Hi Guys! Happy New Year!! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and are having a good new year so far. In November, I participated in the Sewing Bowl Challenge being held on Instagram by Mishawn B. The Sewing Bowl challenge is a challenge where she has several bowls with different categories. The bowls have pieces of paper inside with different options written on them. So, she pics a piece of paper from each bowl and this is what you must make. The following were the papers selected for me. For the pattern I needed to use a McCall’s or Know Me pattern. My project needed to be a reproduction or knock off. The color needed to be a neutral or a solid/print floral or nature inspired. The fabric type needed to be stretch, and the mystery category was an accessory. So, let’s see what I made!
The Pattern
First, we’ll talk about what I made and then I will do a pattern review because I used both pattern companies suggested! You know, as I type this, I really used the McCall’s pattern for the main part of my challenge. I chose to use McCall’s #M8272 View D for my bag. This is my reproduction/knock off of a ruched shoulder bag that I saw both at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. The bag I saw was by Nanushka and it’s called the Anja Ruched Shoulder Bag. You can see it here. This is totally an inspo bag but I thought the pattern I selected was pretty close to it.
The color is neutral which this baby blue cable knit from JOANN fit the bill. I needed to use a floral or nature inspired fabric and I used a floral print for the lining. Fabric type is stretch which the cable knit fabric and lastly, I had to make an accessory. And this is how you rock out a sewing bowl challenge!
McCall’s 8272 Pattern Review
Pattern Description:
Accessories Pattern
Pattern Sizing:
N/A
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
I thought my purse looked exactly like it!
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, the instructions were very easy to follow. The hardest part might be installing the zipper, but I think the instructions did a good job at explaining how to do it.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
What is there not to like about this super cute bag? It’s on trend and I just saved myself $600 in making my own designer bag. That’s a win in my book.
Fabric Used:
Light Blue Cable Knit Athleisure Fabric from JOANN.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
The main design change I made was to stabilize to the sweater knit fabric since the pattern called for a woven fabric. I added Craft-Fuse to the wrong side of the fabric and I think it gave it just the right amount of stiffness to the bag.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would sew this bag again and recommend it to others.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I would say, make the bag! If you’re looking for an on-trend project, then this is the one for you. All the versions look like bags that can be purchased in high end designer stores. Make yourself a dupe and save yourself hundreds of dollars!
My Matching Look
As I mentioned above, my submission for the Sewing Bowl Challenge was the bag, but I just couldn’t stop there. I love a good matching moment, so I decided to make an entire outfit to match my bag! I went with Know Me pattern ME2003 by Alissa Threads.
You all know I love a good ruffle and puffy sleeve, so I knew I was going to make this ASAP. I made a size large for both the cardigan and the skirt.
Know Me ME2003 Pattern Review
Pattern Description:
Misses’ Knit Cardigan and Skirt by Alissah Threads
Pattern Sizing:
S-XXL
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
My matching set looked exactly like it does on the pattern envelope.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions were super simple to follow. This pattern also comes with a sew along video so if you get stuck or a new to sewing, you can follow along with the video.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
My favorite part about this pattern are the sleeves and the ruffled collar!
Fabric Used:
Light Blue Cable Knit Athleisure Fabric from JOANN.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I made view C for the skirt, which is the long version, but I removed 11 inches from the hem line. I did this because the short version was too short, and the long version was too long.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would make this again. I have a soft spot for cardigans. The one thing I would recommend is to watch her tutorial and attach the collar like she does on the video and not how the pattern instructions suggest. It would have been so much easier.
Conclusion:
In conclusion I would say that this is an easy project to make and should only take you a day to complete. The hardest part of the pattern is making the buttonholes if you’ve never made them. Dive in and make yourself a cute cardi and matching shirt. These are both great staples to add to any wardrobe.
PS – I joined the sewing bow challenge this month so watch out for what I end up making! I promise I will share but don’t forget to follow me on Inta to see my progress in between blog posts. Follow @soveryjo
Until next time!
Johanna
