Pattern review - Wrap/vest thing (plus Me-Made-June: Day 7)

Wrap thing: Me-Made (reviewed below) / Skirt: Me-Made / Top: Primark

So today was a do stuff at home day, so a pretty casual look. (It was also meant to be a run some errands day, but then the thunderstorms started.)

Pattern description

Top j, view 1 from Unique clothes any way you like by Natsuno Hiraiwa. A crazy reversible sort of waistcoat thing that you can also wear either way up.

Pattern sizing

One size.

Fabric used

Yellow cotton interlock. I had in my mind a cute sunny bright wrap...

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope when you were done?

Erm, well the shape did, I'm not sure I pulled off the effortless Japanese sophistication though...

Were the instructions easy to follow?

They are in Japanese... There is a big picture of how it is sewn together though - and to be honest it's really really simple to put together. Like, just two pieces.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I like how the garment is such an interesting shape, both on and off the body. The pattern pieces were a bit tricky to trace - think BWOF style pattern sheets, but all in one colour... Just needs a bit of concentration so you're sure which line you want to trace. Once that's done, it's super quick to sew up. (Assuming you don't need to change thread colours in your serger and then miss that one thread isn't through the tensioner properly and spend 20mins trying to work out why it's not sewing properly. Ahem.)

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made

I left off the turned over hem and binding on the centre part, and just serged the edges - I was aiming for a funky graphic look. Unfortunately, with the choice of fabric, I instead ended up wearing a giant duster...

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I am going to sew this again, but using a different fabric, so I get more of the cool and less of the cleaning products. I also think I'll trace off view 2, which is slightly larger/wider, to get more of the drapey effects and tying ability as in the photos from the book. I would recommend this to others, as long as they're happy to go by pictures alone (or speak Japanese).

Conclusion

Well, I did actually just wear this out the house. With a coat over the top. I think this will be relegated to housewear though for the moment, until I can think of how I can salvage it. Maybe I might bind the edges or put some appliqués on it? I'm looking forward to sewing up a few other things from this book (and my other Japanese pattern books), although for some of them I'll need to do a bit of grading as the largest size given is about 2-3 dress sizes too small for me.