Pattern Review: My Green Cloth "Flares"

I've been down with migraines for the last few weeks, so I'm a little behind in my makery and posting and whatnot.  Today I had hoped to get to work on a little baby bonnet that I purchased a pattern for, but Etsy is having trouble processing payments.  No "instant" downloads today.  Bummer.  But that means I've got some free time for another review or two, so here's another for you.

The Shop: My Green Cloth

The Pattern: Flares

I purchased and assembled this pattern and pad about a month ago, but it's just taken me a while to get the review done.  I hope I don't forget anything!  Before I bought this pattern, I contacted the shop owner, another designer named Courtney (funny!), to ask about snapped width of another one of her patterns.  Courtney quickly responded with the measurements, 3" snapped for her "Flares XL" pattern.  (Not the pattern I'm reviewing in this post.  I still haven't actually made that Flares XL pad. Ha!)  I purchased that pattern, but didn't get the chance to print and put it together until the next day.  After I printed it and cut out the pieces, I realized they didn't fit together right, so I contacted her again.  She responded almost instantly, and together we discovered that there was a glitch in the download that had jumbled pieces from two different patterns.  She very quickly fixed the problem, emailed me the updated pattern, and sent me a generous coupon that I totally used on 2 more of her patterns, including the one I'm reviewing here - her "Flares" pattern. I'm a total sucker for a coupon!

This PDF came with lots of nice color pictures and clear instructions to walk you through the process of making the pad.  One thing I did notice was that the instructions did not specifically show you how to insert a layer of hidden PUL.  That could be a problem if you've never done it before, because it is different than just using maybe a fleece backer, and it can be a little tricky or confusing the first time or two.  Honestly, when I'm not paying attention, I still will accidentally assemble those back layers upside down or backwards.  In fact, I even did it on this very pad.   Oops!  Although I don't think that missing info detracts from the pattern itself, and there are lots of online tutorials for adding a layer of PUL, that is definitely something to keep in mind if you're trying to choose your first pattern that you're paying for.  Maybe hold off on this one until you have that bit under control and don't need those instructions.  

One plus with this pattern is that in the instructions, the designer shows you a way to assemble multiple core layers without all the cutting.  When I made this pad, I was too chicken to try it (which was dumb), and I was worried about waste.  I have since realized that waste just happens, and I don't care so much about how or where it happens if I can keep it under control a little.  So I'll definitely be trying Courtney's method with future pads.

As you can see, this pattern creates a pad that works out to be a really nice shape.  I know a lot of people like a pad with a little bit of a flare, that's a combination of a triangular and rounded shape.  If you are looking for that sort of shape, this might be your gal.  The pad works up to be about 10" long, which is a good average regular day length for a lot of people.  The width is 2.75" snapped, and most people find anywhere from 2.5" to 3" to be comfortable.  (As a reference, Yurtcraft pads are always 2.75" wide.)  Lots of people who use boy shorts or Scrundies will like a 3" width.  I found that the curvature of this pattern was pretty easy and straightforward to cut and sew, without a lot of adjusting the presser foot.  I'm a fan of that. 

I wouldn't say that this is a very-beginning-beginner pattern, just because of the lack of instructions for using PUL.  But it's close, and if you're willing to find those instructions online, go for it.  It does make a nice size and shape of pad for someone who is looking for one to see if they'll like using this kind of product, instead of disposables.  And it's easy enough to make that you could probably whip out several in a day to start up or add to your stash.  My Green Cloth patterns are only $3 each, so you won't go wrong purchasing this one. 

Feel free to leave questions in the comments!