Pattern Review ~ Simplicity 3775

Simplicity 3775


I want to first say the center ruching isn't even in the photo. That was my fault and now it's starting to rain outside so I'm not going to go do another photo. IRL it looks perfect when adjusted, it's just my goof of not making sure I looked camera ready for the picture - oops!

Pattern Description: Knit dress with two bodice options and optional waist ruching.

Pattern Sizing: 4-20 ~ I made a size 8 in the bodice grading to a 12 in the hips

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, the instructions were very easy to follow along.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I have had this pattern in my stash since it was first released and have never sewn it up. I always liked the style so I thought I'd finally give it a whirl.

I don't necessary dislike the pattern, but I'm not sure I like it's the most flattering dress for my figure (see more below).

Fabric Used: poly/lycra knit from Fabric.com I purchased last fall

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I graded to a size 12 in the hips and waist of the pattern after doing some flat pattern measuring. I wanted to be safe and it turned out that I didn't really need to do that. I ended up taking the dress in a little bit in the center tummy panel, but went back out to the size 12 in the skirt. I also made a broad back adjustment and shaved a little bit of the lower part of the bodice to make a SBA. I found that I needed to shorten the neckbands in the front too and ended up taking 1" off both pieces to keep the top better snugged to my body.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I'm not sure if I'll sew this dress again. I don't know if it's the most flattering dress for my figure. After talking with my friend on the phone about it, I think the problem is that the tummy panel hits me in a bad spot. I feel like it makes me look thick through the waist. While I had it on, I pulled up the center section of the dress and liked how looked when when it was a bit higher, but then that made the skirt too short, so this dress will have to stay as is. I think that would be the key for me to really like this dress is to shorten that center section a bit.

Clearly this dress is a winner for a lot of people so I do say give it a try if you like the style, however it will depend on your body shape if it's figure flattering for you.

Conclusion: Easy dress to make and a very popular Simplicity pattern.

Pattern Review ~ Jalie 2806

Jalie 2806

Pattern Description: Banded scoopneck tops with ruching or gathered fold at center front. Optional wide hem band. Sleeveless or choice of tulip or three-quarter sleeves.

Pattern Sizing: The whole kit and kaboodle - toddler girls size 2 to ladies 22 ~ I made size R which is my usual size for Jalie tops.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Well it's no secret, I'm a huge Jalie fan. I personally find their instructions fabulous. They have great written instructions that get you a RTW look and they also include pictures to help guide you along. The only confusing part (potentially) is that the drawings show the right side is white and the wrong side is solid gray (opposite of how most other pattern companies do things). It's no biggie tho because each picture is clearly labeled, just remember to pay close attention when looking at the drawings.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? After seeing so many great reviews, I just had to order this pattern. I like both versions, but have only made the gathered foldover front version thus far. No dislikes at all.

Fabric Used: Red rayon/lycra jersey - I actually took apart this dress because I never wore it. I know the picture doesn't look bad, but I really hated how it fell on my upper thighs and didn't feel very attractive in it. Thankfully I had just enough fabric to get this top out of it, but I did have to reuse the sleeves from the dress. They actually fit the armhole without a hitch surprisingly.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: None

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Absolutely! I actually have sewn it three times already and realized I hadn't added a review. The first time I made three-quarter length sleeves and the second time I made the tulip sleeves. After wearing the tulip sleeves a few times, I ended up replacing them with a basic short sleeve. I felt they didn't look good on me, however it might have just been the fabric choice.

I'd definitely recommend this pattern. You can't go wrong with Jalie!

Conclusion: Another Jalie worth owning for sure!

Pattern Review ~ Jalie 2910

Jalie 2910


Pattern Description: Knit tops with a forward shoulder seam, banded surplice neckline, sleeveless or three-quarter sleeve, and optional mandarin collar.

Pattern Sizing: toddler size 2 through ladies size 22 ~ I made R (my usual size based on my measurements).

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, Jalie always has fabulous instructions that walk you through each step and give you a professional RTW finish. Both the wording and pictures are great and very thorough.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?I bought this pattern after trying on one of Emilie's tops at PRW in May (the green one on the Jean's pattern envelope) and loving the collar. I honestly didn't ever intend on buying this pattern because I like the original one (#2449), but I really loved the collar so I decided to give this one a whirl.

Fabric Used: poly/lycra knit from fabric.com (aged properly for 1 year! lol)

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I ended up shortening the neckband by 1" on both ends because the top was gaping terribly on me. This seemed to fix the problem and I'm sure it was my fabric. I made a top in similar fabric in the original and have the same problem and need to go back and fix it because I love the top so much. From experience, cotton/lycra knit doesn't behave this way. It seems to snap back more than poly/lycra or rayon/lycra knits (at least in my experience).

Also, I interfaced the collar, but only one piece. Next time I might do both with a lightweight fusible knit so it is crisp on both sides. This time I put the interfaced side towards my neck, but now that I have it done, I believe I should have put it facing outwards since this is the "public" side. Live and learn.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I am going to sew it again in a cotton/lycra and see how it behaves and fits. I'm not convinced I like this one better than the original for my figure. I like front band being applied as one long piece, love the collar option, love the forward shoulder, and even like the added length, but when I compare the two pattern pieces (front pieces and back pieces), I see the the front of the new pattern has a lot more fabric in the bust area than the old pattern. That could be why I love the old pattern so much is it just fit me well. I'm small in the bust so all the extra fabric just bags out and looks silly. I'm fine when I first put the top on and get it all adjusted, but as I go about my day, it shifts and gets all baggy across the midsection. The length between the two tops is the new one is approximately 2.5" longer (I added 1" in length to the original #2449 pattern).

I definitely recommend the pattern for ease of sewing, great features, and if you weren't too happy with the first version, this might be just the ticket for you.

Conclusion: An easy to sew pattern with nice options. Maybe more suited for someone who is blessed in the chest (something that genetically passed me by).

Pattern Review ~ Jalie 2804

Jalie 2804



Pattern Description: Empire crossover top with banded neckline and optional modesty panel. Option of side ruching and choice of cap, short, three-quarter, or long sleeve.

Pattern Sizing: toddler size 2 - ladies size 22 ~ I made a size R (this is my usual size based on my measurements)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, I know I always say this, but Jalie has fabulous instructions. Great wording and pictures to get you a professional RTW look.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love the empire styling. I have been fond of this top since it was released and make my first mock up back before PRW and had an awful time with the fit. It fit me like a sausage casing and my crappy fabric with not enough stretch didn't help at all. After comparing the pattern pieces of this top to the other two that came out at the same time (#2805 & #2806), I found this one was cut straighter with less curve through the waist and hip. Here is an overlay of 2804 and 2805. The larger one is 2805 (and 2806 is virtually the same). Since I made 2805 and liked the fit, I decided to modify this top to match the curves of that one. So I just used the back piece of 2805 and modified the front of this pattern to match the front shaping of 2805. From the picture I hope you can see what I added (sorry I have no clue how to add lines to a picture). It's not a lot of extra fabric, but give it more of a curve and I definitely have a defined waist and hips and need some curve in my pattern pieces in those areas.

I have no dislikes about this pattern now that I figured out what works best for me and modified it to fit. It goes together easily and is really a cute style.

Fabric Used: Poly/lycra knit from FabricMartFabrics.com (properly aged at least 1 year!).

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: Other than altering my pattern pieces as mentioned above, nothing.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, now that I have it altered for me, I will definitely sew it again. I'd like to try the modesty panel too, that is really cute.

Yes, I definitely recommend it, but if you have a curvier figure you might have to grade out in the hips and waist.

Conclusion: Cute top and I'm glad I stuck with it to get a top that fits me well. Also worth noting is that the sleeves in all the newer knit top patterns seen to be shaped the same so you can interchange them with one another. This pattern has a cap sleeve or short sleeve which are nice options for warmer weather.

Pattern Review ~ Butterick 5363

Butterick 5363 ~ View D

Pattern Description: Wardrobe pattern with jacket, tunic, dress, and pants. I made the sundress which has a drawstring umpire waist and racerback.

Pattern Sizing: 8-22, I made a size 8

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Cuter I think!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, the instructions were very easy.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Well I didn't even notice this pattern until I saw Adrienne's dress ~ here is her review. I loved it immediately and knew it would be a great dress to wear on those hot summer days. It's loose and cool, but really cute. I was right and so glad I grabbed this pattern when Buttericks were on sale.

Fabric Used: blue & white striped seersucker fabric - at least I think it's seersucker, it has the texture of seersucker. Whatever it is, it's cotton and I found it in my stash. I believe I bought it at Joann's. On a side note, one of my sons saw me wearing this dress and said "hey mom, I really like your new hickory dress". DH & I got a kick out of that, so now it's coined the hickory dress at my house since it looks like the same type of blue and white striped fabric (tho hickory shirts are not seersucker! lol). For those that don't live in logging country, this is a hickory shirt.

Also worth noting, the inside of the neck and armholes are finished with single fold bias tape for a nice clean finish. You can see that in my photo below.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I made no changes, just sewed it as it.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I actually already have another dress cute out in red embroidered linen. I'd definitely recommend it and thank Adrienne for bringing this one to my attention. I've been so happy to have it too because we've had a very hot summer in the Pacific NW so I've worn it a lot of times already (I actually made it two months ago and am just getting around to reviewing it, oops!).

Conclusion: Fabulous and easy summer dress that is comfy yet has some style. Fast to sew too, but is fashioned to wear a tank top underneath which is not one of the components in the pattern. My personal choice is Ottobre Woman 2-2008-1.

Other views~
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upclose of fabric and label

Pattern Review ~ Butterick 5283

Long sunny summer days have made me neglectful of my blog. I have sewn some and actually have been inspired to write a few reviews recently so the next few posts will be reviews of various garments.

This garment I'm not all that tickled with. I had higher hopes, but it didn't really end up being what I hoped. Please don't feel bad if you don't like it either, I think you'll be in good company and honestly such comments won't hurt my feelings (promise!).

Butterick 5283 - View C


Pattern Description: Close fitting pullover knit top with two different twist variations (one centered and one to the side) and sleeveless or long sleeved options.

Pattern Sizing: 6-22, I made size 8 which is my typical size for tops

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? I made view C of this top and found the instructions to be adequate until I got to step #5. In that step there is a drawing of the top from the inside and it says "Twist left front as shown. With right sides together, pin left front matching notches...". Well it does show what the top should look like from the inside after it's all stitched together, but I had a heck of a time figuring out how to get the top to look that way. Honestly I must be a complete dunce because it took me 20 minutes to figure out what the heck to do. This is my umpteenth twist top, so I should be able to figure out a twist top pretty easily. Such was not the case here and honestly I have no clue how I got it too look the way it did. It looks like the pattern envelope so apparently I figured it out. I honestly think this was pretty lame of Butterick to do. You could at least show step-by-step how to make the twist. Especially for someone with no experience, it's not very nice to leave them high and dry. Maybe it was just me tho and it's really not as hard as I made it out to be. The rest of the instructions were adequate for the top (at least for view C & D).

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Originally I really liked the variation of the side twist, that is the reason I purchased this pattern. My dislike is the rotten instructions for forming the twist.

Fabric Used: hot pinky/peachy rayon/lycra knit

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: None were made.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I'm not sure I'll sew this again. My hubby thought it was weird the twist wasn't centered. I really like the idea of the top, but I don't know that I really like it that well on. I'm still on the fence, but am not sure it's going to be a favorite go to top. I feel like when I look in the mirror it looks like I have only one boob! LOL

As for a recommendation, I guess I'd recommend it if it's the style you're after. The views of A & B look nice so maybe I'll try that one someday.

Conclusion: I'm just not sure how I feel about this top. If it's your style, go for it, but beware the directions for making the twist aren't good (IMO anyway).

Clutter

So I'm too lazy to go find my camera and upload a picture of my gigantic mess, but I want to know how you deal with clutter. I HATE clutter and I feel like I spend more time reorganizing my sewing room than I do actually sewing.

Quick frankly I'm feeling like I like the idea of "less is more". Clutter brings me down. I feel bad getting rid of stuff and think to myself "oh I should eBay some of this", but then that idea reminds me how labor intensive it is to do that. Pictures, listings, weighing for shipping, collecting money, going to the post office - that whole thing turns me off right now. I could just shove everything I don't want into a closet and deal with it later when the weather turns, but I'm sure that is the worst answer possible. I guess I need to have it in writing that it's okay to just get rid of stuff. One man's junk is another man's treasure, right? So I'm going to finish cleaning and then go through and see if anything is eBay worthy and the rest is going to the Senior Center where they can make quilts and other projects.

That is my vent for the day. So how do you deal with this? I feel so unproductive and I hate it. I'm sick of dealing with this. I like having a small stash of fabric, patterns, & notions, but they make more of all this every day. I feel like I'm hording and that makes me uneasy. I like the simple life I guess. Maybe I'll be brave and share pictures later, that is if I find my camera...

P.S. This all started because yesterday I realized my serger wasn't working properly. Upon closer inspection I see something is broken on the throat plate. Took it to the dealer and he said, "yep, you need a new throat plate, you must really use this machine a lot because I've only seen this one other time". Well duh, I bought it to use, not sit and collect dust. Thankfully the part is only about $30, but will not be in until next Thursday, hence the reason I'm cleaning and not sewing.

Birthday Cake

What's a birthday party without a fabulous cake? My good friend Mandi made a very similar cake (well almost identical - shameless copying here) for her son who just turned 5 in May. I knew my birthday boy would love it since he's a Cars fanatic, so big sister and I set off to recreate a masterpiece. Of course mom was right - yep, he adored it!





Sorry I haven't gotten much sewing done - forgive me, it's been birthday season among other things at our home. DH's birthday is Friday, but I think his mom is taking charge of the dessert - she mentioned Snicker's Cheesecake?!?!

5 years

That is how old my "baby" is today. How can 5 years have passed so quickly? We're having his party tomorrow complete with a super cool "Cars" cake that my daughter and I are making for him. I wanted to make him a special shirt to wear and this is what I came up with. I actually cheated and purchased a black shirt from Joann's last week with my 50% off coupon and then appliqued a "5" to the front in checkered flag fabric. He really likes it.

And those sweet feet that I still can't resist (yep I know they will turn into ugly big feet soon, but for now they are still pretty darn cute - at least I think).

On a sewing note, I did finish my Burda drawstring blouse several weeks ago, a dress for myself - I think the pattern was Butterick, and 6 pairs of pj's for my boys. It's been hard to get anything done now that the kids are finished with school. I'll work on posting pictures of those and reviews soon.

Happy Birthday Andy!

Goodies

It's *sew* fun getting goodies in the mail. I have gotten several things recently and wanted to share.


The top row of five fabrics is something I won in a giveaway from Yvonne at Color In Your Life (she owns a great online shop Bunte Fabrics that stocks lovely European and Japanese fabrics for children, Euro patterns, and lots more - plus she's in Washington State). I haven't ordered anything from her yet, but when the need arises, I will definitely buy from her. The fabrics she sent are gorgeous and while I'm not sure what I'm going to make with them yet, you can bet that it will be something adorable and probably for my second cousin's little sweetie who turns one next month.

Then I got a surprise package from an online friend who lives in Canada (hi Abi!). She sent me two magazines - a La Mia Boutique from Nov 2008 and then Patrones Ninos #277.

Lastly, I won Patrones Joven #279 that Marita of Paradise for Me was giving away in a drawing on her blog.

I've gotten to look at a few of the international magazines before, but to have some in my hands that are mine is soooo much fun! What eye candy. Yes the fact I can't read the directions is a bit scary, but it's not enough to sway me from trying. Thanks for the gifts ladies, know they will be loved and cherished by me. :-)

Then of course after getting my own personal Jalie fashion show and the ability to try on Emilie's clothing (thanks Emilie!!!), I had to buy three new Jalie patterns. Here is what I ordered:

I didn't try on the pants (#2909), but Emilie was wearing them and they are adorable! I think I will like them a lot, plus they are cut like the jeans which are amazing. I really liked the new crossover top too. I'm a fan of the old one, but the new one is a little longer and has a cute collar you can use. I was sold after I tried on Emilie's top (which is the green one shown on the pants pattern).

Disney with Yvonne (finally)

You know how it goes, you have the best of intentions, but life just gets in the way. Last week I decided to buck up and weed the flower beds. What I'm not telling you is that they were really "weed beds" and any sort of plant/shrub was sparse. So my little "weeding" extravaganza turned into a full fledged yard makeover that is still in progress. It has needed to be done for a long time - we moved into our home 8 years ago and my recommendation is put a landscape budget in if you're building a home. We didn't and here we are still working things out plus we still don't have a deck (hopefully this summer, but that is a whole different story that requires engineering and a whole lotta $$).

Anyway, finally here are a few pictures from our recent trip to California. My family had a wonderful time and the icing on the cake for me was finally getting to meet Yvonne. We've been emailing each other for about 3 years now and I knew we'd just get along wonderfully and enjoy each other's company. So our two days in Disneyland were spend with her and her fabulous hubby (whom my family also adored and my boys were constantly grabbing his hand and pulling him along in the direction they wanted to go). The only downfall was we only had two days to spend together. We were all sad when they had to leave for their flight back to Australia, but were so happy for the time we had together. Thank you Yvonne and Robert for sharing your vacation with us - we enjoyed your company more than you'll ever know!

Me & Yvonne

My Darling Hubby & me

Mickey and friends!

Sharing a drink

The entire family on the Pier in San Francisco

I wish I had a few more group pictures to share, but photographing four kids together and having them all looking at the camera is next to impossible.

I started a sewing project last Friday, but of course it was interrupted by *Project Landscape*, so the pattern is still laying on my cutting table. I was really inspired when I saw Christina's blouse at PR weekend. It's such a cute and unique blouse, so I decided that would be my next project. It's #106 from the 3/2009 issue.

During the Pati Palmer seminar at PR weekend, I was inspired to really try to address my fit issues when sewing. So for this top, I have graded down to a 34 (hello Burda, would you start making all things start at a 34 - it's just dumb that not everything starts that small). I had my hubby measure my back width and found my back is 14.25" wide so like Marta shared with me last fall, I need to do about a 1/2" broad back adjustment and that is true with Burda's size chart too. So I made a broad back adjustment and tried on my pattern. I found that I still needed to go out in the hips (I figured I would), so I graded out to a 36 in the hips and also implemented a forward shoulder adjustment. The pattern appears to be fitting well, so I'm going to cut it out in fabric and see where it gets me. Fingers crossed I'm happy with the result.

PRW Portland 2009

I think it's safe to say, fun was had by all! It was a whirlwind weekend that I wish wouldn't have flown by so fast. I got to reunite with some friends I'd met last year in LA and I got to make lots of new friends this year. It is always so fun to actually get to chat in person with people that dig sewing as much as you do. Well this weekend there were about 50 ladies that did just that and I sincerely hope that everyone who attended had as much fun as I did. If fun is measured by lack of sleep, than I definitely hit the mark (about 10 hours total is all I got!). I came home horse too, a sign that I talked WAY too much (I hope that doesn't deter anyone from coming near me again - it might be obvious I don't get out much! lol).

The weekend started out with a day long seminar by Pati Palmer in which the topics of sewing jackets and fit were covered. She is a very informative and fun speaker to listen to. She swears she's never worked a day in her life, that is how much she loves her *job* (it's not a job to her). That evening we all ate dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory - you could tell everyone was having a great time by the noise level in the room. After dinner we had a little contest with the ugly fabric we brought - everyone ended up being a winner, my prize was a book by Kenneth King.

On Saturday, the day started bright and early at 8am. We all boarded a big yellow school bus and traveled to Fabric Depot, downtown to Josephine's & the Button Emporium, and then finally to Mill End (my personal favorite in the tour). That evening we enjoyed a nice pizza dinner at the hotel and then showed off our favorite fabric purchase, mine was some Burberry coating I got at Mill End.

Then on Sunday, a small group met in the restaurant at the Monarch Hotel for a yummy brunch and one last gab session before we all parted ways.

Here are pictures I took (and a few I snagged from Flickr). I didn't really take that many, but so many cameras were flashing all the time that I figured the event was surely covered (you know the celebrity status we all have on PR is just like being in the limelight! LOL).

My roomies Cindy and Leslie

Me and Jacqui (we live only about 2.5 hours away - yay!)

Me & Deepika being "movie stars" at Fabric Depot

Jacqui & Deepika

Nancy, Me, & Cindy Lou

Jacqui & Emilie (from Jalie)

Cindy Lou, Nancy, Deepika, & Cidell

Leslie, Cindy Lou, & Cidell

Look, everyone is wearing a Jalie top!

Me & Emilie

The conference Friday during a break

Me & Jacqui

Cindy & Christina chatting it up

Cidell & Emilie

Brunch at the Monarch

Me & Deepika

Cindy shopping for patterns at Joann's

Me, Cindy Lou, Mary, Jacqui

Me & Mary Fran

Me, Cindy, & Laura (back)

Jacqui, Cindy Lou, Nancy, Leslie, & Jennifer (front)

Me with all my Jalie garments (it was part of a contest and I brought 17 items). My prize, $20 to spend at Jalie - yippee, thank you Emilie & Jalie!!!!!

I will add one more highlight for me of the trip. I really enjoyed meeting Emilie from Jalie. She is so darn sweet and absolutely adorable! It was so fun to talk with her about the company (her mom and aunt started the company in the early 80's, but now it's just her and her mom working together running the company). I've really come to adore Jalie patterns over the past few years. I've had great experience with the fit and the directions are wonderful - very RTW results in my opinion. And the coolest part was that she brought a whole bunch of Jalie garments and she let us try them on!!!! I was so excited! I got to try on the new jeans pattern and so much more. It was fun to see her enthusiasm about the company. My fingers are crossed that Fabric Depot will start carrying their patterns. But because I hate waiting for anything, I ordered a few I had to have now (all from the new collection - the jeans, pants, & crossover shirt).

Next year the weekend is in Philly - hopefully I can attend, these events are too much fun to miss! Thanks for making it such a great weekend ladies, I wish it happened more than just once per year.

Here are a few more pics I'd like to share. Below is a ham holder that my dear roomie Cindy bought for me. Thank you Cindy (tho you probably wanted to wack Leslie & me with it since we wanted to stay up so late! lol)!!! I know I will use it in good health and will always think of you when I use it. It's even made in the USA!!!

Here is my lovely Burberry fabric. I can thank Leslie for the inspiration because she brought along a gorgeous trench she made using the black fabric. She even let us all try it on. It was a gorgeous coat and totally worthy of the Burberry fabric.

3 yds each of both black & red Burberry (thanks to my sis too, she gave me a little $$ for babysitting my nephews so she bought most of it!)

Here is the rest of my loot ~ The Kenneth King book I won in the ugly fabric contest, then I purchased the jacket book and elastics, and the fabric.com box was a goodie we all got from fabric.com (we also got seam rippers from fabric.com too, but that didn't make it into the picture).

Sorry this was such a long post, but hopefully all the pictures make it worth the length it was. If you've never been to a PR Weekend, you must go if you have the opportunity. Everyone is so friendly and you're sure to have a good great time! Next up, Disneyland photos with the world famous, totally adorable and equally as sweet Yvonne!

Pattern Review ~ Jalie 2795

Oh my gosh, PRW Portland was soooo fun, I can't wait to share it with you. I need to finish getting my pictures uploaded and then onto the blog so hopefully tomorrow I'll have a post about that. For now, I'd like to share the Jalie hoodie I made myself for our Disneyland trip (which has been nearly a month ago).



Pattern Description: zip front jacket with or without a hood

Pattern Sizing: girls size 2 to ladies size 22 ~ I made my usual "R"

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, very much so.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes! Jalie always has such great instructions. I've never been stumped. They are short and direct and also they come with wonderful illustrations that go along with the instructions.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Well I more than like this garment, I LOVE this garment. This is my new favorite thing to wear! I'm always cold and my old hoodies from Old Navy were yucky so I gave to the kids to play outside in and decided to make myself a new one. I love the length on it too. My old hoodies were a bit on the short side (maybe they'd shrunk up after all these years). This hoodie has nice long sleeves and body - not overly long, but they provide great coverage.

Fabric Used: gray sweatshirt from JOS group (it's supposed to be from the Polo company)

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: None needed!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Oh my gosh, I'm totally sewing this again over and over. I know a girl probably only needs so many hoodies, but it's really quite chilly where I live for about 9 months of the year so having something nice to pop on around the house or for running out when it's not the middle of the winter is very much necessary. My sister was freaking out when she saw it and loves it too. Actually all my kids even thought it looked cool and my daughter made mention that she might like one (which is rare lately in the 'tween state she's in). I also got lots of great compliments at the Portland PR weekend - thanks ladies! :-)

I would totally recommend this pattern. It's really not hard. The hardest part for me was getting the zipper aligned properly. I used some Wonder Tape and had to realign the zipper a few times to get it to line up with the pocket stitching and the hem band. No biggie at all. Seriously, get this pattern if you like hoodies! :-)

Conclusion: If this is any testament, I wore it every day during our recent 10-day trip to California (even VonneVo thought it was pretty spiffy when we met up - miss you girl, wish you didn't live so far away!!!!).

Terribly Neglected

I know I have a few readers, so I want to apologize for my absence. I'm alive and well, but it's been two months since my last post - sorry!

To bring anyone who cares up to speed, the lovely cold I got for my birthday turned into an ear infection with a nearly ruptured ear drum. That took to the end of March for me to feel well again - what a drag. Then that followed with my children having spring break. Shortly after they went back to school, we decided on a whim to go to Disneyland so I could meet my friend Yvonne and her hubby. (For those of you that are on PR, that would be Vonnevo from Australia.) She was just as lovely as I knew she'd be and our families hit it off well. We got to spent two days together, but that time went by WAY too fast. My kids adored them and the boys were constantly grabbing her hubby's hand wanting to hold it throughout the park. They were sad when it was time for them to leave and fly home. I'll post pictures of the trip later because they are still on my camera. We were gone for 10 days and drove home going up the coast of California spending some time in San Francisco and Sacramento as well. We just got home last Sunday the 3rd so while doing truckloads of laundry, I feverishly worked on the biography book and weekend agenda for the Portland Pattern Review weekend that is this coming weekend. Oh and my nephews are coming early Wednesday as my sister has to be away from home for her business (so 2 full days/1 night). I am seriously strung out in too many different directions and honestly can't wait until Friday. I think once I'm out the door to the PR weekend all my worries will be flushed away and I will be able to relax. I just feel like my life has been non-stop for quite some time and I like more of a relaxed life than I've been having.

So that is my ramble. Hopefully I'll have some lovely sewn things to show off soon. I did make a great Jalie hoodie right before our Disneyland trip that I'm totally lovin' as well as a few other goodies for myself and the kids. Next week I'll also share my PR weekend fun and some pics from our Disneyland trip so you can all see the beautiful Yvonne.

I hope all you moms had a very Happy Mother's Day. I did and my youngest even remembered it was Mother's Day. I saw he was awake in his room and he looked up from his pillow at me and said "Happy Mother's Day Mommy". Talk about melt my heart that a 4.5 year old remembered it was Mother's Day - what a sweetie. I got lovely handmade gifts and cards the kids made at school, what could be better?

P.S. I can't forget we also celebrated two of my boys turning one year older too. This year's cakes weren't as exciting as last years, but they were just as yummy. Happy Birthday Jack & Will, how can you already be another year older???