I've been watching Janelle's channel for a couple years now and as an older, plus size person myself, have not ordered a pattern yet. Although her designs all look great on her, I had questions about their suitability for myself. I think you did answer all those questions for me today. Thank you!
Same. I feel like all the fabric in most of Janelle’s patterns would make my 5’1” 250lbs look even bigger. I’m smaller in the upper body so I can fit into an 18 US but my big arms and tummy/bottom area are way bigger.
My thoughts on the printed pattern- the sleeve is symmetrical so could have been patterned on the fold, the skirt is just a rectangle so I could have saved even more paper and ink had we been given the rectangle measurements. This would have meant far less pieces of paper to piece together overall.
I would love to see you make another dress with this pattern, but making the adjustments you mentioned- lowering the neckline and waist, etc. I want to learn how to adjust patterns to my body better!
I've had quite a few requests like this especially in how to change a neck lines so I'll be sure to make a follow up video. It'll be out closer to the end of the year as this point though
Wonderful review! Helpful and respectful. I love Janelle's channel though I often don't feel her makes are age and size appropriate for me. You opened up a whole new world to me. Thanks!
Have just bought this pattern and I am a plus size, love the waist adjustment you made and agree a slightly lower neckline would be better, so I think I will do that when I make mine up.
Great to see Janelle's beautiful creations on someone else. This is my favourite dress so far and I'd be more likely to make it after watching your video.
I love Janelle and her channel also! I'm not her size or age so it was fantastic to see a pattern I felt comfortable making. My first make I deliberately made out of fabric I don't like, my 2nd run through will be fabric I love, I too will lower the waist (I'm longer in the torso so it sits too close to the bustline) and I added 5 inches to the length for a maxi version. I'm considering removing some of the bulk/volume from the skirt also. Love your fabric and matching earrings!
Sounds like we have very similar fit experiences with this pattern then. Good idea to use a fabric you don't like first just in case. I hope you enjoy your second go around with the changes you're adding to it!
I changed the skirt from a rectangle to something more similar to a circle skirt (the pattern is from the M7974) and changed the pocket position up to sew the top of the pockets into the waistline and it changed the fit sooo much. It looks so much more elegant now while being super comfy.
Thanks for doing this review. I LOVE your idea of adding a waist tie. That made the dress fit you beautifully and to your taste. Your dress is very pretty and flattering, plus it looks so easy to make. I wasn't sure if your pockets were upside down, but I might be wrong - I like bigger pockets, too. I agree with your assessment that the neckline is a bit too high. I would love to see more of a scoop neckline for this dress. Otherwise, it seems like a perfect dress and one I would make over and over, too, if I could figure out the neckline adjustment to lower it without messing up the facing. I also appreciate your caveat about having to put the sleeves on the other grain to make the pattern piece fit correctly. Really a good tip, which will also affect which fabric I would choose to make the dress. Definitely would affect a directional print to have to do that and I might just be inclined to go sleeveless. Such a wonderful review with great details and analysis!
Thanks for such a lovely comment! I'm glad you liked both the dress and my review of it. It seems I'm getting a few comments about how to adjust the neckline to make it a lower scoop so maybe I'll have to make that it's own video at some point too.
Hi great review - I’ve just bought this pattern and I too have a larger bust and was thinking a square neck would look good? Any tips on how to hack the pattern? Definitely a beginner!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! I agree about the high neck (as I have a large chest) but I love a puffy sleeve! Your make looks lovely on you! I love Rosery Apparel, but I’ve been reluctant to by a pattern since it’s been a while since I was in my thirties! But, perhaps the Daisy?
Ohhh yes the Daisy does look like a beautiful design and I think it would look great on any aged person. The v neck on the Daisy would be flattering too for us larger chested ladies. I'm keen to give it a try too in spring
Excellent review Marie, thank you. I love your Pansy dress & the small changes you made, pretty fabric & very flattering fit on you. I treated myself with a recent 30% off sale & ordered the printed pattern to be sent to me in the U.S., which I have never done.
I saw that there was a sale on this weekend and was SO tempted to buy the Daisy dress next, but my "to make" pile is already so large I figured I better not at this point! I hope you enjoy making your Pansy Dress when it arrives to you! And hopefully this review is a useful resource
@@MyMumMakes, I bought the pdf of the Daisy dress, lol, it's so pretty & feminine. Love your channel & will be making more wet bags for baby gifts with fabric from Noosa.
@@tamarakarlin2758 excellent! Gotta love a good Noosa fabric!! My wet bag video seems surprisingly popular which I'm glad for but I'm honestly surprised how many people say that's something they really like making.
Really helpful review, thanks Marie. Good categories and suggestions to make it more flattering. A deeper and wider scoop neckline could mean no keyhole back necessary ✅. Deep pockets ->💃🏻 Couple of questions: Did you end up cutting the skirt in the larger size? Grading would be pretty easy considering the skirt is just gathered onto the bodice but I’m interested in whether you decided the larger size was necessary or the pattern was sufficiently voluminous in size 18. How much fabric did you end up needing? And what width was it? Cheers 🍎
Yes that's true, you wouldn't need the key hole on the back which would be good. I cut the skirt as a size 18 as well because it was already so gathered I didn't think it necessary to size up. Also it was all I could fit on my fabric so I didn't bother cutting the bigger size. I bought 4m and had maybe 1/2m left over. It was 112cm wide so pretty standard. Hope that helps!
The blue flowered dress of yourself is a very lovely one and looks great on you. Also the kind of fabric seems to be a cotton. ❤ (I agree to you on the high neckline of the Apparel dress, a bit for little girls)
Hello, love your video! Do you have a pattern for the dress with the elbow grazer pockets?? These sound like my dream pockets and I love the look of that dress.
I don't have the pattern for it actually. I made it about 5 years ago just messing around cloning a few items of clothes and that's what I came up with but I didn't actually pattern it out properly. You're not the first person to say so though so I might have to look into drafting it properly
Editing Marie was pretty frustrated with the video quality. It's very annoying to spend all that time setting it all up and filming only for it to look like what 🙄 oh well. I'm glad it gave you a laugh
12:42 what pattern is the blue floral dress you’re wearing here? I think the size 16 would be better fit. This one seems a little big in the shoulders on you. A neck would look better as well.
I’m only up to the pattern piecing and I wanted to share that I’ve found a great website to get them printed at. Previously I was going to officeworks which was $5 per A0 page in black and white. Patternsy is in the UK and they are £2.50 per A0 page which is about $4.26 AUD, but it’s in colour!! There is the postage fee (I think £8 to australia) but I recently sent a few patterns to them and am really happy with them. (The website/ordering I found slightly confusing but worked it out in the end.)
Why do you pre-wash the fabric and do you put it in the washing machine? Do the raw edges Frey ? I like the dress on you. I’d like to see it with a light coloured fabric for the sleeves and bodice and a dark colour for the skirt part.
I prewash fabric so if the fabric is going to shrink it will do it before I make up the garment. Also it can still have chemicals on the fabric from the factory so I like to wash it for that too. I just chuck it in the washing machine in the same way I wash our clothes. It can fray a bit but it's never been anything terrible. Some people zig zag stitch the fabric piece first to avoid fraying but I've never found that to be necessary. Interesting idea with having it as a two tone dress. Thanks for the suggestion
Thanks I'm glad you like it! It's one I self drafted in myself so it doesn't have a pattern but I actually get a lot of questions about that dress so maybe I should make it into a pattern
Love it, I was going to comment I even liked more how it fitted you than the original but then got to the alterations part and understood why. I'm also partial for a more fitted waist. Question, do you know what seam allowance is considered on the pattern? I have seen Jeanelle's videos over and over but can't seem to find it. I have the free version of the Rosa pattern and would love to make it.
Yes I think it's pretty common to prefer a fitted waist. It was a pretty simple addition to the dress to add the tie at the back but I think it made a huge difference. It was 1cm seam allowance or 3/8 inch for the pansy pattern so I imagine the Rosa is the same. Definitely have a go making it! I really enjoy using her patterns
Thanks so much for this wonderful video! Very helpful, you're the best. Can I ask...do you have a pattern you would recommend that has a lower neckline and lower waist?? And, did you sew the waist ties into the side seams, or just on top?? Thanks so much for your time.
I'm glad it was helpful!! I plan to make a video showing how I adjust this dress later this year but haven't done it yet. I would just change it based on shirts that I like the fit of as a guide. And yes I added the ties into the side seams. Hope that helps!
I actually don't have a pattern I was just cloning from my clothes and messing around to make that dress. Maybe I'll have to turn it into a real pattern one day though!! If you send me a message on Instagram or Facebook I can send through the pocket pattern piece for my huge pockets and you can just add them to any dress you have if you like
I love Rosary Apparel too! It’s so nice seeing a product review of Janel’s stuff. I loved the bow tie idea! I hate putting in zippers so this a better alternative for me. Great review!!
Excellent I'm glad it was a helpful review. I hate putting zips in too to be honest. And button holes too are certainly another thing I'd rather not bother with if at all possible
Yes I do want to start sharing more of my own clothes. It's hard because most of my subscribers joined from videos about baby items so they're always the videos that they lots of views. I do want to start branching out more now though, especially now I don't have a baby at home anymore
I've sewn the pattern twice! By measurements, I was between the sizes 18 and 20. My first go, I went for a size 20 and did everything exactly as the pattern laid out and it came out to be quite nice, but a bit big, especially in the shoulders. On my second go, I took it down to a size 18 and then also just snipped the shoulder width of the bodice down to the size 14 line and blended it into the rest of the armhole. I also made it a little more my own with some full length sleeves and a full length tiered skirt :) I am pleased as punch with the second dress, even though I do feel like making the shoulders narrower still wouldn't have hurt. I also agree that the neckline is quite high but adjusting that felt a little out of my comfort zone. My advice to anyone making the pattern: -There is a lot of ease in the pattern, so if you are between sizes, choose the smaller one. -The pattern has wide shoulders, so be sure to check that they won't be excessively wide on you. With gathered sleeves like this, you can really easily take 1-2 cm off the shoulder width with no consequences. -Also the skirt is just a rectangle so it kind of felt like a waste of paper to have printed it. Only print/assemble the skirt pattern if you are very uncomfortable with sizing rectangle skirts imo
I've been watching Janelle's channel for a couple years now and as an older, plus size person myself, have not ordered a pattern yet. Although her designs all look great on her, I had questions about their suitability for myself. I think you did answer all those questions for me today. Thank you!
I'm glad it answered your questions! It can be hard to picture the way clothes will look on different body types so I'm hoping this is helpful.
Same. I feel like all the fabric in most of Janelle’s patterns would make my 5’1” 250lbs look even bigger. I’m smaller in the upper body so I can fit into an 18 US but my big arms and tummy/bottom area are way bigger.
My thoughts on the printed pattern- the sleeve is symmetrical so could have been patterned on the fold, the skirt is just a rectangle so I could have saved even more paper and ink had we been given the rectangle measurements. This would have meant far less pieces of paper to piece together overall.
Very true! That would have saved me a lot of time tiling it all together too!
I would love to see you make another dress with this pattern, but making the adjustments you mentioned- lowering the neckline and waist, etc. I want to learn how to adjust patterns to my body better!
I've had quite a few requests like this especially in how to change a neck lines so I'll be sure to make a follow up video. It'll be out closer to the end of the year as this point though
Totally agree to stitching widest part of dart to narrowest, easier to run off at the narrow end and just tie off the threads when done
Wonderful review! Helpful and respectful. I love Janelle's channel though I often don't feel her makes are age and size appropriate for me. You opened up a whole new world to me. Thanks!
Oh what a lovely comment to receive! Thanks for that. I'm glad it was helpful
Have just bought this pattern and I am a plus size, love the waist adjustment you made and agree a slightly lower neckline would be better, so I think I will do that when I make mine up.
Great to see Janelle's beautiful creations on someone else. This is my favourite dress so far and I'd be more likely to make it after watching your video.
Excellent! I'm so glad this has helped you work out of it's the dress for you! It really is a great pattern and my favourite of Janelle's as well
I love Janelle and her channel also! I'm not her size or age so it was fantastic to see a pattern I felt comfortable making. My first make I deliberately made out of fabric I don't like, my 2nd run through will be fabric I love, I too will lower the waist (I'm longer in the torso so it sits too close to the bustline) and I added 5 inches to the length for a maxi version. I'm considering removing some of the bulk/volume from the skirt also. Love your fabric and matching earrings!
Sounds like we have very similar fit experiences with this pattern then. Good idea to use a fabric you don't like first just in case. I hope you enjoy your second go around with the changes you're adding to it!
I changed the skirt from a rectangle to something more similar to a circle skirt (the pattern is from the M7974) and changed the pocket position up to sew the top of the pockets into the waistline and it changed the fit sooo much. It looks so much more elegant now while being super comfy.
@@Meloni40 brilliant!!!
@@Meloni40 wow great suggestions!! That sounds lovely
I buy sheets from the op shop to try out a pattern for the first time….only a $5 mistake if I mess it up!
Thanks for doing this review. I LOVE your idea of adding a waist tie. That made the dress fit you beautifully and to your taste. Your dress is very pretty and flattering, plus it looks so easy to make. I wasn't sure if your pockets were upside down, but I might be wrong - I like bigger pockets, too. I agree with your assessment that the neckline is a bit too high. I would love to see more of a scoop neckline for this dress. Otherwise, it seems like a perfect dress and one I would make over and over, too, if I could figure out the neckline adjustment to lower it without messing up the facing. I also appreciate your caveat about having to put the sleeves on the other grain to make the pattern piece fit correctly. Really a good tip, which will also affect which fabric I would choose to make the dress. Definitely would affect a directional print to have to do that and I might just be inclined to go sleeveless. Such a wonderful review with great details and analysis!
Thanks for such a lovely comment! I'm glad you liked both the dress and my review of it.
It seems I'm getting a few comments about how to adjust the neckline to make it a lower scoop so maybe I'll have to make that it's own video at some point too.
Hi great review - I’ve just bought this pattern and I too have a larger bust and was thinking a square neck would look good? Any tips on how to hack the pattern? Definitely a beginner!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! I agree about the high neck (as I have a large chest) but I love a puffy sleeve! Your make looks lovely on you! I love Rosery Apparel, but I’ve been reluctant to by a pattern since it’s been a while since I was in my thirties! But, perhaps the Daisy?
Ohhh yes the Daisy does look like a beautiful design and I think it would look great on any aged person. The v neck on the Daisy would be flattering too for us larger chested ladies. I'm keen to give it a try too in spring
Very nice dress. Very flattering on you. I agree with the changes that you made and suggested. Nice review
Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed the review 🥰
Excellent review Marie, thank you. I love your Pansy dress & the small changes you made, pretty fabric & very flattering fit on you. I treated myself with a recent 30% off sale & ordered the printed pattern to be sent to me in the U.S., which I have never done.
I saw that there was a sale on this weekend and was SO tempted to buy the Daisy dress next, but my "to make" pile is already so large I figured I better not at this point!
I hope you enjoy making your Pansy Dress when it arrives to you! And hopefully this review is a useful resource
@@MyMumMakes, I bought the pdf of the Daisy dress, lol, it's so pretty & feminine. Love your channel & will be making more wet bags for baby gifts with fabric from Noosa.
@@tamarakarlin2758 excellent! Gotta love a good Noosa fabric!! My wet bag video seems surprisingly popular which I'm glad for but I'm honestly surprised how many people say that's something they really like making.
Really helpful review, thanks Marie. Good categories and suggestions to make it more flattering. A deeper and wider scoop neckline could mean no keyhole back necessary ✅. Deep pockets ->💃🏻
Couple of questions:
Did you end up cutting the skirt in the larger size? Grading would be pretty easy considering the skirt is just gathered onto the bodice but I’m interested in whether you decided the larger size was necessary or the pattern was sufficiently voluminous in size 18.
How much fabric did you end up needing? And what width was it?
Cheers 🍎
Yes that's true, you wouldn't need the key hole on the back which would be good.
I cut the skirt as a size 18 as well because it was already so gathered I didn't think it necessary to size up. Also it was all I could fit on my fabric so I didn't bother cutting the bigger size. I bought 4m and had maybe 1/2m left over. It was 112cm wide so pretty standard. Hope that helps!
@@MyMumMakes Ta 🙂
This was SO informative and enjoyable to watch. U speak well and it doesn't get boring. Hehe. Thanks for the lovely content
Oh thank you so much what a lovely comment to read! I'm so glad to hear this was an enjoyable video for you
The blue flowered dress of yourself is a very lovely one and looks great on you. Also the kind of fabric seems to be a cotton. ❤ (I agree to you on the high neckline of the Apparel dress, a bit for little girls)
I haven't tried her patterns yet but it's been on my bucket list!
This was my first Rosery Apparel pattern but I'd be interested to try some of the other ones for sure
Would you please share information about the blue print dress you made that you’re wearing? The dress is fab, and that neckline is beautiful! Thanks ❤
I think I'll buy this pattern but I will probably order the hardcopy version
Good idea. There are pros and cons for both but considering how much I hate tiling, hard copies are always less hassle
Hello, love your video! Do you have a pattern for the dress with the elbow grazer pockets?? These sound like my dream pockets and I love the look of that dress.
I don't have the pattern for it actually. I made it about 5 years ago just messing around cloning a few items of clothes and that's what I came up with but I didn't actually pattern it out properly. You're not the first person to say so though so I might have to look into drafting it properly
Loved “Edit Marie” showing her face! Made me laugh and also go good thinking
Editing Marie was pretty frustrated with the video quality. It's very annoying to spend all that time setting it all up and filming only for it to look like what 🙄 oh well. I'm glad it gave you a laugh
I have never thought of holding the tape measure around my body to determine whether the ease would be enough or not.
Maybe unconventional but it works for me!!
12:42 what pattern is the blue floral dress you’re wearing here?
I think the size 16 would be better fit. This one seems a little big in the shoulders on you. A neck would look better as well.
I’m only up to the pattern piecing and I wanted to share that I’ve found a great website to get them printed at. Previously I was going to officeworks which was $5 per A0 page in black and white. Patternsy is in the UK and they are £2.50 per A0 page which is about $4.26 AUD, but it’s in colour!! There is the postage fee (I think £8 to australia) but I recently sent a few patterns to them and am really happy with them.
(The website/ordering I found slightly confusing but worked it out in the end.)
Ohhh good tip!! Yes if you sent a bunch over it would make it worth the postage
@@MyMumMakes now I just need to make all the patterns I have printed (and avoid purchasing anymore until I’ve done so!) 🤣
@@nyssac2914 hahah yep I'm there with you and avoid buying fabric too. The struggle is real
Why do you pre-wash the fabric and do you put it in the washing machine? Do the raw edges Frey ?
I like the dress on you. I’d like to see it with a light coloured fabric for the sleeves and bodice and a dark colour for the skirt part.
I prewash fabric so if the fabric is going to shrink it will do it before I make up the garment. Also it can still have chemicals on the fabric from the factory so I like to wash it for that too. I just chuck it in the washing machine in the same way I wash our clothes. It can fray a bit but it's never been anything terrible. Some people zig zag stitch the fabric piece first to avoid fraying but I've never found that to be necessary.
Interesting idea with having it as a two tone dress. Thanks for the suggestion
Can you tell me which dress you are wearing at 9:17, the floral with the large pockets? It’s wonderful!
Thanks I'm glad you like it! It's one I self drafted in myself so it doesn't have a pattern but I actually get a lot of questions about that dress so maybe I should make it into a pattern
Love it, I was going to comment I even liked more how it fitted you than the original but then got to the alterations part and understood why. I'm also partial for a more fitted waist.
Question, do you know what seam allowance is considered on the pattern? I have seen Jeanelle's videos over and over but can't seem to find it. I have the free version of the Rosa pattern and would love to make it.
Yes I think it's pretty common to prefer a fitted waist. It was a pretty simple addition to the dress to add the tie at the back but I think it made a huge difference.
It was 1cm seam allowance or 3/8 inch for the pansy pattern so I imagine the Rosa is the same. Definitely have a go making it! I really enjoy using her patterns
@@MyMumMakes thank you for your response ❤
@@ClaudiaDavZam no worries!
Thank you for the review. ❤️
No worries! I hope it was helpful
Thanks so much for this wonderful video! Very helpful, you're the best. Can I ask...do you have a pattern you would recommend that has a lower neckline and lower waist?? And, did you sew the waist ties into the side seams, or just on top?? Thanks so much for your time.
I'm glad it was helpful!!
I plan to make a video showing how I adjust this dress later this year but haven't done it yet. I would just change it based on shirts that I like the fit of as a guide. And yes I added the ties into the side seams. Hope that helps!
@@MyMumMakes Wow, thanks so much for your reply. Very helpful, I'm glad I found your channel.
@@sarahkechayas8646 I'm glad to have you here 💕
Could you please share the pattern for the dress you made with the deep square neckline and the fabulous pockets? Thanks!
I actually don't have a pattern I was just cloning from my clothes and messing around to make that dress. Maybe I'll have to turn it into a real pattern one day though!!
If you send me a message on Instagram or Facebook I can send through the pocket pattern piece for my huge pockets and you can just add them to any dress you have if you like
@@MyMumMakes Thank you, Marie! I will send you an Instagram message. I just discovered your channel and I like your vibe!
@@bburke6650 thanks! I'm glad you like my video style 😊 I'll hear from you over on Instagram
I love Rosary Apparel too! It’s so nice seeing a product review of Janel’s stuff. I loved the bow tie idea! I hate putting in zippers so this a better alternative for me. Great review!!
Excellent I'm glad it was a helpful review. I hate putting zips in too to be honest. And button holes too are certainly another thing I'd rather not bother with if at all possible
Can you do more sews that you wear. I need ideas
Yes I do want to start sharing more of my own clothes. It's hard because most of my subscribers joined from videos about baby items so they're always the videos that they lots of views. I do want to start branching out more now though, especially now I don't have a baby at home anymore
I've sewn the pattern twice! By measurements, I was between the sizes 18 and 20.
My first go, I went for a size 20 and did everything exactly as the pattern laid out and it came out to be quite nice, but a bit big, especially in the shoulders.
On my second go, I took it down to a size 18 and then also just snipped the shoulder width of the bodice down to the size 14 line and blended it into the rest of the armhole. I also made it a little more my own with some full length sleeves and a full length tiered skirt :)
I am pleased as punch with the second dress, even though I do feel like making the shoulders narrower still wouldn't have hurt. I also agree that the neckline is quite high but adjusting that felt a little out of my comfort zone.
My advice to anyone making the pattern:
-There is a lot of ease in the pattern, so if you are between sizes, choose the smaller one.
-The pattern has wide shoulders, so be sure to check that they won't be excessively wide on you. With gathered sleeves like this, you can really easily take 1-2 cm off the shoulder width with no consequences.
-Also the skirt is just a rectangle so it kind of felt like a waste of paper to have printed it. Only print/assemble the skirt pattern if you are very uncomfortable with sizing rectangle skirts imo
Haha! I bought that same fabric for that same pattern!
Haha great minds think alike! I'm happy with it, it's very pretty