 Hi you guys welcome back to a first impression review video. This is where I take a look at an entire collection from a sewing pattern designer and I review each and every pattern that they offer. Today is an indie version where I'm looking at an independent pattern designer. This is Sycamore Road patterns. I couldn't figure out where in the world she's from. Her site as you'll see the patterns are sold in euros so that narrows it down a little bit but not specifically but but I did enjoy reading her about me section. This is Alice Alexandra. Yep and this little page she talks about her journey to becoming a sewing pattern designer. I think it's very similar to a journey we've all been on before but basically she was obsessed with fashion obsessed with clothes buying buying buying buying buying and realized that she was buying way way too much so she started to change the way that she lived and changed the way that she viewed fashion. She started to buy more vintage and be more thoughtful with the clothes that she was buying but she was struggling and and being able to afford sustainable fashion you know it's very expensive to buy ready to wear sustainable fashion and that's when she realized oh I can just sew it myself so she learned how to sew and then but again she was still struggling because she couldn't find the sewing patterns that matched her personal style so she started to create them herself. Now I love that she does include in her about me that she's the designer she's not the pattern maker she is outsourced that she's hired a professional so she does know sewing she knows fashion she knows what she likes she has her own point of view and so she can express that to a professional pattern maker and they are the ones who draft her patterns for her. She's size inclusive and all of our patterns are tested exhaustively she says by people of all sizes so with all of that in mind let's take a look at Alexandra's collection it's small but mighty right I think we are going to be able to get an idea of her personal style as we go through this and I think it's really kind of a fun one um this is her most recent release uh this month or last month she released the juniper wrap top 13 and a half euros uh wrap top with statement sleeves is is what it is in a nutshell crop to design which is ideal for pairing with high-waisted pants or skirts sleeves feature an interesting an interesting construction method they are double layered which makes them extra poofy so they're like basically lined um and most of the seams are enclosed on the inside again lined but I think it's self lining so I don't know in the industry that's like a different term than lining whenever you line it with the same fabric as the main I'm not sure how the what the fashion dictionary would say about that but this sounds basically like they're lined um they have a channel for the elastic neckline is bias bound um features bust starts for shaping size inclusivity I mentioned already um the design details are the same but plus size has a bit of a different fit I love this sizes a through h that's straight sizes are are drafted for a two inch difference so a b cup between upper and full bust and then sizes I through O are drafted for a five inch difference so that's a b c d e an e cup between upper and full bust measurements and then if you're in between those you can do a full bust or a small bust in addition to that all right so here are the photos and then I hope some where's did you separate place for a size chart hopefully it's at the end of this oh the photos the photos are going to get me every single time on these indie websites I would like for the record maybe when I was watching this and thinking about starting their own um website for sewing patterns when you click the zoom I would like for the picture to appear as a separate like pop-up kind of thing and then I'd like to be able from there to click through them okay just putting my two cents out there uh but yeah you can see it is sort of the bodice a very straightforward wrap top wraps are great for people of different sizes because you can adjust the size essentially at the waist so all you need to fit for is the bust and then she mentioned the very full sleeve I love that she thought of the fullness because sometimes it can get it kind of droopy but having that lined element really helps them stand away from the body gives it the fabric more structure no matter what fabric you're using and then this is the elastic channel and then a big frilly frill frill on the end there here's the back I do wish I think it would be hysterical if someone called me and said you have so many opinions about pattern design nurse websites from looking at so many of them we want your input on our website so that we can make it the most user-friendly it can possibly be I have opinions about almost every aspect of a website it doesn't just stop with the photos but yeah lots of really pretty pictures here as you can see I also think this is Alexandra I'm pretty pretty sure the same girl from the other photo right lots of pictures okay here is the size guide plus size starts at I okay so we have a I'm sure I'm assuming this is the body measurement chart so a bust of 30 inches 30 and a third up to 57 and a half this is great the hip measurements for her 35 inches up to 65 up to 65 so that's really really that's one of the more science inclusive pattern companies I've ever seen a lot of them stop with the hip around 60 61 maybe 65 is that's great okay good then those are the fabric requirements for the pattern and that's all we're going to get on each listing okay I do love that short simple sweet to the point you know there's not a lot of like there you know how sometimes and it's cute I get you're trying to add personality to your website but they're like you know for the perfect days of frolicking on the beach with your pelican and your you know your spritzer and it's like okay I'm going to decide how and where I'm going to wear this top just get to the point like what is it going to have okay so this is the camera and wrap dress same price as the top it is also a wrap so versatile dress design unique twist on the classic wrap dress three darts in the front panels to shape the fabric around the bus to avoid excess fabric bunching up too much has a kimono style collar which I think is just a band which is curved so it lays flat on the neckline beautiful and features two sleeve links and two skirt links view a is regular straight sleeve view b is gathered sleeve with a cuff that ties into a bow flirty fun playful twist several options and then you'll find pattern pieces for these there are several options included in this pattern to tailor it to your taste you'll find pattern pieces for these options in the pattern hack files what that's kind of cool that's similar to what seam work does with their um like if you're a member there and you buy the pattern you have access to the oh shoot what do they call it they have like a cute little name for it where you obviously get the pattern and then you have like an alternate version where you can you adjust the pattern yourself you don't reprint a whole separate version of the pattern you just make the pattern adjustments um so again this talks about size inclusivity um tied at the side or back and then here are recommended fabrics that was one thing the other listing for the top was missing um woven to lightweight medium woven light to medium weight cotton linen silk viscose etc all good options depending on the look you want okay all right very good so again we can't see it's going to be hard to see oh there we go we can get the whole dress in but i'd like to take in the whole photo you know the whole photo was chosen for a reason but this is the wrap the top is giving you know what else is missing from the last listing was line drawings i would like to see that because i think that this is dolman sleeves oh but no it's this so it's a drop shoulder with sort of yeah it is very kimono-y so kimono top for sure then it wraps and then it has this really beautiful tulip skirt attached to it i don't know that i was expecting that i think that if it were straight like this it would look like a robe but making it curved like this really does make a beautiful like it just makes a little bit more sexy and then the long sleeve i am obsessed with long sleeve dresses right now there's the bow tie this might be double gauze here's the back and this is what she was meant to about the kind of scooping situation of the neck band so that it doesn't this part up top lays flatter to your body than if it were just a straight rectangle but she's right about the fullness it isn't as full as some kimono styles we see where there's just a lot of excess fabric on the sides here's one that's pretty maybe like a linen there and this is the other sleeve too yeah this maybe the color of this one or maybe the the textile is giving a little bit more robe but maybe like a high-end spa robe um it's the sleeve i think and maybe also the the average choice but again if you look at the shape of it a lot of that extra volume is gone so there is a lot of thought put into that and i really appreciate that i do feel like they're tying it to the gods though i i want to know what this looks like almost unwrapped not where she's naked but like where we could see exactly where the side seams would be like is that a side seam right there like underneath her bust i like the length of it too that's kind of mini yeah i think that there's definitely gonna be somewhere in the middle where you could pull this super super tight and give yourself the waist definition of like you know a corset um but i don't know that that is the all that flattering it's counterintuitive you would think oh the smaller my waist the more flattering it's gonna be but i think that there's an element of having it be really lousy at the top cinched in waist and then a close fitting tulip hem skirt this is really lovely this is growing on me more and more as i look through these i do wish for the photos at least they would have made the they would change their search or threat or just maybe even not used it at all i don't know that's very distracting and then back to the yellow one is this the beginning though but she mentions you know those bust darts like i'd like to see those i'd like to see the you know the arm side like to see like what kind of sleep actually we've got going on here i think you know a lot of the details are missing because there's no there's no technical drawing all right so now we have the Olivia button up same price again perfectly oversized button up shirt for women this is the kind of shirt you can wear to the beach over a bikini to work with jeans oh here we go this is exactly what i was just saying that i that i didn't like um or to a party with matching trousers i guess this is more of like a note on styling than it is like lifestyle but very very fine line there two sleeve options the first is a pleated sleeve the other is a gathered sleeve Olivia features a camp style collar side slits box pleat at the back yoke you can size up or down depending on the desired amount of oversized okay so where's that i can even see the arrow on this one there we go all right oh here it is up here okay so yeah this is some really beautiful like very thin lightweight maybe linen but here's a little notched side love that the yoke with the like uh grown on or the drop shoulder very similar in the shoulder and sleeve to the dress we just saw but then it all comes down to a gathered cuff it seems i think you have a regular collar no collar stand just a one-piece collar did it say that i don't think so then you can see the facing here slim but it needs to be there for the button band um but it doesn't come like it's not you know wild like scooting all the way out here and taking up most of the it's slim for these kind of thin fabrics that's really great there it is in a must-dirty color kind of a way to your fabric another shop in the back it also looks like the front is shorter than the back maybe again a long drawing would confirm that for me oh this is just zooming where's the arrow oh gosh oh gosh there we go um this is the pocket again it does again look like there's a bit of a asymmetry going on here this will be a good view oh actually that's making me second guess everything i don't know i don't know what the intent is but it does like she said i mean this you know what i like about this one too a lot of these oversized shirts don't spend enough time on the cuff and i love that this has a traditional you know working button cuff um with the little vent like i just it looks like an oversized men's shirt and that's what i really love about it it doesn't look like a shirt for women that was made too big or even a shirt for men that was made i don't know it just i guess because the cuffs fit the sleeve length is normal sleeve length and everything else is oversized it feels a little bit more intentional with how oversized the body is a lot of times like when it's oversized everything is oversized the wrist the length the volume of the sleeve but this feels a little bit like i don't know i keep going back to thoughtful and i feel like that's going to be my takeaway from this pattern company is that the designs are very thoughtful and i if i were a designer i would be thrilled if someone had that takeaway um because i'm sure a lot of thought goes into a lot of these patterns this is the vera cardigan classic v-neck slim fit so meant to be worn as a top you can make it you can size up if you want to layer it um flared sleeves adorable feature a cardium with the flared sleeves oh found neckline five buttons beginner pattern although having some experience with nits does come in handy lots of tipping tricks to help you along the way available in straight and plus sizes up to a 59 inch chest and then just about the the file that you'll get so also obsessed with this chocolate brown i just love brown so much right now show me from the front more side so yeah obviously something happening here also something happening here i'm wondering if it's being pulled to the back for some reason because it also does feel a little bit longer here but it's a knit i'm thinking it's kind of a lightweight knit let's see some more pictures yeah it's kind of doing that everywhere it's not pulling here so i don't think it's too small i also love how wide this neckline is this is a very very open neckline very pretty especially considering like cardigans get a bad rap for being like librarian like you know not sexy um so i love that this is kind of like a very feminine twist on uh what is usually deemed like a more conservative garment yeah i don't know how like picky i can be about the fit of a knit cardigan clearly something with the bust is happening right we can definitely all see that um but there has to be some negative ease or else it wouldn't be so fitted so it might be more of a balance and it might be something that you just live with and you're like you know what good enough all right all right that's it okay good cute okay karman coat this one's a euro more than the others oversized double breasted coat with raglan sleeves belt that ties to the natural waist length is lower to mid calf although you can adjust this obviously patterns written so the intermediate so is can level up their skills that's interesting for an intermediate to level up not for intermediate so is well it is for intermediate so is but it will be a challenge for intermediate so is i like that the pattern and instructions have been tested by so is for the law seem a lot it's included okay again all that all right cool so the descriptions are getting shorter and shorter um okay so raglan sleeves so there's a same one that comes up through here this is kind of what i was talking about with the oversizedness of it all so this is an oversized coat double breasted and the sleeves are very very wide um even the sleeve opening is very wide so it does look like you bought a coat that's way too big for you um which is a look in and of itself but what i appreciated about that top is it just seemed like no no no this was made for her intentionally to be big through the bodice we have this really deep welt pocket nice big lapel yep nice from the side from the back you can see the raglan sleeve better here center vaccine yeah just two buttons again double breasted though so it wraps over itself that really does add to the oversized quality of it because when you when you close it and button it it's literally wrapping over itself so you're losing a good six inches of circumference but when you have it open show me open from the front no um when you have it open they're all that extra fabric goes to the side so it looks really big and voluminous you know very roomy um whenever you pull it close it is a little more close fitted so again a little bit thoughtful there i appreciate that see you can kind of see from here it's not full frontal but okay we're gonna move on from that comment next we have waterfall wow bohemian dress i love bohemian um there's this new trend coming out called folk um folk folk folk something folk fashion maybe where it's like a cross between boho 70s um cottage core like if all those things had a baby so this i think the folk girlies would really appreciate this but it would be this with like with like lace up worn out brown boots you know like like you're in a field but not a field of grasses you're in a like you're in a forest but not a forest of trees you know it's like it's like i don't know you'll have to look it up it is really cute and interesting it's a very shabby look it's a very like pieced together look but when done right the girls look super cool all right so boho drafts a big flowy sleeves features a button placket and mandarin collar also known as a grandad collar have you guys ever heard it called that i think i'm only ever gonna call it now because i've always been a little bit leery of calling it a mandarin collar mandarin meaning you know of like reminiscent of the chinese fashions maybe even like not kimono kind of falls in that too but um i've always only ever heard of the alternate name being the stand collar but grandad collar that's cute the pattern is called the waterfall because the way the sleeves flow down from the pleats in the shoulders three views blouse mini dress and maxi dress comes in the usual size range wow okay let's i'm excited about this one maybe i'm more of a folksy girl than i realized and wouldn't this be great out of a bed sheet this is one of those bed sheet dresses i can just spot on a mile away so the sleeve is the entire bodice how incredible is that you have a princess seam that the sleeve is sewn into that is wild that is a that is a big flowy sleeve above ever seen one um i'm sure that inside of here is the rest of your bodice i mean just has to be but that is awesome okay here's another oh my god the mini is so cute oh my gosh i love that and then you even have this like a little elastic where it tucks under a little bit i love this i'm like seriously falling in love look at that look at that that is awesome and look she's in a field but not with grass see what i'm saying maybe maybe i did a good job of explaining that after all for us but not trees right are you seeing it now oh gosh so yeah and then the button front placket i don't know i think i would even like do away with all those buttons and just center front v-neck it i don't know the button i guess i don't i get i think i'm torn about half button you know like when it stops here but i get why you wouldn't need buttons all the way down here i don't know i don't know what i think about the button front placket there it is is a top equally as cute certainly not as fitted that's for sure all buttoned up though yeah i don't know i think v-neck with a facing i guess i'd have to see the construction that is just so beautiful let's zoom in this that's incredible i love this i just love how different it is i love that i've never seen anything like it what how did they get air up in there like that it's like balloons like she's gonna take plate oh my god i love this one how much is 1449 euros and dollars almost about the same right so good okay this is the paula knot top um perfect beginner pattern crop top front neckline detail with ties that go through the side seams to achieve clean lines around the neckline extra beginner's info which means a pattern is accessible to any has any level so it comes i do think the shape is really really beautiful the neckline how it's like like close to the body it's not gaping anywhere is really good but i'm thinking they're saying this comes around here you you do the first fold over tie like this and then sweep it through the side seams and tie it in the back this is fun i bet the fabric requirements on this is like three quarters of a yard or something and i'm sure we're gonna get a pattern for this skirt as well what's the so if you have 55 inch fabric one and a half yards or they have their minds there's no way almost one and three quarter yards where does the fabric go i mean from high point shoulder to waist is like what 15 inches maybe those ties must there must be something secretive about the ties or or or it's fully self lined that might be it because i'm not seeing any stitching lines here i don't think there's a facing i and same thing with this little sleeve it must be fully lined which is fine but like your fashion fabric is expensive so let's let's call out the fabric requirements for the fashion fabric and then the lining separately and if i decide i want to line it out of the self fabric i can if i decide i want to line it out of muslin or some other like cotton batiste i can do that plus if you made it out of something drapey or you wouldn't want to well i guess you probably would okay i'm assuming that's what's happening i'd have to look at the pattern obviously to know that for sure but that's cute for a beginner for sure i'll have to keep that in mind for all my beginners coming in to sewing class all right this is the sienna sweatshirt unisex 90s oversized beginner needs some 100 cotton heavier weight sweatshirt fabric and some ribbing now notice none of the patterns other than that second one have had fabric requirements in the listing i think that's helpful because i have a very big stash so when i'm thinking about buying a pattern i'm usually thinking do i have to buy a stash already or am i going to have to buy something new and if i have to buy something new then that will play a factor in whether or not i buy the pattern um play around the link add or remove link this pattern is okay fitted blah blah blah got it all right so this is just a sweatshirt is what she's telling us drop shoulder same same sleeve we've seen a lot from her i don't think we've seen one so like one set in sleeve this whole time which is fine especially for right now today's fashions are very much like like this whole oversized slouchy kind of vibe or in the world she get her matching ribbon ribbing that looks gorgeous good for her for finding that perfect somewhere all right so this yeah this is sweatshirt 1449 okay this is the eva or eva eva white leg trousers this is what they have paired with the little pola top great addition to an elegant handmade wardrobe high waisted trousers fit snug at the waist and hips not so much snug at the waist or the hips on these certainly not at the hips flowing out wider at the legs it features slanted pockets invisible back zipper invisible back zipper okay they and an option to add lining they pair very well with the zele wrap top or the pola not top okay oh here's some fabrics light to medium weight linen or cotton good drape satin or viscose make for a dressier version dress up dress down okay all right let's take a look at these pants okay so i'm first of all want to commend you for showing a photo without the hands in the pockets thank you so much this is the exact reason why i like to see that this is not necessarily a fault it's something i just want to know if it exists or not so when you have a little gate here in your slanted pocket hers is probably coming from her leg being kicked out but i just want to know how much how much ease how much you know well how much like drafting was put into this slant pocket is it going to gape yes the answer to that is yes that's not always a bad thing sometimes the way you move they have to gape but that's what i like to see and that's why i like hands out of pockets i really don't think i asked for too much you guys okay so here is an interesting shot sitting down yeah sitting down and slouched back kind of it does look like a very long crotch link but these little things are probably nuts when she was doing what is she holding them up you think they're no she's just casually like pinching them so some things i also noticed here was this is coming down which would be think that the crotch link was too short but then when you look here it looks too long but maybe it's wrapping from the back to the front a little bit more oh okay interesting shot can't really tell much about what's happening with the pattern a little baby hand in the pocket all right i do like the leg line i do like how much space is in like sometimes there can be lots of fabric on the inner thigh but you can tell like there's some space there which is nice another interesting pose doesn't help much in the way of you know sussing out the pattern but again you can see the pockets are pulling away a little bit here's the back but the top is covering so i can't see the back rise and with her leg popped like this and her calf being overextended it's really hard to see fit on the back i mean i guess it looks okay oh here we go yeah yeah that looks good that looks good to me even though i can't see the rise the the shape of the curve the leg line even though it's kind of like out i think we would be able to see like if there was a wedgie for sure we'd see if there was too much fabric we'd see that too this looks very clean so i'm happy about that okay excellent these all look really good from the photos like if she um this is the wrap top that they had paired with those pants a second ago um it does seem like she really is testing these out i don't know how much advice from the tester she's taking on but it seems to fit these girls well that does bring up a point though why aren't we modeling the higher size range why aren't we making up a sample and putting those on models too i bet all of you plus size girls out there were thinking that well before i realized it i apologize but yeah i would like to see it on full figures as well especially some of these wrap tops because you know the chests are so much larger yeah okay this is the zele top um oh andress puff sleeves gathered yo waist ties this seems very similar to the first one um just different sleeve the top version looks great here with jean okay thank you for telling me that all right yeah it's just a different sleeve and um well i guess it has a yoke also and the tie on the first one wrapped in the front this one wraps in the back i guess you could interchange those uh there might even be some shoulder gathers where can we see yes okay so there's like a yoke with shoulder gathers that create the fullness for the bust here that might be a dart again with outline drawing it's really hard to see is this the dress wait oh okay so i'm sorry i'm like processing if you can't tell i'm like stuttering okay so it gets wrapped or it must go through the side seam wrap around and come around again to tie yeah that looked i thought that the i don't know what i thought at first i wasn't sure what i was looking at but it has a long skirt with what is this no oh wait good i thought we were back to the beginning we're not lots of gingham i mean it is very similar to the first pattern give me another maxi dress oh here we go okay not that side view i was hoping to see the front or or it must be because oh because see how um is this curving intentionally i need line draw all that's all there is to it i would not have to second guess and guess and wonder and go back and forth if i had line drawing so i'm not even going to continue this little game of trying to figure out and dissect what's happening um i think that there is a curve here that's all i'm gonna say okay and with that that wraps up sycamore road patterns what do we think i think that for a new pattern company or a newer pattern company they're doing the important thing is the patterns right the quality of the patterns the fit um and the expectation of the results that we are going to get and i think that they're doing a great job with that there's just a couple little things missing from their website that would make the shopping experience better but honestly if the patterns like if i made these garments and they looked like this in the end i would be very very happy very happy so the waterfall is going to be on my list as soon as i get the rest of the i mean at the end of the list and the list is long so it might be a while but i that will that will live rent free in my mind for sure i love that sleeve so much um but i want to know what you guys think and also if you've ever sewn a what a sycamore road pattern before please please please please please leave a comment so that we can all see what your experience was like i'm trying to pin those to the top of the comment list to the comments so that that's the first thing people see whenever they go to the comments is someone who's sewn a pattern from them and what their experience was like so if you've done that please leave a comment let us know good better ugly and um yeah that's going to do it for today i will see you all very soon all right bye