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Pattern Review addition by Carol F

JeanEsther | Posted in Feedback on Threads on

I love your “This Season’s Patterns Offer Something for Everybody” by Carol Fresia on the home page. I vote for her doing this with every pattern review issue!!

Replies

  1. carolfresia | | #1

    Oh, I feel terrible because my name comes up on the homepage--I just wrote the intro copy. Barbara Emodi, one of our contributing editors, actually evaluated all the patterns and wrote the stuff that really matters, so she gets the credit. I liked it too, though, and was really pleased that I already had bought or was about to buy a couple of the patterns that she suggested specifically for my body type. In fact, I'm wearing Vogue 7799 (funnel-neck top) today and love it.

    Enjoy!

    carol

    1. JeanEsther | | #2

      I have Vogue 7799 on my patterns-to-buy list. I just saw it for the first time Friday--you're fast! I'm glad to hear you think it turned out well.

      Barbara did a great job. Some of her suggestions were were surprises. It's discouraging to spend time making something up and then find it's not flattering, so I hope she does many more articles like that.

      Thanks much!

      1. carolfresia | | #3

        I know, at first I was surprised by her guidelines, but when you stop to think about the basic principles, they make a lot of sense. I have narrow shoulders, and boy it can get tiresome trying to "correct" that by putting shoulder pads in everything. And in the long run, my smaller shoulders are really more proportional to the rest of my body than the "enhanced" versions. Barbara is all for having people understand and accept their body type and work with it--a nice change from the view that we should try to camouflage and hide what's not "perfect."

        Carol

        1. Beth | | #4

           I liked this article and found it useful. Usually this type of write-up leaves me trying to find where I fit in. In this article,  I recognized more than one characteristic of my own body. I am the stick type with square shoulders and a long skinny neck. I also agree with Barbara's underlying premise of accepting and working with what I have.

          1. carolfresia | | #5

            Me too. Now, sometimes I don't like the back view all that much, but I've learned to ignore that!

            What happened to me when I first started working with Barbara on the article was that I realized I gravitate toward big, volumious clothes, even though I'm more on the slight side (esp. the upper body). I look with longing at the flowing, soft, feminine styles, but now I see that they can both swamp me and actually make me look disproprotionately large where I'm not large, and even smaller where I am small (think: tiny head on top of a tent!). I don't follow every rule exactly, but I have started rethinking my choices, and sometimes changing my fabric plans to help certain patterns work better. E.g., I love that Koos jacket with the quilting and chenilled applique, but I'd be lost in it (well, I'd be lost trying to make it, for sure--it's quite a project). I'm now thinking of making it in a softer fabric, perhaps, or shortening the length, or using a sheer...

            Carol

          2. Jean | | #6

            Your head  on a tent comment really made me laugh! I've always liked my hair short for ease of care, DH likes it longer. I mentioned an acquaintence who is a large woman, but wears her hair very short.....before I even completed my sentence he interjected 'yes, and her head looks like a knot on the end of a  balloon!'

            Guess who is wearing shoulder length hair.

          3. rjf | | #9

            That is wickedly funny.  Tell him to imagine her in a Davy Crockett hat.  Any better?  rjf

          4. Jean | | #10

            LOL. Not too much.

  2. JulieP25 | | #7

    I too loved the article and hope there will be more to follow. I find it hard to choose patterns for me as well, so I can use all the help I can find.   Jules

    1. JeanEsther | | #8

      I read recently in Power Sewing a suggestion to do a mock-up of all patterns with inexpensive fabric of about the same weight--no details, just the basic pieces thrown together fast. I think I'm going to try that before the next time I do something with expensive fabric and a difficult pattern. But having some outside, knowledgeable reviews ahead of time can save a lot of time and $ and frustration.

      1. JulieP25 | | #11

        I agree. Having all of the help from good sources( Threads) and then sewing on a mock up.  Wow twice the clothes, maybe. My biggest problem would be having the time to sew the mock up. For really something special I will consider it. jules

        Edited 11/21/2003 6:59:01 PM ET by jules

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