It’s Patrones Extra time, yay! Lots of spring fashions here and a larger-than usual Plus section, too. Patrones are back to the older (and better!) way of printing the layout and instructions back in the magazine pages and they’ve even added back a few of the designer names! Woop!
I bought this issue from a new (to me, anyway) German online shop that’s even cheaper than Stoff-Art (my usual Patrones supplier). This one worked out to be about 15 euros including shipping to the UK, and I was amazed to find it in my postbox on Thursday when I’d only ordered it on Monday afternoon! The only catch is that she prefers payment by European bank transfer, but will also accept Paypal if you email her first. Anyway she was very nice and super quick, so I’d definitely recommend her. She’s also got Ottobre, lots of Knippie (the kids version of KnipMode) and Onion patterns if you’re into those, too.
Here’s the overview (warning: the photo is very big so if you’d prefer to open it in its own window click here rather than on the thumbnail below)
My first “OOH!” went to this simple yet SO wearable linen dress with pleated hemline and very cool Japanese/batwing bolero jacket with sharp mitred corners:
Another new improvement in this issue is that there’s a lot more detail shots of the clothing. In the past I’d only have the technical drawing and a single photo (often with other clothing obscuring most of it) to go on while sewing, so this is really very helpful indeed, especially when the details are as lovely as on this shirtdress:
Another dress from the “Quick day dresses” feature has some amazing pleating going on in the bodice, and a gauze overskirt that really floats in a feminine way:
Then, in a section devoted to a day in the life of their woman in London (yeah, the London street sign made me do a double-take!), I really liked this dress with a tie neck, though it’s quite similar to another dress in the Dec 2009 Burda magazine.
Now, you all know by now that I am not a maxi-dress woman in the slightest, and in fact, I flipped right past this dress until I saw the tech drawing on its own in the back and said “Wow!”. I’ve enlarged the tech drawing here so you can see, too – the top portion and underskirts are made from silk satin, and the crepe georgette overskirt is pleated to hang from that satin diamond shape in the centre front. I really think this would make a stunning wedding, prom, or evening dress…
There’s a whole feature on “White shirts without limits”, but I’m most drawn to this pair of slim-legged stovepipe trousers with minimal pleating and side pockets. They’re actually near identical to another pair of trousers in this issue (#17), but differ only in the pleat placement being a few cm further in from the pocket opening.
From the “Spring basics” feature there’s this really cute trenchcoat (and also a pair of wide-legged trousers with a sailor-style button front which I neglected to scan). I can’t recall ever seeing a trenchcoat with raglan sleeves and the cool flaps before, but if you’re not into this, there are two more trenchcoat patterns in this issue…
…including this one in the hilariously-titled “Classy urban mothers” feature, which to me looks more like stylish Japanese tourists with all the sunglasses and cameras! But I actually scanned this page because I love the buttoned pocket flap detail on the trousers (but not the wide legs, which make me look reeeeeally short). This is the sort of detail that is lavished upon in David Page Coffin’s “Making Trousers” book (a post for another day) and really inspires me to just add onto a cut of trouser I do like.
And moving on to the longer-than-usual Plus section (with 10 patterns), I love love love this pleated knit top so I’ve enlarged the tech drawing so you can see the details that are lost in the white fabric (let’s just forget about those horrible trousers though, eh?)
Finally, there’s only one maternity pattern in this issue (usually when Patrones does “premama” they have about 4-6 patterns), but it’s a good’un, and one you could make over and over again – the humble teeshirt. It’s got a flattering v-neck and raglan sleeves, and Patrones even give you a few construction photos to show that you just gather the side seams on the centre front to make way for the bun oven.
I’ll probably be taking a few months off Patrones now (barring and relatives travelling to Spain) as the designs in the summer months are usually way too skimpy to be worn in our English summers and I’m not allowed to fly until the wedding!