Friday Pattern Company Bernadette Skirt

I recently decided that a denim skirt would be a useful addition to my wardrobe. I looked through the skirt patterns that I already owned but nothing was quite what I wanted, so I decided to buy the Bernadette skirt from Friday Pattern Company to give that a try!

The Bernadette is a mini or midi skirt with front pleats, back darts and an invisible zip on one side. It also has a cute belt bag - the belt closes with D-rings and the bag is a zipper pouch with a front buttoned pocket. The belt bag may have been the thing that really made the pattern appeal to me! If the skirt isn't your thing but you like the look of the belt bag, it is available on its own as the Bernie belt bag.

The skirt comes in waist sizes from 24" to 53", and hip measurements from 34" to 62".

Bernadette comes together fairly quickly and is a reasonably simple project to sew. The instructions give you a good amount of detail and are easy to follow, helped by nice clear diagrams. 

The only difficulty I had was getting the waist facing and the waist of the skirt to match up - my skirt seemed to be too big, particularly at the back. I compared my pattern pieces and they matched up perfectly, so I think I must have somehow managed to stretch out the waist of my skirt when I was sewing the darts/pleats. I unpicked my back darts and resewed them to be a fraction bigger, and that sorted my problem.

You kind of think the belt bag will be quick to sew, but I think it probably actually took me just as long as the skirt itself! One thing I would say about it is that some areas of the bag end up with lots of layers of fabric and my machine did not enjoy trying to sew them. The points where the bag loops join the back of the pouch were a particular challenge and I had to hand crank my machine through those. If I make the bag again in a similar weight of fabric, I think I'd try to find a suitable thinner fabric for the bag loops and probably the flap of the front pocket too.

I deliberated about what size to make for a while. My current waist measurement is 32.5", which is just above the L range but below the XL. I looked at the finished measurements and I felt that the L would probably have technically fitted, but it would have been a bit tight to be comfortable when sitting. The XL would have been a bit too big though. In the end, I cut an XL but used a larger seam allowance (1.5 cm instead of the 1 cm called for in the pattern). I think I made the right choice - my finished skirt has just enough ease to make it comfortable to wear without feeling too big.

The fabric that I used is an 8 oz washed denim that I bought locally. It's a lovely weight for the skirt, but as I mentioned before it was a bit thick for some parts of the bag. 

I'm glad that I decided to give the Bernadette skirt a try. It was a really nice pattern to sew, and I'm very pleased with the finished results. I only finished it last week and I've already worn it twice - I think it'll be in regular wardrobe rotation from now on!

Friday Pattern Company Donny Shirt

When it was released, the Friday Pattern Company Donny shirt seemed like a nice enough pattern, but it wasn't one that I felt the need to buy instantly. Then I started seeing more and more lovely versions appearing in my Instagram feed, and I wanted to join the party so I purchased it and added it to my sewing queue.

The Donny shirt is a boxy, pull-on dartless top with a lapel collar, patch pocket and short sleeves. I omitted the patch pocket from my version.

The pattern is drafted for a dressmaker's B cup and covers chest sizes from 32"-60" and hips from 34"-63".

The pattern has great instructions. They are really detailed, easy to follow and have very clear diagrams. I didn't have any trouble at all making my shirt and enjoyed gradually working through the pattern. Some of the steps are the kind of thing that are best if you take your time to make sure you get a neat, precise finish, but there's nothing that I found too complicated and everything turned out nicely.

Alongside the main instructions, the booklet also includes a brief overview of the steps without as much detail, and I think that's a nice touch - if you're experienced or have made the pattern before and basically know what you need to do, it'd be quicker to refer to that than read through all the details. 

In terms of sizing, Donny is intended to have a boxy fit. I looked at the finished garment measurements and decided that the size recommended for my measurements would probably be a bit too boxy for my liking, so I went down a size and made an M instead of the recommended L. I like the fit that gave me - it's relaxed and comfortable to wear without feeling too big. 

The only alteration I made was to lengthen the top by 1", which is very standard for me.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you may recognise the fabric that I used because it's the same one that I used for the Emporia Patterns Alice trousers that I made recently. It's a leopard print chambray that I bought from Dalston Mill. I intentionally bought enough to make a top to go with the trousers so I could have a co-ord set/fake jumpsuit. I'm looking forward to wearing the two of them together. 

I'm really pleased with my Donny shirt. It was an enjoyable project to sew, and it's a really nice top to wear. As an added bonus, it doesn't need too much fabric to make and I realised that the leftovers from my Helmi blouse are just big enough to cut out a Donny, so I'll be making a second version in the not too distant future!

Friday Pattern Company Sagebrush Top Review

There are some patterns that take on a bit of a cult status in the sewing community, and I think the Friday Pattern Company Sagebrush top is definitely one of those! It's a bit different to anything else in my wardrobe and seems to look good on everyone so I've been meaning to try it out for a while - finally I found time for it!

The Sagebrush top has some distinctive features that I think have probably contributed to its popularity - the ruffle front, puff sleeves and tie back are all fun details that probably make the top look more complicated to sew than it really is. In actual fact, it's a relatively simple project - if you're happy with gathering fabric and sewing bias binding then you'll have no trouble making the top. 

The instructions are also really thorough and explain everything very clearly, so that should give you an extra helping hand if you need it. It would probably be a fairly good pattern for slightly adventurous beginners because none of the techniques are particularly complicated, but I think it's a bit more interesting than lots of beginner patterns and the finished top probably looks a bit more impressive as well.

Fitting the top also shouldn't be too much of a challenge because it's fairly loose so doesn't need to be fitted precisely. At the same time it's not too baggy - I think it's just the right balance of being loose and breezy without ending up looking tent-like.

I made a size M at the shoulders blending out to a L at the hip. My bust measurement is on the smaller end of the L size bracket, but I think my shoulders are proportionately slightly small so I wanted to use the M at the shoulders. I blended out to the L from the underarms downwards, so the bust measurement of my top will be somewhere between the M and L. I think it worked out quite nicely - the shoulders fit well and there's plenty of space throughout the rest of the top.

The pattern is available in bust sizes from 32"-33" to 59-60".

The fabric that I used is a cotton shirting that was left over from a shirt that I made for my Dad a couple of years ago. I'm not quite sure how I ended up with quite so much fabric left over, but past Ruth had a definite tendency to be over-cautious when ordering fabric and I always ended up with more than I needed. It's worked out OK in this case though because it's lovely fabric and now I can wear it too!

So I think, all in all, it's fair to say that I'm the latest member of the Sagebrush top fan club! I enjoyed sewing the pattern, and the finished top is fun to wear. I've already got my eye on another leftover piece of cotton in my stash to make a second version, and that's always a fairly good verdict on a pattern, isn't it?