Harmonie by Atelier Scämmit – Pattern Review

This pattern is listed as “advanced” by the designer, but I didn’t find it too hard to tackle as long as I worked on one unknown at a time. I also modified the pattern using my sloper, so although I cannot judge the fit as drawn, I can see the difference between my sloper and the original. Let’s get started by going over what I loved!

Things the pattern does well

• The fit. For me personally, I thought the pattern was drafted really well! The armscye wasn’t drafted for tiny arms that won’t fit most adults and the bodice pieces barely needed any altering. This pattern has a decent amount of positive ease, so that probably has something to do with it, but I am still quite happy.
• The finishes. I really, really liked all the finishes the designer used in the pattern! I know some people may not need to have explicit directions, but for a beginner, they are really helpful. I especially liked the bias bound seams, something I probably wouldn’t have tried on my own.
• Resources. For the most part, the designer has resources explaining finishes and sewing techniques on her website. She also has some YouTube videos that are in French, but the auto-translate works surprisingly well!

Things the pattern needs help with

• Printing size. Ok, so this is a big one. When I went to print out the pattern at home, it didn’t fit on the page once the 2×2 scale was correct. I triple checked I was printing the US letter version and tried borderless printing to no avail. I ended up needing to crop and center each page for it to work, which is a huge inconvenience.
• Missing bias binding pattern piece. The seams on the waistband are finished with bias binding, but I couldn’t find a pattern piece for it. It’s easy to draw out since it’s a rectangle, however, it does use a lot of fabric since it’s cut on the bias and I’m not sure that’s accounted for in the yardage.
• Unclear translation. The pattern is originally written in French then translated to English, causing some words to be translated poorly. This is not a huge deal, but it makes learning new techniques a little more difficult.
• Pocket directions were sparse. The dress uses French seams around the pocket, which I’ve done before, but these pockets were constructed a little differently so I had trouble figuring out what was happening. I eventually sewed the pockets and I really love how sturdy they are, but I just wish the directions were more clear as it seemed a few steps were glossed over.

Overall, I am really pleased with how this dress turned out and am looking forward to wearing it a lot in the summer! The nice thing about this pattern is there’s also a blouse option, so all my work altering the pattern and learning the construction can be used again. Tackling a pattern labeled “advanced” was pretty nerve wracking, but I think the designer did a great job making it an accessible challenge.

Overall rating: 4.5/5