick peak of a selfie of the suit, better photos to follow once my badge is in
Finally, this Sunday I pulled off a miracle for me starting and finishing 2 projects in one day. I made the Adrienne Blouse in 2 knit fabrics, a cotton heavy knit and a light rayon knit. I really like them both and they were so fast! They look pretty professional with my own labels, don’t you think?
I love my labels! A great Etsy purchase for any sewer
I think this month really epitomizes the modern sewer in that I used 2 pdf patterns (blouse and capelet) which I saw on Instagram and one designer paper pattern. I like some pdf patterns but what I find, is most are very simple in design. The ideas are great but you don’t get the detail you get in a paper pattern like the Donna Karan Vogue I used. I can’t wait to make the top from that Vogue, it’s got the WOW! factor. It’s nice to be able to mix these fresh pdf patterns with more structured paper patterns to get a unique personal style. Today I am wearing the new pink top and my tailored pleated pants I sewed earlier and I feel fabulous working from home. A big step up from the sweat pants I wore all yesterday;)
When I saw this overalls pattern a few years ago I knew I wanted to have a pair of my own.
I have owned a lot of overalls from childhood to adulthood and never seem to tire of them. This pattern is really nice because they fit your body without being bulky or baggy. The one issue with the pattern is that I had never sewn pants. I was worried about fitting them to my body as I have a larger waist and lots of curves. I sewed a couple pairs of pants over the last few months and felt more comfortable with fitting pants to my body. I decided to put the overalls on my sew list when I saw a few copies of this pattern fly out of our pattern shop. Essentially, my customers really inspired me to push my sewing skills a little further.
I keep a book with my sew list details including fabric measurements so when I go to the store I can look for deals on what I may need in the future for my ‘wish list’ projects. I found some stretch twill on sale at Fabricland for $7 a meter but it only came in pink and blue. I decided to go full blown feminine and make Barbie overalls. Present day Barbie can do it all…even hammer her own nails in. I don’t have any pictures of construction because it all went as per the pattern. There are a lot of steps in the pattern but all are very well explained and illustrated. I would recommend sewing up a size if you aren’t using stretch fabric. I always sew with little ease in my patterns compared to my measurements because I like a close fit. However, if you want to move when you sew like me, you need a bit of stretch in the fabric with these pants. I also exchanged the regular zipper for an invisible zipper and used a hook rather than a button. I will warn you that there is a lot of top stitching and end stitching but it’s worth the work. I also added a Barbie crest which I bought on Etsy but if Barbie isn’t your thing there are so many types of crests you can buy to make your overalls special. Total cost including the pattern? It was about $30 CAD for everything. My last pair of Gap overalls was $100+….so these are a steal!
These overall mean business!A look at the back
I love the end result!!!!! I want to sell my pattern eventually but honestly, I am likely to sew them atleast one more time because they are so adorable.
When I tried to start a sewing meetup a few years ago, I got to learn a lot about what types of people are sewing, what their goals are, skill levels and what types of garments interest them. It was really eye opening…I thought everyone wanted to sew glamourous clothes they had no place to wear like me. However, I found that a lot of people wanted to sew simple, comfortable garments, for everyday wear. Loose fitting dresses, simple blouses and boxy cardigans. I also found out about a whole new world of pdf independent patterns. Something I had been largely ignorant of.
Do I like the new independent patterns? I think some of them are modern and fresh and I feel like they certainly do have a place in the market. A lot of the patterns I have seen are great for new sewers because they are simple and easy to sew. They are usually on trend as well. Another thing I like is they come with tutorials and you can usually find lost of examples on social media to inspire you.
What I don’t like and maybe this is just me….I think some of the designs are less complex than the patterns I buy from the big 4. There are less design features, little tucks or secret structure that make a garment really special. If you have read all of my blog posts, you will see my first swimsuit which was an independent pattern. I loved the look of the pattern but if I am being honest, I think most of the swimsuit patterns I have from the big 4 are designed better. I haven’t sewn every independent pattern out there so I know there are great ones but I still really like old fashioned patterns from the big 4.
I think it’s important to keep an eye on the competition so this week I sewed 2 Tudor Blouses from Stitch Witch Patterns. The first one I sewed was the classic version. I will fess up and tell you I had issues with my sewing machine for this one. It’s imperfect in a lot of ways but I will say it was easy to sew. I made it out of thrifted fabric and buttons. Please don’t look too close or you will see all the strange things I did on it. Lol.
The OK…don’t look too close version
The second version I made went a lot smoother as I had fixed my machine issues. The wrap version does end rather high up for my 44 year old super white body so it needs to be worn over a dress or with a high waisted garment. I used some thrifted fabric which I think may have been part of a curtain and in the back I used raw black silk as I didn’t have enough of the mystery curtain fabric.
Ahhhh…much betterWhen you run out your fabric….you have to get creative
Anyways, the blouse pattern from Switch Patterns is lovely. I would recommend it to anyone, especially new sewers. The one issue is the pdf format, it’s alot of paper, ink and puzzle making with tape. Now that I have it cut I can make it easily again but the time to put it together was really annoying – another reason to love old style paper patterns.
I noticed in my pattern stash I have a very similar pattern by McCalls and I look forward to making it and comparing my experience/results to this pattern. Unfortunately, I have some PJ’s and a men’s swimsuit to make first….but I promise to share my experience when I get there.
Style Sewciety 