There’s no doubt there’s a lot of love for Colette over here at CSC towers: the Curvy Colette tour was our very first project, and the wonders of a pattern up to a 3XL knows no bounds.
So we’re thrilled that there’s yet another – and Sarai has kindly offered a copy of the new pattern as a giveaway!
The latest Colette Patterns knit creation is the Myrtle dress: it has a draped cowl neckline, elasticized waist and a flowy gathered skirt with bonus pockets. It looks sure to be yet another super comfortable classic dress, that could also be mega classed up for evening. And let’s face it: more secret pyjamas = more goodness.
If you’d like to win a copy of the Myrtle dress, just leave a comment below and let us know how sewing has give you curvy confidence! The contest closes Sunday July 20th at midnight EST, and is open to anyone worldwide. Please make sure you leave your email address or a way to get in contact with you – only entries with a valid contact detail will be eligible to win.
Good luck and we can’t wait to see your Myrtles!
For my 33rd birthday present, I asked my husband and father of my two beautiful daughters, for the “day off” to sew a wrap dress. That was the gift that kept taking for the next three months! Several muslins later, I wore my dress of Easter. The best part was my oldest daughter told me I looked beautiful and now together we sew embellishments on her clothes so she can be more “fancy” and “stylish”. Sewing my own clothes gives me pride in what I’m wearing and myself, but more importantly my daughters see that and know that they too are the most beautiful women in the world.
I am a novice at sewing and have been scared to start on clothing. There don’t seem to be many patterns out there for someone like me. I am beyond excited about this site. I could easily own this dress in 20 different patterened fabrics and would love the chance to start that collection.
It has given me confidence to post photos of myself in my new-sewn garment.
Live the new site
I’m just learning to sew with confidence. I’m looking forward to successfully making my first FBA, though I don’t think this pattern will need it! I’m a long time craft sew it’s, but not yet accomplished at clothing. I’m ready to make my mark, though.
I’m hoping that learning to sew for my curves means no more shirts with pulling buttons, or wearing something large enough to fit my curves that doesn’t fit anywhere else! I love reading sewing blogs, as a beginner it’s so inspirational, so this website is such a great idea. What flatters someone my size and how will I need to adjust it? It’s a minefield and now us curvy girls have somewhere to head.
I am so excited about this site. I loved the tour and because of it, have made a Moneta for my daughter and one for me. I loved seeing all of the lovely creations you ladies made and the confidence with which you wore them. My daughter and I are both on the curvy side and I look forward to seeing more lovely creations from all of you.
Thanks for your new website. Finally something for those of us who are not a size small. I like to sew because the clothes that I see in the department stores are made for a size small. They are not for a girl with curves! I am learning how to make a pattern fit and my confidence is growing to continue this adventure. I would love to try out Colette’s Myrtle pattern. Thanks for the opportunity!
Still trying to work up the courage to sew knits, this may be a good pattern to start with. Not sure about the elastic waist as that is my ‘problem’ area. I guess I could leave that out and go for the drape look!
Sewing has made me realise that it’s not my body that doesn’t fit RTW. It’s that RTW doesn’t fit my body. Knowing that has given me renewed body confidence.
Being able to make something ethically with my own hands also makes me feel better about what I wear.
So sewing has been beneficial to me on several levels.
Sewing has definitely given me confidence. I can accommodate my body’s idiosyncrasies and look better for it. I recently met a celebrity while wearing a dress that I made!
I finally feel pretty. It’s as simple as that.
And, through sewing, I know that i’m not just ‘fat’. Yes, I have a large stomach, big upper arms, and a rounded back, but I also have narrow shoulders, a small chest and I’ll never have to do a FBA!!! Is taken me a long time to realise that, regardless of how weird the pattern looks with all my alterations, it magically works on my body to hide the bits I hate and accentuate my good bits ( I now have good bits of my body!!)
Looking forward to seeing the development of the blog – you gals are inspirational!!
I’m yet another in-between size, at the low end of plus size or the high end of normal. I love to sew because I get the styles that I love and find flattering, which barely ever turn up in my size! (What I need to learn now is shoe making, nice shoes are even harder to find in my size…)
I love being able to have clothes that fit well and that I feel happy in.
Myrtle looks to be a nice pattern for summer – so not on my immediate sewing list, it being the middle of winter down here in NZ, but in a couple of months would certainly be fun.
Congratulations on your new website and what a fantastic idea! Curvy Confidence means I can create clothing that fits me – my body, my lifestyle, my budget. I’m 5’8″ and large busted but small in the hips, relative to my bust size. So, you can just imagine the nightmare that creates in RTW. I feel good about me when the garment fits properly and people say to me, “You made that?”. I look forward to learning more about pattern adjustment for the perfect fit on your new website. All the best to you.
I need this so badly in my life. I have absolutely ballooned in size through medication. I always have to completely resize patterns and then have to alter them so they don’t impede my movements in my wheelchair. This dress would be perfect and without having to resize it would cut down frustration time no end.
Yay Curvy Collective!
I am still a beginner, but have been inspired by your posts for months.
My ideas of what I “can and can’t” wear are changing all the time. It is all about a flattering fit.
I can’t wait to make dresses that actually fit.
Sewing has opened a whole new world of posibilities for me and my wardrobe, which basicly consists of baggy t shirts. I recently wore a dress in public ( twice!) made by me and my mom, because I could finally make a garment made to suit my body instead of buying a “tent”dress in the store. It wasn’t perfect, but still a lot better than anything from the store;)
I’m tall, 5′ 11″, pear shaped, and one of Sophie-Lee’s in between sizes, not really having considered myself plus sized, though my bottom half is plus sized. Some of the sewing resources for plus sized focus on petite ladies – clearly, I am not. I started sewing to get garments with good fit and hopefully a professional appearance – I struggle with altering both for length and any other adjustment required. My waist also slopes back to front, giving me, in trousers, an extremely long crotch at back but average (relative to my height) at front, so trousers are top of my to do list. My back waist length is only slightly longer than average but my front waist length is much longer. I need help to make my alterations. I’m glad to see a few tall ladies replying. Please enter me into the draw for the new Myrtle pattern.
Congrats on the new site!!
Sewing for your (my) own shape and size makes ANY garment and ANY body look amazing. Can’t wait to see what you ladies will be working on next!
Sewing makes me feel good in the clothes I wear. Can’t wait to see what you come up with in the future!
This pattern could convince me to try making a dress, I do not usually wear them but I really like the look of this one 🙂
Congratulations form CSC! So excited to be inpired for you ladies. I start sewing because I needed to hem all my trousers when I bought it. The first glance that I didn’t fit in store bought clothes. Now become a necessity since fitted clothes are hard to find in my size.
Sewing has taught me to appreciate the body that I have. Before I was sewing, I believed my body to be a lump. I hid it under over-sized shirts and dreamed of fitting into smaller clothes. And then, after a couple of sewing courses (and some proper measuring) I found out there was an hourglass figure under those shirts. Sewing gives me far more control in presenting my body the way I want it to be seen, rather than allow merchandisers to tell me what I should be.
Congrats on the great new website!!
You are filling a huge unmet need!!
I have not sewn clothing since I was 20. And now I am fully middle aged. RTW clothes have necks that would swamp an NFL line backer, and I am one of the few large size women who don’t need a FBA. I am officially pear shaped. Suffice to say I have been wearing sacks for years. With a huge amount of trepidation, I am ready to make a garment of my very own. And finally an independent pattern co. that makes large sizes!
So a web site that can help me adjust patterns to fit my curvy pear – what a welcome treat!
Appreciate your vision and perseverance in bringing this site to fruition!
Yay! Congrats! Oh man, as a pear-shaved curvy girl I’m so sick of how short and sticking-out-y skirts are on all the dresses these days! Either I a) have to reveal way too much, b) have the skirt silhouette of a toddler, or c) perpetually wear leggings. It’s hot in the summer! Sewing means curvy girls can have their cute dresses and wear them too 🙂 And OMG the new Colette pattern is beautiful!
I like the freedom to make one od a kind fashion that fits me! : )
I have barely sewn for myself. It is hard to find patterns that both for me and flatter a plus size figure. I have whipped up a couple circle skirts for myself. They are quite flattering (unless you do the three inch elastic for the waist. Cringe. That was not flattering). I hope to find plenty of great patterns and plus sized sewing tips on your page!
Curvy confidence through sewing means clothing manufacturers cannot keep me out of anything I want to wear, from vintage to the latest thing to walk down the runways.
It hasn’t so much, I haven’t really bought any clothes for three years, with the goal of making my own, but its a work in progress. I am so excited about this collective!
I love the new pattern. It’s a different take on the usual knit dress.
I’ve been sewing since before I joined the ranks of curvy ladies, but sewing has helped me see outside of the number/size rut. I love being able to go off measurements and not a number that varies from store to store. And FBAs – what a blessing to not have squished boobs!
I have to agree with the other ladies, when you are a curvy girl the only way to a well-fitting wardrobe is to sew!
Cute pattern!
Being curvy has it’s advantages and it’s disadvantages, sewing makes it possible to get the great fit I deserve as a curvy women! I don’t want to wear a paper bag, I have a shape but most designers of ready to wear think I want a oversize clothes to think this will make me look thinner but just the opposite in fact I look bigger and shapeless! I love making my own clothes, I have a shape and really cute clothes! I love Colette pattern they take us curvy girl into account and that is why I buy them, pin them and post them. I would love to own myrtle to add her to my collection of Colette patterns, it looks very flattering, I hope I win!!!!!! Aurorangle@yahoo.com
I’m very excited about the Curvy Sewing Collective. Ideally, I wouldn’t be overweight. But I am and will stay that way until I decide to get serious about changing that. The fashion world, as well as the sewing pattern world, haven’t exactly embraced the plus-sized community until fairly recently. I’ve been so happy to see fun and fashionable patterns coming out, a nice change from the shapeless stuff (crap) that many people seem to believe the plus-sized wants to wear. Kudos to you all.
Congrats on the new site! I can’t avoid sewing for myself after having two boys…nothing RTW fits…so it’s either I make from scratch or alter! 🙂 This looks like such a great pattern and what a generous and fun giveaway!
Excited about this site!
Thank you for this site! I am beginning to sew, and trying to figure out FBAs and patterns that will fit. I was just looking at this dress, too!
Congrats on your website! It’s looking great ladies! I’m looking forward to reading.
Whenever I go shopping, it seems like my size range is always picked over. It’s slim pickings for those straddling the high end of standard sizing but on the low end of plus sizing. I think there’s a lot of us out there, judging from comments so far!
This is just fantastic. I spend a lot of time searching for blogs by curvy sewsialists hoping to pick up fitting tips and pattern reviews. Now I can find lots in one place. Thank you girls!
My curvy bod features a D-cup and a 12inch differential between my hips and waist. RTW does not cater for me at all and I look like a blob in bought clothing. Sewing my own curvy wardrobe means I can show off my teeny waist and my eye-catching cleavage. I always feel so much more feminine ans sexy in ‘made by me’ 😀
witchfb1@facebook.com
I have narrow shoulders, big bust, a postpartum tummy and big booty – all in my small framed 5 foot figure.
RTW clothes that fit the curvaceous me, are tough to find and that’s
where sewing comes to the rescue.
I’ve tried zillions of professional dresses none of which looked professional on me but the me-made ponte dress that I made from a Burda pattern with the modifications I made to suit my body, made me look very professional and even got me through an interview all the while making me feel like a million bucks. Which RTW can do that magic? 🙂
I’m thrilled that I sew. And I don’t curse my body anymore.
Would love to win this pattern. It looks amazing!
Kay
Cs19647@yahoo.com
I am a beginning sewist. I am so glad to have found you! I “fit” this community! YAY! I am excited to do more sewing and I have been carefully watching many of your contributors on their blogs for some time now. They are making me feel more brave and ready to do more sewing! Thank you so much for starting this website. We needed it.
Sewing means not having to pull the largest size off a rack and going through the agony of waiting to see if it fits. I’m now a standard size, but the anxiety of clothes shopping hasn’t left me, I’d much rather the positive and affirming magic that comes from sewing something for myself.
Sewing gives me curvy confidence by letting me make the styles I love in the size I am! With a large bust and (relatively) narrow hips, it can be hard for me to find dresses and tops that fit well. Rather than try to squeeze my chest into something that’s just too small (and ends up looking just wrong), I feel infinitely more confident all dressed up in something I made to my own measurements!
Thanks so much for pulling together this amazing resource! I’m an intermediate sewer but don’t have a lot of experience with pattern design and alteration, so I’ll definitely be interested in checking out all the articles on that subject.
Cheers,
Eileen
Sewing has given me confidence because I can make the things I like for me when I want them. I don’t have to spend hours trying to find it online or in a store.
thanks for doing this fun giveaway
Sewing has helped me have clothes that fit. I can almost never go shopping for
RTW and find something that fits. If I like it, then I have to start considering what all I am going to have to alter when I get it home to get it to look right. Most of the time, I just think it’s too much work to bother with. When I sew I can generally address these issues before the garment is even begun.
I love this site! Don’t ever underestimate the importance of what you are doing here, it is awesome.
Thank you for being here for us!
I sew because I am tall (6feet). And have hips. In order to get things to look couture, well maybe not the loving handmade at home look, multiple size patterns are a wonderful addition to home sewing. Now with Colette’s larger sizes I can now look at independent patterns more. Can’t wait to see more on your blog site.
I get so frustrated when I can’t fit into a regular size pattern’s largest size! Seeing the CSC ladies rock garment sewing has been such a great boost to my confidence. If you can upsize it, surely I can too!
I’m like Goldilocks when it comes to size ranges. Sometimes Plus sizes are too big, but the Regular sizes are too small. Sewing helps me have clothes that are Just Right! I’m just starting to learn to sew with knits, and Myrtle is lovely. I’d very much like to have the chance to try it out!
I’ve always been right in the middle as well! I’m right at the upper end of “regular” shops (usually don’t fit many things in there) and yet, I’m smaller than the smalled size in Plus Sized stores. So annoying!
I am still gathering my sewing confidence, but I love it when I make something and it fits me!
I love the website and will be watching it grow!