After the dizzying heights of May’s issue (and April’s Oscar gown special!), June was going to always be a let down in comparison. Sure, there are some nice patterns, and if you’re Plus-sized, this is totally the one to get, but I’m just not overwhelmed with inspiration this time around….
The first pattern to catch my eye in this issue was the maxi-dress in the top left – have a look at that back! It’s got the basic upper back like the T- view of my XYT Workout Top pattern, but with a bunch of short strips overlapping to make an almost Art Deco look! Who’s up for an XYT hack??
Manequim produce a lot of jumpsuit patterns, and having worn precisely zero in my life (let alone sewn any), I’m usually not too fussed over them unless they’ve got separates potential. But this jumpsuit has a really elegant asymmetric drape over a belt, which looks really chic!
The designer inspiration this month is Narciso Rodriguez, and we get three really nice pieces with great seam lines, and all are for stable jerseys like pontes, too!
There’s a feature this month showing a whole bunch of knit and crochet items (with free downloadable patterns here!) together with sewn separates. The sewn stuff didn’t catch my eye, but I love this oversized sweater, very Maison Martin Margiela! Anyone fancy knitting it for me?
omg I love the design of this dress! I also mourn that it’s too small for me, and there’s no way I’d grade up all those millions of pieces. Sorry to disappoint everyone who keeps asking me what I do when patterns aren’t in my size, but I don’t have a magic answer, and I’m way too lazy to grade – I either just sew stuff that’s in my size (or close enough), or take the details and graft it onto a similar base pattern.
In this same “Day to Night” feature, we get a really stylish open-backed bodysuit (an easy hack for the Nettie pattern!) and a sweeping, seamed skirt with flounce and slight hi-lo hem. It’s not a length I’d usually wear, but this hangs really very nicely.
And finally, onto the Plus section this month, which has way more patterns than the usual 2 or 3 (Manequim tend to only do a dedicated Plus feature once or twice a year). The first to grab my eye is this sweatshirt with banded, uneven hem. I first thought it was a hood, but judging from the pattern shapes, it’s just a drapey, drawstring collar.
Wow! If you can find embroidered leather, this is certainly the best way I’ve seen to show it off!
On top of these, there are also Plus patterns for a jersey dress, jumpsuit with illusion neckline (multisized), a zipper-featured pencil skirt, button-down dress shirt, and a parka.