$50 Pattern Binge (not incl. shipping & sundry other items)

I have a few Neue Mode patterns in stash, but have only tried one years ago in a semi-tailored jacket class I took (the jacket was a disaster on the inside, but I tried a lot of new techniques & I wore it to work with pride that season). I recently heard through the online grapevine that Neue Mode was going out of business, so I rushed on over to mynotions.com to see if there were any patterns I absolutely needed. Of course, I ran across the $1 pattern page and was in hog heaven!


I mostly picked up basics, but also got quite a handful that I thought had interesting details, reminded me of current trends, or just caught my eye!

Here's the breakdown of a few choice ones:

The shirtdress ....



and a good platform for working up the Safari look (view B1), both of which are tres chic right now.

I call these "Basics with a Twist." I think that dress (or some variation thereof) out of a nice wool or suiting-weight blend would be a great way to mix up the Fall/Winter wardrobe a bit. I don't know if the trousers would be right for my figure, but interesting look at the waist, I thought. And the skirt seems pretty versatile.

A few had interesting design/style lines:

I like the variation on the princess seams -- you get the long, slenderizing line, but a bit of interest at the waist/upper hip.

The overblouse/waistcoat got me on this one! Plus, lucky for me plenty of seams for achieving the perfect fit.

I also picked up a few men's patterns in anticipation of the day when DBF gets tired of being my measuring, pinning, fitting assistant and personal cheerleader and figures out that he could get something tangible out of my hobby, too!

From Japan with LUV!

Just after Easter I received some Japanese pattern books & mags. I LUV LUV LUV the Pattern Magic books and will have to find a way to incorporate some of the very innovative styling into my projects. The mags, entitled Female, feature styles that are a bit too jeune for a thirty-um-sumthin like me, but there were a few things that caught my eye:

I always like these high-neck designs, but, alas, I do not have the Victorian-esque swan-like neck required to really carry them off very well.
I think the print used for this one is outstanding. I also like the use of darts and tucks to really define the waist.

These two are a variation on a single theme. One in a great textural fabric for the office and the other lengthened and flared for a nice outerwear garment.

Finally, I was planning to make a nightgown out of cotton lawn using Simplicity 3799 in anticipation of the inevitable dog days of summer here in Texas. Then I saw this in the Winter 2008 issue of Female:
With this surprise design element at the back: So, after I finish my nightgown and if all goes well with the Simplicity pattern, I think I will use the pattern drafting instructions for the back of the model in Female and morph it to the Simplicity for a cute, breezy summer frock. I have some cotton gauze in a print and coordinating solid from Joann's that might be just the ticket. Here's the draft from Female:

Calling All Bandwagoners!

First this blog, now club BMV ... I hope it will save me some money, 'cause I'm not good at waiting for sales at Joann's. I tend to do the "instant gratification" thing and just buy the Vogue/Butterick/McCalls pattern I am coveting at the artificial everyday sale price of 50% off and leave it at that. Plus, I tend to pick up lots of other essential "stuff" when I stop in a Joann's without a shopping plan.