New Jalie Pattern Tina Essential Tees (and dress) 4672

A few months ago I tested the new Jalie 4672 Tina Essential Tees pattern (that Jalie just now released an add-on to turn it into a dress as well!)

I’ve been laying low and working on my mental and physical health but it’s about time I posted my review.

Jalie 4672 Tina Essential Tees

My Measurements at the time: Bust 40.5”, Waist 37”, Hip 47”

Size Used: Y for bust and waist, and BB for hip. This is a common sizing in all patterns I sew as I am pear shaped. I choose View A – short sleeve and scoop neck.  There are so many options in this one pattern!  Necklines: Crew, Scoop, V-neck, and Mock neck. Sleeves: Cap, short, and long.  Plus, Jalie also recently released an add on for making this pattern into a dress with options for A-line or flared bottom and mid-thigh, above-knee, or maxi length with pockets! I can’t wait to make those versions!  What a great amount of options for one pattern! Not to mention that it comes in an array of sizes from Toddler 2T to Plus Size 5x (max bust 64” and hip 61”).  There are also video tutorials to help in sewing this pattern.

Fabric Used: 60” wide, 1 yard + 30 inches of heathered double brushed poly knit. Stretch percentages: 65% width and 65% height. “Fabric Merchants Double Brushed Jersey Knit Red Two Tone. Contents 96% Polyester/4% Lycra Spandex). I had 27 inches left over after cutting. So, I used about 1 and 1/8 yards. The pattern calls for 1.25 for my size and I think that is perfect!

Alterations: ½” forward shoulder adjustment. I do this with every top I make. 1” bicep adjustment to sleeve width (slash and spread to add 1” to the width of the bicep), this is super common for me in most sleeves as I have big biceps (and not the athletic type LOL).

Instructions: no issues. I like the direct to the point instructions and the accompanying photos. These do not hold your hand, but they are perfectly enough instruction. Pattern Pieces: No issues. All notches and marks matched up for me.

I must say, I love the “cut 2 sleeves” and not cut 2 on fold!! I also loved the finished measurement chart. On the finished measurement, the description on top says the pattern has negative ease and should be considerably smaller than the body measurements. However, I did not find this to be true. I actually liked the ease in the shirt. It is not skin tight and not too loose, just right.

Personal preference is that I sew the neckband before sewing the size seams, and that I pre-press the hems up on sleeves and bodice before sewing the side seams while they are still flat. But I don’t feel the instructions on the pattern are wrong in any way, it is just a personal preference.

I like the length of the top. I think it hits at a perfect spot. I like the length of the sleeves. I wasn’t expecting such nice ease to be honest, because Jalie’s similar T-shirt pattern, 2805, is quite a bit tighter (I have sewn 2805 a few times, I show 7 times on my 2805 label on my old blog but I counted 11+ when I searched for it. It used to be my go-to for rash guards for Miss K as well as a nice tee). So I love that I with this tee I can suck in or push out my thyroid, menopause belly and it still looks good. I gave a photo example below, lol. There’s also nice length when lifting arms to not show stomach.

Summary: Fabric measurements are perfect. All pieces and notches match up. I would and will definitely wear this tee in all 3 views. It matches the size measurement chart perfectly so that I don’t have to bump up a size. I like the ease and it is not too form fitting. I think it is a great layering piece or a great tee to wear on its own.

Sucked in stomach:

pushed out stomach:

 

Hope you are all doing well!

Happy Sewing! Kristin

Jalie 4673 Kim Fold over Flared Pants Pattern

Jalie 4673 Kim Fold over waist shorts and flared pants pattern in Child size 2 all the way to Adult 5x I LOVE this style of pants and jumped on the chance to test them.  That being said, I am very opinionated and only voice my opinions.  Just because I tested the pattern doesn’t mean I will say only nice things

  

Anyway, back to the pattern. Sizing: My Measurements at the time: Waist 37”, Low (Thyroid/Menopause) Waist 40.75”, Hip 48”. Size Used: straight CC, View B

 

Alterations: ½” knock knee adjustment. I have to do this with every pair of pants I make. I definitely stand knock kneed and it was a life changing adjustment once I found it! So, the pattern stays the same in a sense; but you borrow some from the outside hip to knee and move it to the inside crotch to knee to accommodate larger inner thighs that touch together when standing. Pics shown here below on what I did.  If you want more info on the knock knee adjustment I have pictures of the book page with the adjustment explained in this post (near the end).  No other adjustments were made (though usually I lower the rise considerably in pants to be below my larger low waist, I did not do that for the test).  I still have extended calves and haven’t made that adjustment yet in pants.  Sometimes you just want pants and sometimes so many adjustments in my head – some aren't there yet.

 

Fabric Used: 60” wide, 2 yards of Double Brushed Poly, I would say this is a thinner DBP. Normally for pants I like a thicker interlock or Ponte but I know a more stable knit wouldn’t have the stretch I needed and required by the pattern, so I chose the lighter DBP.  In the end I am happy I made that choice as these aren’t too tight at all.  Fabric stretch percentages: 60% width and 60% height. Contents Polyester Lycra Spandex. I had just .25 yard left after cutting. So, I used exactly what the pattern calls for (1.75yd), for my size, and I think that is perfect!

 

Pattern:  I actually used the recommended cutting layout on the pattern for once, lol.  Normally I just go all willy-nilly and do what I want to get the pieces to fit on the fabric and on the right grain.  But this time I chose to use the recommended layout and it worked great! I used A0 copy shop file to print. I used layers and picked only size BB, CC, and DD, because at first I thought I would need to grade my pattern between sizes like I always do.   However, with my now lovely over 45, menopause body, my lower waist seems to match for the most part with the hip size listed.  So I went with a straight CC. Pattern Pieces: No issues. All notches and marks matched up for me.

 

Instructions: Well written and easy to follow as all Jalie usually are.  There are worded instructions on the left side and photos of the steps on the right side. The elastic listed is 1” wide and for my CC is 38 5/8” – this amount did not equal to much stretch for the elastic to go onto the pants. It did fit my larger lower waist comfortably but could be a bit more snug, by maybe an inch. Personal preference here – I prefer 1.5” elastic for pants waistbands but that is only because I find it more comfortable on my sensitive stomach.

 

Garment Fit: Overall fit and issues:  I like the length of the pants. The fit is great with my lightweight fabric. I LOVE the style. These are totally my favorite style of pants to wear. I wish there was more flare though. I can’t wait to make the fold over waist version. I do plan to lower the rise to my liking (a few inches, maybe 3” in the front and 1” in the back).  Also, I feel I should size up by 1 if I want to make them with thicker interlock or ponte fabric. The lightweight dbp worked great for this test but lets be honest, this lighter DBP shows every lump and bump in pants, lol.  I do think any cotton lycra, poly spandex, bamboo spandex, most athletic knits and even my favorite ITY fabric with nice stretch and medium to lighter weight would work great in the intended size.  But if using a stable, thicker knit like interlock, ponte, scuba, jacquard, supplex, then a size up is warranted. *(Wearing with my Jalie Jeanne Top 4016)* 

A lot of people are asking about this pattern compared to other somewhat similar Jalie pants? So, I own and have made these similar Jalie patterns. Jalie 3022 –  Sewn 9x now. 3022 has a seam up the back leg of the pattern and a very different waistband.  That said, I still love 3022, but this new pattern, 4673 Kim, is much faster to sew, has less pieces, and I hate to say, a bit more comfortable.  I will still sew up 3022, but I also plan on making 4673 as well. 1. Dec 2014 Black plain  2. Dec 2014 Black for Miss K 3. Feb 2015 Hunter Green 4. Jun 2015 Green Shorts 5. Jun 2015 Teal Pants 6. Oct 2015 Black and White 7. Mar 2017 Navy Cotton Lycra 8. Apr 2019 in black 9. May 2019 in navy Jalie 2445 – Sewn 5 times now.  This pattern is very similar but is much older and works for thicker knits like velour, sweatshirt knit and French terry.  It only goes up to a 50” hip where the new one above goes to 66 1/8”.  2445 also is a straight leg, not flare and it has a drawstring wide waistband, not fold over or 1” elastic. I have tried and tried to get 2445 to work for me and for some reason, that pattern just doesn’t fit me right.  However, I sewed the last pair well before working through my alterations I now use so maybe I’ll try again.  Oh, it also has more ease in the legs than the new pattern, 4673. Made before:  1. Apr 2016 a red sweatshirt shorts, 2. purple cotton lycra for Miss K, 3. May 2017 black and white pair for me. 4. 2016 pink sweatshirt shorts, and 5. 2017 black french terry shorts. BurdaStyle 11/2007 No. 122 – Honorable mention.  I have to mention this similar pattern even though it is not Jalie.  This pattern is very similar – though not everyone has access to this issue as it is older.  It is one of my very beloved patterns much like Jalie 3022 mentioned above.  Differences are that the waistband is only fold over, no elastic option – thought this is easy to alter (and I have), and has more flare I have sewn this pattern 7 times – so a lot but not as many as Jalie 3022, lol. 1. Sept 2017 black stripe for Miss K, 2.Dec 2017 Red yoga for me, 3. Dec 2017 purple stripe for me, 4. Dec 2019 red xmas pjs for Miss K, and 5. Aug 2020 my favorite pair of gray french terry pants for me. 6. Apr 2020 Fruit DBP for for K and 7. Jan 2022 Tie-Dye Rayon spandex for K.

Happy Sewing!

Kristin

Jalie Pauline 4565 and Jalie Joanie 4459

As promised, here are my 2 Jalie Patterns Sewn and not yet posted.  The first is Jalie Pauline and the second is Jalie Joanie! Jalie Pauline 4565 - Open-front blazer-style knit cardigan full disclosure:  I tested this pattern.  All opinions are my own.  (Plus I am much too opinionated to not give my honest experience and impression of the pattern – so even though I tested the pattern, I would never lie about how I think it is and I am in no way forced or paid to give a review of the pattern). 

Look at that collar and lapel!! it turned out fantastic in a KNIT!! I am proud of it lol.

My Measurements at the time: Bust 39”, Waist 33”, Hip 44” I chose to sew View A, the shorter cardigan style and not the long duster type style. Size Used: X for bust, grading to a Y for the waist and Z for the hip. This is common grading for me for my pear shaped body. Alterations: ½” forward shoulder adjustment. I have to do this with every top I make. Fabric Used: 52” wide, 2.25 yards of Charcoal mediumweight knit. Heathered Pewter Gray Cotton/Polyester/Spandex Interlock Knit. Content Breakdown 64% Cotton/30% Polyester/6% Spandex. Stretch percentages: 40% width and 50% height. I purchased this fabric from FabricMart in June 2024 for $3.99/yard, I used 2 yards so total cost of cardigan is $7.98.  I feel the fabric requirement amount of 2 yards listed on the pattern were spot on for my size. Sewing: it was really fun (sarcasm) trying to sew all layers of the collar to the neckline and facing; *make sure to baste that collar onto the top before the facing goes over it (this makes sense when you are in the thick of it, lol). Pattern Pieces: No issues. All notches and marks matched up for me. Instructions: Well written and easy to follow, which is so typical of Jalie.  I have come to expect perfection with their instructions and photos – they are very consistent with this.  To be honest I was a little hesitant on how the collar would be in a knit, but it turned out perfectly due to their awesome instructions. * I see that Jalie has put a video sew-a-long tutorial up on their website for this cardigan, if you need more visual help with sewing it or just like to sew along to a video. Overall fit and issues: I like the length of the top. I think it hits at a perfect spot for a cardigan. I do think it is just a tad large but that could be to fit over the top of shirts. I wore it in my photos over the top of the Jalie Beatrice tank (4135), like the pattern suggests in the description. I like the length of the arms. They hit a tiny bit long when my hands are down but are perfect when I’m moving my arms or reaching. I am also wearing my Jalie Yoga pants (3022) with this outfit. I was confused on what interfacing to use since the pattern just listed “fusible interfacing.” Do I use my knit interfacing or just fusible interfacing?  I chose the fusible interfacing and I think it made the cardigan front facing a bit stiff. This is great for the collar but for the front part (piece F) that goes along the front to bottom hem, the facing was stiffer than the outer cardigan fabric and causes a small bit of bunching where I sewed both together in the hem (seen below). Next time I would use fusible knit interfacing on piece F so it had some stretch. But I would still want regular fusible in the collar pieces to keep it crisp looking. This was not my normal fast sew, lol. It was long and had a lot of sewing machine on knit sewing. I am so used to buzzing through things with my serger. I don’t find anything wrong with this, It was just a different experience for me. I love the fact that the pattern underlined the word stitch when I could use either serger or sewing machine, I think that is genius. Even though this type of “dressed up” cardigan is not my usual casual at home style, I will definitely wear it. It looks so sharp and I think it is a great layering piece. I saw that someone made it in sweater knit and now I want one in a cozy sweater knit too!

 

Jalie Joanie 4459  I have to say it: full disclosure:  I tested this pattern.  All opinions are my own.  (Plus I am much too opinionated to not give my honest experience and impression of the pattern – so even though I tested the pattern, I would never lie about how I think it is and I am in no way forced or paid to give a review of the pattern).  My measurements at the time: Upper Bust: 37.5”,  Full Bust: 41”, Waist: Smallest 34” and at lower belly: 37”, hips 47”. Size Sewn: Y for the shoulders/ AA bust/Waist, then graded waist to BB for low belly and hip.  I used my sizes that I normally am for Jalie patterns based on my measurements View Sewn:  At first I made a short sleeve version of the shirt and then I later made the short sleeve version of the dress. The shirt I sewed a size BB bust/CC hip but it was so loose and big and hung funny. I always take my measurements right before cutting a pattern, but between the time I cut the pattern and sewed it a few days later I didn't realize my measurements changed that much, due to illness) So then, when I made the dress, I made it with the shoulders based of my high bust size and graded for my bust/waist/hip – this fit so much better. Plus the fabric I used was much better for the dress.  Date Sewn: August 15, 2024 Pattern Stretch Required: 40% minimum width and length I used: 70% stretch on both width and length of shirt fabric. This is a huge part of the reason the shirt didn’t fit right.  First I didn’t use my high bust measurement, causing the top to be too big on the shoulders.  And second my fabric was so stretchy with no recovery so it just hangs funny and distorts out of shape.  The shirt fabric was a terrible choice for this pattern. I used 2 mystery sweater knits that were definitely poly spandex, the light blue having rayon as well. Shirt fabric width was 58" wide after prewashing. On the flip side, the dress fabric had 70% stretch in the width but 30% in length.  The dress fabric I used was a super soft Waffle Knit from FabricMart. It is 100% polyester and 58W according to the label but since it has such a stretch widthwise it must have some spandex in it. It sewed up nicely, doesn’t distort at all when I am wearing it and it turned out great!

Dress Fabric: Colonial Blue/White 100% Polyester Floral Print Waffle Sweater Knit 58W, purchased from FabricMart, June 2024 for $3.99/yard.  I used the full 2 yards so this nightgown total is $7.98.

The pattern states to use 1.75 yards for the dress size, but I used 2 yards for my blended Y, AA, BB sizing. So I would say that yes, the pattern requirements were close but since I used the full 2 yards, I would suggest getting a little extra fabric just in case. The fabric requirements for the shirt were spot on. Instructions: I had no issues with instructions, all notches matched up for me everything was clear.  I printed off the A0 copy shop file for all sizes and just for sizes X-DD with layers. I found it all to be accurate and correct.  I thought the instructions were easy to follow. I had no issues. I have made countless T shirts and T shirt dresses over the years but I read the directions step-by-step and they all made sense. It only took me a total of 1.5 hours to resize, cut, and sew the T shirt dress! That is awesome! I love fast sews that turn out great! Here is the disaster shirt, made with the wrong fabric choice. Thoughts:  The t shirt I made turned out obviously too big, but this is because I dropped 16 pounds somehow almost overnight and my measurements all decreased an inch. Pairing this with the fact that my fabric was very stretchy. Once I remeasured and resized the pattern for my measurements, the dress turned out perfect. Thoughts: The t-shirt was wrong size, wrong fabric. It didn’t turn out well.  But I’m not here to show you only the good, so I wanted to include the unfortunate T-shirt, lol.  The dress was the right fabric and right size and turned out awesome.  I love the dress/nightgown. With the dress, I love the fit. I was surprised that the ease was spot on perfect for this t-shirt dress. I was expecting it to be tighter (because Jalie tends to make most patterns with negative ease or less ease, but it turned out perfect. I think the pattern is great and I love T shirt dresses for the simplicity of just throwing them on and walking out the door or wearing them around home and still being able to answer the door. I will definitely be making lots more of these. I think your fabric choice and accessories will make the dress either feel more like a nightgown, like I made, or a dress that is casual or more dressed up.

 

Happy Sewing! Kristin