Not A Happy Camper

At all.  A while back, quite a while back, I purchased this apron book, A is for Aprons.

It was full of so many pretty aprons and lots of patterns. While I don't wear aprons myself (and I should because I ruin plenty of clothes), my sister has patiently requested an apron, my mother loves them, they make great gifts and there are a zillion beautiful fabrics out there (and in my stash) that would make great aprons.

Once I had my book home, I leafed through it, picked out all the pretty aprons, read some of the history on aprons, picked out the ones that I thought I would try, thought about what fabrics to use and then and only then did I flip to the back of the book to check out the patterns -- only to find that every single pattern must be enlarged by 400%.

I cannot tell you how much this annoys me.  When I come home with a pattern I want to start making it, not find out I need to make an additional trip out and pay to have copies made.  And at 400% enlargement that wasn't the "stick a dime in it copier at the local library." Cut and paste to 400% is way more tedious than I'm up for.

I understand that it is a cost factor.  This bag pattern of mine contains full size pattern pieces. It is rather costly for me to reproduce those pattern pieces and it takes much longer to fold and package.  The sweet gentleman at my copy place is always trying to talk me into running a reduced copy that others can enlarge. He always tells me how much I'll save, how much easier and I always tell him the same thing -- "No. It annoys me and if it annoys me I'm sure it annoys others.  People should be able to use a pattern as soon as they purchase it."  His reply is always the same, "Okay, honey, but I have a machine . . . . ."

Sooooooo, fast forward to the present day. We were brainstorming ideas over at my local quilt shop and we decided to have an apron contest. An in-house contest for those of us at the shop and the customers could vote for the winner.  What fun! A little friendly competition and show off fabrics in some aprons. In fact, the winner will teach the class. The shop owners pulls out some patterns and the above-mentioned apron book. I choose one from the book - knowing that I'm going to have to have the pattern enlarged but what the heck.

I chose Mango Tango on page 72 which calls for 1 yard of fabric and 9, like NINE, yards of double-fold bias. Like I was going to sew on 9 yards of bias - in this lifetime! But no problem, I'm going to line it, even make it reversible. I'll be the contest winner for sure.

This morning I'm writing down what I want copied and decide to copy Twirl, Girl! too. Cute apron and remember I have that sister STILL patiently awaiting an apron. But when I go to look at the Twirl Girl pattern there is none.  Not on the page they said, not on the next page, not on any pattern page in my book.

Great, thinks I. I better look for a pattern errata. I knit and anyone who knits knows to first check the web for an errata for any pattern you have chosen.

Well, come to find out -- you guys probably already knew this and I'm just late to the party -- there is a huge errata for this book on the publisher's web page here. Better yet, there are many problems with the instructions and the pattern pieces and the workaround is to enlarge them at different percentages.  So the page I need to enlarge with 4 pattern pieces has one at 400%, one at 407% etc. Okay fine. I'll just enlarge one page to 400% and tweak what I need to while I'm cutting and sewing.  I can figure this out and remember - I'm gonig to be the contest winner.

So I head on out, over the causeway, trying to beat the thunderstorms straight to my old buddy friend's copy store.  What do you need Sweetie?  I show them -- Hmmmm, they say. Let me give you a price first.  We might have to scan that in before we can copy it.  calculate, calculate, measure, calculate.  Okay, Honey, we can do it for $12 a page to scan it and $10 a page for the copy.  TWENTY-TWO dollars for one lousy apron pattern and better yet I was going to enlarge FOUR!!! Do the math.  And they have mistakes in them anyhow.  Ha ha ha

So how can I be the contest winner when I wanted to deliver my arpon to the store by Saturday and now I don't even have a pattern.  Yes, apron patterns aren't hard and I could write one but I'm already working on several other pattern projects and quite frankly, they are already many many nice patterns out there.  To display something in the store, it really needs to be made with an available pattern.

Sigh, sigh, whine.  I feel bad too, because it's really a very nice book with a lot of pretty aprons.

So now, right now,  I need to come up with a solution to my contest apron or take a nap . . . . .

Comments

[Teri]

I like patterns that are ready to use to. Either full size pattern pieces, or cutting instructions. I seem to have the problem that if it is something that has to be done behind the counter, they squak about copyright issues unless the pattern states the permission to enlarge. It is an extra trip, plus extra cost to me in addition to spending money on an expensive book. Good for you for sticking to your guns about what you want to provide in your patterns!

[Lorinda]

I'm 100% on your team here! Anytime I buy a book only to find I have to go pay for enlargements, I never bother to make the pattern. It's REALLY frustrating not to get full size pattern pieces when you feel like that's what you paid for. I've looked at this book several times, but had no idea about the problems. Cross that one off the list for sure!!!! Might I suggest the Emmeline Apron pattern for your contest? Reversible, no enlargements needed, readily available, and thus far, has been my very favorite apron. Compliments everytime I pull it out. Good luck!

[Salinda]

I love this book! Granted, I haven't (and won't) be enlarging any of the patterns. Instead, because I'm super lazy and very cheap, I've looked at their patterns and just sketched my own. It's worked so far. I've made my own based on their aprons, including Cakeland (page 40) and Lorelei(page 65). My aunt would love for me to make her Provence Smock (page 76), but I'm not actually sure I could pull that one off without the pattern...

[cherrie]

Are you sure you cannot do this at the library. I know we can at ours. You just select A3 and print one out at 400% to see where it lies on the page and adjust thereafter. I do agree that patterns should be available and useable immediately if that is the idea you get from their advertising or blurbs.

[Sara Wright]

Amen! I made an apron from the book right when I got it- it was basically all rectangles and I thought to myself- Why did I have to pay to have this enlarged when they could have just given the dimensions of each rectangle and I could have cut the fabric to the dimensions? Especially when after I had enlarged the pieces they didn't fit together correctly and I ended up having to reconfigure the pattern anyway! I haven't made any of the others since that experience.

[Candied Fabrics]

Argh! That's so frustrating! I'd take the book back and make my own apron!

[chris]

The exact reason I do not buy patterns or books that you have to enlarge the pieces. I don't need the aggravation! Good luck. I know you will pull something out of your hat.

[laura]

Can you imagine how a newer sewist would feel after going through the whole enlarging mess and then wonder why the pieces didn't fit? And just say the word bias tape to me and I'm outa here!! I hate that stuff. If you ever need an apron for a man I made one from Kwik-Sew (it looks like a vest) and it turned out so nice. The only thing I did differently was to line both it and the pockets (it was a gift and I'm more careful with those kind of things!). I'm sure you'll come up with something great and you'd better post some pictures!