Doctor T Designs

It barely feels like summer, yet the first of the fall collection is here.  Butterick released their new patterns earlier this week, and I must admit, I’m pretty excited by at least a few of these patterns.  There seems to be a wider range of silhouettes, though the ruffle, off the shoulder, and jumpsuit trends remain strong.  Let’s take a look:

 

B6495 – Ok, I’m going to go ahead and say it – this Lifestyle Wardrobe pattern is probably my favorite of the entire release.  I mean, I’d buy it just for the jumpsuit, let alone the dress.  I’d totally also wear the top, cardigan, and pants that come in this set as well.  This is a great bargain of a pattern, especially if you snag it at a major pattern sale.

 

B6493 – Lisette with custom cup sizes.  I like this pattern, but I don’t think I love this pattern.  I like the interesting front hem detail on the skirt, and the cup sizing on the jacket is a nice feature, but I’m not overly excited by the look as a whole?

 

B6482 – Lisette.  Thus dress, however, I find much more interesting.  At first I was not overly excited by the sleeves, but the more I look at the silhouette of this dress, the more I’m liking it.

 

B6484 – Patterns by Gertie.  I like this pattern, but I don’t think I like the pattern for myself.  The dropped waist looks great on Gertie (and in the fashion drawing!), but I’m not convinced it would be the best look for me.  Love the cute use of the boarder print fabric though.

 

B6483 – Patterns by Gertie.  I actually really like this dress.  The combination of the Asian inspiration and the vintage flair give it an elegant simplicity.  I’m a bit more partial to the straight skirt as opposed to the circle skirt, though both are nice.

 

B6485 – Retro Butterick from 1944.  I always love the vintage reprints.  I’m not much of one to wear a lot of retro style garments, but I always love seeing the details that are not as common in more modern clothing.

 

B6481 – A simple dress that looks great for fall.  The ruffled sleeves continue the trend, but the other versions are a bit more subdued if everyone gets sick of flounces by summer’s end.  Also, the color blocking opportunities provide some interesting possibilities for fabric combinations.

 

B6479 – Fast & Easy.  This looks like one of those patterns that sews up quick but looks super chic when it’s finished.  The look is really elegant and polished, which makes it a total win if it is super classy and super easy to sew.

 

B6480 – The perfect everyday dress for fall.  The sleeve options are nice for the transitional season, and the asymmetric seaming is an interesting detail as well.  At first I was dismissive of this as being another shift dress, but I think it is actually a hidden gem in this collection.

 

B6494 – Not gonna lie, I’m pretty excited for the fitted shirt in this pattern.  Closely fitted, but designed for stretch knits, I really could see myself wearing this top quite a bit in the cooler months.  The dress is pretty cute as well.

 

B6497 – I think we all know I’m obsessed with this coat.  Like, seriously obsessed.  I mean, I’m pretty sure I’ve got at least 3-4 patterns with similar style lines, but will that prevent me from getting this pattern and loving it equally well?  No, no it will not.  Maybe I lied before.  Maybe this is my favorite pattern in the collection.  Hmmmmmm……

 

B6491 – Katherine Tilton.  Actually, I’m rather liking this coat as well.  Once again, it is something that I feel may not be the best style for me to wear personally, but the multi-piece sleeve and gathered hem make for an interesting bit of construction, while the high collar makes it a very practical coat for the fall/winter transition.

 

B6492 – Katherine Tilton.  I’m also totally intrigued by this top.  The loose style isn’t something I typically go for, but a t-shirt with pockets?  Yup, I’m interested.

 

B6496 – This jacket pattern provides a lot of interesting details and options for fun color blocking.

 

B6490 – Ah, the cape look.  With the success of Wonder Woman, I predict superhero chic is totally going to be a thing.  Which I’m totally ok with, even though Edna would not approve of this look.

https://giphy.com/embed/dePaPOPNSLDskvia GIPHY

 

B6489 – The ruffle trend continues into the fall season.  Longer sleeves is pretty much the distinguishing factor from the earlier summer looks.

 

B6486 – More ruffles.

 

B6487 – The ruffle patty continues!  Though I must admit I’m a bit partial to view C – the contrasting shoulders and cuffed sleeves.  Might be worth grabbing this pattern for that look.

 

B6488 – I like how the ruffles are less pronounced here.

 

B6498 – Connie Crawford.  Basic top and leggings, but, it is nice to see some lounge wear up to size 6X.

 

B6501 – Making History by Nancy Farris-Thee.  I cannot resist a pretty historical costume pattern.  Probably not my favorite historical style, but, I like having a catalog of costume patterns to pull from, so it’ll probably join the stash.

 

B6502 – Making History.  Though it should possibly be called making Harry Potter, as this is styled to look close to the costume worn by Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander) in the recent Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

 

B6503 – Making History.  Another classy men’s costume pattern.

 

B6499 – Waverly.  Patterns for babies rooms.  Not much I’m overly excited about here, but then I don’t have much use for it.

 

B6500 – Waverly pillows.  Actually, I sort of like some of these pillow designs.  Though I don’t think I really need this either, the sample pillows are quite pretty.

The remainder are See & Sew patterns – re-releases of recently retired patterns.  As I remember when most of these came out the first time, I’m not going to provide commentary, though I will post the previews in case there is anything exciting here that anyone may have missed the first time around:

 

B6475

 

B6476

 

B6471

 

B6473

 

B6472

 

B6474

 

B6470 & B6479

 

B6477

 

B6478

And that’s it!  I’m not the biggest fan of the recent ruffle trends, so I’m not loving a lot of the tops in this release, but I think there are some nice offerings in the designer patterns, and certainly lots of nice dress options for fall.  It feels like there is a wider range of silhouettes and options than in other recent releases, which is nice.  I may not love everything, but I really like a lot of things.  Also, between the one gorgeous coat and the jumpsuit from that Lifestyle Wardrobe pattern, I’m a pretty happy camper with this release.  What do you all think?  Do you find these looks to be dull and uninspiring?  Or are we ready to jump into fall sewing after looking at this collection?  Feel free to discuss in the comments!