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Pattern Name HotPatterns 1233 Classix Nouveau Swingy Knit Top & Tank Description from the HotPatterns website: “When is a T-shirt not a T-shirt? When it’s a chic knit top like the…
This Patterns & Blueprints item by HotPatterns has 113 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from United States. Listed on Feb 28, 2025
HP 1103 Vintage HotPatterns Artful Dodger Prudence Blouse
HP 1121 Riviera Cote D' Azur Knit Dress, Tunic & Top - HotPatterns ...
This Patterns & Blueprints item by HotPatterns has 177 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from United States. Listed on Feb 17, 2025
In a fairly quiet week of releases, the most notable pattern news to happen was that Butterick released its Fall 2015 collection. With the exception of New Look, all of the major fall releases are now out, although Simplicity usually does a follow-up batch in late summer with more of a focus on costumes for Halloween. (I can't imagine that they'll head into Halloween season without some sort of minion-related offering for those of us with kids.) We had new releases from the following companies this week: Butterick HotPatterns StyleArc Butterick: Fall 2015 Release Butterick is usually a bit of a hit-or-miss line with me. I feel like it's a line with a bit of an identity problem--you've got Vogue, which is the higher-end designer and more artsy line, then you've got McCall's which has your generally youthful, trendy, everyday basics. Butterick, on the other hand, seems to be this mishmash of retro designs and somewhat boring basics, often aimed at a more mature target audience than McCall's. The out-of-the-gate reaction to this year's fall collection from Butterick has been mostly lukewarm, but I actually liked a few patterns in this bunch. I didn't love this collection the same way that I loved McCall's fall collection, but there are definitely a few new Buttericks that I'll be looking for the next time that JoAnns has them on sale. Granted, I love zippers, and there's not one, but two, zippered jackets in this collection. BTW--If you've been into the trend of the past few seasons of tops and jackets with wrap or cross-over pieces, this is definitely a collection for you. Onto the patterns... Butterick 6244: Lisette Coat and Dress OMG, enough with the waterfall jackets and cardigans already! (The dress is fine, although it's not anything that we haven't seen before.) B6244: Lisette coat and dress Butterick 6260: Lisette Jacket and Skirt Here's a two-piece pattern where I actually really like both pieces. Multi-seamed skirts like this one are a curvy woman's friend, and I love both the neckline and zipper closure on the jacket. I don't love these paired together (especially styled the way that they are), but dressed down, I think that these are great individual pieces. B6260: Lisette jacket and skirt B6256: Misses' Jacket and Skirt Annnd here's another zippered jacket with some interesting neckline options and a nice, basic seamed skirt. B6256: Misses' jacket and skirt B6241: Misses' Dress Ugh. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I really like this. Maybe the CSC's recent guest post on lagenlook infiltrated my brain because this is usually one of those things where I go "okay on someone else, but not my style". Maybe it's because my inner lover of all things 90's likes the zip-up collar, which can be worn open? (I had a couple of tops like that back in the mid-90's.) It also looks like it would be so comfortable to pair with leggings, and it has those big, crazy pockets! I can understand many women not wanting to add bulk to their hips with those pockets, but I have the opposite figure issue and kind of wonder if those pockets would help balance my figure out. B6241: Misses' Dress HotPatterns: Updated Sunshine top (pre-order) At some point within the past year or so, Trudy discontinued HotPatterns ever-popular Weekender Sunshine top. I've made about a half-dozen of these over the years, and it was a nice TNT pattern for me. However, since discontinuing this pattern, it seems like any time there's a HotPatterns thread on PatternReview or a few new people join the HotPatterns Facebook group, there's one question that springs up: "How can I get a copy of the Sunshine top pattern?" Well, Trudy has just opened pre-orders on an updated version of the Sunshine top. This one has pleats instead of gathers, a hem band, and (finally) a long-sleeved option. If she gets enough pre-orders, the updated pattern will be available on September 1st. (Trudy occasionally offers preorders for a new pattern to gauge interest before going through all of the development work, printing, etc.) It's also on sale until July 30th: HotPatterns - (new) Sunshine Top StyleArc: Esme Designer Top For their "designer" release this month, StyleArc released the Esme top--a boxy top with a funnel neck designed for stable knits. StyleArc - Esme top I think that the sewn up samples (the floral is clearly a Scuba knit) are much more compelling than the line drawing: Esme samples This boxy style with a high collar is a no-go on my figure, but I actually really like the sewn up samples. That said, how long has it been since StyleArc has released a pattern with a reasonable amount of shaping? It's getting a little discouraging seeing month after month of boxy releases from a company whose aesthetic I was quite fond of. I'm guessing that these boxy styles must be selling well, otherwise they wouldn't keep releasing them. At least most of their older patterns that are on my "wish list" are now available as PDFs and are very reasonably priced when there's a sale (like right now). Final Thoughts This was a pretty low-key week in patterns. I do like a few of the new Buttericks, although most of the collection felt like things I'd seen before. On that note, I've recently acquired two new books with plus sized patterns that I'll be reviewing once I've had a chance to make something from them. I'm probably more excited about my picks from those books than from anything in this week's releases. Any must-haves in here for you this week?
