New McCalls Patterns

Although I can’t exactly say that I never met a pattern I didn’t like, because there are tons of bad patterns out there.  I also cannot say that I am not easily seduced by the promise of new patterns.  I have an extensive pattern collection, far more extensive than either my fabric or yarn collection, and I am completely unrepentant about it.  Well, except for occasional periods where I fret about storing the ever-growing collection and keeping it well enough organized that I can actually find things.

And I don’t necessarily wait for pattern sales. There are several reasons for this.

*    There is no Hancock Fabrics near me.
*     My local JoAnn puts the patterns out weeks after they  arrive and there is nothing more frustrating than driving 40 minutes to buy a pattern that isn’t there..
*     My collection is large enough that I don’t necessarily remember what I have and by shopping online I can compare line drawings to my own personal pattern catalog and make a much more informed decision.  This doesn’t keep me from buying very similar patterns for subtle changes or differences, or sometimes just buying them for comparison purposes.  Nor does it keep me from buying a pattern I will probably never sew if I am intrigued enough by the design details or potential.

By the time I have gotten online, looked at my own catalog and decided to buy a pattern it makes no sense to get in the car and drive to buy the pattern when I can just click a button and have the pattern find its way to me.

I do realize that this is probably the lazy way out.  But it works for me.

Therefore it should come as no surprise that I went shopping on the McCall’s Pattern website last week.  My purchases arrived today.

This isn’t really that complicated of a dress and I have several basic patterns in similar shapes, but this particular pattern is being added to the collection because of the neckline pleats.  Of course, I could do my own, but I probably won’t.  And although I may end up working on these pleats and moving them around to fit me,  I would rather see how someone else does it and work from there rather than draft my own.

I don’t yet know if I will make this as is, or use it as a jumping-off point for several other ideas that are mulling around in my brain.

I really like this look:  the strapless jumper with a blouse, and although I have tons of patterns I don’t have anything like this.  Strapless was not my thing during my "dartless" years.  I had trouble keeping everything in place.

I am intrigued by how one can wear this look without the blouse pulling out and bunching up under the arms, or the dress slipping around.  But I saw a lot of this look last fall and into this year, both as a jumper and a dress with a jumper look so I am willing to dream about it, or at least save the pattern as a testament to the styles of the times.  And I am actually intrigued enough I might give it a try.  I am convinced that I could be far more successful now than I was in my younger days despite the lack of a youthful figure.

I have always been a sucker for a great blouse.

And there are two great, trendy jackets I picked up as well.

These jackets are both "of the moment"  and they both have that gathered lower sleeve feature which I have seen in some things for this coming fall as well.  I think they are still quite wearable, and they also have good "bones" .  They are quite modern, but they also have a classic, ladylike appeal that is almost vintage in its inspiration. I think they have a timeless potential, or more exactly, they either fit one’s style or they don’t but neither one is boring and they could be more or less trendy, depending on the fabric and construction used.