Things I've Sewn Lately: Cake Patterns Pavlova

I was so excited the day Pattern Review announced that it would be selling Cake Patterns -- I ordered Pavlova and Tiramisu that very day! 

I love wrap and faux wrap tops and the whole aesthetic of the patterns really appealed to me. 

My Tiramisu took a reallllly long time to arrive (something with the U.S. supplier running out), so I started with Pavlova. Originally I intended to make only the top. The fabric I used is some GORGEOUS off-white bamboo knit from Mood, purchased on my New York trip.

This stuff was an absolute dream to work with. I should completely swear off cheapo knits, because working with this fabric made me realize what crap I'd been working with before. This was easy to sew and perfectly drapey. I can't say enough good things about it.

After I finished the top, with the pattern pieces still strewn about my ironing board, I ended up with a queen-sized sheet with a big rip in the middle. So I decided to make a bedsheet circle skirt a la Cation Designs.

I couldn't be bothered to find matching thread, so I did rows of embroidery on the waistband in the same off-white I'd used to topstitch the top. (The embroidery did not come out awesomely, so I didn't show it here -- it's a little uneven -- I'm still learning to use all the features on my fancy machine!)

Now. The pattern. The instructions/markings on the pattern are a little bit wonky. I don't know if all Australian patterns are this way? Or if Cake does its own variety of sizing? But I was a little confused at the outset. The markings on the pattern correspond to the steps in the directions. Which, if you don't read the directions as well as you should, can be bewildering. And the pattern doesn't have sizes marked, it has inches. I'm probably a little slow on the uptake, but I had to check and recheck to see if the inch markings were for finished garments or not.

I also did not like the waistband on the skirt. It's realllllly narrow for a circle skirt. I think maybe next time I might steal the waistband piece from a Colette Ginger... I really appreciate a thicker waistband on such a voluminous skirt.

Once you get the hang of it, the pattern is really very nicely drafted and the garment, in my opinion is super flattering. And I loved the method the pattern used for doing the sleeve bindings -- genius and impossible to screw up. Absolute perfection.

I do wish I'd heeded the Internet warnings about how short the top is -- that's another reason I made the skirt as well. I didn't have much that was high-waisted enough to be wearable with the top.

All in all, this was a pretty good pattern and I loved the results -- though maybe next time I'll make a few modifications of my own.

Have you made a Cake pattern? How did you feel about it?