
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I recently had the opportunity to try out the Girls' Edwardian Apron e-pattern and e-class bundle. I have to say that the finished product is just adorable. Notice how the contrasting bias trim really sets it off the pattern of the fabric. Mary just loves this apron. She says that now I have to teach her to cook.
The e-bundle arrived via email and I was easily able to download the 16 megabyte file using my dsl connection. The download page warns you to use a high-speed connection because of the size of the file. I think it's do-able on dial-up, certainly, though probably quite slow. As the product itself consists of several smaller files in a zip folder, it would be nice to see the download split up for customers with slower connections.
I downloaded and unzipped the folder with no problems and then checked out the different files. The bundle contains instructions on how to use the e-class, the cover page for the pattern, instructions for printing and putting together your pattern, a thumbnail of what the pattern looks like when properly assembled, sewing instructions, yardage chart, layout, slides for the e-class, an mp3 file with the e-class audio, and a page of links for resources. It is recommended that you read through how to assemble your pattern and your pattern instructions and view the entire e-class before beginning to sew.

The e-pattern, once printed, consists of 25 sheets of paper that need to be lined up and taped together. My only difficulty here was in getting the sheets properly aligned with each other. Each sheet has an unprinted margin that needs to be either trimmed or folded (unless your paper is thin enough to see through easily) to line up the drawn pattern lines. Since the only lines on the sheets are the drawn cutting lines, there are many sheets where there might only be 1-2 lines to match up between sheets and it's hard to keep everything square. It took me about 45 frustrating minutes to assemble the pattern, and a whole lot of tape. A background grid to help match up the pattern pieces, and a printed margin line would make this process much simpler. Once the pattern was assembled, though, cutting the pieces out was a breeze.

The pattern was simple to assemble and consists of only a few pieces, but I'd be hesitant to call it a pattern for beginners simply because of accuracy needed to apply all that bias tape. Still, with some patience, I think a beginner could handle it, especially with the help given by watching the e-class. My actual sewing time was about 2-1/2 hours.
I don't think I've been won over to e-patterns, though I can see some possible advantages. A lost piece is easily replaced, though with this particular pattern, the assembly of the pattern itself is such that you might have to find and print out 3 separate sheets to get one very small pattern piece. You'll definitely save space with pattern storage, though the time you'll spend assembling the pattern might cancel out that advantage. Overall, I love the pattern itself and the finished product, so I might be checking out Sense and Sensibility's printed patterns.
The Girls' Edwardian Apron e-pattern and e-class bundle is available for $24.95. Or you can purchase just the e-pattern for $7.95. The paper pattern is available for $12.95.

Mary is gorgeous! Please give her a hug from me!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your honest and informative review! Great job! I was eager to hear about this one as I am not a seamstress at all!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Job!!!
She looks so proud! How adorable. I passed on this one as I do not have a sewing machine. I think maybe sometime I will go back & do it for my littlest. I love it!
ReplyDeleteVery good and balanced review.
ReplyDeleteThe apron looks great!
I love the butterflies! You did a great job :) Sorry you found putting the pattern together so frustrating though. The results look like they were worth it, just for her smile!
ReplyDelete