Using a Jalie Pattern

During the 7 years that I've been sewing, I've used a few different types of patterns: contemporary Big 4, vintage Big 4 and various printed indie patterns and PDF indie patterns. However my recently-made leggings were my first occasion to use a Jalie paper pattern, which was a different experience for me. I though it might be interesting to highlight some of the main features which were notably different from patterns I had used before:

1. Each pattern has all the sizes: And I mean ALL, from kids to largest womens. There are up to 29 sizes in each pattern. This is great value, particularly if you think you might get use out of the kids sizes too.

2. The paper pattern consists of one large sheet of high quality paper: All the sizes AND instructions are on this sheet so you will need to trace your pattern.

3. The format is a bit disorientating: The instructions for my pattern were in one corner and were pretty brief. It felt like I was forever unfolding and refolding the big sheet to find information that I needed.

4. THE YOUTUBE VIDEOS: I was delighted (and relieved) to discover that Jalie have a Youtube channel with videos showing how to make their patterns. I don't think all their patterns are there but I highly recommend checking it out. The Cora leggings one was brilliant - I don't think I have sewn anything along with a video tutorial before but what I loved about it was that it was short, clear and to the point at just over 15 minutes in length. During that time, a woman called Jeanne (one of the founders of Jalie) demonstrates how to make the leggings. There is no unnecessary chat just the most straightforward of demos. I cannot praise this enough as it is really accessible and easy to follow. I'm pretty fussy about instructions but this was really clear. I think I might have felt a bit daunted if I had just had the printed instructions to follow but Jalie have done a great job with their videos.

Me in my Jalie Cora leggings

On Instagram I was told that the Jalie Facebook group is really helpful too and that the company founders often answer questions.

I have been so pleased with my experience with Jalie patterns and am keen to make more - they have a good range of sportswear and swimwear for women and men, in particular. Have you made a Jalie pattern before? Any thoughts or recommendations?