Pattern Geek-Out: Papercut Patterns!

November 26, 2012 By in Pattern Geek-Out!, Uncategorized Tags: , , 99 Comments

I don’t know about you guys, but I could sure use some cheering up today!  I’m having a hard time conjuring up a good attitude about going back to work after a holiday weekend (not to mention dealing with the newly-chilly weather here in NYC after enjoying sunny Florida for Thanksgiving).  But, if there’s anything that can put a spring in my step, it’s new indie patterns, so it was great timing that these landed today!  Wanna look at some photos and feel better about life with me?

Midsummers’ Night Dream dress (includes tank variation)

Here we go!  This is Papercut Patterns‘ new spring/summer collection (ha!  Why do you mock me, o warm and beautiful southern hemisphere?  Seriously, you guys, I HATE winter and am NOT emotionally prepared for this weather), Covent Garden.  Isn’t it too beautiful?  How dreamy is that dress above?  The color is RAD, I tell you!

La Sylphide dress

I can imagine quite a few of you in the dress above!  How cute is it?!  The La Sylphide pattern also includes separate blouse and skirt variations, so that’s pretty fun.

Petrouchka top and Rite of Spring shorts

Guys.  Do you want to hear a deep, dark, disturbing confession?  (Of course you do– you’re sick in the head!)  This whole time you guys have been freaking out about peplums, I’ve been all, “WHATEVER”.  There.  I said it.  NOT INTO PEPLUMS.  But for some reason, I actually really like this little top!  It’s sort of casual and flirty at the same time and also, raglan sleeves, dudes!  My fave!  One last thing: how much do you want a pair of orange wedges now?!?!?!

Coppélia cardigan (and the Rite of Spring shorts, again)

Look at this adorable wrap cardigan!  I’m so tempted to make this cardigan and use By Hand London‘s too-f-ing-cute tutu tutorial so I can dash around the house pretending to be a beautiful ballerina and not at all trying to fulfill some sort of crazy childhood fantasy… what?

Oh yeah– I should probably mention that Katie is running a free shipping special until Dec. 16th, which definitely makes a purchase more tempting since New Zealand is FAR, FAR AWAY IN THE LAND OF SUNSHINE AND DREAMS.  Definitely go check out the rest of her collection– it’s always such a treat when new indie patterns pop up!

What do you think, guys?  Do you like these?  How would you wear these styles?  Lastly, what are your strategies for beating the back-to-work blues?  Putting up Christmas decorations, drinking hot chocolate, and watching Christmas Vacation lessened the sting of re-entry a bit last night, but I’d love to hear your tips!

99 responses

  1. Wow! Papercut was not on my radar at all, so thanks for this! I’m really in love with that bow-neck dress. But the peplum: meh. I’m also not a lover of the peplum, and this one didn’t sway me. However: I do own a pair of orange wedges. Or two.

    I think you would feel a lot happier if you went ahead with your plan and made the cardi and a tutu to wear around the house 🙂

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    • You would look SO CUTE in that bow dress! That’s definitely a much more flattering style than peplums usually are. They’re hard to wear (and what do you wear on the bottom?).

      You know what, I bet I WOULD be happy if I put together a little ballet set. But… do you think I could get away with wearing it to work? 😉

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  3. I saw these yesterday. How gorgeous are they? I want La Sylphide and the wrap top. In fact I tried to buy them yesterday but my Paypal wasn’t working for some reason. Perhaps a subconscious message from somewhere telling me to step away from the patterns!

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  4. That pink dress pattern needs to be mine! I’ve been in love with several of these patterns but the shipping cost always kind of turned me off (and I’m sure they feel the same way about northern hemisphere pattern companies!). I’m definitely going to have to give this a hard thinking over…..

    And I know exactly how you feel about peplums, I’ve been slow coming around to them. I also feel the same way about cardigans, but I’ve found a couple that I think are pretty cute, the one above for example. 🙂

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    • Right? I sprang for the pleated pants pattern about a month ago, despite the shipping costs (to be honest, I didn’t realize that NZD were worth less than USD, so I thought they were more expensive than they actually are… hey, I’m no economist!), and I’ve been dying to make them. Her patterns are just so fun and stylish!

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  7. I haven’t been on board with peplum either! I’m not super girly, though, so I think it’s just not for me. This Papercut top is a bit more hip than sweet with the high low hem (and sultry model:) As far as the blues? I’m trying to embrace the winter by enjoying cozy moments every day (aka staying in my pjs longer than usual and drinking lots of fancy hot cocoa!)

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    • I’m not very girly, either. I always feel like I’m playing dress-up in dresses and the real me is just hanging out waiting for pretend me to stop goofing around. 🙂

      I like the sound of PJ’s and hot cocoa! I’m going to put that on the docket for Saturday, I think!

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  9. To be honest, the only pattern from the new Papercut collection I really liked is pants. But I can absolutely picture you in the Midsummer Night dream dress! I like this unusual shade of yellow with tints of green.
    I hate winter too but despite cold and wind and everything, winter offers unique opportunities like wearing warm scarfs and boots (I ❤ boots!!!), drinking hot wine on Christmas market, staying in with friends and play silly games or watch movies, dreaming about summer.

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    • Ooh, I like boots, too. OK, that’s a good thing. I’m looking forward to making the pants at my earliest opportunity. I’ve really been struggling to make time for my backlog of projects! That probably means I shouldn’t buy any more patterns, huh… 🙂

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  10. La Syphilde is truly gorgeous, but I have a top with buttons and a pussy bow that I can try to alter into a similar dress, so I don’t think I can justify the purchase. Especially with this being a style I can’t wear for at least another 5 months 😥

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  11. Dude! You make me LAFF SO MUCH!! I am so right there with you on the weather. I’ve lived with four seasons all of my life, but you can’t tell by my inability to deal with the cold.

    You are doing nothing to help my pattern buying freeze! I am a big fan of that peplum top, even though I haven’t sewn up the one I already have. And that wrap cardigan for the same reasons you like it. You should see what I wear around the house. Everyone would thank me for pretending to be a ballerina if it gets me out of 10 year old tshirts and stuff I got through freecycle ;p

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    • I know, right? Dude, I grew up in Chicago winters and I’m still a total wuss about the cold! Ridiculous.

      I could definitely see you in both of those patterns! And um, I’m right there with you as far as ’round-the-house gear goes– free promotional or Goodwill t-shirts and baggy men’s PJ bottoms paired with my Chicago Bears slippers… HOTT.

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  13. Pingback: Limping, Crawling, Dragging Over the Line | Sown Brooklyn

  14. Wow, this new collection is beautiful! I also really love the La Sylphide dress, even though it’s not really my style. I do love Coppelia though- that’s the sort of thing I’d make up in a million colours and wear every day! And yup, also a big fan o’ the raglan 🙂

    Feeling your southern hemisphere envy… the past 6 months were a killer- seeing all you northern hemispherians flaunting your summer frocks & the like. So hard to stay focussed :p Summer sewing (& weather!) is just so much more FUN! Yay for being a southern hemisphere resident right now! Woot!

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  15. Land of sunshine & dreams indeed (though it will always be Middle-earth to me…totally letting my geek flag fly there.)

    That Midsummer Night’s dress is just adorable. I do like what you mentioned about her doing separates variations on her own patterns. It sounds very practical and easier to actually work into my wardrobe.
    I’m not having back to work blahs so much as winter blahs, tbh. So far, my coping mechanism is lots of hot tea and counting down the days to my somewhere-tropical honeymoon.

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  21. Thanks for posting this, I’d never heard of this pattern company. As for the clothes – not for me, but I can see daughter no 2 in the yellow dress, and daughter no1 would just die for the peach number!

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  22. I like the Sylphide dress, especially in that lightweight a fabric, but if I made it I would have added… about a foot in length. The blouse version is really cute, but the open back where the peplum doesn’t match up would look weird with my style of dress, I think.

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    • I would lengthen the dress, too, since nobody wants to see that much of my shockingly white legs! Luckily that’s an easy fix. Peplums take a lot of thinking to style, in my opinion. I’m just not confident that I would build an outfit around one properly. I’m not that skilled of a stylist!

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  23. Tee hee, land of sunshine and dreams. Lots of sunshine this week, too. Yay!

    (But hey, we have to suffer through all of you Northern Hemisphere girls showing off your summer frocks while we huddle in our coats down here and try to stay out of the wind and rain and cold. 😉

    Of course, you could come and visit this time of year, see what a Christmas at the beach is like…..

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    • Aren’t the opposite seasons torturous? Christmas on the beach has a totally different feel– I spent a few years in southern California and always laughed to see Christmas lights on palm trees. 🙂

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  25. Thanks for posting this, I didn’t know they had a new collection. These patterns are gorgeous, I’m especially in love with La Sylphide, but they’re WAY too expensive for my taste…

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  26. well, I haven’t even had a Thanksgiving break but I’m still not happy about being back at work this week. My instinct to hibernate has set in – I basically just want to be in bed all day long (dreaming of hot sunny days).
    I love these patterns! Esp the Midsummer’s Night Dream dress. Oh midsummer….

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    • Ugh, it’s so hard to get out of bed in the dark (especially when the dogs just want to snooze all day, too– they don’t even wake up when I get up!). You would look so sweet in that dress! Let’s pretend like summer is coming… although with the speed that I sew, it may be summer before I actually finished the dress!

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    • That’s true! I should be more grateful for that. 🙂 BTW have you and Lucy tried ice skating at Bryant Park? It’s kinda expensive to rent skates, but if you guys own them it’s a fun thing to do here in the winter for free.

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  29. Oh these are so so good! I think Papercut might be one of my favorite indie pattern companies! That Midsummer’s Night’s Dream dress will be mine this spring – in some floaty silk.. oh yesss… you’ll do just fine, girl, just fiine…
    Ahem. Excuse me. I usually don’t let people know I talk dirty to new patterns, but you get it, right?
    And beating the back to work blues… hmm? Scowl and grimace at everyone you meet, like a giant Scrooge. At some point you’ll realize how ridiculous you look and you’ll laugh. And laughter is, after all, the best medicine….

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    • DUDE, that dress has “sallieoh” written all over it! How can you not fall in love/lust at first sight with these? GORGEOUS.

      I looooooove the idea of just frowning at everyone until I can’t help laughing. Was previously considering printing a tee that reads “I don’t want to be here”… perhaps this is more subtle? I already printed one that says “I’d rather be watching Terminator 2” but people don’t take it seriously for some reason (I WOULD TOTALLY RATHER BE WATCHING T2. What’s so hard to understand?).

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  30. I can’t decide what I want more – the patterns or that model’s face. Haha! Seriously, though, dying over that La Sylphide dress rn. The blouse variation is pretty cute too – and I agree, I was feeling pretty meh about peplums until RIGHT NOW. Oh god, someone needs to give me $30 stat.

    Going back to work yesterday was such a drag! I think the worst part is getting home when it’s already dark – I like my house best when it’s filled with sunlight 😦

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    • That girl is gorgeous, but you’ve got way better hair! If I design a line, you have to be my model, k?

      And hey, in USD, it’s only $25! Hahahahaha… I’m an enabler…

      I’m right with you re: the dark. It’s such a bummer! It feels like the day is already over when it’s 7:00!

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  33. These are some gorg patterns, I really love the midsummer nights dream dress (did anyone say bridesmaid?….) and the ls sylphide. I am totally with you on the dreams of being a ballerina/ inhability to deal with cold weather.
    In that case the wrap cardi is perfect!!

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  34. What a fun collection! It’s nice to get a little reminder of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. I love your idea about the wrap cardi and tutu. I’ll join you!

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  36. Ooh! I love the first dress, the wrap cardi and, yes, the orange wedges! I’m not into peplums either, even the top you’ve shown here can’t persuade me. My hips do NOT need emphasising, hahaha! But a lovely collection of patterns nonetheless.

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  41. I totally agree with you …. I hate winter and cold makes our nose at a red light, but this post reconciled me with the hopes of warm weather while you make all those beautiful clothes … Love them!

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  42. Sometimes it works in our favour to live so far away 🙂 The patterns are still expensive but work out to be about the same price as shipping indie US patterns here (or any Vogue patterns on sale).
    I’m loving the Midsummers night dress- but am struggling to find a reason for making/wearing. I think I’m going to buy those pants first- hurry up and make them so we can see your version.

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    • I’m glad you guys have a local designer! I’m sure it’s a much more difficult and expensive hobby in your neck of the woods. Do you use PDF patterns?

      The pleated pants are my first order of business after the mad holiday dash!

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    • I bet you could handle the peplum top! Knits are really forgiving to sew, especially since you don’t need to finish seams and they stretch to fit you! You’ve got such great style– you’d make totally amazing things!

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  45. I haven’t gotten into peplums either. I have been into Papercut though, I made their hoodie from the previous collection earlier this year, it’s a winner. I like this round, but for other people, not me 🙂 I’m getting more discerning about what works for little old me as opposed to what works for a model ;p

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    • I love the hoodie pattern, too! I really want to give that a try– I know I would actually wear it! It’s so smart to get to a point where you know what will work for you and what you can actually work into your normal wardrobe instead of just impulsively making stuff you’re drawn to.

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