I still can't belive it but I'm part of the regular group of pattern testers for Annika from Schnittliebe. I applied on her call and was actually accepted.
I'm so happy as Annika is one of the friendliest designers with really great basic patterns and such a great personality I found so far. Even tho I only started sewing her patterns this year (see the sports bra Bali and the shirt Amsterdam) I was really happy with the instruction and the fit every time.
The first pattern I was able to test as part of the group was the pattern Paris. Paris is a dress pattern designed for woven fabric with a more fitted bodice, a ruffeled waist, a wide skirt with attached pockets, different sleeve options, a button down front and also a blouse option.
It was definetly love on the first sight!
As I wanted to test the pattern with fabric that was already in my stash I only sewed the blouse version.
This first example is a white blouse with big fancy buttos I bought during my semester abroad in poland and a small embroidery on the side (not visible in the pictures).
The fabric is from an old vestment and I reused the hem.
I sewed this version with the bell sleeves and did my first rolled hem. Annika includes a short instruction on this in her pattern but I still had to look it up on YouTube and there is definetly room for improvement.
This version is a 42 in the bust and a 40 in the waist with an additional 1cm but it turned out to small in the bust so I had to release another 1cm from the side seams.
After the feedback regarding my first blouse version Annika changed the pattern a bit to adjust the fit of the sleeves and at the bust a bit. And I was also able to test the adjusted pattern sewing another blouse.
I used the remnant of the striped viscose fabric I also sewed my bow blouse out and another remnant of an older blouse fabric in a matching colour this time. Thus I realized the pattern is a great option to use remnants and also do some colour blocking. I also used way smaller buttons on this version which directs the focus more on the fabric.
This version is a 44 in the bust and a 42 in the waist and the fit is much better and more comfortable than the white blouse. I also sewed the cuffed sleeves this time enjoying the variety this pattern provides. As I forgot to add seam allowance in the hem I used the rolled hem again to not loose to much fabric and it turned out better than expected.
Why pattern test if you don't also try something different with the pattern?
After I sewed the first two versions following the instructions and fabric recommendations from Annika I wondered if the pattern would also be suitable for jersey. So I took another remnant from my stash and tried it.
As the jersey is a stretch fabric I sewed the bodice without the darts in the front and the back and also removed the button placket. This version is also a size 44 in the bust and a size 42 in the waist. And what should I say - it turned out great!
It was still a bit more difficult to sew this v-neck with the facing out of jersey as I also had no interfacing to stabilize the jersey left but I'm happy with my experiment.
In generall you can see I definetly fell for this pattern. It's a quick blouse with some beautiful details and I think I will also try the dress with the attached pockets soon. But for now I'm really happy I was part of this testing. For more inspiration you can also check out the Lookbook Annika created from all pattern testers.
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