New Pattern Roundup for October 2017

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re well into fall. In some places, that has meant significantly cooler temperatures, whereas in others, they’re having extended summer weather. It’s kind of fitting, then, that the month of October saw a wide variety of different pattern releases–I feel like there’s something for everyone in this batch.

Blank Slate Patterns – Tillery Skirt

Are you looking for a versatile skirt pattern that can be made up in a variety of bottomweight fabrics and try or practice some new skills? The Tillery skirt is a 6-gored A-line skirt that incorporates flat-felled seams, a bias-binding seam finish (on the waistband), and heavy-duty snaps. The skirt has three length options: mini-, knee-, and midi- .

I had the opportunity to test the Tillery skirt, and it’s a really fun pattern to sew, especially if your a person who enjoys sewing different types of details. Plus, when you’re done sewing those fun details, you get a skirt that’s nearly as versatile as a pair of jeans in your wardrobe. I’m including my own tester pic along with the pattern illustration here:

Blank Slate Patterns – Valetta Top

I’ll be honest–I passed on testing the Valetta top because I have several peasant top patterns already, and I was concerned about the over-bust gathers adding too much bulk to my already-huge bust. And then….the tester photos started rolling in, and I immediately regretted not testing because it looked so cute on everyone.

Anyway, the basics of the Valette top: It’s a peasant top drafted for drapey/lightweight wovens with a split yoke and overbust gathers. It has several sleeve options and a subtle high-low shirttail hem, and it really did look cute on all of the testers.

BurdaStyle Plus – October 2017 “Athleisure” collection

I’ve made no secret of my love-hate relationship with Burda’s Plus collections, which are a bunch of shapeless sacks most of the time. Given that they had a pretty great Plus collection back in August, I figured that it would be months before they put out another Plus collection that was worth featuring here again. I was wrong. The October issue contains a really fun Plus “athleisure” collection with lots of fun, sporty details. Even better, this collection includes a hooded parka pattern–something that I see a lot of requests for but not many options for in a Plus size range.

BurdaStyle 10/2017 #125 – Parka

Plus-sized patterns that would make suitable raincoats are few and far between. If you’re brave enough to tackle BurdaStyle’s sparse and sometimes oddly-translated instructions, this parka could be the raincoat pattern that you’ve been looking for. Construction doesn’t look too difficult if you’ve constructed a zippered jacket before.

BurdaStyle 10/2017 #123 – Zippered Shirt

Who doesn’t like to throw on a cozy sweatshirt on the weekends?  While there might be a ton of sweatshirt patterns out there, the details on this one grabbed me. I’m a sucker for piping and interesting seaming, and this pattern has both of those (along with a zippered neckline). Even better, it has pockets!

BurdaStyle Plus 10/2017 #121 – Track Pant

Okay, yes, run-of-the-mill track pant patterns are a dime a dozen. And we do see some sometimes with interesting details…but those tend to come from European or smaller indies that don’t necessarily have particularly inclusive sizing. With that in mind, the side panels on these pants jumped out at me, plus they allow for some nicely concealed in-seam pockets.

Cashmerette Patterns – Rivermont Dress and Top

If you’re looking for a comfortable sheath dress pattern that highlights your curves, has pockets, and has a top option for more versatility, Cashmerette released their new Rivermont dress and top pattern this month. The Rivermont is drafted for stable knits, such as ponte and scuba and is easy to dress up or down, depending on fabric choice. Sheath dresses can be tricky to fit, but this one has Cashmerette’s famous cup sizing (up to a H-cup) and lots of darts to help out.

Colette Patterns – Claudette Dress

Colette Patterns released their new pattern for autumn–a sheath dress with a LOT of different design options. I’m not a sheath dress person (as a person who carries weight at my high hip, I’ve never liked how pencil skirts look on me), but I’ll give Colette credit for putting out a pattern that gives you a lot of bang for your buck here. You’ve got a choice of a scoop-neck princess-seamed bodice or a darted v-neck bodice, three different sleeve options, and the option to add a hip ruffle. If you get the fit down on this one, you could have a nice TNT dress pattern.

HotPatterns – Art School Sweater

Slouchy, oversized sweaters are hot (warm?) right now as the weather cools in the Northern Hemisphere. HotPatterns offers their take on the current version with the Art School Sweater, which gives you the option of a pieced patchwork design or solid front-and-back and two different necklines. The patchwork version gives you the option to use small pieces of your sweater/sweatshirt knits or even to upcycle old sweaters. This is the type of sweater that I’d love throwing on on a Saturday and pairing with skinny jeans and boots.

Itch to Stitch – Hvar Jacket

If you’re looking for a quick and easy jacket to sew, Itch to Stitch’s new Hvar jacket might appeal to you. It’s got a waterfall-style front (similar to many cardigan patterns), but is designed for a woven and adds structure through bust darts and back waist darts. Making it even faster and easier to sew, the jacket is unlined and has no closures.

McCall’s – Winter/Holiday 2017

The McCall’s Winter/Holiday collection for 2017 was big on pajama and loungewear patterns, which makes some sense, given that pajamas are often big on people’s holiday sewing lists. That said, the patterns that caught my eye in this collection were all jacket patterns.

M7593 – Misses’ Shawl Collar Vests and Jacket

Usually, I find sample photos from the Big 4 pretty uninspiring and concentrate more on line art when selecting patterns for this post. However, I actually really like the faux leather/faux suede used in this sample jacket–I probably would have overlooked this pattern as “just another cardigan/jacket” had it been made up in say, a navy ponte. (I’ll conveniently ignore the pronounced sleeve twisting on the model for now.) I do like the idea of a faux leather jacket that doesn’t require the time commitment of a moto style jacket, and this is a conservative enough look to wear to the office, too.

M7694 – Misses’ Moto Jacket and Vest (by Melissa Watson)

Moto jackets have been back in style for quite a few year at this point, and most of us probably have a pattern or two for them in our stashes. However, I’m pointing out this one because it has a nice blend of traditional Moto jacket elements (assymetric zip and large collar) and also has a vest option. So, if you haven’t found your perfect Moto jacket pattern yet, this one could be a candidate.

M7695 – Misses’ Puffer Vests and Jacket

I’ve seen a few people lately on the CSC Facebook group asking for recommendations for puffer coat patterns, and it doesn’t seem like many are out there. This newest collection from McCall’s, however, does include a puffer coat/vest pattern, including multiple options for how much quilting you want to do.

Simplicity – Winter/Holiday 2017

Simplicity’s Winter/Holiday collection for 2017 lacked some of the cocktail and formal dress patterns found in other Big 4 holiday collections, but it does contain some interesting vintage patterns and practical everyday patterns for cooler weather.

Simplicity 8514 – Amazing Fit Skinny Pants

Even though it feels like this leg silhouette has been around forever at this point, it doesn’t seem like it’s losing popularity in RTW any time soon. If you’ve ever tried to fit a pair of skinny pants or skinny jeans, you probably dealt with multiple muslins and a fair amount of frustration. The Amazing Fit Skinny Pant pattern hopefully removes some of the frustration by having larger seam allowances and front and back princess seams to make it easier to fine-tune your fit.

Simplicity 8516 – Mimi G Skinny Jeans

Okay, yes, I’m featuring a skinny jean pattern right after the skinny pant pattern, but they’re completely different, and as we head into winter, you can’t have any too many pant options, right? I haven’t been able to figure out exactly what it means, but Mimi G’s skinny jean features a “slim,” “average,” and “curvy” cut. Looking at the measurements on the envelope back, it looks like there’s increasingly more hip ease as you go up the “curviness spectrum”. No idea how the waist is affected, though. In any case, I was intrigued by the concept.

Simplicity 8506 – Misses’ Vintage Sleeves

I’ve seen a fair amount of online buzz about this pattern from vintage fans. It’s a set of 8 different vintage-style sleeves and a guide to adapt a bodice pattern for the sleeves. If you’re into vintage looks, I could see these sleeves being a fun way to adapt existing patterns that you already have.

StyleArc – October 2017 releases

Although StyleArc’s designs sometimes feel a little repetitive, I thought that they had a couple of fun, unique new patterns in their October release.

StyleArc – Indigo Maxi Skirt

If you’re looking for a unique maxi-skirt, check out StyleArc’s new Indigo pattern. It’s got large patch pockets, a shirttail hem, and an elasticized back waist. I think this is a really fun skirt–it’s definitely a pattern that I’ll keep in mind for when the weather warms up here in the spring.

StyleArc – Dorothy Woven Jacket

If you like the Decades of Style/Decades Everyday Three’s a Charm jacket, but wish that it had a more inclusive size range, take a look at the new Dorothy jacket from StyleArc. The StyleArc version is a bit longer and has princess seams (easier to adjust for those large FBAs, if you need them), but has a similar look to the Three’s a Charm. And like the Three’s a Charm, the Dorothy is also unlined and has a single button closure at the notch.

Final Thoughts

So that was a long pattern roundup!  Which ones were your favorites? I love all of the new jackets that we’re seeing, and I liked that athleisure collection from Burda enough to buy the October single issue. Other thoughts on this month?