I feel like these latest 2 releases finish off a year or more of work. Even though I've worked on other patterns throughout this time, Clover and Rose Hip have been on my work "desk" for this past year. The girls' version came out in Spring of 2020 and now we have the junior miss versions. I'm ready to relive some of my less tragic 80's moments in this slightly retro style.

Since we've got 2 patterns in one blog post, I'm going heavier on the pics, but you're gonna like them all so we're good.

So, let's take a quick look at details. First up? Miss Clover!

• 2 bodice lengths - crop and waist (both are proportionally slightly longer than the girls' version)
• optional lined bodice (the centre sections of views A and B only)
• 2 sleeve lengths - keep in mind the "short" sleeve actually means no sleeve, just a cuff
• optional zippered pocket on the long sleeve
• 3 bodice views - from plain bodice to fully pieced
• hood with 3 finishing options for the inside
• neckband if you don't want a hood

Next up, Rose Hip!

Ok, obviously we have a lot of similarities so I'm going to rather list the things that are different for Miss Rose Hip.

• a zipper!! Biggest difference is that this one is a jacket!
• optional welt pockets
• gusseted hood - The style of the hood is bit different.
• Only one sleeve option - long - But....
• it has a double cuff option for something a bit extra. No real reason besides that.
• REVERSIBLE!! With the correct zipper, this is fully lined jacket and completely able to be worn both ways.

Choose some nice trim or ribbon to cover the "inside" of the jacket along the zipper tape and you end up with a beautiful feature that you're not afraid to show off. Of course, if you're making it reversible, you might not want sleeve pockets or that zipper could be uncomfortable, but that's up to you. The welt pockets can be make on both sides no problem.

SLEEVES

The sleeves really start in the shoulders in this dolman style pattern. So whether you have narrow shoulders or wide shoulders or whether you need to shorten or lengthen the pattern for your height - there are a few things that can affect the final sleeve length. What I've done in my attempts to help this situation is give a finished length that includes the full shoulder seam and sleeve length with cuff.

First, measure the arm length starting at the base of the neck. Make sure to bend the arm and measure around the elbow and to the wrist. Use that measurement as a guide when choosing to lengthen or shorten the sleeve. The testers found that choosing a sleeve length that was about 1" longer than their actual arm length worked really well.

But let's not forget that there IS a sleeveless version as well that I like to call "short" sleeves. This gorgeous black and purple floral look is actually a short sleeve Miss Clover over a sized down Miss Tundra!! Isn't it gorgeous??

ADJUSTING FOR LENGTH OR BICEP

All our Miss patterns have lengthen/shorten lines since they are drafted for a 5'5" height. Some people have sewn lots for themselves and are very in tune with the body types they are sewing for and know which adjustments to make or not. Some people are not as comfortable with those matters. Thankfully, this pattern is quite forgiving and is a good one to practice on and still have a good muslin to wear.

If you're deciding which length adjustments to make, consider that this pattern is drafted for a side length of 8". This info can help you decide how much length to add or subtract from the bodice. Here's how to measure this on yourself or whoever you are sewing for.

1 . Tie a piece of elastic around the natural waist and another around the natural armpit. Don't shove the measuring tape all the way up into the armpit, but tie the elastic where the crease naturally forms when the arm is down. It is best to measure without wearing sleeved clothing.

2. With your arms down, measure the space between the two elastics from the start of the natural armpit down to the natural waist. Follow the curves of the body with the measuring tape against the skin from the top to the bottom. And find a friend to help with this, if you can.

Once you have that number, you'll want to decide if and where to make any adjustments. If it's only a 1/2" difference, you may just choose to leave the pattern and not worry about adjustments at all. But if it's more than that, you have 3 spots that you can adjust: the hem or the 2 lengthen/shorten lines.

One of the lines goes through the armscye and typically for our junior miss patterns, we include this line with the teens in mind. Young body types tend to have a higher bust apex and in a more fitted pattern you might choose to use this line to play around with that fit concern. But for THESE patterns, they are loose and a precise apex is not super important. However, this line happens to run through our bicep and that IS one area that you might want or need to adjust. The pattern includes finished bicep measurements and if you need to adjust that width, you can do so by cutting along the lengthen/shorten line and adjusting that width. Just remember 2 things when making that adjustment. Remember to adjust your cuff or sleeve (whichever sleeve you may be using) accordingly. (Instructions for that are included in the tutorial.) And second, remember that adjusting for your bicep on a style like this means you're changing your bodice length as well.

One of the first things the testers asked was whether or not Clover could have a kangaroo type pocket. I didn't add one BUT I did come up with a Bonfire pocket hack. I've created this Youtube tutorial on how to add a pocket to your Clover. I will say that it got a bit tricky when it came to topstitching my style lines afterwards, but you can also choose not to do that. Or to stop at the pocket. It's really up to you.

Here you can see Bernice did a pocket without topstitching and isn't it gorgeous?

Here's my personal thoughts on the pocket hack. Some people don't like how the hidden pocket hangs inside the Bonfire. You need a somewhat stable fabric that won't just pool inside your shirt. If you don't like the Bonfire pocket, you might not prefer this then. Or you could tack it to the main bodice along the other style lines to help hold it up. My main fabric is the most amazing bamboo fleece and I used a stable CL for the pocket (cuz I didn't want it to drape and pool weird inside.) Full honesty - I wish I had chosen something else. I feel like my whole sweater is so comfy except for this kinda stiff knit against my belly. I kinda wonder if I would like the pocket better if I also did a size smaller in width so it's not quite so loose in there. And with a better fabric. But I have yet to try. I just thought I'd let you know but if you try and have some different thoughts, please let us know!

REVERSIBLE!!!

I love that for this testing process we thought ahead about the fact that Rose Hip is fully reversible. That meant we had the right zippers on hand for some awesome final jackets. Have a look at a few of the results.

This one isn't reversible, but this is what happens with mom and daughter can wear the same size. I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to this stage too and I'm wondering if I'm going to like it. I think I might.

I think those are the important things. Feel free to check out the blog posts on the girls' Clover and Rose Hip patterns for more info that you may find helpful.

Remember that both the Clover Bundle and Rose Hip Bundle are available combining with the girls' versions for a bigger savings and a wider size range. We hope you really enjoy these patterns as much as we do and always feel free to share you makes with us in the Sofiona Designs Fan Group or tag us on IG. Use the hashtags #sofionadesigns #sofionajuniormiss #sofimissclover #sofimissrosehip and we'll keep our eyes open!