Enough

Sour Grapes?

Apparently there's one last post left in the Red Velvet series. Also apparent is that I don't know what I'm doing in the sewing room or when printing PDFs, and that everything I found wrong (or disagreed with) is 100% my fault. I *do* know this isn't the best example of customer service/vendor response I've seen and that I won't be buying anymore from this company. I hope you have a better experience.

(I have no idea about the reference to something I "took down." Every post on this pattern remains in public view.)

Edited 11-20-13: I see today that StephC has now deleted all her comments from this post (which you can see the remnants of below), so I'm adding them back here because I think they belong as part of this original posting.

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Well, you spent an entire week laboring away at posts about how much you dislike my work, I considered it necessary to respond in some form. I chose to respond kindly and with actual knowledge/evidence to address your issues. I think that's pretty decent of me, and useful. I'm pleased you made this post, it means we get a chance to chat publicly about this, which is great.

You don't know more than me about sewing. I have been sewing at least twice as long as you have, and my exposure is wider. I don't see why I should ignore what you wrote. You were very obviously and deliberately calling me out, personally, however much you cloaked it in concern for the community and addressed me as "indie pattern designers." My name is Steph, pleased to meet you, Debbie.

If you care about the community, I suggest you find a way to fix pattern sizing and start a company of your own. Why not?

When I first read your posts (a week after they were published), I was *devastated* because I had in my head you were a sewing teacher. All I could think of was "How could I completely miss the mark with a teacher?" Much of the way I approach the work has to do with making the sewing accessible, to create the simplest/best sewing experience for relatively new sewists, based on continual observations in the classroom.

Then I realized you weren't a teacher and that your criticisms were either :

1)difference of opinion (not a big deal, but please don't act like your opinion is gospel because I'll roll my eyes super hard. Circular neckline binding is hard for beginners/ints to handle so it's symmetrical, and it’s boring to me to write and teach binding again. Facings open up greater design options, when executed well).

2)lack of understanding about the process (we nested the bodices at first because it's cheaper to print, and rejected it because it was cluttered and crazy looking and difficult. We opted for clarity, even though it's more expensive to print and ship.)

3)your lack of skill. I'm sorry, your neckline gaped because you didn't follow the instructions. That's all. I am not trying to put you down, I am not taking out a bad day on you, and I did you the human courtesy of addressing you directly here. It is a simple statement of fact that the neckline gaped because you handled it poorly. That's not my fault.

Anyway I figured I could address some of your issues, through knowledge and explanation of techniques.

I am not unreasonable, I am not unkind, I am *excellent* at customer service, thankyouverymuch. Had you written me a *word* of an email, a whisper of an Etsy conversation, a tweet, ANYthing, I would have been right there to help you out with your concerns. You did not. Instead, you chose to do what you did here on your blog. That is fine and is your choice. I am helpful, I am good at what I do, I turn myself inside out to teach great sewing practices and get people making things, and I answer my customer service emails swiftly.

If you expect me to be obsequious on top of that, too bad.

Instead, you chose to do what you did without any notification to me. Somehow I'm a jerk? No way, friend.

I don't mind criticism, I don't mind being disagreed with. Check out pretty much *anything* I've ever written. Criticism makes the work better, and anyone who doesn't understand that is a nitwit. It was laughable what you wrote about owning up to mistakes. I do that, I have done it several times.

But here, I did not do anything except *gasp* defend myself in fairly mild terms. Is it also offensive that I have the temerity to say I know more about the way sewing/machines/stitches/sewists work than you do, after having taught hundreds upon hundreds of women to sew? I *can* say that, I earned it.

I am really happy to keep discussing but we're going to have a conversation like grown women, I’m not a catty girl who moons bitterly over sour grapes.

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 7:31 PM, November 17, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

"The key to a resilient seam in knits is building in as much thread as possible. There are many ways to do this. To declare there is only one way, or one best way, or only one way to teach beginners this concept is ridiculous and doing those beginners a disservice."

Absolutely. I could not agree more, and this is precisely my point. One of several. I teach beginners a certain way because I do it a lot. I know what tends to click easiest. Then, once we've built a basic skill set, we can diverge into finding the best options for the individual. But we have to start some place. :)

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 7:35 PM, November 17, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

But Rachel, I don't see how I was rude here. I responded clearly and constructively and directly.

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 7:44 PM, November 17, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Hey Anon- I don't see that I attacked anyone personally. Was it my use of italics? I can tone that down, for sure. Instead, I see that I stood up for my work. I am not Burda, I am not Vogue, I am a person who cares about good and useful sewing who also makes patterns.

Why is it offensive that I address issues that arise, publicly when called for? I don't mind someone disagreeing with me, I rather like it, but there were things written here that needed to be addressed because they are either differences of opinion or untrue.

I answered clearly and in the place where the issues were brought up. I did not choose to respond with a snippy series of blog posts or conjecture or personal attacks, but with demonstrations of solid sewing tecniques.

Is this not one of the criticisms against other pattern companies, that they are out of touch? That their techniques don't work? That learning to sew has such a huge steep learning curve thanks to the badly written/made big 4 patterns that it completely turns off excited new sewists?

I am not saying my methods and patterns are perfect, nothing is perfect, but I constantly strive to do better and I've been making patterns for *a year*. Give me five or ten and let's see how we can improve things to make sewing a viable part of 21st century living. That's what I'm saying.

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 8:06 PM, November 17, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Hey Catherine- I did read the replies, and was rather surprised by the number of anon commentators (here I am, using my own name...) and also the personal attacks against me... Barbies? Are we being ageist? I didn't go there, and I don't see how it is relevant to the discussion.

No, I don't always do what the customer tells me to do. Yes, that does upset people sometimes. That is a far cry from not caring about my customers. No customer service has 100% satisfaction, but I resent being told I don't care about my customers. Me engaging publicly with criticisms and untruths about my work is me caring, especially when I can back up my words/opinions with actual solid sewing techniques and content I created.

This is not me being "up myself," though I can understand why it might come across as such to someone unfamiliar with the work I do, especially with a headline like this one. Fair enough. I assure you, I don't waste brain cells on sour grapes. I'm also curious what the grapes are in this particular scenario? That's unclear to me.

I haven't attacked anyone personally, I have been clear, direct, intelligent and occasionally used capital letters/italics. I am respectfully standing up for myself and for good work I believe in. I am engaging the community. Isn't that what we want from pattern makers, the thing that is not much done?

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 9:42 PM, November 17, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Hey Katie-

I see your point, absolutely. The thing is, I'm not corporate. I never will be. I'm indie. Along with being indie is the right/responsibility to seek out authenticity, to experiment, to change, to grow, to respond. And to have an opinion.

I have thought about it, quite a lot, about indie v corporate and what that means. I came to the conclusion that I can't ride two horses at the same time. I can not talk corporate and be indie. It is not going to work. I figure if I can back up my words with deeds (or in-depth technique videos) and engage honestly and openly, then that's what I would do.

I think I made a mistake earlier on in trying too hard to "sound" corporate, because it's not what I am. Trying too hard to be something I'm not was blocking me every time I turned around, as an artist and an educator. I was trying to do things "by the book." But the thing is, there is not a book for this, for what we're doing. So I choose to engage as a human being, extending the benefit of the doubt as much as possible and never responding to things in anger. Because I am a human being and because y'all are too. Respect.

Twitter is a cheeky, rough and tumble place. If I can't have a sense of humor about things like this on Twitter, then when can I? Does Debbie have a fledgling brand I have damaged unfairly with my remarks?

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 10:56 PM, November 17, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Well, I think we can agree to disagree about whether I'm corporate. Technically, my business is registered as a Sole Trader and not a corporation. I'm not Vogue.

I'm not holier than anyone (is this because I refuse to comment anonymously with catty ageist remarks?), but I'm also not going to ignore it when someone calls me out so publicly about something I am sure about. I can see how my self-assurance might be perceived as arrogance but that's not who I am. Don't worry, people have been trying to take me down a peg or two since I was a small kid. I'm used to it, tough hide and all. :)

Also, I haven't ever threatened anyone (as you just did me), just calmly defended myself. So. There's that..

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 11:33 PM, November 17, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Hey, Audrey, I absolutely agree with you. I think I come off a little snotty here between the colorful title Debbie chose (seriously, what are the grapes?) and my refusal to stoop to anonymous personal attacks. That's unfortunate but unavoidable, given the circumstances.

I agree with you that it's important to build trust and a relationship with one's students. That's what I do, in the classroom and online. I take my students' sewing seriously and go to great effort to do everything in my power to respond thoughtfully to emails, Etsy messages, Flickr comments, sewingcake comments, facebook and twitter, even when that means I sit in front of the computer typing for hours on end. I skype to sort out sewing issues, too.

That is why I was surprised by such a concentrated blogging effort on Debbie's part, and the fact my customer service has been called into question.

I am not yet able to read minds, unfortunately. If I had had an email, a word, I would have been right there to sort out the issues and check things, to be kind and helpful and responsive. But I was never extended any such opportunity and had to see my work unfairly criticized before the ink had even dried. Fair enough, but there were several things mentioned that are not actual issues on the pattern.

Really, truly, I don't do sarcasm. It's a nasty, mean little beast that terrifies me and translates weirdly from America to Australia so I gave it up a while ago. (These aussies' sarcasm is one a whole other plane and I just can't keep up so I opt out...:))

I honestly like Debbie's dresses and think they turned out beautifully well in both instances.

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 11:45 PM, November 17, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Hey Jennifer-

My comments were useful, they are linked to content that will help improve the sewing. If someone left me those comments, I'd check it out and see what was what. I can admit when I don't know something, and do on a regular basis. I might even tweet out or feature good tutorials that improve the sewing, because the sewing is what matters to me.

But I don't think I've ever had a comment like that before, to be honest, because I don't spend weeks at a time blogging non-stop about how much I hate a particular thing. I focus on building up and spotlighting positive things.

I'm curious if you checked out my investigation of straight v knit stitch? I approached it with an open mind, not hiding what I was doing, and clearly showing the results. I also said repeatedly that you have to do what works for you in your sewing room.

I say that all the time, repeatedly, and it's also written into most of what I publish. I don't see myself as a dictator or whatever, I see my role as a facilitator and I take that seriously. And I'm protective about my new sewists.

I don't mind if you use straight and like it, it's your sewing and your sewing room. It's not wrong. But in the majority of cases, it's not right either. That's what I'm getting at. :)

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 11:51 PM, November 17, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Thanks, Audrey. Maybe just maybe we can get a group hug in sometime. ;)

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 12:20 AM, November 18, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Hey Unknown- Yeah, the thing is, I'm not in an ivory tower, I'm being forcibly locked in one and I'm standing at the top of it hollering bloody murder out the window that I don't have the slightest desire to be there. But I guess all you hear is the shouting....

Debbie taught me to put in fly zips and I held her in extremely high regard for many years, directing people to her excellent tutorial at every opportunity and raving about the quality of her teaching.

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 12:23 AM, November 18, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Hey Diana-

I... Didn't say anything of the sort. I actually said (and sincerely meant) that I like the dresses, they're great and I have learned techniques here in the past.

I never blamed Debbie for any kind of sloppiness. The fact is that her reporting of the "errata" was inaccurate. I have a right to point that out.

There's plenty of people from a variety of age groups who sew Cake. It's lovely, and this kind of kerfuffle doesn't happen. I am at a loss about why this keeps becoming an issue of age, am I really so threatening? Why is that?

OH! Hamster power! I love it! Mine was too, a very temperamental but solid Kenmore thing in a "harvest wheat" kind of color... :) I wonder what happened to it...

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 12:41 AM, November 18, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Sure I do, and I appreciate your concern. *They* are also concerned and wish I would learn to keep my fool mouth shut and told me so. Flip is not indeed my intent, I'm quite open to a constructive and clear dialog, and I knew by posting I'd get the chance to chat about things. I think it's likely a communication style issue, that's kind of you. I tend to call a spade a spade and get on with life, and yes, I know that gets me misunderstood sometimes. I definitely could have phrased my comments that were posted above in a softer way, absolutely. At least I didn't threaten anyone, right? :)

I didn't say never! :) Not at all, that's the thing.... If it works for you do it. But- it's not really a good default, it's not safe. I like to play it safe for my newbies, I figure ints-advanced can and will do exactly as they please, but if I beginner tries to sew something and it falls apart, she may well walk away from sewing forever and that's the part that bothers me. I've seen/heard it happen too often, and to be perfectly honest it's why I'm doing what I'm doing. To get people to love the sewing, and not fear it.

I didn't want to start a pattern company, fwiw, I did it because I saw a galling gap between the types of clothes people wear and the ones we're offered to stitch. (No, I don't think all other patterns are bad, that's not what I'm saying..But there *is* a definite yawning gap.) I did it because people kept telling me I should. I did it to keep busy. I did it because I figured I could make a difference in sewing rooms and stoke the fires of the 21st century sewing revival. I did it because I have devoted hours and hours of my life to "translating" poor instructions for people in classes as I taught them the art of pattern surgery.

People get to thinking that sewing is a really really hard thing to learn, some kind of almost magical skill and it's not. The learning curve is really steep at the beginning due to the way 20th century sewing is set up, and I don't think it has to be. Sewing is a skill that a LOT of people put to use for thousands of years, and it's joy. Like cooking, really. Everyone eats, everyone wears clothes.

I did not start Cake because I'm an ego-maniac or a starry eyed idealist or an ivory-tower dweller or a jerk or whatever may be thought of me.
It's far too much hard work to keep going with only that as a motivator. :)

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 3:15 AM, November 18, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Well, I didn't see that as a remark on age but on experience in a particular field, but ok, I see what you mean. I did not mean "shut up, I'm better" at all. I did very much mean "if you sew it this way, your neckline won't gape." Because... It won't. Like you said I said, I respect the work Debbie has done especially in the area of fly fronts. I can't tell you how many newbs I sent there over the years.

Like a little child? Point taken. How should I respond in the future to a similar situation, so as not to be so childish? Not responding at all doesn't work for me. Is it the italics and the capital letters? I am not being sarcastic, I want to know.

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 4:06 AM, November 18, 2013 

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StephC has left a new comment on your post "Sour Grapes?":

Fourkid- I am so humbled that you took the time to craft those responses. Thank you.

I *do* want to track down all the bugs. They annoy the living daylights out of me because they get in the way of the sewing. I brought an editor on board.

When I saw the errata posted here I was sick about it and assumed Debbie was right. Because why wouldn't she be?

I dropped everything I was doing to go check, only to find next to nothing, and to see my customers worrying and upset themselves here unnecessarily.

There *is* a small difference between the midriff and the bodice, but it is less than a seam allowance. I checked the pattern when I saw the post, and found nothing like what was mentioned except a 4mm difference in the bodice lengths when laid out end to end as she did. When cut, this is not a huge difference and not when the pieces are laid on top of each other for seaming.

I knew the pattern would be alright when it arrived and hoped no one dumped RV in the bin without opening her up. Besides, I'd been advised to let this alone.

I'm learning what you mean about fast response off the cuff, and will go to bed and then go work.

Thank you again for the wording suggestions.

Posted by StephC to Stitches and Seams at 7:23 AM, November 18, 2013 

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Cake Patterns Red Velvet 0369 Take 2

Here's the remake. Yeah, I know it's hard to tell the difference, but trust me ... this one feels and hangs a lot better, especially after switching out the original doubleknit used for the skirt in favor of a thinner and drapier rayon/Lycra. And, of course, ditching the butt pleat. "Butt pleat" doesn't even *sound* attractive, does it? ;-)

I realize it's hard to see any front pleat details at all in the black so I tried to lighten up the pic a bit. Even then, it wasn't very cooperative and this is the best I could do.

I felt girly and swirly wearing this today and received unsolicitations from just about everyone in the office, so it's obviously a Win! pattern/style for me (as many of you confirmed), especially now that I've worked through the quirks and annoyances of the first go.

These photos were taken after I got home from work and now that I've worn it all day, I don't think I'd change anything else not mentioned earlier but I do want to triple emphasize (tripleemphasize-tripleemphasize-tripeemphasize!) interfacing the midriff band.Not only does the midriff hold up the entire full skirt, it also sits where your body naturally bends and scrunches. The interfacing kept the dress' midriff - and mine - neat, supported, and flat all day long. Or in my case, the illusion of flat. ;-)

In non-sewing news, the Marine officially re-enlisted this past weekend. On the blue Boise State football field!! He still has about 10 months left on his initial tour, but starting next August, he'll be in for at least another four years. Hopefully, I'll be able to share soon what his next job in the Corps is going to be but we need to wait for the Top Secret security clearance to go through first and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that process. Needless to say, Proud Mom here! And even better, he's heading down to Florida tomorrow for the weekend. It's been over 6 months since I've seen him, so I can't wait!

Second Slice of Red Velvet

Without a lot of tweaking, I do have a wearable (and liked) Red Velvet dress. I'll wait until I'm camera-ready to show the whole dress, since I think Zillie does it a disservice (sorry old girl!). But for now, here's a run-down on the tweaks and hacks.

I decided to interface the midriff, which is why it looks white from the wrong side. Since I now think drapey fabrics will give the best results for this dress even though doubleknit is a recommended fabric, I recommend fusible knit interfacing for one and all. The midriff needs a bit of structure so it doesn't collapse on itself or stretch out from the weight of the skirt (or get caught in any lumps/bumps ... ahem, I'm just sayin') and with the fusible, it gets that structure. Cut/fuse with the stretch going around your body.

I reduced the depth of the midriff pieces by 1-1/2" and added another 5/8" to the bottom of the bodice, which puts it at over 4" I added to the bodice length. Clearly, the narrow shouldered/full busted will have some alterations to do above and beyond "connecting the dots." Not saying this is necessarily a pattern error, just that this bodice is likely not going to be one-size-fits-all for anyone above a B cup or for whom gravity has played its tricks. Check the tuck location too, as I found them too far out to the sideseams for my particular boobage, although I actually sewed them as-is and can live with it.

In case you're curious why you're seeing white overlocking down the sideseam of a black skirt ... I decided I'd rather use white all the way down so it doesn't show through the bodice. I used black thread in the actual seam-sewing for all. Yes, I could've switched to white for the bodice, but ... um ... lazy? Also, Rebecca, I do sew most knits with a sewing machine straight stitch first and then overlock/serge to finish the seam allowances. Unless it's a really simple pattern. This pattern is simple enough except there's a tight curve in the underarm of the bodice that would be very tricky to navigate with just a serger as the seam-maker.Since I'm not in a factory and it's easy enough to move between my machines, I usually do. I'm pretty sure the seam police aren't going to come calling. ;-)

The next tweak was to lose the neckline facings. They are just a problem waiting to happen. Instead, I measured the neckline after sewing the shoulder/overarm seams and then cut a 1-1/2" strip 4 inches shorter and sewed that into a circle. I quarter-marked both the neckline and the band, aligned right sides and match/pinned at the marks, and sewed them together with a 1/2" seam allowance, stretching the "binding" as I sewed. I then flipped the binding to the inside and pressed, favoring the right side (which means a little of the right side of the neckline was rolled/pressed to the wrong side - which you can see below).

This is a finishing method that anyone with just basic equipment can do.If you're new to knits, I highly recommend Easy Sewing the KWIK SEW Way. (Full disclosure: that's an Amazon link and I'll earn pennies if you buy from it. Well, dollars if you ALL buy from it, but that's not likely to happen.) Ignore the out-of-date styles in the book and just concentrate on the top-notch methods. Sometimes you can't learn *everything* for free on the internet. ;-)

To finish, I coverstitched from the right side and trimmed the excess binding close to the coverstitching loops on the back. A twin needle will work fine here. Or even a simple single needle stitch. Truly.

The final hack was to remove the pleat from the back but to keep the swish factor. And to keep it easy by not drafting something from scratch or Frankenpatterning another skirt. I did mention my lazy streak, right?

This is the pattern piece for the skirt. Front and back use the same piece, cut on the fold (twice).

To eliminate the pleat, I folded the pattern piece the same as if I were prepping the front to sew the pleat. If you have the pattern, this will be self-explanatory. Then I aligned the CF notch (which I had to add myself and is highlighted in green here) with the fold and followed the edge of the piece the rest of the way down, truing the resulting unevenness at the bottom.

And that's it.

I hope you take away a few tidbits from this whole "series" ... but mainly that this is not an awful pattern and I never meant to imply that I hated it, or even disliked it. Yes, there were some annoyances and I think this particular pattern (which is my only experience with Cake) needs some refinement but overall the style is nice, the instructions, while not perfect, are better than most Big 3/4 instructions for knits, and I really didn't put a lot of work into the pattern itself before I ended up with something I will look forward to wearing. It was all these blog posts that took up my time. Hahaha.

So, if you've been tempted to try this one ... bookmark my blog for reference, and then go for it! Just save your best fabric for your second slice of Cake. ;-)

Hacking Up Cake

OK, apologies for that post title, but I couldn't resist ...because it's literally true.

The Red Velvet "muslin" is growing on me, especially after seeing pics of me in it vs. just sticking it on Zillie to model. And I'm not about to NOT get a wearable something out of this pattern since I'm already pretty close. So, yes ... I'm making another one, which will be virtually the same but with some pattern hacking and a much thinner black knit for the skirt to eliminate the unneeded bulk.

Heather asked about the black/white color scheme chosen and if I was changing my stance on not wearing black. The real answer is simply that I was shopping my stash. But yes, I'm relaxing on the black aversion a bit and do wear it now, but always paired with a print. Plus, black in an office setting is always acceptable. Right Carolyn? :-)

I cut the new pieces tonight, eliminating the back pleat in a slapdash hack and kicking the facings to the curb. I  also removed 1-1/2" from the midriff band and will baste to see if that's enough, and I added 5/8" to the bodice length. On the plus side of all this, it's a very fast pattern to cut.

I want to thank all of you for your comments over the last few days' posts. I spent a LOT of hours on those posts and the review, and I must be honest and tell you that it's very rewarding to know you're out there reading and interacting. I do have one more post in me which will also be related to all of this, but I'm kinda burned out on writing at the moment so I'll let that one percolate in my head a little longer before I commit it to typed words. And I'll get to the off-blog emails soon too.

Oh, and before I turn off the lappie for the night ... Amanda asked what stitch I use for knits instead of the lightning stitch. Many experts and everyday sewists recommend using a slight zigzag for sewing knits, but honestly ... I just use a straight stitch, with a stretch needle, and my machine on its knit setting. Of course, your mileage may vary and so will your machine. I think the best advice is to test on knit samples or even wearable muslins and come up with what works best for YOU! By the way, the reasons I hate the lightning stitch are it can easily eat and/or warp your fabric because it's so thread dense and even worse, it can be extremely tedious to rip out ... which is why I think newbies and first-pattern sews are better served with a different stitch.

Nighty-night!

(And Ronda, thanks for thinking of me and waiting 'til late Friday for that MTC. It was waiting for me bright and early this morning.)

Review: Cake Patterns Red Velvet 0369

Can you NOT look at that midriff now that you've seen it?

Is that a pleat on your butt or are you just happy to see me?

That's a lot of skirt!

Edited to add this link to the blog post where the owner of Cake Patterns responds to my review.

Pattern Description: "The Red Velvet Knit Dress features a faced circular neckline with optional petal collar and pleated underbust seam. Choose the origami-style scissor pleated skirt, or reverse it for a flat boxy-pleat effect. A cleverly concealed ticket pocket holds a few coins, cards, or lipstick."

Pattern Sizing: Bodice 30"-59"; Waist 25"-55". (My bust is 44, my waist is 37.)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes and no. The actual skirt section is much fuller than the scissor-pleat view line drawings would lead you to believe.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Easy, yes, but I think there is room for improvement, especially because Cake advertises "Our sewing instructions are different -- focused on providing a clear and stress-free sewing experience with clear diagrams for visual learners. The more experienced sewist will appreciate the easy-to-skim instructions format, including a Construction Overview and technique symbols!"

I *am* an experienced sewist and I thought non-standard symbols to be more cutesy than helpful. There are no alignment notches, so make your own when you're cutting, and if you've got 40+ eyes syndrome, keep the "cheaters" or magnifying glass handy because the illustrations, while nicely drawn, are tiny. There are also no hip width measurements at all. None. If you've got hips like me or a pronounced hourglass figure, some of that scissor pleat is going to end up as fitting ease.

I also think some of the construction methods, while fast, do not give the best results. Facings on a knit neckline? No, thank you, even if the instructions tell you to use fusible webbing between facing and bodice to prevent rollout. Hemming sleeves before sewing the sideseam? It's really just as easy and a much nicer finish to press the hem first, but leave it unsewn until after the underarm seam is sewn, and then hem in the round. Using the lightning stitch for knits? Hahaha ... experienced sewists know that's an evil trick the manufacturers played on us, especially if you've ever tried to rip it out. In black. At night. A link to an invisible zipper video tute that results in a zipper with visible extra stitches you're told to just rip rip out? Hmmm.

This would lay flat if the facing was trimmed back to the coverstitching

But for now, it has a mind of its own

There are also pattern drafting errors. While minor, I do want to mention them so newbies don't wonder if it's them or the pattern. I think there's something off with the midriff pieces - first, in the size range I used (40s) they are off from each other where you'd join them at the sideseam, by 1/4". You will never get perfect sideseam alignment if you don't correct that before you cut fabric. Also, I think the "connect a dot and triangle" method of "custom" sizing the midriff can easily result in a badly shaped pattern piece that won't fit onto the skirt properly, and the piece I created by straight size 40 numbers (IOW, no real customization) didn't match up to the skirt piece by 1/2", which times 2 for the fold cut means it's off by an inch. I didn't need that inch and ended up trimming the join to a normal shape, but maybe you will need it. Who knows.

Midriff (bottom) 1/2" shorter than same size bodice seam

Fabric Used: ITY knit for the bodice, faux knit-back leather for the midriff, Sophia knit for the skirt. The skirt is much too bulky even though doubleknit is a recommended fabric.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The scissor-pleated skirt is what attracted me. I thought the diagonal lines would be flattering, but I also thought the skirt wouldn't be so voluminous so I've now got mixed feelings about the final result and since my faux leather reached its expiration date and started leaving marks on the white of the bodice, I'm probably going to just cut off the skirt and use the fabric for something else. And, really, now that I've seen it ... who needs a scissor pleat on their backside?

Pattern alterations or any design/construction changes you made: Cake's unique sizing is good in theory. But in practice, I found it really hard to get my head around. In the end, I guessed my best from experience, and created a bodice front that was size 35 in the shoulders/neck, 40 in the width with the C cup (or 45 A, because it's the same width), and 45 for length with an additional 3/8" added. I didn't hem the skirt or sleeves because I'm not keeping this dress, but I would hem the sleeves in the round and not interface the hem. The pics above show the skirt unhemmed, but I did an a just-in-case inch when cutting, which I did need for a nice hem width.

How a dart/tuck should be trued

The incredible morphing front bodice piece

ETA: This morphing means I had to print and tape together 3 separate bodices for the 3 different sizes. So much for the economical, only print your size, printing mentioned in the instructions. I wish the sizes were nested ... or similar to what I think I see on Cake's blog for the Hummingbird top. Can't tell on that one for sure since I don't have the pattern.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I really don't know if I'll sew this again, but I have invested $15 in the pattern so I hate to just throw that out the window. Plus I'm doggedly determined not to let any pattern get the best of me so chances are I will try it again, in a much thinner knit for the skirt with no back pleating. When/if I do, I will post on the blog and update my review on PR. I do think the dress on me has possibilities ...

Conclusion: I applaud Cake for getting out there, but I think there is still refinement needed. I don't mind paying more for good quality independent patterns, but these aren't there yet and I think the premium price point is misleading.

First Slice of Cake

So here's the "muslin." And some more observations.

I used the neck facings, just to see and report back. Hate 'em. They do not stay flat. (Not that I really expected them to.) In fact, the "fix" for this in the instructions is to use fusible webbing between the facing and bodice. Hahaha. My fix would be to ditch them completely and either just turn the edge under and stitch/coverstitch or bind it one way or another (depending on desired final look). In other words, there are far better ways to finish a knit neckline. And I still remain firm in my stance on not staystitching a knit neckline. I don't care what a Tilton sister says. (Said with a smile!) It's much more likely that you will overwork the knit with the extra stitching than you would stretch it out by omitting it. But if you're really worried, fuse some lightweight stay tape to it instead. 

For this trial, I coverstitched about 1/2" in from the edge and if I were going to keep this dress, I'd trim away the rest of the facing from behind because it's still flopping.

But ... this is not a keeper. It looks horrible on me. This is not the fault of the pattern. It's just not my kind of dress. It's mumsy on me, and those pleats add 20 lbs. What is the fault of the pattern, though, is the deceptive line drawing, which makes the skirt look more pegged than it really is. But seeing the muses' makes out in blogland and now the pattern pieces, I knew better. Hopefully, now you do too.

The front and back use the same piece so there are pleats in the back. Yeah, I need pleats on my backside.

The midriff band is entirely too wide/deep for me. Again, not the fault of the pattern. This is a personal preference thing. If I were keeping this dress, I'd rip off the skirt and cut off about half the depth of the midriff band. (In case you're wondering, I used a faux leather, knit backed fabric. It's past its expiration date, though, because it left black marks all over the white of the bodice. I think they will wash out, but not sure I should bother trying)

Although I used the same size number for midriff and skirt, the midriff was wider where it attached to the skirt, because you're sewing a rectangle to a hip curve. Easy enough to trim, but should I have to? And should I have to create my own alignment notches? Lucky for me, I know when they're missing and can just make snips as I cut fabric to make it easier on myself when I'm matching up pieces later to actually sew them.

Whatever your answer to those questions, I think most of all I just wish there had been better testing by more experienced seamsters because many of the issues I've found would have been eliminated in the first round of tests.

The good news is that technically, this dress does actually fit. Even though I never really could agree with the weird sizing. It's a fine idea, in theory. But it's just not there yet in application and simple styles hide the flaws even when you do just throw your hands up and guess your best. After reading many Tiramisu reviews on PR, I'm sure I'm not alone in Flummoxville. I'm just a lot more blunt. :-) There are a lot of nice Tira finishes, but the paths to fit were bumpy for most.

* * * * *

I'm still deciding whether I want to save the dress or just cut off the skirt fabric and move on. It depends on my motivation and whether those black marks from the midriff piece do wash out. Before I do anything, I will take some pics of me in the dress and add an actual review to PR.

Another Piece of Cake

I want to start off by saying that I wish it wasn't me finding errors with the pattern. I really want indies to be successful. It's to everyone's benefit if they are. And I admit I wanted to feel the bliss I've seen around the interwebs. But on the other hand, I'm not inclined toward that bliss when plunking down $15 and then needing to fix the pattern. And it bugs me a little that beginning stitchers won't know what they don't know and will probably remain blissfully ignorant. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.

Here goes ...

I was originally going to blend between upper chest/neck and waist. Bad enough that the sizes aren't nested to make it easier on me, but the sleeve angles vary between the sizes. If I line up the sleeve angles as below, look what happens to the center fronts ... they are wonky donkey.

Likewise, if I align the CFs, the sleeve angles go in different directions. Which means you may need a shoulder angle adjustment in one size range, but not in another. BTW, per the instructions on using high bust measurement for the base bodice size, I should be using the smaller size on top. But if I did that, I'd need to add 4" to go over the girls, which is why I decided to blend in the first place. The bust depth alteration on Cake's blog isn't (IMO) a good alteration ... it leaves you with a terrible pattern piece. So, instead, I'm meeting it all in the middle and using the smallest lines on the bigger pattern piece, with the neckline/shoulder lengths of the smaller piece.

This is the front midriff piece, sized using the pattern instructions. Uh ... my body (and I'm guessing yours too) doesn't get *smaller* as we near the hips. Something just ain't right here.

Nor here ... I was right when I said earlier that the midriff pieces don't match at the sideseams. They are off nearly a 1/4". Yes, there is a possibility that the printer was off, but I didn't print this in separate runs so I'm kind of doubting that. And everything else on these sheets lined up fine.

And then we have this ... the wonky midriff piece is over an inch longer than the bodice piece it's supposed to match up to. Even if I undo the tuck, which is supposed to be untucked anyway on the smaller size of each range (WHY?), it still doesn't match up. Note to self: Find the next size out so I can use the tuck for shaping, and then correct that midriff.

And my last entry for the night ... the tuck is drafted without a proper extension. Folded in this direction, it won't fully catch in the seam. Folded the other way, the extension hangs down below the seam line (better for getting caught, but still bad drafting).

And I haven't even looked at the skirt yet.

(If you missed my first post on this pattern, go back one.)

A Take on Cake

So, I'm actually and FINALLY mostly caught up at work and I made my hours this week, which means I could leave at 2:30. I was home today by 3. Can I get a woohooo?!

But before I left, I bought and downloaded the PDF version of Cake Patterns new Red Velvet dress. I won't say where I printed it. Ahem.

Yes, I drank the Kool-Aid. Or ate the cake. Or whatever. ;-)

What follows are my first impressions before even cutting the pattern or fabric. I still have hopes for a nice dress in the end, and I don't want to bring down the wrath of the Cake "muses" and other devotees for what I'm about to say ... but so far ... I. Am. Not. Impressed.

In no particular order:

1. Why do I have to turn page after page of instructions to find my frickin' starting size?
2. Why are the adjustments (Proportions in Cakespeak) after the sewing instructions?
3. Lightning stitch? Really? Yeah, uh, no.
4. Staystitching a KNIT neckline?
5. Instructed to finish the "raw" and interfaced edges of a knit neckline facing?
6. Wide, floppy, neckline facings in a knit to begin with? Probably not even cutting THOSE pieces. :-)
7. This pattern is NOT for the full-busted no matter what someone says. Not without alteration for extra front length ... which starts out pretty darn short IMO. Edited to add: Yes, I know about the depth alteration, and I've also been playing some more with the different sizes for the bodice. But the sizing is weird to me without some deeper studying. Not sure yet if this is good or bad. Old dog, new tricks, etc.
8. Fast, but not professional, methods ... such as hemming the sleeves before the sideseams are sewn. Eww.
9. Why no hip measurements for me to take into account when picking cutting lines? It's got a skirt section ... I want to know its finished measurement. I'm not a sheep who will just cut and believe. ;-)
10. Pattern lines and markings in bad spots for printing tiled pages, and I have a LOT of experience with printing and then lining up tiled pages.
11. Weird markings in general. Why not use standard marks? The marks don't have to be unique just because you can. Inexperienced sewists won't know the difference, but those who've been sewing more than a minute will just get frustrated.
12. I don't think the midriff band meet-up seams are the same size. Will know better when I'm cutting.

I apologize to anyone that loves this pattern. In fact, in was probably because of YOUR blog post/trial that I bought it myself. :-) I've seen some great looking dresses! I hope the above is taken as constructive criticism and I will definitely come back and eat my words on anything I've got wrong in my initial gripe list, so stay tuned.