My Image Spring/Summer 2013 & giveaway

It may not feel like Spring yet, but all the pattern companies and pattern magazines seem to be releasing their warmer-weather patterns right now and My Image are no different!

The big news for this issue is that MyImage have started making Plus-sized patterns! When someone on the Pattern Review board asked why there were only a few Plus patterns instead of extending ALL the patterns to the Plus-sized range, the creator of My Image gave this reply, which I thought was quite a reasonable one:

“A wider range of sizes will make the magazine a lot more expensive. Also, the pattern sheets will be less clear than they are now and therefore we need to add 1 or 2 extra sheets, what will also drive up the price. As a starting magazine, we can’t raise our prices, otherwise we loose half of our customers and we have to stop again :)

We choose to make and print every pattern in 6 different sizes. We try to choose these sizes as careful as possible. For jumpsuits we usually start with 34, because jumpsuits are mostly loved by teens (12-20yr) For more casual clothes we start with 36 or 38 and we stop at 46 or 48. From 46 to 56 we made a new size chart, especially made for plus sizes. It isn’t simply possible to upsize “regular size” patterns to 48/50+ sizes with remaining a great fit.

Also, when someone needs another size than the 6 on the sheet, they can use our custom pattern service.

Anyway, I thought that was worth repeating here as it gives some insight into the difficult decisions patternmakers go through in order to try and please as many people as possible.

But enough of that, let’s have a look at my picks from this issue!

Speaking of Plus, here’s a great knit tunic with gathered sides and a classic jeans pattern (seriously, I can’t remember Burda ever producing a Plus-sized jeans pattern!). I’m not a big fan of shorts, but I really like the gathered-neck top on the right, and I think it’d be pretty versatile for layering as well as hot days.

It may not feel like Spring yet, but all the pattern companies and pattern magazines seem to be releasing their warmer-weather patterns right now and My Image are no different!

The big news for this issue is that MyImage have started making Plus-sized patterns! When someone on the Pattern Review board asked why there were only a few Plus patterns instead of extending ALL the patterns to the Plus-sized range, the creator of My Image gave this reply, which I thought was quite a reasonable one:

“A wider range of sizes will make the magazine a lot more expensive. Also, the pattern sheets will be less clear than they are now and therefore we need to add 1 or 2 extra sheets, what will also drive up the price. As a starting magazine, we can’t raise our prices, otherwise we loose half of our customers and we have to stop again 🙂

We choose to make and print every pattern in 6 different sizes. We try to choose these sizes as careful as possible. For jumpsuits we usually start with 34, because jumpsuits are mostly loved by teens (12-20yr) For more casual clothes we start with 36 or 38 and we stop at 46 or 48. From 46 to 56 we made a new size chart, especially made for plus sizes. It isn’t simply possible to upsize “regular size” patterns to 48/50+ sizes with remaining a great fit.

Also, when someone needs another size than the 6 on the sheet, they can use our custom pattern service.

Anyway, I thought that was worth repeating here as it gives some insight into the difficult decisions patternmakers go through in order to try and please as many people as possible.

But enough of that, let’s have a look at my picks from this issue!

Speaking of Plus, here’s a great knit tunic with gathered sides and a classic jeans pattern (seriously, I can’t remember Burda ever producing a Plus-sized jeans pattern!). I’m not a big fan of shorts, but I really like the gathered-neck top on the right, and I think it’d be pretty versatile for layering as well as hot days.

I love the seamlines on this panelled sheath dress! They show another example in the magazine where it’s not colour-blocked (see below) and I can’t decide which I like better! The only thing I’m not fond of here is the horizontal line in the centre front, so I’d personally look at eliminating that so long as there wasn’t any shaping in there. But I think this is my favourite design in this edition!

There’s a bounty of dresses in this photo! It’s hard to see in the print, but I really like the dress on the left with the tulip hem, and then in the centre there’s a Plus dress with clever scoop pockets integrated into the side seams, and finally on the right we’ve got a biker jacket (barely seen) and a fantastic pleated skirt, also with integrated pockets which kinda reminds me of the La Mia Boutique skirt I made a while back.

Here’s another view of that panelled dress and the gathered-neck top, this time paired with a pair of jeans. I’m not usually a fan of prints, but I actually really like the look of these wild jeans paired with the solid red top!

And finally, here’s MyImage’s take on the famous infinity dress, but their version they call the “Flex dress”, which is basically just a tube with a gathered tie neck you can wrap a few different ways. I can’t image many have a figure to pull this off, but in a border print, it’d make a nice beach coverup or nice maxi with a wide belt.

As usual, you can view all the tech drawing from this issue online and you can browse through the magazine photos here, too. I notice that a few of the back issues have sold out now, so if you like an issue, best get it while you can!

Giveaway

As a special treat, I’ve got three copies of this latest magazine to giveaway (kindly provided by MyImage along with my review copy). To be in the running for the giveaway, just leave a comment below stating what your favourite summer garment to wear is. I’ll pick three winners by random draw next Thursday, 28 February. As per usual, I’ll post anywhere in the world.

I’ve also got a review of the latest YoungImage magazine coming up next week, and it’s so good I’ve actually made something from it already! omg.

The competition is now closed. Congratulations to Marlies, Karen M, and susan!

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