Don't judge a pattern by its cover

I thought I'd try something different for this post -- I'm going to share one of my biggest sewing realisations with you! It may be staying the obvious, but it sure took me a while to get to such a conclusion, and I still do struggle with it on some level. 

So here it is --  over time, I realised that it is not the best idea selecting patterns by looking at the envelope. Indeed, the cover could be very misleading! Yes, I do try and check out PR for, well, pattern reviews, but this really only makes me steer away from bad patterns with lovely covers. On the other hand, potentially great pattens with bad photos/illustrations don't make way to my shortlist, and slip under the radar. 

Here are three patterns in this category that immediately came to mind:

I mean, McCalls's, seriously?! I would go as far as saying that the envelope is hideous! OK, view D isn't that bad, but the other views really aren't great, are they? If you manage to look past the terrible cover though, you will see a decent pattern, which could be turned into a wardrobe staple. If you need some more convincing, check out these beautiful versions - from four square walls, and yes i like that. 

The second one is Simplicity 2959 - yep, the one I used to make my wedding dress! But I couldn't bear looking at that pattern the whole time (10 months!) that I was making it! Yes, I did change it a fair bit, but let me tell you that every single version that I have seen made-up is much, much better than that terrible blue dress up there! I even feel a bit sorry for that poor model who, not only had to wear that dress, but smile for the photo. 

Then there's Simplicity 2444. I would like to thank the wonderful blogsphere for bringing this fantastic pattern to my attention! I have seen great versions here, here, here  and everywhere, and have made this pattern twice myself (see my cherry version here and fresh as a daisy version here). But judging by those two photos on the envelope - I would never have bought this pattern in a million years, despite my soft spot for Project Runway patterns. 

I must admit that I tend to "discover" these patterns by following lots of wonderful blogs (trusting that someone out there is much more able to look past the exterior), and looking on sites like Burdastyle and PR. But how about you? Do you know any ugly ducklings in the sewing patterns world that you would like to share with us? and how to you spot these hidden gems? 

Honeymoon round up - Part 3 - DIY wardrobe

Alight, thank you for indulging me with all the honeymoon posts and photos. I promise that this will be the last one, and will also actually contain something sewing-related... 

It's my DIY honeymoon wardrobe - in action photos! I was really pleased to have worn a number of my handmade items on this trip (though I brought a few more, like my daisy dress, for example). 

At the lu'au in my turquoise shift dress (Simplicty 2146) 

In my upcycled shirred dress

By the "dragon teeth" in my Little Lisette Traveler (I have only just realised that the spelling of "traveler" with just the one r on the pattern - how very ignorant of me to have completely looked past this and written an entire blog post spelling "traveller" a hundred times previously!) - it was rather windy!

In my pullover beach cover up top on the beach (Vogue 8278)

On the beach again in my heirloom top 

In San Fran, I also wore my very latest Sew for Victory top but I didn't get any snaps taken as 1) it was completely covered by my jacket and scarf 2) after all that travelling and lack of sleep, I was not feeling particularly photogenic. 

There is also of course the little romper (Mccalls 6331), which you will have seen already earlier this week. 

And finally, there was another beach cover up - a kaftan - let's save that for next time :) 

Fresh as a daisy

Dear readers, before we start the double bill this weekend, do you like the new look of my blog? It's coming up to a year now since the birth of this baby, so I thought it was time to give it a simpler and fresher look. 

Anyhow, I was too excited to have finished my second version of Simplicity 2444, and just couldn't wait to share it with you. 

I think I will gladly add this to my mini-moon wardrobe, and I just hope that the weather will be nice and hot in Paris!

I just love how summery it looks - the fabric was a polyester that I bought from my Prague trip. Now I don't usually go for manmade materials other than viscose, but I fell in love with this daisy print and gladly paid about £10 a metre for it. 

What's more, this dress gave me a chance to wear those yellow shoes that I've had for a while ;)

I made a few adjustments to the pattern based on my wearable toile: 

• I cut a size 4 this time, and graded to a 6 at the waistline (as the waist was tight enough last time!)
• I made a small bust adjustment ("SBA"), having finally come to terms with the fact that I do, in fact, need to do this for most patterns... I think usually commercial patterns "cater for" a B cup, with a number of exceptions (eg Colette patterns have a C cup). I followed the very helpful tutorial here, which oddly meant that I ended up with a bodice pattern with only one set of darts rather than 2! But it did fit me much better. 
• I omitted the centre front seam of the skirt, and cut it on fold instead. To ensure that the side seams still align, I took the seam allowances off at the sides and it worked fine. 
• I took 15cm off the skirt length this time, and was happy with the length. 
• I did the neckline facing, but unfortunately the fabric was rather sheer so it showed through! It bothered me no end so I unpicked it all... and finished the neckline with a self-fabric bias tape instead. 

          This is what it looked like with the facing... ewww 

              I used the tutorial here to finish the neckline. Here're a couple of in-progress photos:

 
And that's it, my second version of the great Simplicity 2444. I love this pattern, especially now I have managed to get it to fit. I can't wait to make it again! 

Pretty please with a cherry on top

My (dare I say, first) version of Simplicity 2444 is here! 

I made this as a wearable toile to try and get the best fit for this pattern, as I envisage using it to make a lot more dresses in the future. 


This is my second Project Runway pattern - as with 2282, I loved the versatility of this pattern and how creative it encourages you to be. I made the simple version with no frills (by which I mean sleeves or waist ties), and was happy with the result after all the alterations... 


I made it with contrasting fabric - the bodice with some medium weight white cotton with cherries (you may need to zoom in to see them) and the skirt is just red cotton. Can I reiterate how much I LOVE sewing with cotton? It's so well-behaved - easy to measure, to cut, to pin and to stitch... I could go on for days. 


Having read the pattern reviews about the sizing (that it runs a little bit small), I cut a 6 (usually I would cut a 4 with Simplicity) and I think it was the right decision. The skirt was the right size, but I had to make a small bust adjustment ("SBA") on the bodice. 


Instead of doing it on the pattern pieces, I played around with the already cut bodice pieces. Bearing in mind that this was supposed to be a toile, I felt brave enough to alter it. To reduce the excess horizontal ease, I lengthened two of the bodice darts to form princess seams that finished at the armholes. Then I had to deal with excess length in the centre of the bodice - the contrasting fabrics really aren't very forgiving! I took in the waist seams a number of times until the waistline was level. Phew. 


This was also the first time I made pockets :) I'm not sure whether I'll include them in my next version of this pattern but it was nice to be able to tick pockets off my "to-sew list". I'm feeling proud about the pockets...

My other thoughts on the pattern? I agree with a number of reviews that the centre front seam on the skirt is not necessary - actually the waist was just right with a size 6 (whereas usually I would cut a 4 on simplicity) and  for some reason the waist seam on the skirt turned out shorter than the bodice waist. I ended up enlarging the darts on the bodice to make the side seams line up so cutting the skirt front piece on the fold without adjusting for the seam allow may work out better. 


I did like the bodice darts - there are supposed to be 2 sets which is quite unusual, but of course I turned a set into seams for the SBA. I also liked the fullness - I don't usually wear very full skirts this was quite comfortable to wear, especially when I can put my hands in the pockets :)


Would I make this again? Of course! I think my wearable toile has taught me a couple of things about this pattern, and I'm envisaging my next version to have sleeves, with a SBA already done to the pattern (properly!) and without the centre front seam on the skirt. I think it would make a lovely summer dress. 


Finally, I would like to leave you with one thought -- I'm so determined! Just look at my stride... 

P.S. I was told to "walk elegantly" when that photo was taken. 

and P.P.S. All those pics were taken at our wedding reception venue - how lovely?!