Pattern Haul
So, let's be real for a moment. Like many people who sew, I don't actually need any more patterns. I easily have 30 dress patterns, 40 shirt patterns, half a dozen pants patterns (clearly not my favorite category!) and who knows how many skirt and jacket patterns. We won't even go into the Indy patterns I've been scooping up lately. But is that going to stop me from getting more? Absolutely not.
McCall's 8030 - The dolman sleeves on this shirt dress sold me. This style is laid back and a little more casual. While I love how view C is styled in the photo, that length always makes me feely dumpy. I need a maxi skirt or something knee length. In between isn't my best look. But view B will definitely work for me. I'm on the hunt for the right shirting fabric to make this up for summer.
McCalls's 8036 - I adore a feminine dress! The ruffles on view A are really calling me. While I gravitate towards floral fabrics, the ruffle on view A adds a lot of femininity to this look and I think it would look equally as lovely in a solid. I think this could make a really great Easter dress. I'd really like to make this up in a rayon crepe so that it has a little bit of body but still lots of drape.
McCall's 8041 - the shiny fabric used for the styling isn't my thing (yeah, you'd think someone who loves florals and ruffles would dig satiny fabric - but no!) but this would make a great basic white shirt for work. A lightweight cotton would make a great staple piece that would mix and match well with many of the items in my wardrobe.
McCall's 8047 - not at all work appropriate, but the romper and the strapless jumpsuit need to be additions to my wardrobe! I'd love to make the romper up before my vacation in April but I'm not sure there's time. Plus being designed for knit fabrics, it would travel well with minimal wrinkles. A definite plus.
So when I got my Joann's flyer in the mail and saw that McCall's and Kwik Sew were on sale through 3/3, I started combing their web site to determine what my needs were. Yes, needs. Really. Because while I may have enough patterns to realistically clothe myself for the rest of my life, fashion is always changing. And I love clothes!
McCall's 8030 - The dolman sleeves on this shirt dress sold me. This style is laid back and a little more casual. While I love how view C is styled in the photo, that length always makes me feely dumpy. I need a maxi skirt or something knee length. In between isn't my best look. But view B will definitely work for me. I'm on the hunt for the right shirting fabric to make this up for summer.
McCalls's 8036 - I adore a feminine dress! The ruffles on view A are really calling me. While I gravitate towards floral fabrics, the ruffle on view A adds a lot of femininity to this look and I think it would look equally as lovely in a solid. I think this could make a really great Easter dress. I'd really like to make this up in a rayon crepe so that it has a little bit of body but still lots of drape.
McCall's 8041 - the shiny fabric used for the styling isn't my thing (yeah, you'd think someone who loves florals and ruffles would dig satiny fabric - but no!) but this would make a great basic white shirt for work. A lightweight cotton would make a great staple piece that would mix and match well with many of the items in my wardrobe.
McCall's 8047 - not at all work appropriate, but the romper and the strapless jumpsuit need to be additions to my wardrobe! I'd love to make the romper up before my vacation in April but I'm not sure there's time. Plus being designed for knit fabrics, it would travel well with minimal wrinkles. A definite plus.
So let me take a moment in the middle of this post to rant for a moment. I used to LOVE Kwik Sew patterns. It wasn't that they were fashion forward, but they created great staple pieces. Many of my favorite patterns that are staples come from my collection of Kwik Sew patterns. But when the company was sold to McCall's/Butterick/Vogue, the quality declined. First, they went to white tissue paper patterns. I've read several articles that go into detail about why white tissue dulls scissors much faster. It's why most pattern companies use brown tissue paper instead. Second, and I may be one of the few, but I prefer to trace out my staple patterns! As I change sizes, when I want to make design changes, it's much easier to trace a new piece out. And while they should now be much easier to buy, since Joanne's started carrying them...I find the polar opposite to be true. I went in today with a list of four patterns I wanted. Not a single one was in the drawer. Even sadder, there is literally ONE drawer that contains what is available of their pattern catalog. So I sat on the floor today going through the entire drawer to see if there were any that I might want. I found...one. Yes, it's a good one, but it's so frustrating to not get ones I actually came for. I've got a list saved on my phone so when they go on sale online again, I can scoop them up.
Kwik Sew 3977 - At first glance, this is only OK (and what on earth is the patterned fabric choice they chose?!). But I was on Pinterest earlier this week and I came across this waterfall style cardigan:
And while this isn't an exact match, I'm not actually interested in creating a duplicate copy. In fact I can't on this one since the photo is from 2017. But I can recreate a similar look. With sewing, I can create unique pieces in the perfect size. My whole style board on Pinterest isn't about creating carbon copies, it's about translating things I see into things I love through sewing. So this KS jacket is a great way to translate this look into my style.
So that's my haul for this weekend. I still need to dive into making the pants for my Great Module Sewalong. And let's not talk about my topper that I'm not at all happy with . But I really need some casual clothes for my vacation in April...so I feel a sewing marathon is on the horizon!
Comments