I think this is my new favourite dress. Continue reading
Tag: Pattern Review
Yoyo Dress
Tah-dah! My first yoyo dress is finished!And I’m sure it’ll be the first of many. Continue reading
Inari Tee Dress
This is the Inari Tee Dress by Named Clothing made in a scuba fabric from Remnant Kings.
A mash up for the races
A bit of a pattern hack/franken-dress this one. It’s made up of three patterns Continue reading
A Dress for a Wedding (no, not a wedding dress)
There are older makes I really ought to be be posting about first (such as the kimono that probably won’t make it on the blog til winter at this rate)… But I really love this dress and want to share this pattern! Continue reading
Sigma Dress
The Sigma Dress from Papercut Patterns – finished!
I’m a total convert to this New Zealand based pattern maker! The patterns have so far been so easy to follow and make beautiful dresses, plus they come in the most beautiful packaging. I mean they do take a couple of weeks to arrive and are at the top end of my budget, but still great as a wee treat.
The Sigma Dress was a Christmas present from my brother, so I thought it was about time I made it! I bought the fabric aaaages ago from Fabrix in Lancaster, my favourite fabric shop of all time. It’s quite thick with a one-way stretch and actually very similar to a lot of the prints on the High Street at the moment.
These are from River Island (and I’m still so tempted to buy both) and have a similar smudged pattern.
Here are my work in progress shots, as modelled by my mannequin below!
It’s not obvious from this photo but I went for the version with gathers either side of the waist, which I thought would be most flattering. I cut out the medium size without bothering to measure because I made the Clover dress in a medium, but this one was massive! I had to unpick the waist to take in the side seams and then still had loads of excess material at the back. I’ll definitely be measuring properly and cutting a smaller size next time! It’s also quite a short pattern, which was fine for this dress but worth noting for the future.
I was a bit stuck with this dress for a while though because I couldn’t decide on what to do for the sleeves. I think the versions with the long sleeves look great, but I wasn’t sure about it for this thick material. I like the short sleeves too, but there have been so many times I’ve added sleeves to dresses and then wished I hadn’t… but I went with the sod it, let’s do short sleeves attitude!
I’m really pleased with how this one turned out. Love this pattern and its definitely one I’ll be using again. Next time though I will measure up properly and cut out the size that will actually fit properly! And probably add a few inches to the length too; ah tall people issues.
Burda 6847
My first finished coat!
Made using Burda Young pattern 6847 and a gorgeous fluffy fabric with one-way stretch that I bought at the Knitting and Stitching Show.
I won’t lie, this coat is very similar to one I already own, bought from Primark at the start of the season… I just thought I could make a better version!
This is the first Burda pattern I’ve used and it was brilliantly straight forward. I went for view B but didn’t bother with the collar. There aren’t many pattern pieces and the jacket doesn’t require lining so I think this was a perfect choice for one of my first coats.
I think I started this jacket in December, but the reason it has taken me so long to finish was actually just the wait for the bronze coloured zip to arrive! I’m pleased with how this jacket turned out, although looking at the photos I think it is a little big so I might take all the seams in a bit. The problem is that although this is a beautiful, soft, fluffy fabric, it’s bloody hard to work with! The hems are nowhere near as neat as I’d like them to be because of that, but luckily you can’t really tell because it’s so fluffy (I hope).
Simplicity Lisette 1419
Isn’t this such a cute dress?!
I made it using Simplicity Lisette pattern 1419 and some blue polka-dot material a very kind friend bought me for my birthday.
I love the details of this dress – the pleats, Peter Pan collar and keyhole front.
It’s not a difficult pattern though, despite all those details. There’s a facing plus interfacing to create the keyhole front, and the instructions are really clear.
I used leftover polyester panama material for the collar but it was a bit heavy really and made it harder to achieve the really rounded shape. When I make this one again I’ll use a lighter material for the collar, and probably keep it sleeveless. I prefer the in-progress photos without sleeves and kind of wish I’d not bothered with them! What do you think?
New Look Pattern 9065
Another of my favourite patterns!
So here’s my pattern review for New Look 9065…
It’s brilliant, buy it!
I’ve made this dress three times now, twice in polyester panama and once in a viscose print. It’s so easy to make and the fit is so flattering. The darts at the bust and in the back create that shape, but neither are too tricky to do. There’s a zip down the back which you can either do as an invisible zip or just normal, which is what I went for.
The green and pale blue versions are both in polyester panama, which I think makes them fairly smart – I hope so anyway, I wear the green version all the time for work! I absolutely love the colour of the pastel blue dress, but unfortunately I think its quite a summery shade so I haven’t had a chance to wear it recently.
I think this viscose print version is my favourite though.
Great for a night out, but just stick tights, boots and a baggy cardigan on with it and it works as a daytime look too.
So as you may have gathered, I highly recommend this pattern! It’s versatile, works with different fabrics and always makes a really flattering dress.
I have heard others say the sizings are a bit big on it, but I think it depends what you’re after. I cut my normal size and it was perfect.
The SeamSmith 