Yes, I hate myself a little bit for that post title. Forgive me. Quick, let me distract you with a REVEAL!
Hmm, what first drew me to McCall’s 6566? I love easy-to-sew-and-wear knits, yes, but I don’t buy *all* of the patterns that fit that description.
When I started Butterick 5356 for the second time, I was not in the mood to use woven fabric, even for the yoke. But I did, in the name of science… with a knit, I would not have been able to tell as easily if the changes I made were right. This one is indeed a much better fit, and it’s perfectly comfortable because of that. I’ll explain what I did.
In case you missed my last post, I made a straight XXL (24-26) the first time I made this pattern (although my usual size is a 22 with alterations), and I regretted it. Continue reading
I should have known that I was heading into tricky waters due to the mixed reviews for Butterick 5356 on PatternReview.com. I have learned many a trick, tip, and pattern error/correction from the reviews there, but I try not to assume that others’ experiences — good or bad — will be mine. And although I have a finished object here, my jury is still out on the pattern.
My troubles started even before opening the envelope. I loooove to combine prints — it’s one of my favorite creative elements, and one that I frequently use with non-apparel projects. This pattern presents an opportunity to bring that technique to a garment, but I found it very difficult. Here’s why: Continue reading
Here’s the thing. I seem to be missing the knack for realizing when a fabric is going to end up looking like pajamas. This is not the first time it has happened to me… in fact, I can immediately think of two others. We all know that I like prints, and there seems to be a combination of print/color/someothercharacteristic which = PJs. And it’s only happened to me with knit fabrics so far. I know, most knit garments are a skosh away from sleepwear anyway, blah blah blah. Most of mine don’t look this much like it.
Anyway, although I’ve seen animal print trends come and go several times in my life, they’ve never appealed to me. But in the last year or so, I’ve collected several in my stash. I’ve realized that I like loosely interpreted animal prints. I can handle the design itself, but I need some color. The fact that these colors haven’t appeared on any zebra at any time in history is immaterial (har-har). Continue reading