Desert Breeze by Striped Swallow Designs
/When I saw the Striped Swallow Desert Breeze pattern I knew my almost 10 year old would be crazy for the design. It is very different than what I usually make so I was eager to sew and review it. Let me start of by saying how nicely organized this pattern is and how easy it is to navigate. The pdf pattern itself has labeled tabs on the side you can click on that will take you to a certain section of the pattern. This was my first time working with a pattern like this and I LOVED it!!!
There are 4 main options for this pattern: top or dress, tie or plain straps, flutter or straight sleeves and bodice with gathered skirt or no bodice. The pattern gives excellent directions for shortening or lengthening if you need to mash height and width but the armscye can be a little harder to mash so you have to watch those line closely when cutting. If in doubt I would give it a little extra room under the arm. The pattern is recommended for knit so I knew it would be perfect for a grey sparkle knit I had picked up from Joanns a few months back. I was surprised at how fast it went together. It took me an hour total cut to finish. It’s sewn up similar to a peasant style but with binding instead of elastic casing. For those of you who are nervous about the binding this is a great knit pattern to start with because you don’t stretch the binding as you sew it. What I love most about this pattern is that shoulder detail and that the final product can be so soft and sweet or something super fun…..my daughter was so excited to pick out her own quote for her shirt and help me iron it on. This pattern will definitely be a great new addition to my daughter’s wardrobe that we will be using again numerous times.
Rachels Version
