Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Farbenmix Olivia Dress -Warning: Bad pictures but cute dress


I am so excited about this dress!! It is from a pattern by a German company called Farbenmix and is called the Olivia dress. I have found that for the most part, European patterns have way better sizing than U.S. patterns. Not only are they much more consistent (you find your size, that stays the same from pattern to pattern, as long as you stay the same), they are just drafted for better fit in general!
This especially applies when compared to the "big 4" U.S. pattern companies: Simplicity, McCall's, Butterick and Vogue. Their sizing is all over the place and your size in one pattern doesn't transfer to other patterns.
It varies and if you really want to ensure a good fit, this would mean making a test version of almost every garment you made. (Yeah right! I'm lucky to get something made once.) Whereas with Ottobre (a European pattern magazine), once you find your size, it will stay the same for all the patterns you sew. Less work is always a plus in my book. On the other hand, the U.S. company Kwik Sew is a great company with good drafting and some independent companies are also great.

The right side looks like it is all funky here but really, both sides are the same! I love the cut of the dress and how it flares out.

My sister's camera is dying so these aren't the best pictures, (neither is mine - I need a better way to take pictures than on the floor!) but at least we get to see cute Sarah in her dress.



Sarah the model. I *LOVE* this picture! I love that girl! She hugged the phone last time I called them. I almost hopped on a plane!

8 comments:

JoAnna said...

She insisted on this pose. And the dress is ten times cuter in real life! We are so lucky to have someone as talented as you sewing for us!

Anna said...

I love it!

Suz said...

HOLY CRAP!! That is freaking fantastic!!!

Jana said...

VERY cute! And it looks so cute with the leggings too!

Kathi said...

So cute! And it looks like one of those comfy dresses that you always want to put on. And a hoodie!

sara said...

that is so cute! You are very talented Natalie!! Can you teach me sometime? I got a sewing machine for my wedding and haven't used it once!

Kara said...

You are so stinking talented! Love the pose in that last picture!

dana said...

Hi Natalie. Thanks for you comment on my MADE blog. I didn't use a real pattern for the carseat, but I just took my old one apart and used that to cut out the new pieces. I've also done where you just lay the old carseat cover on the fabric and make a pattern without cutting the old one apart (for customers who may want to keep the old one too). It sounds hard but its not too difficult once you get going.
Your little dress here is adorable1 Love the model too :).