Manequim May 2011

I must admit, I’m feeling a bit of pattern magazine fatigue at the moment, but I’m only halfway through my pile, with a bunch more Brazilian ones to go. Having a glut of patterns come in all at once means I’m feeling like I want to sew loads of things all at once, which is great for inspiration, but not necessarily production when you’ve got a full time job!

Good luck, then, that the latest issue of Manequim is a really good one! It’s not just me, either, as Arielle and Jacquie have both been raving about this issue, too!

This white sheath dress is such a simple idea, but one that results in a very elegant shape. I know it’s winter in Brazil, but this is a totally beautiful summer dress. And as my friend Holly pointed out, this neckline shape is great for broad shoulders!

This red dress has a pretty basic princes-line bodice, but it’s paired with a great cross-pleated skirt.

I must admit, I’m feeling a bit of pattern magazine fatigue at the moment, but I’m only halfway through my pile, with a bunch more Brazilian ones to go. Having a glut of patterns come in all at once means I’m feeling like I want to sew loads of things all at once, which is great for inspiration, but not necessarily production when you’ve got a full time job!

Good luck, then, that the latest issue of Manequim is a really good one! It’s not just me, either, as Arielle and Jacquie have both been raving about this issue, too!

This white sheath dress is such a simple idea, but one that results in a very elegant shape. I know it’s winter in Brazil, but this is a totally beautiful summer dress. And as my friend Holly pointed out, this neckline shape is great for broad shoulders!

This red dress has a pretty basic princes-line bodice, but it’s paired with a great cross-pleated skirt.

While I don’t normally wear many jackets, I like this cute jacket with its voluminous, cropped sleeves. Though perhaps the sequin fabric is a bit OTT!

In the “designer inspired” feature we get some clothes in the style of Isabel Marant… like this red teeshirt, which is a great, casual shape but WHAT THE CRAP I’VE SEEN THIS EXACT PATTERN BEFORE!

Yes, I know I’ve seen this pattern before, because I liked it so much I traced it out of Susannah‘s copy a few months ago, when it was also in my size! They’ve gone and reprinted the exact same pattern, the cheek of it!

Here it is in the July 2010 issue (#307):

Same. Pattern.

But I got over this quickly, because also in the same designer-inspired feature is this totally swoon-worth grey leather jacket. OMG. I’m also beginning to think that size 44 is the magical Manequim size, too. What luck!

There’s also a feature with a bunch of different skirt shapes, including a leather mini skirt and a maxi lace skirt, but I liked this wrap skirt the most, for its side pocket tab things.

You know how I was moaning last month that there weren’t any Oscars dresses like I was expecting? Well it turns out they were just a month late! Yayy!! So in this issue we get patterns for the dresses that Amy Adams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Camila Alves (Brazilian model and Mrs Matthew McConaughey), and Reese Witherspoon wore (and another actress I wasn’t familiar with that wore a totally boring tank dress)!

What a great issue! And KnipMode is really on top of their game for the most recent June issue, too…

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