4 times a year we get to enjoy the amazing One Thimble release, and today is the day! Below you'll find the blog tour schedule as well as our review of the full issue and some really cute sews by the Pattern Revolution Team. Check it out and be sure to follow along all week.

EEEK! I ALMOST forgot! One Thimble is offering an early purchase incentive for buyers! If you purchase before 5/16 (Australia, is a day ahead of USA, so really 5/15 here) you will get an extra PDF with 10 freezer paper stencils. Sweet!

Click Image to purchase through One Thimble Site

Issue 11 Review

Hi there, it’s Rachel here today with a review of the jam-packed latest issue of One Thimble - the premiere sewing e-zine straight from Australia. Jen and her amazing team have been hard at work developing the material (and patterns!) specifically for One Thimble, and they do not disappoint. This issue is so full of amazing patterns and articles, from tutorials to tips of the trade, and the quality is consistently high throughout.

I tested the Hoya dress for Cassie of Little Lizard King, and Miss P loves hers. The fit is fantastic and the style is both adorable and easy to wear. I wanted to make one in one of the smaller sizes (this pattern has a HUGE range and includes sizes from 12m-12y), so I sewed up a 12-18m dress for my niece. Her first birthday is this coming weekend, so I decided to coordinate with another of the patterns in this issue of OT, the Roly Poly critters. I made the Hoya with fox fabric and made a Roly Poly fox to go with it. I’ll be tackling the Wild Things shoes from Big Little next...I think little copper foxes would be the cutest!

The Roly Poly fox was a quick and easy sew with wide appeal and so many possibilities. There are several animal templates included in the pattern, and it’s easy to imagine other variations as well. Miss P even thought it might be cute to make our own version of a Disney Tsum-Tsum!

I was going to stop there, but my little guy has been feeling neglected in the sewing department lately (lately = one whole week when you’re in preschool) and I knew he’d love the Marty hoodie from Ainslee Fox Boutique patterns. It’s a great (and truly unisex) pullover pattern with tunic and dress options, and either patch pockets or the cool kangaroo pocket you see here. The construction of the pocket was super cool, and it was a fun sew all around. I have been wanting to make something for him with this color combo, and this pattern was exactly the look I was going for. I sewed up a size 4 for him and it’s appropriately roomy based on his measurements. It’ll be the perfect hoodie to take to the beach for cool evenings this summer!

Beyond the patterns, the magazine is loaded with useful articles, whether you’re just starting out or have been a boutique-owner for years. For me personally, as I don’t currently sell my handmades but have been mulling it over, the articles about marketing and structuring business decisions were especially helpful. I loved all of the tutorials in this issue, also - making a double pull zipper? Sign me up. Sewing a rag quilt for a baby gift? Even this non-quilter wants to try this - and with these instructions, I feel confident that I could pull it off.

I read this issue cover-to-cover in preparation for this review, and then went back and read it again. I’m sure I’ll return to it multiple times in the coming weeks, whether to sew up more of the patterns included or to revisit an article. (I LOVED the article about upcycling, and despite my own experience with it I picked up some cool tricks that I can’t wait to try out.) It’s priced very reasonably for the amount of content included (and there are even some coupon codes for various pattern shops), and is a bonafide bargain with the exchange rate for those of us in the US. I’ve been reading and reviewing One Thimble since issue #5, and I refer back to past issues regularly. The quality is amazing and the content is always totally on-trend and modern. I hope you’ll enjoy Issue #11 as much as I have!

Until next time,

Rachel