Notes on a Pattern - Simplicity 1098 Views B & C

I was so excited about this pattern when I first saw it.  Diana S. and I were considering making large batches of these wraps and capes adding our own flair to them.  Last weekend I decided to test views B and C. 

One of Simplicity's selling points for this pattern is that it is super easy to make.  View B is billed as "cut and glue".  But I knew I would sew the collar on instead of gluing, and I would also finish the edges on my serger.  View C "super easy wrap to sew".  This is my favorite view, and I figured others would take a liking to it as well.

On the envelope:

All views look stylish and easy.  The models are well posed and look great in all of them.  Yes, Simplicity was successful in their advertising campaign.  One size is supposed to fit most. All can be made of fleece and double faced fleece fabrics. 

My Tests Revealed:

View B -

I made view B for my daughter.  I used a blizzard fleece from JoAnn's.  This view should take less than an hour to make.  But I decided to ditch the cut and glue process for a more permanent one, sewing.  After cutting it out, I serged all the edges.  A single layer for the collar seemed flimsy.  I cut two collars.  The second collar was trimmed 5/8 on the short sides and the outer edges to add some dimension. I wasn't too crazy about the belt.  So I did not make one. 

There are two slits on pattern 1.  On the fabric, you will end up with four: two in the front and two in the back to allow for threading the belt through to create a waist in the poncho.  Here is were Simplicity could have given the sewers some directions for sizing or fitting the poncho better. 

My daughter is between size 10 and 12.  Based on Simplicity placement of the slits, the poncho fits her with too much in the torso area.  I think there should have been multiple points for the slits based on sizing:  small, medium, and large.  So, the placement of the slits restricted the wearer's range of.  I thought this was worth noting.

For the belting, I like an elasticized belt or a sewn belt made with two layers instead of one for durability.  Also, I re-enforced the slit area with fusible tricot interfacing (on the inside).  I didn't like the construction (sewed) of the collar attachment, but I followed it anyway to see how it would turn out.

View C - 

I made three versions of view C.  The first was exactly as indicated by the sewing directions.  The darting at the neckline is not actuate.  It will not work with all types of fleece and it does not work for all sizes.  For all test versions I used anti-pill fleece. Only one worked with a modification to the center back.  The fabric must have some stretch in it.  The neckline even gapes on my daughter.  For the second and third versions, I added three inches to the center back, hoping the span across the back would help.  It did help in the back area, but it didn't resolve the gaping issue at the front neckline.  I did notice that the leopard print fleece had a little stretch in it and laid better across the chest area.  Because I'm tall I also added three inches to the length of the wrap (2nd and 3rd versions).  The first one was a good length for my daughter.

Here, again, there isn't a lot of mobility in the wrap.  The moment you move, the nice neatness of the wrap becomes undone. 

Sorry this one is not a favorable review/notes from my point of testing.  Sure something can be done to correct the neckline.  But when I see no sew, super easy, and one size fits most that means a beginner can do this with no problem.  It also implies no fitting issues.  Not the case here...

Parting:

I'm testing video capability.  So here are a few takes on me talking about view c.

Happy Sewing!
C