 Hi, you guys. Welcome to the very first, first impression Friday of 2022. We are kicking things off this year with Sola Patterns. Sola is a Canadian pattern designing company made up of two cousins who grew up together, had like careers, very fancy careers at that. And when they started their families, they decided to embark on a pattern, a sewing pattern company. So they, and you can read a lot more about that under the R Story tab, they really do have very interesting backgrounds and really sweet stories here about growing up together in Canada. Vicki and Danielle, but they describe their patterns as create the wardrobe that reflects your true self with modern crafted designs, in-depth instructions and detailed illustrations. We provide you with the building blocks to create your own unique pieces. Choose the fabric that calls to you, tailor the fit to your proportions, add finishing touches. We invite you to make it your own. And I think that this in-depth instruction part and the detailed illustrations part really does speak to each of their work backgrounds. Vicki in physiotherapy and Danielle in engineering, aerospace engineering actually. So you can expect that they are going to really make sure that every single pattern is dialed in to the nines before it is released. You just can't have that kind of analytical brain and not be super, super detailed. So let's go through the patterns that they have. They don't have a ton, which is okay, but they do have a wide variety, which is really nice. They have this clementine clutch, super cute, right? Not like any bags you normally see from indie pattern companies or big four for that matter. I love how it has these little pleats at the top, super cute scale. And then here are the line drawings. Playful pillowy silhouette features a pleated top zipper opening and is fully lined with internal patch pocket. You can even add optional wrist strap for a hands-free version. Love that so much. And then here are either tester makes or people that have shared on Instagram their versions. I love the variety of fabrics. Obviously these metallic fabrics are perfect. Super, super cute. All right. Our first garment is the Camellia top. Camellia size is zero to 16. And we will look at what that means here in a second. This pattern is provided for our base size range, which makes me think they have a separate one for plus size. The Camellia features an elegant cape effect sleeve that can be made in an above knee shift dress or hip length shirt. Or you can leave off the cape sleeve for an effortless summer tank dress or shirt. Both use incorporate dart tux that radiate outward from the neckline to frame the face. Okay. So here's the little cape she speaks of. This is one of those things where I'm assuming this is a knit pattern, but maybe not. But one of those things where you really have to pay attention to your fabric choice and make sure that the wrong side of your fabric is just as pretty as the right side because the wrong side does show. So that will eliminate a lot of the prints that are available, but you know, in a pretty solid, it could be nice too. And then here's the side view really nice. And then here is the top without the cape. So always kind of hard to tell on these like tester views, which I'm assuming that's what this is, but this looks to be a little bit small through her bust. She, I would imagine does have a fuller bust compared to her waist. And so that's why these little dart where they call them dart tux are kind of pulling because there's not enough ease through the bust. Here is another woman and you can tell hers are laying much more flat. But still there is some pulling. So if I were going to make this, I would definitely take a look at the ease that's in the bust and maybe add a little bit more just to give yourself that room. But here are the line drawings. Super cute. I love that they do a side view. Oh, and it has fish eye darts in the back. We don't have any pictures of people wearing it in the back other than this, but you can sort of tell how it pulls in ever since likely there. All right, here is the size guide for measurements. Wearing ease, the bust is supposed to have one and a half inches of ease. I don't think either of those women had one and a half inches of ease. So I would definitely double check that. We'll look at some more of those pictures here in a second. Let's look at the size guide. We are or sorry, all of our women's patterns are currently graded in our base size and follow modest hourglass figure proportions. We are so excited to start providing select patterns in our extended size range, which goes up to 30. All right. Oh, and then they're asking people for their input develop future patterns. Okay. If you fall between simply grade, blah, blah, blah. Okay. So the base size range goes from a 32 inch bust to 41 and a half inches. The hip goes from 35 to 44 and a half. So yeah, I can see why that would be a little bit limiting. I don't think even, I mean, I consider myself like a mid size. I'm definitely not plus size and ready to wear. And I wouldn't be able to make this, but the extended side, or I wouldn't be able to make that dress we just looked at. I wouldn't be able to make the dress version because it wouldn't cover my hips. Obviously I could grade it out and add to the side seams and all that, but it is a basic design. But as it is drafted, I wouldn't be able to make it in that size range, even me. All right. But the extended size range goes from a 41 inch bust to 56 inches and the hips go from 43 to 58. So I think that most curvy or plus size people will say that a 60 inch hip is what they should all include. So we get really close to that with this extended size range. So that's where they stand on sizing. Back to the Camellia. Camellia, let's look at these pictures. I want to see some of the fish eye darts. You can sort of see here. Her bust ease looks pretty good. So I think if you have, actually, most of them look pretty good. I would just triple, triple check that so you don't have any pulling going across and your little dark tux lay straight and flat and aren't being pulled out to the side. I mean, obviously they will a little bit because they're angled that way, but you want this to float over your bust with that one and a half inch ease. And that's what my fast fit guide will help you do as well. It'll factor in your bust size, the pattern, finished garment measurements, and then compare that to make sure that we have the one and a half inches of ease. That is the fast fit worksheet is in my description box if you want to check that out. Okay. Now we have the Linden Cape. It is a cool weather topper for when you want to look refined and stylish. I'd agree with that. If you worn over casual outfits or as an elegant layer, capes aren't just for superheroes, but you'll feel super wearing your Linden Cape. Below hip length flared poncho style Cape coat features a stand collar off center button closure, welt pockets, arm slit openings, additional back panel details, and is fully lined. All right. These pictures get bigger. They do not. All right. So you can see we have the stand collar. You have the button closure here, but then you also have this wrap around piece. And it also buttons up here. And then this looks to be maybe raglan sleeved. And then your arm openings, I think they're your slits end somewhere down here. So this is all closed except for this center front opening. Let's see. Okay. Here's a close up of the neckline. And it is that raglan sleeve. You also have a top shoulder seam as well. Great for shaping. And then you can see the arm slit here too. Great little detail of the little finishing details that they include with this little bit of stitching here to help reinforce that. And it looks like the little shoulder seam I mentioned actually isn't a shoulder seam at all. It's just a little dart. So again, great for shaping. Here are all of your views. So they mentioned an optional back panel. I don't know what that means. I mean, clearly there are two different styles for the back, but I don't know. I wouldn't describe either of these as an optional back panel. I guess I thought it would be like a flap, but maybe that's just terminology like preferences. You can also see that all of this is fully lined, but there's also this really wonderful facing here. And then even the arm slits have a really, really nice facing as well. So this is all self fabric. All the white is self fabric and the striped is the lining. Really, really nice. And then you have your welt pockets. So I thought that again, maybe just like miscommunication here, but when they said that off center button closure, I assume that it wrapped around, but it does not. It's just a little bit left of center is all that they mean by that. I think I was reading into that a little much, a little too much, but this is an alphanumeric sizing and you don't have your traditional like bust waist hip because it is so generous, but you do measure by your shoulder width, which I don't know mine offhand. So I have no idea where I would fall into this off the top of my head. But I think with these front and back seams, it would be pretty, there's four of them, you know, one, two, three, four. It would be easy to add a little bit of width if that's what you needed. Just remember to add it to your collar as well. And obviously all the facing. So a little bit of work to size up if your shoulder width doesn't fit into any of this. All right, your garbage and notions. And then here are some maker views. I think fabric choices where a lot of these people are falling a little bit short. They're all a little bit drapey. They chose drapey or fabric, which is interesting. She, where are her arms? I guess she just has them on her hips, maybe? Yeah, and it does look like a little bit of funkiness with the hem facing as well. Hard to tell why that's happening. You know, is it just an inexperience? Is it the pattern draft? Hard to tell, but these look a little bit wavy and maybe like the lining isn't sitting inside the shell properly. Like the lining might be a little bit too big for the shell. I don't know. But their version, this one that they had here looks great, right? Look how straight that is. That looks wonderful. So what do they recommend for fabrics? So they really just said woven fabrics and then suggested wool, cashmere coating, tweed, and suiting. And if you've been sewing for a little bit, you know that there are a variety of different types of these where like you could have like a super lightweight suiting, like a summer suiting. I don't think that that is specific enough. Same thing with wool. You can have lightweight wool. You can have wool blends. I think that they should add in here some kind of weight like ounces, like minimum of an eight ounce, you know, fabric. I think that would be helpful. And then you would avoid a lot of this just kind of super drapey, you know, where it's not standing away from the body correctly. Okay, so that is the linen cape. Next, we have the dolly atop. Look how fun this thing is. This is in the extended size range. Close fitting shirt with asymmetric neckline and gathering details designed for knit fabrics. View A is sleeveless. View B has short puff sleeves. View C has basic long sleeves. For a one sleeved version, combine a single long or short puff sleeve with the sleeveless pattern. That's so fun. I never thought of that before, but duh, you can just do one sleeve one way and another sleeve another way with any pattern. That's fun. The dolly shirt incorporates these special details to make you stand out in the crowd for sure with knit fabric that is comfortable and enjoyable to wear. You'll want to make multiple versions to carry you through all scenes of the year. Okay, great. Looking at this, though, there is a bit of an issue happening with the sleeve. And I don't know if this is obviously she is wearing the extended size range. And I'm not sure if that's just within the extended size range or across the board. But you can tell the shape of the sleeve, you know, the, you know how a sleeve pattern piece is shaped like a bell. It's a little too, it's like the bodice is too narrow and the sleeve is too full or something. Like this seam here should be moved over so that whenever you do put your arm up, it's sitting more in line with where your natural arm, you know, fold would be. But other than that, the neckline is super beautiful, laying really flat. The little detail here looks exceptional. I might have zhuzh this up a little bit. The fit across the bus looks okay because you have all this ruching, which is so nice. And the fit through the waist is like stunning. I mean, that is just like bam, bam, bam, you know, she looks great in it. Here's another version. You can tell when her arms are down, the fit of this one is a lot better. It also makes me wonder if she, I would compare the sleeve of the long sleeve to the sleeve of the puff sleeve and see how they compare in shape. The puff sleeve could be what is causing this because it also just, it does look like it fits her shoulder well, but it just curves in so much. But on this one, it looks great. Might be a little bit long in the shoulder on this one actually. But yeah, really, really cute top. Very different, not something we see very often, right? Here's the asymmetrical version she was mentioning. So yeah, on this one, I would check shoulder length and I would just compare this sleeve to the others. Really cute. Here's your yardage, fabrics, moderate stretch, 25 to 30%, which actually isn't that much. I was expecting like a 50 to 75% stretch, but no, this is a for sure moderate stretch. So again, this bamboo jersey, that's going to be way stretchier than this. So if you're going to make it out of bamboo jersey, either expect for it to be a little bit more loose fitting or size down. But yeah, novelty nets for sure, interlock absolutely some t-shirt nets depending on, well, t-shirt and cotton, it's kind of are the same, but depending on if it's 100% cotton or blended with something and then your jerseys. So just check the stretch. Here are some maker views. Okay, so hers with the puff sleeve looks good in the shoulder. She also isn't raising her arm though. So maybe that is, that could be that. Super cute how she did the little contrast panel. I love that. Here's another one with the sleeve. Yeah, with her hand on. Something just, just a little bit of extra ease here I think would help, but it is really pretty with the arm down. The long sleeve again looks great. So many great versions here. I appreciate that they made this in the extended size range. I do wish though that they would have showed a model not in the extended size range. Just to show it on a lot of different body types because if you're not in the extended size range, you want to see yourself represented too, you know, like maybe just one or two photos of the base size range. Okay, next up we have, oh, oh, so it's just separate listings. I see, I see, I see. Okay, okay, okay. So we have the same exact pattern. This is the base size range. Okay, so you can see on her, yeah, her sleeve looks a lot different even through the print I'm trying to see, but a lot less pulling on her sleeve. Here's the long sleeve version. Super cute still. Again, maybe a little bit long in the shoulder, but the asymmetrical, that's what that looks like. Super cute. And then here are some tester makes again, some contrast binding here, which is nice. Here's a really nice close up, close up picture. The shoulder is a little long. It is a little long. So I would check that. Yeah, it's looking a little bit long on almost everyone. So again, with the contrast sleeve, that's really cute too. Lots of fun ideas. Lots of fun ideas for sure. All right, I get it now. So we have the willow again in the extended size range and the base size range. So let's look at it in the extended and then we'll look at it in the base. The willow is a shirt or dress with inset circle sleeves designed for knit fabrics. Version A is a hip length shirt. Version B is a dress with a knee length layered skirt and, excuse me, slash pockets. The willow design provides two variations for feminine yet comfortable pieces that can cross over from work days to evenings out. Am I getting the hiccups? It's a bad time to get the hiccups. The inset circle sleeves create a gentle flutter effect that is flattering and easy to wear. Okay, dress version features a flared skirt and handy slash pockets to sash all your hidden treasures. Okay, cute photo. Love the personality so much. But you can see the inset sleeve here sewn into this like princess seam. And then here's the skirt. Here's the slash pockets. Is this woven? No, knit fabrics. Okay, so again, for your knit, knits are a little bit easier to have the wrong sides showing because a lot of knits will be like the same color on the backside as they are on the right side of the fabric. So cute. It does have this really nice little scoop neckline. Hers is a much lighter weight fabric. You can tell how much the sleeve is just draping a lot more than hers, which stands away from the body a lot more. That's just drape and weight and that's it. So here is the line drawing. It kind of comes in like, is this kind of like a bat wing? Is that what that's called? Really feminine and flattering just like she says in the description. Okay, so there's some twill tape in there somewhere. That's exciting. I wonder where that is, which is a nice detail to make sure the dress or top lasts a really long time. And then interfacing for knits. Perfect. But no community photos. Okay, let's go to the base size version and look at these versions. So a little bit of a wonky neckline here standing away from her body. That could just be because the fabric stretched out when you're using this super lightweight knit. It's easy to stretch. Maybe that's where the interfacing comes in. But look how beautiful that version is. This obviously I think was probably made by them. Really pretty side view. And then here's this version. So cute. So cute. I think it's a little baby hem on the sleeve too, which is also like, right? We're getting baby hem vibes here. Yeah. Which I would prefer over it being doubled over. I mean, maybe if you're going with like a super lightweight fabric like this, you could just double this piece. So then right sides together and then sew them like turn it right side out and then sew it into this seam. And that would prevent a lot of this waviness too. That would be a good option. And then photos of makes. Let's see a lot of really cute versions. So you know what, if it were me, I really liked the slightly more stable fabric. But then again, that's, I don't like sewing with, you know, rayon jerseys anyways. So I like these little like, you know, light to midweight, not super, super lightweight fabrics, but they are calling for lightweight fabrics, t-shirt knit or jersey knit. For the dress version, they recommend stable knit with just 15 to 25% stretch. Okay, agree. Or medium going up to Ponte, French Terry, Jacquard, beautiful Jacquard for sure. If you choose a fabric that stretches in length, the weight of the skirt may cause the bodice to lengthen. True. Wrong side of fabric will be visible on the sleeve. Okay. So yeah, good fabric recommendations. You see here, there's, you mean, again, jersey knit can come in a variety of different substrates like rayon, like cotton and depending on which one you use will depend on how lightweight or drapey it is. But a good cotton jersey knit, I think would be really great out of the t-shirt. And then yeah, those midweight fabrics for the dress. Perfect. Okay, now we have the Laurel dress. Looks like it only comes in the base size pattern. Neat length and fit and flare dress with buttoe neckline. Love a buttoe neckline, aka boat neck. Armhole princess seams, which I think are the princess seams that started the waist and end in your arm side. Pleated full skirt, short cap sleeves. The Laurel is the perfect special occasion dress to compliment your figure. The fitted bodice highlights your slender waist to create a classic hourglass silhouette. While the full pleated skirt will draw the eye toward its flowing movements. You'll love the buttoe neckline, gently curves reveal just enough collar bone and how the short cap sleeves provide modest coverage of the upper arm. So I think this is either Vicki or Danielle, the owners of the company. So obviously this is fit to a T because it's their pattern. But here's the buttoe neckline. It's really, really, really flattering. Cute little cap sleeve. I'm assuming this is woven because they don't say that it's a knit. Hard to tell where the waist seam is. I think it's right here, which looks about right on her. And then your pleated skirt. Yeah, maybe her waist seam could be up here actually now that I'm looking at that a little bit closer. So I would check the length of the skirt or I'm sorry of the bodice. It does look a little bit long in the bodice, right? Even on this dress form. Oh, come on. Lindsay of like 2018 would have been adding to cart like immediately. So pretty. So yeah, so here are the princess seams that go into the arm side. There's a little templates in the sleeve, which are cute. Give your shoulder your shoulder cap that space that it needs. And then the full pleated skirt. They are recommending woven fabrics. Anything from lightweight denim, poplin, damask, up to satin, brocade linen and linen blend. So honestly, any stable woven fabric, like not super drapey. So we're not looking at the silky types. We're not looking at, you know, any of that kind of stuff, but anything with a little bit of structure to it would be what they are recommending. So nice. And then here are some community makes there. They all look great. I mean, you could even make this out of a ponte if you wanted, you just need to size down a little bit to get some of that negative ease. And I do want to point out the waist is a little bit low, like for her, her waist seam is here. For her, her waist seam is where her pointer finger is. So that would be something to check for sure. Even hers. Hers is higher than the rest, but it could still go up a little bit. Pretty. And then the knee length on all of them look really pretty too. Now we have the flocks bag pattern. Look how cute. It's like a combination of quilting and bag making together. Oh, that's adorable. I don't know why, but I'm getting like teacher librarian vibes. That's really adorable. Nice. Over the shoulder strap, magnetic closure, perfect for carrying around books, see? Or a laptop on your busy day out. Double straps, complete your chic look while running errands. Both bags include a single zippered pocket on the inside to keep your phone keys and gyms secure. So messenger bag with one strap or tote bag with two straps. Cute. Oh my goodness. Wow. Yeah, it's beefy. It's like a good size bag. Look how big it is. Well, she's a smaller person, but here's an adult and you can see the size of it is very generous. That's really fun. Something different again. Okay. Now we have the Juniper sweater. This comes in both size ranges. This is the base size range. Long sleeve sweater with shawl collar, button closure, crossover front, and tulip hem, or a.k.a. like a curved hem. I don't know that I would call this a tulip. Tulip to me means it overlaps, but this just is a curve, which is super, super flattering. Versatile layering piece, the crossover design. I'm not seeing a crossover. Are you guys combined with the shawl collar can be worn in a variety of different ways. Button it all the way to the top for a warm and cozy feel or just button the lowest button to highlight the collar and crossover design. I think again, maybe the terminology here is just a little bit different. I don't consider that a crossover, especially if it's a cardigan. It's just a button closure, right? Let's see. Here it is buttoned up. I guess that's definitely a crossover. Okay. So all buttoned up for sure is crossover. Yeah. Are we going to get to see the inside? I'd love to see how much of it is lined or how big this facing is. I love this contrast collar so much. This is like some kind of marled sweater knit or even like a boot clay knit. Oh, here we go. Button it up. Boop, boop, boop. That's fun. And then there's the back. Super nice. We don't get to see the inside. Did the line drawing have the inside? No. Well, I guess you can sort of see the facing here. And I'm assuming this is where the facing extends, where this little dashed line is, and in the back as well. Sweater knit, novelty knit, ponty, interlock, French terry and fleece. That all makes sense. Here are some community makes. Cute. Yeah, everyone's looks pretty good. Maybe checking the shoulder length again. But the sleeve length looks good on everyone. And the bust fit looks good on everyone too. So that's the base. Here is the extended. So she did the contrast facing. Love it. It's really cute, right? And then here are no community makes. I love the contrast. I do wish they would have shown a photo of the, I mean, you can kind of see the stitching line here. But still, I wish they would have shown the inside. All right, now we have the Magnolia dress. This only comes in the base size range. Mid thigh length, semi fitted shift dress with two sleeve options. View A is a full length pillow sleeve. View B is a short petal sleeve. Understated shift dress with two striking sleeve variations. Okay, she just kind of repeats herself there. All right. Hard to tell what's going on here. Let's look at this version. All right. So it's woven again with a really long waist. But you've got your darts. You've got even, are these darts up here? We'll look at the line drawing. Here's the petal sleeve. So cute. Invisible zipper in the back. Fish eye darts in the back love. Okay. So those were not darts at the top, but you do have these bust darts here. Fish eye darts in the front and back love. And then this beautiful dramatic sleeve and also your little tulip sleeves, or you could probably also make it sleeveless. Look how fun that sleeve is. So cute. That's the back. And then back to the top. Okay. Okay. So for the pillow sleeve, they recommend a flowy fabric with drapes such as silk, satin, chiffon, rayon, or crepe. Oh man, I don't know about some of these for the, for the body of the dress. I don't know that I would want chiffon being the only thing covering my bum. But for the petal sleeve, they recommend chambray, poplin, satin, silk, satin, linen, and linen blends. I don't know about, I mean, I get having that flowy fabric for the sleeve to stand right, but I also just adore how it stands away and is not that drapey. So you'd have to, you'd have to probably put some thought into it and definitely get to a store to pick the right fabric. There's a combination of what is going to hold that sleeve well, but also what's going to hold up for the body of the dress. See, she used a stiffer fabric and it's fine. This looks like a quilting cotton perfect. This is also a wavier fabric, like a brocade or something. Love the picks. Love the picks. Okay, cute. And then lastly, oh, there's two of them. We have a boxwood bomb bag. What is a bomb bag? Oh, a fanny pack that can be used to carry your wallet phone keys and other small treasures when you want to otherwise travel light. Okay, cute. Where's the strap? Oh, here's the strap right here. I see now. That's real cute. Perfect. What this? How fun. I'll be sure to include this one in the Sew Together 22, one of the months. I can't remember. In the summer we do an accessory. So this would be perfect for that. So cute. I love it. And then you also have this free download of this Aspen hat. I love that it has a little ear things, contour headband that frames the face and keeps your ears covered but won't flatten your bangs. See, only real women would be able to think of that. Obviously, all of you that have bangs right now are going, oh my gosh, that's awesome. That is so cute. Okay. And then here it is without the little contour, just a regular kind of beanie shaped hat. So cute and it's free. So go grab that if you want to support Sola. Well, what did we think? I think if we go back home and we read this again, create the wardrobe that reflects your true self with modern, well-crafted designs provide you with the building blocks to create your own unique pieces. In sort of, right? I mean, there is some mixing and matching of sleeves that help you create your own unique pieces. But I think on the whole what they've been doing recently, like with this, is just unique on its own regardless of building blocks. But if you remember, even within this one, there was the option to do the sleeveless, the asymmetrical, the contrast fabric in a bunch of different ways. So yeah, I definitely believe that is more true now than it was, say, when they designed, you know, this dress or even this one. These were all pretty straightforward. But I'm sure you learn an amazing amount of sewing technique and that would provide you with building blocks for other patterns. So perfect. Let me know what you guys think of Sola's patterns in the description box. If you've ever sewn them before, I always love to hear from you guys because you have a unique sort of experience that I just do not have because I've never sewn them. So if you have, let me know what you thought, let me know of the instructions, let me know of the illustrations, all of that stuff. But yeah, let me know what you guys think of them in the comment section below. Otherwise, I will see you all very soon. Bye!