The All Spice Dress from ~Paisley Roots~ Pattern Review

Up for review today is The All Spice Dress by Paisley Roots. I have to admit, when I find a pattern that works year round, it is one that I feel I HAVE to add to my collection! The All Spice Dress is truly a dress for all seasons. There are so many variations to this one pattern that it will look like a new dress each time you make it!

I chose to do the long sleeve button bodice as we are very quickly approaching cooler weather with chilly mornings and evenings....and let me tell you, I AM NOT complaining about that at all!!!!

For this one dress there are four different sleeve options which include flutter, sleeveless, cap sleeve, and long sleeve. In addition to the button bodice, there are also instructions for a zipper bodice. Can you see how many times you can make this dress and it look totally different? If you are looking for the biggest bang for your buck in one pattern this is definitely the one for you!

Ok, to get into the actual instructions. There is a table of contents which is very helpful since there are so many different combinations you can do with this one pattern. In addition, when you are working through the pattern you will be directed to which page to go to for which option you are working on. This is very helpful and time saving so you so not have to scan through every page to find how to construct the specific style of dress you are wanting to construct.

Size charts, yardage chart, cutting chart, notion chart and finished measurement charts are all included which I have found more and more designers adding to patterns which is a very nice bonus. All of the pages are numbered and there were not a TON of pages to print for the actual pattern...which I must add went together beautifully! 

I found the fit of the dress to be just a bit off. I made a size 12 for my little. It was the perfect length for her falling right where it should. The sleeve length seemed a bit too long which is an easy fix if you are sewing just for your little but if you are sewing to sell it might be a bit more tricky. I think adding a cute little cuff in coordinating fabric (if you are using two different prints) would be super cute and is what we will do next time I sew this dress up. I think that the shoulder part of the bodice fit beautifully. I did find that the rest of the bodice was a bit large but I think this is the style the designer was going for. I thought it was cute, the little, she didn't care for the roominess of it....but she can be a bit on the picky side!

For the most part the pattern was written well but I do feel that there could have been better detailed pictures throughout the instructions and a bit more detailed instructions. My opinion is when adding pictures use totally different fabrics for the lining and the main prints, it makes it SO much easier to differentiate between the two and causes a lot less confusion, especially for ones that are just beginning to sew or for those of us who have so much going on in their head and may be a wee bit on the sleep deprived side they need to see a clear difference between main prints and lining prints! 

I feel that this pattern level is very advanced beginner to more on the intermediate side. I can see where a beginner would get very frustrated with the lack of detail in some parts of this pattern since there are some more advanced techniques used. Plackets, button holes, and/or a zipper can be very scary for someone just starting out and that is why I would rate this pattern for someone who is very confident in their beginner skills.

Overall this was a good pattern. I do love the fact that there are so many options and you can make the dress over and over without it feeling like the same dress and the fact that it can be worn year round with a simple sleeve change is a wonderful....because that equals more bang for your buck!!!

Happy Saturday All 

~Rebecca~
xoxoxoxo

The Emory from ~Izzy and Ivy Designs~ Pattern Review

I had the pleasure of reviewing The Emory from Izzy and Ivy Designs. I was super excited about this one because up until this point I have never sewn anything from this particular designer. And we are over the moon for this dress!!!

Not only did I love this dress, my littlest little loved it....as we were walking down the street scouting out where to take pictures, we had several cars stop and tell her how cute she was and how much they loved her dress....this girl right here is THE BEST walking advertisement EVEH!!!! She rocks everything she wears and boy...the attitude on this girl is something else!!!!

One of the reasons I loved this pattern was because of the huge size range!!! It's not only great for those of us who sell what we make....but even for those mamas (and maybe there are a few daddy's out there too) that just sew for their littles..... a large size range means you get more for your money!!! The size range on this pattern is 2-14!!! Holy moley! She will be able to wear this pattern for a few more years!!! 

In addition to the vast size range, there are so many cute details you can add to this pattern! And who doesn't love these pockets!!! We sure did!!! Pockets are such a plus for us! This little always has something that needs to be put in a pocket...and instead of me walking around with that shiny rock, barbie shoe, half piece of gum, headband, or whatever else she needs to be held...she can stick it in her own pocket!!!

I added a touch of lace at the bottom to give this little dress a shabby chic look. The instructions tell you how to do it. You don't like lace? That's cool....you can add rick rack or basically anything else you would like to it to make it your own! You can also add lace or buttons or any other frilly add-ons to the bodice. I left this bodice plain but I think our next one will be over the top!!!

The back of the bodice has a two button closure. I'm really loving the buttons my little picked out...of course she takes after her mama and has great taste.....at least I think so (hee hee). The bodice has a great fit! This is probably one of the best bodices that I have sewn as far as coverage goes. The size leaves a bit of room in case you want to layer it like we did, but it also doesn't gap at the sides so there are no baby boobies sticking out. My little tends to be a bit on the modest side and is always concerned when her dresses or shirts gap. 

We love the cap style sleeves. This dress will also work for her at school in the warmer months. They are not allowed to have exposed shoulders so the fact that this dress (when worn with nothing underneath) covers their shoulders but still gives off that summer dress feel is a bonus! So versatile....this little number can literally be worn year round!

The instructions in this pattern are very well written and overall easy to follow. This is also a great pattern for the confident beginner on up to an experienced sewist!  I have to say that I have never created a bodice the way that the instructions called for this one to be made so it did take me a few minutes for the fog to clear from my mommy brain and after reading the instructions a few times it clicked. I do feel that the way the instructions called for this bodice to be made gave the garment a very professional and nicely finished end product.

Since the only pattern pieces for this pattern are for the bodice and pockets, there was very minimal cutting and taping! So yay for that! I mean I love to sew.....but who likes to cut and tape pattern pieces together!!! Not me...that's for sure!!! Throughout the instructions there are helpful pictures and tips to guide you to make what is sure to be one of your favorite dresses!!! There is also a size chart with measurements to make sure you get the best fit for your little and a fabric requirements chart so you know how much of that precious fabric you are going to need.

We love this dress! I am so glad that I had the opportunity to try out a new to me designer! Everything about the dress I created SCREAMS my daughter! It's fun and flirty and sassy. You can use lots of different prints for it or just one. Add little details to make it over the top or leave it plain! This dress really is a blank slate and you can really let your imagination flow! This is a great pattern and I hope that you will love it as much as my little and I!!! Even my biggest little asked if it came in her size....sadly she wears adult clothing now but if she likes it then IT IS a winner!!!

Happy Monday

xoxoxoxo

~Rebecca~

MIMI ~Pattern Review~

I'm just going to warn you up front....picture overload with the MIMI dress!!!!

My littles are turning into such great models! The way it's been working lately is the little that is in front of the camera is taking direction on how to pose, what facial expressions to use, and how much attitude to give from the little that is standing behind the camera with me!

Up for review tonight is the MIMI by Filles a Maman. I have never used a Filles a Maman pattern so I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm sure by now that just about everyone out there in the sewing world has used PDF patterns so we all know that every designer does things a little differently. Sometimes we find that we absolutely fall in love with a designer and other times we find that we didn't care for a particular pattern for whatever reason.

If you can't tell by the pictures my littlest little had a blast during our photo shoot and she loved the dress.....she now calls it her "softy dress" as the knit I used is so very soft and drapes so very well....and I found it on a clearance table at my local Hancocks! SCORE!!!!

The MIMI is a very versatile pattern that has options for short sleeve or long sleeve, collar or no collar and can be made as a shirt or a dress. Because the fabric I used was very light weight we opted for no collar and I also omitted the button closure at the neck. Although it was a very cute element, I kind of prefer it the way that I made it.

The pattern starts with lots of good information on what kind of fabrics are suitable for the dress, what notions you will need, a sizing chart and a chart with finished measurements, fabric requirements, and the coolest element is that you can actually print a specific size. The sizes are color coated if you print all of them but woo hoo for being able to print only the size that you need!!! YES PLEASE!!!!

We chose to make the size 12. My littlest is only 7 but what can I say, I breed the "extra large for their age" types of kids! Both of my girls are ginormous compared to other children their age....

Any how...I found the fit to be a bit slim. The length was right on, the neck and sleeves and every other part of the dress was perfect fit....I just found the width of the actual dress to be a bit slimmer than what I have found in other size 12's.

The pattern is well written and relatively easy to understand for someone who is not a beginner. I prefer pictures of the actual item being sewn throughout the pattern and although there were pictures throughout the pattern they were computer drawn pictures as opposed to the actual garment

Another detail I left off of the dress was the belt. Although it is super cute in pictures I found that it didn't stay in place very well as there were no added belt loops to hold the belt at the waist. Not to mention the fact that my littlest little did not care for the look of it....and don't you know she is the fashion expert.

Overall, this is a great pattern and has a lot of versatility to it as well as a great size range of 12 months to size 14...that's a huge bonus for this mama!!! The pattern is well written with lots of helpful information and charts throughout. The pattern states that it is for a confident beginner but in my opinion it would be more for an intermediate sewist as there are not a lot of extra details throughout the pattern to help the beginner along.

My little loves it so that's good enough for me! She loves anything soft and drapey (if that's even a word) and of course it has to be fashionable!!!

I will be making this again...next time I might try some thicker fabric, add long sleeves, and add that cute collar and button at the neck line!!!

Happy Hump Day from us to you!!!

XOXOXOXOXO

~Rebecca~

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 

The Classic Ruffle Dress/Shirt by Dandelions n Dungarees Pattern Review

I am back again with another blog review...can you believe it?!?!? Two weeks in a row....I think I'm on a roll!!! Life doesn't stop around here for a minute so we just have to keep on keeping up with it....as tiresome as I get, I love to be able to fit in pattern reviews...just love it!!!

This time, Adilyn (the LYN in Avalyn) got to be my subject....oh wait....I mean my oh so precious and often times over animated model!! tee hee

And for the second time in a row I was able to review a pattern for a designer that I have never previously had the pleasure to come across....word on the street is this is the first children's pattern for Dandelions n' Dungarees written by Elise.

When I spied my little blue eyes on pictures that were made from this pattern I about fell out of my chair! I mean seriously....I have been searching for MONTHS to find a pattern like this! THIS pattern is what I would have wanted to use to make my girlies their "first day of school" dresses. Around these parts kids are not allowed to go sleeveless and all I kept finding were sleeveless summery type dresses....this pattern embodies every.single.thing that I love in a little girls dress!!!

How crazy cute is this dress?!?!?! I mean someone pinch me and WAKE ME UP!!!

I have searched high and low and side to side for this dress...of course this is way cuter than what I was dreaming about!!! I mean seriously...check out the button down front and the ruffles that go all the way around the neck line....and the sleeves...the adorable poofy sleeves that just SCREAM I am little girl HEAR ME ROAR!!! Oh...and did I mention the bow...ruffles AND a bow...no way!!!

Enough gushing....getting on to the actual review!

I chose to do the dress length for the review...one.... because if you couldn't tell from my above ranting and raving above I have been searching for this pattern for months...and two....we just love dresses in our neck of the woods!!! But to have the option of making it a dress or a shirt is just a bonus for this pattern!!! 

The instructions have a sewing dictionary right off the bat which is nice for one who is not fluent in the proper terms of sewology. Often times I catch myself saying that thingy...or the watchamacallit....or that blasted piece of crap that I should have invested a few more dollars in to get a better quality one....I'm sure we all have our own terminology for sewing terms....please don't let me be the ONLY one that has pet names for her supplies and for techniques like gathering (which I will not post on the blog as I try to use my manners here).

The instructions are laid out very well and there is a size guide table which is always helpful when you are sewing for someone that does not live under your roof....or maybe they do live under your roof but you like to sew when that said someone is at school so you can not be interrupted a gazillion times!  

There is also a fabric and notions requirements table, cutting instructions for the rectangle pieces so that you don't have to waste that coveted and ever so expensive printer ink on printing rectangles, and get this....on the cutting instructions there are measurements for cutting the length for the skirt and the shirt option....we do not have to use our brains to subtract to figure out the difference if you are wanting to make the shirt and not the dress....I have no idea why it chaps my hide to have to subtract...I've been doing it for more years than I want to admit to....but bless this woman for adding this small detail!!!

There was very minimal printing for the bodice and sleeve pieces and the pieces went together very well....no  having to finagle and pray that you are doing it right!

The seam allowance is also included in this pattern! Yay...no guessing!!!! I love guessing when there is a prize at stake...but I despise guessing when you are talking about possibly ruining fabric that I have been hiding.....waiting to use it on THAT perfect dress!!!

And that bow...that super cute bow on the front of the dress....it comes off!!! It's attached with a snap!!! So after your precious wears the dress and maybe gets it a little dirty pop the bow off so you don't have to worry about trying to figure out how to get it all pretty and perfect when she wears it again!

There are so many good things about this pattern....I just love the style of this dress....have you picked up on that? I think not only do I love it because I have been looking for it forever...but because it is trendy...it is unique....it has so many sweet design elements and most of all is because it is girly...I want my baby to look like a baby as long as I can keep her that way....they grown up so fast...this dress is sophisticated in a way that she feels like a big girl but still looks like my baby girl....

Now....for the few minor hiccups with this pattern.....

The difficulty level of this pattern is listed as "early intermediate" but I would be more apt to say that it is a little more advanced than that. Not because there is anything that is super difficult....but because the instructions at certain points are a little on the vague side and I would love to see more pictures that are a little bigger and maybe better quality.

There are no page numbers at the bottom of the pages....I no longer worry too much about little hands mixing them up but I print remotely and so many times I walk into my studio and the floor is littered with literally hundreds of pages of different patterns.....page numbers are a blessing to me!! But again...it's not a deal breaker for this pattern!

I also love my pattern size cutting lines to be in color....it just is easier on the eyes...sometimes looking at all the different sized dots/dashes cutting lines makes my eyes cross and second guess myself....which is never good because then I end up second guessing myself the rest of the day...it's an endless cycle really!!!

This truly is an amazing pattern and the design of the dress is to die for!!! It's classic yet unique which makes it a winner in my book!!! I can't wait to see what else is going to be released for children over at Dandelions n' Dungarees...because I know I am going to HAVE TO HAVE IT!!!

Happy Hump Day from the three of us at Avalyn Apparel! I hope that yours was a little less hectic than ours was!!!

xoxoxoxo

~Rebecca~

The Breeann Top by Modkid Patterns Review

It's been a hot minute since I have been able to blog....life is finally (and I hope I am right when I say this) getting back on track, so hopefully blogging will become a more frequent occurrence at Avalyn Apparel!

So....since life is getting back on track I decided it was high time for me to get another pattern review under my belt! I love being able to review patterns....not only do I get to add a new pattern to the collection, I often times get the opportunity to delve into the unknown...to create from pattern designers that I have never used before....

This pattern review was a special treat for us here at Avalyn Apparel! This was our first time reviewing a pattern in tween sizes and to say it was a hit would be THE understatement of the year! My oldest, who is only 8 but wears a size 16 in girls because she is awesomely tall, fell in love with this design as soon as she laid eyes on it! Not only was I FINALLY going to make her something....it was something that she adored....she's actually wearing it to school tomorrow!!! (This makes my heart so happy!)

Before I get into the review I want to first say...please excuse our pictures....it was sweltering hot outside....we were melting the moment we stepped out....not only was it hot...we were targeted by a million mosquitoes...I swear we both had at least ten bites within the first few minutes....it's like every mosquito in a ten mile radius decided to have dinner on us...literally! What came to mind while shooting these pictures was that commercial where all of the mosquitoes form up into an arrow...ready...aim...fire....too bad we didn't have one of those super awesome repellent thingys hooked to us to repel those buggers away!!! Anyone else ready for fall???

Enough jibber jabber....on to the review!

This review is for the Breeann top from Modkid designed by Patty Young.  This pattern is for a hooded knit top that has a cute kangaroo pocket, a super cute hood, and two different sleeve options...(who doesn't love options)....we went for the more fitted sleeve look...the next one I make (and yes...I see MANY of these in the near future) will have the flutter sleeves! I think it will be PERFECT for cooler weather with a long sleeve shirt under it! Versatility is my middle name...ok...it isn't but it should have been! Anything to make life easier...right?!?!?!?

This pattern is for knits. Are you scared of sewing with knits? Don't worry, I think most people are when they first start venturing out of the norm of wovens but Patty makes it SO easy!!! Because of all of the added information that is included in this pattern it is suitable for a beginner! Anyone who knows how to use a sewing machine and knows the basic functions of it and can read will be able to complete this pattern with ease!

Patty includes many things that so many other patterns that call for knits do not include which leaves you running to your computer to google or you tube the many questions that can come up when sewing with knits! Patty includes a section titled "Things To Know Before Sewing With Knits" which is very helpful to for people who are not very knowledgeable when it comes to the different types of knits. There is also an entire page of the instructions that is dedicated to different types of hemming options for knits which is great for sewists that do not have a serger!

Things that I loved about this pattern....what didn't I love about it?!?!?! This pattern was by far the easiest to print and tape together that I have ever used! Everything lined up perfectly...there was no guessing or trimming or having to be McGyver and figure out how to get all the pieces to line up as they should!

I loved that the instructions were detailed and to the point. Sometimes instructions get so chatty that it makes trying to get through a pattern way more time consuming than it should be! I have had instructions before where I get to reading them and forget that I am sitting at my sewing machine to sew...seriously....as funny as some of the commentary can be....it is often distracting.

I love that the pages are numbered! As simple and maybe even as silly as that sounds, it is a blessing to see that little number at the bottom of the page....it's like a wave of relief rushes over me when I spy with my little eye that number!

I love and I mean I REALLY love that each pattern piece states the designer, how many to cut, the code for the size cutting guide, the seam allowance and the direction of the stretch (so important in knit patterns)!!!

I loved that Patty also included where to cut notches on the actual pattern pieces. It makes it SO easy to get everything lined up...takes the measuring or guess work out of getting everything lined up perfectly! I have used many different patterns from many different designers and very few include this on the pattern pieces! I don't know Patty, but I LOVE her for this!!!!

It was an added bonus that this pattern includes a size chart which not only includes US sizing but European sizing as well!!!

There is only one thing that I would recommend and that would be to color code those marvelous dotted size lines on the pattern pieces....I print all patterns in color and it is so much easier to follow a dotted line in a specific color as opposed to different sized dotted lines all in black. This one tiny minor detail will not in any way shape or form deter me from buying any Modkid patterns....after this one I am HOOKED!

So a little recap! Patty Young is amazing! 

This pattern is well written and designed!

It is a quick and easy sew for even the novice of sewists! This took me about an hour and a half start to finish....printing, cutting, taping, and constructing the actual top. Very easy to accomplish during nap time for those of you who are lucky enough to have little ones that nap or after they go to bed in the evening.

It is trendy and perfect for your tween....because anyone who has a tween knows how hard it is to find trendy things in a store....seriously....if I would have worn stuff they have in stores today when I was a tween my parents would have probably been arrested!

We here at Avalyn Apparel love this design and we are now super fans of Modkid! We plan on making many more of these...I am actually hoping to have it be my daughters first sewing product! How fun would it be for the first thing that she sews is something as awesome as this!!!

I hope that you have had a wonderful hump day!!! Be on the look out, I have another review coming up next week....all I can say is swoon!!!!

xoxoxo

~Rebecca~