So there was a sew-a-long going on over at You and Mie and Elsie Marley. I'm not a huge sew-a-long person, but this one made me FINALLY break out a Japanese pattern book and make something.
Granted, I bought this book in English. I have a ton of Japanese pattern books, and have yet to make a thing from them. Mostly, it seemed like so much work - hunt out the pattern pieces, trace, add seam allowances, try to figure out the directions. Well, now, having made one pattern from a Japanese book (even if it was in English) did make me really want to actually use the books I already have.
The pattern they chose was the Pull Over Parka. I had seen this pattern made up tons of times in blog-land. I was always kind of wishy-washy about it. But, I really wanted to sew along, so I decided to make my kid one that's kind of beach inspired. One of the things that Julia and I really like to do together is go to the beach and walk, and collect shells. So, obviously, she needed a big pocket. That's the inspiration.
I used some Riley Blake fabric for the contrast, and whale embroidery. The main parka is made from white linen - yes, I'm a brave woman - white linen on a 4 year old...
So, my thoughts on the pattern - the neckline bugs me. It's too low. Other than that, there's things I really like - I like the bound neckline. I like the drawstring waist. This is a size 110 and it fits perfectly. I like the ability to make a sweatshirt-type garment from a woven.
All in all, I'm really happy I did this. There's other super-cute dress patterns in the book and now I won't be intimidated to try them at all! Thanks to Meg and Cherie for organizing the sew-a-long and giving me some inspiration!
Granted, I bought this book in English. I have a ton of Japanese pattern books, and have yet to make a thing from them. Mostly, it seemed like so much work - hunt out the pattern pieces, trace, add seam allowances, try to figure out the directions. Well, now, having made one pattern from a Japanese book (even if it was in English) did make me really want to actually use the books I already have.
The pattern they chose was the Pull Over Parka. I had seen this pattern made up tons of times in blog-land. I was always kind of wishy-washy about it. But, I really wanted to sew along, so I decided to make my kid one that's kind of beach inspired. One of the things that Julia and I really like to do together is go to the beach and walk, and collect shells. So, obviously, she needed a big pocket. That's the inspiration.
I used some Riley Blake fabric for the contrast, and whale embroidery. The main parka is made from white linen - yes, I'm a brave woman - white linen on a 4 year old...
All in all, I'm really happy I did this. There's other super-cute dress patterns in the book and now I won't be intimidated to try them at all! Thanks to Meg and Cherie for organizing the sew-a-long and giving me some inspiration!
