The French Market Shorts Pattern for Women ~by Seamingly Smitten~ Pattern Review

I had a plan all laid out in my mind for this pattern review....it was going to be THE BEST pattern review that I had submitted to date.....I mean, hey....I have two whole weeks to get it done...the pattern looked easy...the fabric and notions were already in my studio....what could happen to get this chick side tracked from submitting the MOTHER of all pattern reviews.....

Well...what could happen...did happen!!! But that's life....and the girls and I have learned very well the last two years that we gotta roll with the punches....whatever life throws our way...we keep on trucking!!!

My original plan was to sew up a pair of these shorts for both myself AND my oldest daughter.....we were going to do a mommy daughter photo shoot with our hot little shorts....we were going to have a blast...

Then we found out that our local preforming arts center was holding auditions for Hansel and Gretel which was being put on by The Missoula Children's Theater and they both HAD to audition....and wouldn't ya know....they both got parts! I had one Walleybird, one New Camper, and a whirlwind week of back and forth to practice...late nights and early mornings....rehersing lines....costumes....dinner packing....school....homework....and the list goes on...but it was worth it to see my baby girls on the big stage! Their first play that they actually had to audition for....and they nailed it!

So...the French Market Shorts got put on the back burner for the first week...

Second week....that's plenty of time....sure...it's plenty of time unless you and every single person in your house hold is sick and you spend the week trying to get everyone well only to come down with the same crappy crap crap they had....oh well....I did find and awesome chicken noodle soup recipe that is THE BOMB...so something good came out of all this nasty sickness....yummo soup!!!

So now we are down to the wire....and if I am to be honest...I could have whipped up two pairs of these shorts in no time flat! This is a GREAT pattern....fast and great for a beginner sewist but fun for experienced sewists as well!!!

But since I am still recovering from this nastiness that seems to be going around....my eyes are puffy...my nose and upper lip are so red there isn't enough concealer to cover it up....my skin is dry and flakey....and lets face it....I am not a professional photographer nor am I a master of editing so this sick mamma stayed behind the camera and I let my kiddo strut her stuff....and boy did she love love love these shorts!!!

I know you are probably thinking...."shorts....it's too late in the season for shorts"....but it's not!!!! It's NEVER to late for shorts!!! Now I have to admit....with the heat index, it was well over 100 degrees last night when I took these pictures....and the mosquitos were ruthless...and the sweat was dripping....but we got it done...we were able to pull off a fun fall trend in the over 100 degree heat!!! Of course there was plenty of whining.....a few tears....and maybe I made a few promises of a $1.99 happy meal from McDonalds....but we got it done!!!

How cute would these be in a light weight wool with tights and a sweater and BOOTS!!!! We love love love boots!!!!

This pattern is expertly written! It was so easy to follow with enough detail for beginners but not so much detail that someone who's been sewing for any length of time gets annoyed by it! (hee hee hee)

The pages were numbered.....the pattern was color coordinated by size which for me it a HUGE bonus....for some reason my brain does not like to process black dots of different sizes so I really love the color!!! Of course this is always a personal preference!

The size range is GREAT! XS to XXXL so you really get your bang for your buck! My 9 year old is TALL...with a booty (that's an attribute that I passed along to her...we do have some junk in our trunks!)....so she is wearing womens' clothing...and I love this pattern not only for the sizing but for the fact that there are 3 different inseams (4 inches, 6 inches, and 8 inches) and hem lengths for petite, tall, and regular! You can really custom fit these shorts. I get to have short shorts and I can use the same pattern for miss fancy pants for school shorts! Woo hoo!!! (doesn't she look like she is about to murder me in this picture?!?!?!)

I also have to admit....now this is a shocker....this is my very first adult pattern! And now I'm hooked on making stuff for my oldest and myself....I really am still going to make a pair of these for me so her and I can still do our photo shoot together! 

The fit on there are spot on! The instructions include a table with measurements for the different sizes as well as a chart for the approximate yardage that you will need!

There is really nothing bad I can say about this pattern! I see lots of these French Market shorts in our future...for the little and for me!!!

Well written pattern, plenty of detail, great fit, easy and fast sew (I seriously finished these in just a little over an hour from printing the pattern to hemming them up and I was hopped up on some cold meds to boot!) and these can seriously be worn close to year round!!! This is going to be a staple to your wardrobe!!! 

Now go out and get this pattern and do a little self sewing...of course if your house is like my house you might have to make more than one pair for the other divas in your household!!! 

We love our French Market Shorts!!!

XOXOXOX

Rebecca

Sunny Dress & Top by sewVery Pattern Review

It has been almost an entire year since I have blogged....which means it has been almost an entire year since I have participated in a pattern review....why oh why for the love of everything precious can I not get it together....I used to pride myself in being "THAT" girl...the one who could juggle the entire world with her eyes closed and one hand behind her back.....but then life happens....it gets messy....and it has been very messy for...well.....about a year now....but things are looking up.....and i have committed myself to blog more often.....WAY more often...life is flying by me and I am not documenting a single thing.....and it makes me sad.....so today it starts....today I get back to blogging and today I make a commitment to myself to jump back in to doing pattern reviews because...well, let's face it....I LOVE IT!!!!

And for my first blog post in almost a year...not only am I blogging....(gasp...I know!!!!)....but I've got a fun little pattern review for you! Woo Hoo!!!!

The Pattern that is up for review is the sunny Dress & Top by sewVery and from the pictures that I will share with you, you will see that my little spawn loved loved loved it!!! Now, this said "spawn" is really coming into her own so she was very particular when it came to the fabrics and the options for this sweet little number. Oh yes....I said optionS!!!! One of the great things about this pattern is that it can be made in a shirt or dress length AND it can be made with a ruffle neck OR with no ruffle at the neck.

Although I found the ruffle at the neckline to be sweet, the "spawn" did not...so since it was her dress and she felt the need to pick the options we opted for no neck ruffle....we also went with the top length because "I like to play on the playground at recess and if you make the dress then I will not be able to wear it to school because if I wear it to school I can not, just CAN NOT play on the playground at recess and do the fun stuff on the playground at recess because then all the other kids might see my panties and I DO NOT want them to see my panties...." she went on a little longer but you get the point....no dresses because she won't get to do the "fun stuff" at the playground in fear of people seeing her panties.....

If you are looking for something that is a pretty quick sew (from start to finish) and is great for layering this is a great pattern. My littles are not allowed to wear anything sleeveless to school so this is perfect for them. Imagine it in corduroy with tights, a long sleeve shirt underneath and some boots....perfect fall and winter outfit! And this pattern comes in sizes 2T through 12 so you are for sure going to get lots of use out of this one!

The back of this dress has criss cross straps that are threaded through loops and are tied in a sweet little bow. This is great for a "grow with me" type of fit. The elastic in the back of the dress is also ensures for it to fit for longer than a typical fitted style of dress. 

The Sunny Dress & Top is a very well written pattern with the beginner in mind. The instructions are very easy to follow with lots of pictures throughout the pattern to aid with the written instructions. The pattern includes size charts and fabric requirements as well as only 8 pages for the actual pattern to tape together...huge paper and time saver right there folks!!! And if you are making a smaller size or the top length you will not even need all 8 of the pages used for the pattern. Now I am a stickler for using different colors for the different sizes on the actual pattern, this pattern however used different lines and dots for the sizes but were all in the same color. I think it might just be a personal preference, but I truly prefer different colors for the different sizes. 

Overall, this is a wonderfully written simple pattern perfect for the beginner, but also great for experienced sewists that are looking for a fast and easy sew! The fact that this is a garment that can be worn year round is a bonus! Another bonus is that it has a HUGE range of sizes....2T through size 12. The fit seems to run a tad small, it's a little more slim fitting than other patterns that I have used, tested or reviewed. I also think that it is a little plain which is great for very busy prints but I would love to have the designer add more options like a ruffle down the front or maybe pockets on the front or on the side of the top/dress where you can use coordinating fabrics. I could have easily added those details to this dress, but for the beginner in mind I think the added "extras" with measurements and placements would be a great addition to this pattern. 

So there you have it folks! A new blog post AND a pattern review! A great simple dress and top perfect for your little! And easy pattern to follow and a fast sew! I sewed this up in a total of about 2.5 hours. That's from the time I printed the pattern until the time the dress was ready to go on the spawn! I think you will find this to be one of your go to staples in your pattern collection!

Happy Monday and welcome back Me to the world of pattern reviewing and blogging!!!

xoxoxoxo

Rebecca