i am Artemis jacket pattern review

 I planned this quite awhile ago. It was something like, I saw the fabric in the shop (Draper's in Auckland), I knew that a large scale plaid would be a terrible pain in my arse, I still for some reason couldn't resist, and I thought of this pattern which I have considered for other difficult fabrics a few times.  It doesn't use too much yardage (though the width is important for the attached sleeve).  Also, it's unlined.  That has made it tempting for a number of challenging fabrics, but anyway I bought the plaid.  And it's a huge thick fluffy pile, which is annoying as it takes up a lot of my sewing fabric shelves.  That meant the project stayed near the top of the list.  I got a lot of sewing done this winter because we were moving and I wanted to clear out some projects!  

Many details: buying the pattern. Buying tracing paper for the pattern.  Tracing paper doesn't exist in New Zealand and sadly, the sewing tracing paper sold by Miss Maude is terrible - it's not actually transparent at all but I bought it together with the pattern.  I am patterns all need to be traced.  I made size 38 per the pattern chart.

 Once I committed, I really put pattern matching as the priority. Sewing this is extremely easy. Pattern matching, meh. Not so easy.  B for effort.

 

So it was done pretty quickly and here we are.

 

 

It's very soft and cozy. The pockets droop a bit more than I would like, and the sleeves are relatively narrow compared to the rest of the fit, though I think that's good as otherwise it would look sloppy.  I think the grown on sleeve is a bad fit for me due to the width of my back.  I need to size up but then it's not proportional.  There is overall nothing really wrong with this but honestly, this is one of those projects I make not because it will suit me at all, but because I am just sort of artistically curious how the fabric and pattern will go together.  There's no chance of me ever wearing this, even though it's cute and cozy.   

Though honestly I might come back to the pattern with a cozy and boring fabric and make a sweatshirty jacket thing.  That might be more my style.

i am Cassiopee dress in Orla Kiely stems

I'm in love with this fabric and for once found a great showcase for it.

The fabric is some Orla Kiely remnants, from the etsy shop Saved Fabrics, and the idea that I'm also saving this great fabric from the landfill is a nice perk.

The company i am patterns is new to me - I discovered them right before I left Arizona, and bought a bunch of their patterns to try.  I made the Cupidon (here) and found it to be very simple and consisent with what I expected.  They have a fun aesthetic and I'm excited to try more of their stuff too, eventually.  I really appreciate that they have English translations.

I cut a size 36.

I have a large length of stems and quite a bit of the yellow hatched fabric, which is slightly denser and with an almost water-resistant feel although I believe it's still 100% cotton.  For that reason I used it for the skirt, and also to keep the pattern less busy.

This was no. 1 of my dress project: goal is to find 2 dress patterns that I really like and want to keep mixing/matching/working on to finally attain a good fit. As you can imagine this pattern isn't in the running for that.  It is cute in this fabric but it's too simple to be really interesting and it's not a shape I'd like any more of.  However, it was so very fast to make and it's pretty foolproof for a variety of body shapes; as the pattern remarks you could also use any fabric - something thick and furry for winter might be nice, although I'd probably narrow the skirt so the gathers don't become overwhelming in a heavy fabric.

It's hard to have more to say.  I used french seams on the body, but didn't on the sleeves and I top stitched them down, and because of the gathers I didn't attempt french seams on the waist.  It was a super easy, fast sew and I know it's shapeless, but I think that the cool fabric makes up for that. Plus it's really nice for layering!

However I didn't shorten the skirt.  So if you are average height or above and you don't want a tunic dress, you might take that into consideration. I'm 5'4"!

I am Cupidon rayon top

Browsing Anna ka Bazaar I discovered a new pattern company and immediately snapped up a few patterns.  I decided to sew up this Cupidon nice and quick in some rayon jersey.

It became quickly apparent that the pattern is better suited to heavier knits.  This is a super fast sew, and reminds me of the Coppelia top by Papercut patterns, although it overlaps rather than having a tie.

I made a size 38 and I wouldn't necessarily go down, but in this loose rayon it really is big, and I could take some fabric off the sides and underarms.  I think this size works out in a bulkier fabric.  The bindings are very small and I had trouble getting them to lay flat - they are supposed to be a bit tight, but not really tight, as you don't want the bottom to pull inward, and so I had to press quite a bit for them to look as desired.  This is another issue that would be better in a more stable fabric.

This was a nice muslin attempt and I liked the instructions, which are cute and efficient.  They are available in English, which is a definite plus, and the seam allowances are included, although a bit funny: it says if you are using a serger, the allowances are added, and if you aren't using a serger, to add some specified amount and then use 3/8" SA.  But I think it said to add 1/2" and that the final SA is 3/8" so obviously confusing.

To get around all this I ignored it and just used a 2/8" SA on my sewing machine.

I don't adore the fit of this but my friend Dana, who's a totally different size and shape to me, ends up loving it.  I can see coming back to it with a heftier fabric though, and the other reviews are by people who did just that.