The upfront cost for an American subscriber is $90, which sounds a bit steep until you work out that it breaks down to $7.50 per issue, and each issue has at least a dozen distinct patterns which have their own variations. There is the cost of tracing paper and storage solution (I use 6x8" manila envelopes), but that's not too much. The tracing paper I use is this one. This paper does have its drawbacks; it's not super wide, so some larger pattern pieces have to be pieced, and the paper is quite thin and fragile. However, there's a certain sense of liberation that comes from a combination of the seemingly endless roll of paper and sweet, sweet price--you're not worried about wasting any of it, so experimentation is painless!
To get started, I got an enormous box of manila envelopes at Staples which I'm steadily working my way through. Tracing is like an actual event for me. Very soon after receiving my magazine in the mail, I set aside an evening to just trace everything that I think I might make soon, which means only the garments for which I have suitable fabric. This way, I can really get into the pattern-sheet-deciphering-zone! It's like a tunnel vision where I can only see the color and line I need, while filtering out all the other pieces. The first time I glanced at the pattern sheets, I thought there was no way I come out of this not a lunatic, but I underestimated the mind's ability to focus. It's a wonderful machine! Here is something I made up over the summer: #119 from Burdastyle July 2014.
It's kind of a crappy picture, but I haven't been documenting anything I sew for a long time. From here on out, I'll be doing better. Anyway, this is at the Lama Temple in Beijing.
I used a sheer rayon polka-dot georgette from Denver Fabrics. Say what you want about slow shipping, color discrepancies, and those tiny-ass pictures, but DF is my ride-or-die. Each Tuesday before I can even think about rolling out of my cat-bed-cocoon, I check out their sale page. And each Tuesday my second thought is: "hmm. Wonder what they've got going on next week."
Anyway, I liked this dress because apart from the bodice, it's all just rectangles. Even the bodice is rectangles with ostensible armhole shaping. It lends a certain air of uncomplicated breeziness I find irresistible in a summer dress. And then cinch like I'm trying to restrict blood from flowing to my lower extremities.
Plus it's a lot less tracing! You just get the measurements and start tearing (if you've got that nice, obliging kind of fabric).
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