May 12, 2012

Hot Patterns are hot?



I've been trying hard to get some clothing sewn up since I outgrew most my wardrobe! UHG! Any way, in the process, I tried a free Hot Patterns, pattern from Fabric.com . A lot of people complain about them being hard to understand or do, same as they do about Burda. Well, so far I haven't had any problems with Burda, and didn't have a lick of problems with the Hot Pattern pattern either. *shrugs* I think some of it may be a cultural understanding block, since HP and Burda both have European designers, I don't know. So far though the haven't been that "hard" for me and I'm pretty novice! I really liked the shirt too! Now I see another one I want to try for free too. But, the site also had all the Hot Patterns that they sell on sale! So I ended up buying all of them I wanted since it was such a deep discount. And a little fabric to make some linen pants in too! I can't wait to try them. I'm going to muslin them in gauze first though before cutting into the linen.

Jan at Needle Nook offered a "kids" class for making shrugs from T-shirts, so I enrolled Casey. It only cost 5 dollars, a t-shirt, thread and spool of ribbon. Jan provided jewels for decorating them. They were super easy and super cute too! I can't believe how hard Jan worked for only 5 dollars a girl! I wish my mom's truck was working, I think Casey would really have fun in Jan's sewing day camp. I for sure will be enrolling Lela when she is old enough. Casey did much better then I thought she would, I was very proud of her, and Jan is so patient with the girls and such a good teacher. It's really nice, and fun. Then I enrolled myself for a bra class next month. I can't wait! I need bras badly! And I want something pretty for once! Nothing pretty comes in a I cup. *sigh*

 Tonight I'm taking Casey to a dinner that her little school club is having. Hoping that goes well.

2 comments:

L**, Bathtub Fabric Queen said...

I think part of the issue with Burda mag patterns and some HotPatterns is that they don't include inllustrations, and some people do need the visuals. I think some Burdas also have issues with translation. I've heard they start with the German and then translate to the various 2Ls. It might be better to have someone who is fluent in both languages AND is an excellent sewist write instructions from the start in the various languages.
If you read some of the HP reviews, one of the biggest concerns some people have is that they draft for a different body type. The bust is bigger and the base size is larger than that for the Big 4 or Jalies, etc. For some of the smaller reviewers on PR, they have too many alterations to get the fit they want. I have the opposite problem with Jalies, which are cut for a smaller body and use negative ease. I haven't liked a fit I've gotten from Jalies yet, but they are great patterns to learn with because they have great instructions.
That's another issue with HP, especially ones more than a year or so old. THey assume you know a fair amount about garment construction.

The scarf is flattering on you. Have you looked at HP's Tie Me Down knit top? I've had it for ages but haven't had a chance to make one up yet. There are many gorgeous versions of it at PR.

MagnoliaWhisper said...

Yes exactly about Burda and HP. I think it's a cultural different. European pattern makers usually assume you know how to sew pretty well in the patterns. That's why there is less instructions etc. For me it's been ok, some how it hasn't seemed to effect me. lol I don't know why...except I've grown up with people from Germany and from Europe in general and am kind of used to their culture a bit...not sure though.

As for HP yes that's why I wanted to start trying them for their larger cup size fitting. I'm a " I " cup. . . as in ABCDEFGH I JKL. So I always have to do a FBA with almost all patterns. I didn't have to do a FBA with that top. (of course it was in knit but still!).

And yes, exactly about the Tie Me Down top. I thought it was super cute, I bought it on sale the other day and just waiting for it to arrive in the mail now. I can't wait!