 Happy first impression Friday today. We're gonna be taking a look at Anne Normandy sewing patterns. And I have some thoughts, as I did my like preliminary research about her, but I do encourage you to go read her about section. Basically, sorry, honey is very excited about this. As a designer and lifetime sewist, I know the importance of a professionally drafted sewing pattern in clear concise instructions, as well as understanding a woman's body, exceptional fit in how to extenuate a woman's best features. So I think as a mission statement, that says all the things that we wanna hear, right? And then she goes into that three years of design development and testing went into each garment of this collection. So that kind of like caught my attention. I was like, wait, that isn't how indie pattern designers normally do it. They don't just release a whole collection of patterns and then that's it. But that appears, that's what she's done. Her blog has not been updated since 2020. Her social accounts, I'm sorry, the blog hasn't been updated since 2019. The social accounts haven't been updated since 2020. Even her as seen in like the articles, those kind of dried up in 2018, 2019 as well. So it doesn't seem like this is a super active business for her, I guess. But nonetheless, she, that's the beauty of having an online shop, right? Is you can create all these designs, put them online and then walk away. And it just continues to create revenue for you, even though you're not actively participating anymore. All right, honey was barking at the vacuum. So put the vacuum away. So now we should have some peace and quiet to look at the patterns. All right, so very first up, we have the full link dress, Kaftan Maxi Dress PDF Sewing Pattern. That is quite a name. Couture quality, long dress pattern with timeless Kaftan style, with a square and v-neck pocket and side vents. Oh, and then there's like a review here. I was like, what is that? And then she has info about her coupon code. So no real description. I'm gonna guess this is decent enough. All right, let's look at some more of these pictures. Can I zoom? Can't zoom. You guys know I don't like that. Okay. All right, so what we've got is, it even looks like the arm's eye has a little bit of a right angle, which is really cool, fun little detail. Here are our side seam pockets. And I think that they are sewn in. I'm pretty sure so they don't flop around, which is also nice. And then you've got this really nice slit that goes up to like just above her knee. Here is, what is it? Sizing information, intermediate skill level, semi-fitted, full length A-line dress with pockets and side vents, perfect dress for spring and summer. And Normandy garments are thoughtfully designed to incise to compliment every woman's body to ensure an impeccable fit with great comfort. Okay, well, that's nice to say, but how does that translate to this size chart? I don't know. Our bust goes from 35 and a half inches up to 42 and a half inches. And then the hips go from 38 and a half to 45 and a half. So I do not fit into her size chart in the hips. And my bust is actually a medium. So that's a really interesting kind of grading that is going on there. But nonetheless, I'm not really surprised that the sizing is so exclusive because I mean, if she hasn't really updated this in three years, you know, if she didn't start out inclusive and hasn't done anything in the last three years, I can certainly see why it hasn't been updated since its release. So that's unfortunate, but this pattern is designed for heavy rustic linens with a minimum weight of eight ounces. That's very specific information. I like that. Heavy weight, I'm sorry, heavy, 100% linen weight allows this dress to drape and hug the curves of woman's body and allow for breathability during warm weather. If you choose a lighter weight, line it. Instructions for lining can be found in the directions. And then she also suggests repurposing a textile or dyeing it. So lots of information. Lord have mercy, if using an upholstery fabric, please use one that hasn't been treated with a stain resistant coating. Wow, okay. I don't, I can tell you that I've ever used upholstery fabric for garments, but I do think, I mean, this isn't Ankara, I don't think, but if it were, I think that would be really beautiful because she is going for like a column type situation. And I'm pretty sure these are all her tester photos. Kind of hard to tell about fit because so far all the poses have been really beautiful, but a little bit hard to tell on fit. It does look really roomy and really comfortable. Why is everybody standing with their legs out? I don't understand. Just to show the slits, I wonder if that was like in the Facebook group or whatever they were using to like discuss the pattern if she was like, stand with your legs out so everybody can see the slit. This is a really pretty neckline. You can see that there. Yeah, I will say for a dress that doesn't have a whole lot of shape to it, it does look really pretty on every body. All these different types of figures do look really nice in it. Comfortable, I'm getting that vibe. I'm getting cute. She shortened hers, I think. And then this must be like some kind of like, I don't know what this is. A lot of strange rosewater. I don't understand what that is. And then what is this? Pattern printing instructions. And lastly, she provides copy shop and AO printing instructions. Okay, so model is 510, wearing size small. Now this says the difficulty is advanced beginner. So already we're getting some discrepancies here. More info about the fabric, what the file includes. Oh, and here's a video. Should we watch? Let's watch. Okay, well that wasn't too much more helpful than anything else we've seen. Yeah, I mean, I guess it's a nice design. I wish, I think this is done with bias tape for a very thin facing. I wish there were more information about that. And of course, I wish there were finished garment measurements so I could discern for myself whether or not I could get this to fit despite the fact that my body does not fit into the body measurement charts. That said, if you do fit into it, I think it's a really pretty like column style dress, very minimalistic, which is a great sort of like style that I think a lot of people are adopting. If not adopting, I think your style, well, I don't know, your style kind of changes. I think I'm seeing a lot more minimalism. I know I'm incorporating it a lot more in my life. I don't know if it's really the pandemic or aging me going into like a quote unquote new phase of my life. I don't know what it is exactly, but minimalism is a really beautiful look. All right, so next up we have what she's calling the slip dress under 10 bucks, which is nice. Create this A-line dress, the perfect beginner sewing pattern in your favorite linen or dress it up with silk velvet or sequins where it springs, summer, fall and layer it for winter. Okay, so far I'm seeing there's a little dark here. It's clearly not in line with the bust, but I'm not sure that it's meant to be. I do really like how this is cut in at the shoulder. Has a pretty little scoop neck and then something like happening here. Is this like a cocoon or this is looking interesting, but from the back, it looks straight across. So I don't really know what was happening at the front of this. Like what is that? What happened? And then they changed whatever was happening for this photo, so that's concerning. But I will say the back is really pretty. Again, it has that really pretty cut arm. I love this for a sleeveless. It's kind of like a racer back, but not really. Really pretty. Here are the line drawings, which we can't see at all. This is how much fabric you need. All right, and here are some tester photos. So her front looks totally fine. I don't know what's happening with that first picture, but the front of hers looks really nice. Here it is in a velvet. She ended up belting hers to give herself a little bit of a waist. Oh, and she made one for her daughter too. That's so cute. They have matching dresses. Here's another belted look, but this looks like it's from a magazine. I mean, more power to this woman if that is, like if this was a tester, but this looks like not the same dress, right? Here it is in sequence, and that's a velvet again. These pictures are pretty much terrible. Impossible to really see what's going on. And I wanted to point out that there is not a dart on this line drawing. That was one thing I could see, but I mean, is that not a dart right there and right there? Maybe not, maybe not. Because on this, no dart. So, which is fine, fine with me, dartless little dress. That's fine. Okay, so roughly the same size chart. Here's finished garment measurements on this one, where the hip goes up to 56. So obviously this is like an A-line dress, so it's very roomy in the hips. So I could definitely make this work, but also point out that this goes up to additional sizes, whereas the last one stopped at extra large. Did it stop at extra large? Yeah, okay, so it goes up one extra size to a 2X. So, and then a lot of information about fabric. Again, which I really appreciate how much attention she gives to that, because as we all know, when you first start sewing, pairing fabrics and patterns together is one of the more difficult things to do aside from fit. So, and then she says that her blocks are drafted for a C cup, so that should be good information for those of you that are slightly larger than like the big four does AB. All right, and she tells you where to measure the upper bust. All right, I mean, it's simple, but if it's drafted really well, this could be like the A-line dress, the only one that you need. I've actually struggled finding A-line dresses that have a great arm depth that I don't know. Sometimes they just get a little, I don't know. I don't know, it could be me, but I don't have like a really great simple straight A-line basic dress for woven, so maybe this could be it. Again, for less than 10 bucks, worth a try. Okay, this is the sleeveless shift dress pattern. Classic A-line dress cut just above the knee, signature square and v-neck. And again, she has that little squared off arm designed with flat felt seams to neatly encase raw seam edges and give weight and stability to the garment for the perfect drape. It's also got two pockets in the side seams. So she's being very thoughtful about the seaming, which is nice. Also really great for beginners because a lot of beginners don't have sergers, so this is a great way to encase your seams when you don't have an extra machine. So this is just like the first dress, just shorter without the slits. Okay, well, I don't know that we need a separate pattern for that, but whatever. Yeah, I think it's pretty much the same. So semi-fitted A-line above the knee. Maybe the first one was not A-line. Maybe it's a little bit more of like a straight up and down. So okay, but it has the same exact neckline. So you could certainly, I mean, those of us with even the littlest bit of experience could hack those two things. This was $17, my goodness. All right, and so then here are some of our tester photos. Is it everybody's? Yeah, it's a pretty short dress. Everybody's is like a few inches above the knee, but also everyone's getting pretty good fit. This one here does look a little bit tight across her upper bust, but she's also got, I think, larger than a C cup too. So that could be some of what is causing all this gaping and all of that kind of stuff. Oh, and she used the selvedge. That's a really cute idea. Yep, great for the beach. Here she is checking her phone at the beach. Okay, this one only goes up to extra large. And then the same information about the fabric has the first dress. So same neckline as this one here, both sleeveless, really from the waist up there, the exact same. I think this one's just a little bit narrower through the hip. Of course, it's longer and has the slits, whereas this one is a more of a combination of this and this together. All right, now we have the short sleeved dress tunic sewing pattern. Same neckline. This one has a drop shoulder with a sleeve on it. Perfect, classic year round, loose fitting, dressed around out your wardrobe. Classic tunic styling for any size. Square neck and pockets. Okay, so I think we're getting an idea of the vibe here with her pattern. She definitely has a signature look with the notched neckline, with the kind of fabric she's choosing, solid colors. You know, all of that really speaks to her line as a brand. There's also this back yoke thing here, which isn't mentioned, but that's interesting. And then a couple more pictures. She belted hers and then this last photo here, kind of blurry, a little bit hard to see. Is there anybody? Yeah, I guess there you can kind of see the waist in the ease. I mean, the ease in the waist. So this one is, goes up to 2X. And then again, with the eight ounce linen, here is a little review. Cute, she like gives the information about the photos. Okay, here's another little video. This one's twice as long as the last one. Oh man, this is really lovely. Okay, well that was interesting. Obviously those are meant to be a little bit more, like, high fashion, so I don't fully expect to get like, super detailed stuff, although in a perfect world, if I were doing, if I were consulting for a fabric company, or a pattern company, I would, you know, want a little bit more information, but nonetheless, here we are. Okay, so I want to see sleeveless shift, slip dress, and full length dress. And then this one is called short sleeved dress tunic. All right, I was just trying to get an idea of the, if the names were able to kind of help us through this. But all right, so this is Bermuda shorts. So we've got some shorts here. Obviously she's paired it with, I think a cropped version of that third dress, right? I mean, she just cut it shorter. Classic Bermuda shorts, sewing pattern, designed the Anne Normandy design way. Flattering and impeccable fit, this shorts, pattern will be your go-to shorts for every warm season to come. Side zipper, I actually love a side zipper on shorts. And button or hook and eye closure options, flat front style, deep welt pocket to store your phone keys and cash, shaped waistline that will not stretch, fitted around the hips for a sleek silhouette, close fitting leg with side gaudets to create a straight leg. All right, let's show us some of that, please. Is this, what is this? This is the waistband? Is this the front? Boy, I'm confused, already, already confused sadly. Here's our size chart. This one does go up to two X. All right, this is a detailed oriented pattern. It's recommended that you make a muslin from the thigh up to ensure proper fit. Measure using flexible measuring tape, holding the tape loosely in your hands to allow for movement, waist, and hip measurements are critical, okay? Measure your waist at the belly button. I don't know about that, but okay. Loosely wrap the measuring tape around the widest part of your hips, sit down and make sure the tape, okay, that's actually a helpful tip. Okay, so the finished garment measurements go from a 28 and a half waist to 40 and a half inch waist, and then a 36 inch hip to a 48 inch hip, so. And that's finished. She has two inches of ease in the hip and one and a half inches of ease in the waist, which I actually think is kind of a lot. But here we go. So yeah, super thin waistband. Here's that welt pocket and then it's got four darts in the back and then these are the go days. Let's see how we did. Oh, those look quite good. A little tight across the thigh. That could just be a little crotch adjustment, but I don't know how much of that she goes into. These look great. Then again, these people are all pretty much straight size and there's only two two tester photos shown. Both of them not very curvy. So that is, oh, Lord, sorry, that was honey. So that I think says a lot about what we've got going on, but here you can see the little go day in the side. It actually kind of looks like she, it almost looks like a make it work moment rather than an actual design detail. Doesn't it look like she just messed up and they were too small. So she inserted this little triangle, this little wedge. That's kind of what I'm getting from it. But all right, so no additional information there. All right. Well, I was hopeful for those, but I'm thinking that's gonna be a no for me. Off the shoulder, cold shoulder, tunic top. This is quite cute. Okay, show off your shoulders with the Chic 70s Bohemian inspired tunic tops. So it would crisp neutral linen for a minimalist look or go to its boho roots with a print or embroidered fabric. All right, flattering off the shoulder tunic style. Side vents for comfort, bell sleeves to the forearm, designed with flat felt seams, fitted straps to cover bras and bias binding to perfectly hug the curves of the neckline. So we've got that photo and then this one here. Kind of like a batwing style, I think. Yeah, so like a grown on sleeve little side vents. Yeah, I mean, it's a little, it's a little, I mean, basic seems like too basic of a word to describe it. Elementary maybe. Also, I don't know that, you know, it's not super fashion forward either. Not that all of our clothes have to be, but it does look cute and comfortable. So, you know, there's that. And then she's calling for light to medium, good quality linen with a medium weight of five and a half ounces. So she's really loving her linens and then finished measurements. Oh, the sizes are combined. So you have an option of either. You have two options for sizes, but I guess it's a loose fitting for giving kind of top. So maybe that's okay. I guess this must be like an inspo board. I just wish it said that. And then here's someone in hers that looks more like a cotton, very crisp, not very drapey. So you can see the difference there, but she's the only tester photo represented. So it also looks kind of tight across her hips too. All right. All right. So that is it for the off the shoulder, cold shoulder to neck top. Next up, we have some pants. Simply called the pant PDF sewing pattern. This has wide, oh, side zipper, deep welt pocket, shaped waistline, fitted around the hips, straight leg with flared go days on inseam and side seam to give a wide leg appearance without bulk. That one looks less like a mistake, I think. I don't know, maybe it's still, still does. I don't know, hard to tell. And again, it has the exact same waist. So that's super thin waistband. The welt pocket is over here on her left side, probably the four darts in the back. Yeah. This is it from the inside. That's a neat view that we don't get a lot. We are not gonna get a single tester photo on this one, really pretty finishes. There's some bar tacking here, really great finishes. And the construction looks really beautiful. I mean, I don't, I mean, I see this woman is standing up but we can't see anything from her like low hip pop. I can't see anything about the crotch. I can't see anything about the waistband. I can't see anything about how it fits at all. And the rest of the photos are her sitting down, which isn't that helpful. And then all the rest are on a mannequin, which is Lily's helpful. So, I just don't know about, you know, I'm not gonna spend $19 on this pattern and have this little bit of an information to go off of. All right, and then now we have the bundle. So you get the pants and the cold shoulder top. Or you can buy a gift card. Okay, well, that was quick and easy. And Normandy. I don't know that I'm gonna remember her much longer after filming this. I would be tempted to give the little slip dress pattern a try because of the $10 price point. I mean, it's like half the price of all her other patterns. I mean, this one's on sale, but still. And having a good slip dress pattern is really nice, but, you know, I'm definitely not like running to go get my credit card or anything. So I'm interested to hear what you guys think. She does have a look book we can look through. Okay, well, that's just the same thing we were looking at. So not much of a look book. But for one collection, let me know what you guys think. Let me know what you guys think. I think you can pretty much tell what I think. But I'm interested to hear what you guys think. You all have different lifestyles than me. You all have different like style styles than me. So maybe I'm being a little bit too critical. I don't know. Y'all let me know what you think. But that is gonna do it for me today. I will see you all very soon. Bye.