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Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Sprout Patterns Cashmerette Turner Dress


Let me start out by saying that this fabric was given to me by Sprout Patterns (sister site to Spoonflower) to review, so this is a sponsored post. However, all of the comments are mine.



First, the most appealing feature of purchasing the pattern printed on the fabric, is that you don't have to lay anything out! All you have to do is prewash the fabric (which is highly recommended) and cut out.

Okay I did jump ahead a little because when you first go on the site, you need to pick a pattern.  The site has quite a few of the popular indie pattern companies listed. After picking the pattern, fabric is the next choice. This was the longest part of the process for me. I actually spent a couple of hours on the site one day and went back the next day to choose the final fabric.



You can pick a premade set (pattern + fabric) or you can choose your pattern (I chose Cashmerette's Turner Dress) and then choose your fabric.  The site allows you to pick several pieces of fabric at once and try them on your silhouette. The silhouette revolves so you can see front, back and sides of your fabric. You can even move the print around to look the way you want.

The last portion of this process is if you're a complete maverick, you can design your own fabric and then add it to your pattern. A lot of variety which practically guarantees that you can make a one of a kind garment.

After you choose your design and pattern you pick your fabric choice ~ there were four available to me ~ I chose the Modern Jersey. Pick your pattern pieces. I'm sure you're asking why? Well this is if you want to use more than one design for your garment. Next pick your size and for this pattern your bust size.

Now here is the first disclaimer ~ 
I am a standard size 24 with a C/D bust cup in Cashmerette Patterns. I pretty much fit Cashmerette's patterns right out of the envelope. My only concern when I did this was whether the sleeves would fit in the biceps, but that turned out not to be a problem at all.

If you've made the Turner Dress before you know that this is a simple sew once the pattern is fitted. My only confusion in sewing this was that the instructions tell you to leave the white borders that have the piece names printed on them, as part of the pattern piece when you cut it out.

Second disclaimer ~
I took this to #CarriageCornerSewCamp to make and couldn't remember if I was supposed to sew the white border as part of the dress or cut it off. I ended up leaving it on and using 1/2" seam allowances like the pattern states. This made the dress fit me perfectly, however, you could still see all the notch marks on the side seams once the bodice was assembled. So I'm thinking that you are supposed to cut the white border off and then sew the garment together.

A few pictures of the dress in action ~



By the way, I machine stitched the hems by turning under the white borders on both the bottom of the dress and the sleeve hems. Pressed them flat and stitched. This was perfect for me because the dress hem ended at the bottom of my knee ~ a good proportion for me.



Conclusion ~
This is really an innovative idea. The fabric comes with the pattern pieces printed on it so you just cut and sew. If you hate the process of laying out pattern pieces, pinning (or putting down weights), cutting or rotary cutting the fabric, this puts you miles ahead in the construction process. 

The disadvantages are that you can only choose the fabrics offered, the service is costly, and if you aren't a standard size the program makes no adjustments. My dress started at $86 and the price increased by your fabric choice.  Before shipping and handling, my dress cost $117. Honestly this is what gives me pause about the service. Finally if you need to make many pattern alterations or you're outside the pattern's size range, this service is not for you because it doesn't do customizations. 

They do offer a sewing service (White Glove Service) for an additional fee, so if you or someone you know wants a garment and don't have time to sew, it's an option. If you could get a discount or believe this service is worth the money, then this was a wonderfully easy and fun process. 

So now I have to wait for a warm spring day to wear my pretty new Turner Dress!

...as always more later!

      

63 comments:

  1. Really good! I like it! Great work.

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  2. What a wonderful dress. I love the fabric, I love the pattern, and I love the way the finished product suits you. Excellent choice. Are you going to use the pattern to make more dresses for summer? I'm so inspired by this look and I'm eyeing my long-neglected sewing machine...

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    1. I have an idea for a summer maxi that I really want to make. Thanks for the compliment!

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  3. Great choices! This looks really good on you!

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  4. That blue fabric is lovely on you! Stunning dress!

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  5. Lovely, fresh colours and design! I'm confused though, does it come with a pattern to use again another time as well or is this a once off? As an aside, I think this is the most honest sponsored post I've seen - so credible!

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    1. Nope - one time use because your pattern pieces are printed right on the fabric. Thanks about the review. It is an amazing service just costly.

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    2. Hi Crafty! Yes, you do get the PDF pattern so you can print it out at home and use it again! BONUS!

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    3. Oops sorry about that! Don't want to be passing on bad information! I went back and checked and there is the option to download a pdf pattern but I didn't since I already own the original. So yes go with what Brains are Pretty said!

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  6. I am a bit dubious about how this concept could work for me as I do make a few alterations but it looks very pretty on you. Great review!

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    1. Manju, you are right. If you have to do a lot of alterations, this service doesn't work for you.

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  7. Interesting....love the fabric. Not sure I'd spend that much though, but I guess time is money and it does save you quite a bit of time.

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    1. Tee - or if you wanted to refer someone, it would work well too. And yes, it's amazing how fast a dress goes together when you don't have to lay out pattern pieces and pin them down! A huge timesaver!

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  8. It's lovely! That print is a great choice... but I'm totally distracted by the awesomeness of your shoes! <3

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    1. Gillian - they are pretty awesome aren't they?! 😄 I own them in black too AND they are comfortable to wear!

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  9. When I saw the preview on my blog reader, I said out loud OH CAROLYN. You are a knockout!

    I had a great time trying Spoonflower-- I know what you mean about the cost, but man it was nice not having to do any prep to cut the pattern. (She said, eyeing the african wax tetris ahead of her :)

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    1. Marce - I know right! It's a fantastic idea and they have great customer service....
      Thanks for the compliment!

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    2. edit: I meant a great time trying Sprout! I came back to fix my error cuz your post made me go look at their new pattern additions LOL!

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    3. oh let me just continue to clutter up the comments, as I just saw your reply. You're welcome, Your Hotness!

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  10. You look lovely. Your dress turned out great! Enjoy your new spring outfit.

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    1. Hey Girlfriend! 👋🏼 Thanks for liking the dress and for leaving a comment! 😘

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  11. Oh my gracious . . . what a lovely spring frock! I adore the cut, the color, and the way you wear it. You look FABULOUS.

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  12. Of all the items you have made and shared this is by far the most flattering. The color, shape, proportions, all work to make you look so much more beautiful than usual. Maybe it's the bangs!!!! I love your posts - each and every one - as they are inspiring and educational. Thanks so very much for all you write (and sew).

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    1. Carol - that's the interesting thing about Cashmerette Patterns, at least to me, how they give me a flattering yet closer fitting garment that I'm very comfortable in, right out of the pattern envelope.AMAZING!

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  13. Beautiful dress! And thank you for explaining how this company works. What a great idea! I am afraid that I would not fit the dress (because I need alterations) but still... what a concept!!

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  14. This is SUCH a pretty dress on you!!!

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  15. Wow! You look lovely in this very flattering dress. It is an interesting service for those who want to save time and require no pattern adjustments. Karen

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  16. I LOVE the fabric you picked and the dress looks fantastic on you! Though the idea of this is really cool, I don't think I'd order from them because of the cost and I usually have to make adjustments-almost always a narrow shoulder adjustment among others. But-a clever idea...

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  17. The dress is beautiful and I love the color on you, and the shape. You should definitely make it again. But wow - the idea of pre-printed fabric sounds crazy to me. No option for fit adjustment, what about the hem if it is too short - the price is ridiculous for such a simple item. I think the whole thing is a novelty that sounds fun but would actually have a limited market. (but who knows I have been wrong about sewing trends before:)

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    1. I've used Sprout before, I was a beta tester for it several years ago, there is a lot of upside for being able to choose different prints, (you can also color pick from your chosen print to made solid coordinating trim). There is a lot less waste with this process.
      Downsides: You can't grade between sizes; skirt length is not an option. You can't place prints as specifically as you or I would as sewists, so big prints and repeats are tricky.
      These are all things that can be adjusted in their software, and given how much they have changed in response to requests, I suspect they will. It's just code. It's not building a new machine or selecting a different printing process.

      Carolyn, that dress is schweeeeeeeet.

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  18. Beautiful dress. I love the happy blue color and print. Thanks for all of the info and disclaimers. This service would definitely not work for me as I always have to make major adjustments. But I am glad to see you got a gorgeous dress out of it. You should definitely make it again.

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  19. You look fantastic in this pretty dress! It was interesting to read about this new-to-me idea/concept and appreciate your keeping us up-to-date on sewing trends. Love these blues on you!! You are def ready for Spring! :)

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  20. This is an interesting idea. Kinda pricey, but a nice tomesaver!

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  21. You look great in that dress! I think Cashmerette is the pattern company for you. No alterations? Yay!

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  22. I like your final dress (a lot!) but the no-adjustment process for me would be like going to the store and buying a dress. lol

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    1. Actually, it's like going to the store, paying full price for the dress, then taking it home and discovering *you* have to *sew* it together into something that won't fit. Until they offer a service where I can upload *my* pattern with *my* adjustments and allow me to lay it out as *I* want, I won't go near anything like this. I hate Sprout sponsored posts. (And I agree with everyone else that this dress looks fabulous.)

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  23. You and that dress are a great match. You look wonderful.

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  24. Totally fabulous! Love the print you chose, and the dress is really beautiful on you.

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    1. Thanks Jenny but I'm pretty bias about your patterns! I love them and in my opinion the right fabric choice only makes them better!

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  25. So here are my thoughts:

    1. I think the dress is fabulous and I loved seeing the process.
    2. I think you have to pick a pattern that fits from the get go - which is why you choose one of Jenny's Cashmerette patterns - minimal fitting for you.
    3. Your review is honest. and I love the comments. Some good ideas for Sprout to consider changing.

    g

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  26. Perfect dress and love the colour on you. I suppose the fact that the Cashmerette pattern fits you out of the packet, this was a good pattern to go with.

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    1. Sharon - I need to doublecheck but I believe Cashmerette Patterns are the only plus size patterns offered. I wouldn't buy any other pattern line because no alterations/customizations.

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  27. Love the dress and you look so good. Nice bangs.

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  28. Blue is your color !!! This dress is very cute & love the fit . Did you raise the neckline on the Turner ? Others who have made this -it looks a bit low , but not yours ? I know you said you couldn't make changes but wondered about the neckline -thx
    Really cute & thanks for the source of making this .

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    1. Nope, didn't change a thing. I held the front piece up to the crew at Sew Camp and they all thought it would be fine so I just went with it.

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  29. I love, love, love this dress on you Carolyn!

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  30. Carolyn, the dress turned out great! It's a very flattering style and color for you.
    It was fun seeing you work on it at sew camp. Thanks for the candid review.

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  31. This is a great colour and style for you! I think the whole concept is really interesting, but wow that is quite expensive. I agree that you'd think you need to cut off the white borders round the pattern pieces - did you go back and and adjust your seamlines so that the notches were hidden in the seam allowances or do they not show in your print?

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    1. No they don't show - they are hidden in the print - thank goodness!

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  32. Wow! This looks gorgeous on you. I hope mine turns out as lovely as yours has.

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  33. I love this on you Carolyn . It's so pretty and fresh looking. This concept is amazing. What will they think of next ???

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  34. Carolyn, YOU LOOK like A MILLION BUCKS!!

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  35. !!! Beautiful dress and I really like these colors on you! such a simple, but fabulous, silhouette

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  36. Simply put - you look beautiful!

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  37. Your dress looks great on you. Since I always have to adjust patterns to fit,this is not something for me. Like the concept though😁

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  38. This is so beautiful on you. The fabric goes so well with the pattern. You should definitely make more of this pattern - it suits you so well.

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  39. This looks so beautiful on you! Great work! Yes, the answer is that you cut directly along the edge of the printed fabric so the white part is gone, so that the notches are cut and defined just like a paper pattern. The notes in the pattern to keep the white labels just means you can cut out and save the little labels that say "left arm" "back" etc... then if you pin the labels to you fabric pieces as you go you will always know what is what when you start assembling. What I love about Sprout Patterns is that you get the fabric and the pattern. Some of the patterns have adjustment instructions that can be used with with the printed fabric - you just size up and then just print the paper pattern pieces to help mark the adjustments. I think that it's a great service to use when you want something really special so you can get the unique fabric, save a little time and then use the paper pattern that comes with it over and over again. You can even upload your own photos and art to Spoonflower and have that turned into something with Sprout Patterns. That is so much fun. The kids stuff is awesome.

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  40. This is a very interesting service that they provide. My least favorite part of the sewing process is laying it all out and cutting everything. So that would be nice. But if it's that pricey, I'm not sure it's worth it.

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  41. I love that blue colour on you! I like flat pattern adjustments too much to do this kind of thing, but I would totally look up some of those fabrics on spoonflower!

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  42. Wow. This is a totally interesting and wonderful idea! Who'da thunk? Love your new dress. The colour and print are so pretty and spring-y. And the fit is darn good. I'm not sure it would work for me as I have loads of adjustments to make to a pattern, but it might be worth it for a knit. Love this.

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  43. Carolyn, you and the dress look beautiful. I did receive a catalog from Spoonflower. They will print fabric, gift wrap or wallpaper for you with your design or theirs. You can also order a sample pack (all in white)for $3.00. I think the fabric is around $24.00 plus a yard. With the sampler you would at least know the quality of the fabric you are ordering.

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