Pattern Review: deine Vanja by Meine Herzenswelt

Have you also been dazzled by the German sewing patterns, but too intimidated to try it? Read on for amazing resources and common German sewing terms to get you heading in the right direction.

European sewing patterns have always had a certain appeal to me. I find myself drawn to their styling and detailing with Ottobre patterns being my “gateway” to this genre. I could get the looks I loved but with the English translations. There are a number of German patterns I’ve tried but never finished as I could not get past translations of German sewing terminology. That was a few years ago and since then, the sewing community has heaps more resources for helping with this task than ever before.

This journey starts first with falling for a fabric without a project in mind. As any good seamstress would do, I purchased it anyways. I was placing a fabric order at SEMS Fabric (local to the Goldie) for their watercolor fabric to use on the Rio Racerback for my daughter, and saw the Shapelines fabric by Mamasliebchen. Well, the sewing goddesses were shining down on me because not a day later I happened across this amazing piece by Glückssternchen which appears to be a German children’s clothing store:

Even though it was March and cooler weather wouldn’t be with us for a couple more months, I obsessed about this hoodie day and night. The way the hoodie wrapped around the neckline, the accent side panels, the detailing on the hood draw cord…It’s the Vanja by Meine Herzenswelt. I found the pattern on-line and hesitated because of my sordid history with German patterns. I even went through the trouble of “Frankenstein-ing” an Ottobre hoodie pattern but could not get the hood to look right. When I found the International Knit Sew A Long Facebook group and then knew I had a plethora of people to ask questions to, I purchased the pattern.

This blog post has become quite verbose so what I’m going to do is save the German translations and thoughts on the pattern for the end. I’ll put the pictures up here for those with less time. And if you feel like you need this in your life too, hopefully I can provide some useful tips and please ask questions in the comments! I’ve put a Resources box at the end with lots of links.

Gallery

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Pattern Description & Construction

The ebook comes with three separate PDF files as follows: one for the instructions, one for the pattern pieces on A4 sheet size, and then it does also come with the pattern pieces on large format, A0 sheet size which you can take to a printer. At the time of this post, the cost for both the Kids and Teens sizes (a size range of 74cm-176cm) was only 10 Euro! That’s approximately (USD)$11. With what you get, this is an amazing price.

PDF FEATURES –
Layers: NO
“No Trim” Pages: NO
Paper Size: Pattern pieces and instructions come on A4 sheet size (easily can be printed on US Letter using “center” option when printed). The garment sizes are differentiated by different line colors.
Print Shop Size Offered: YES. Pattern pieces are also offered on A0 sheet size. Different sizes are differentiated by different line types and the lines print black. I found the sizes were easy to differentiate.
Notes: I wish the size of the lettering used on the pattern pieces was smaller as it did interfere with the linework in some places.

Ok. There are a number of options in this pattern and before I go any further:

This pattern does NOT include a seam allowance (SA). Which is typical of European sewing patterns for those who may not be familiar. Honestly, I like this for a couple of reasons: it’s super simple to do any pattern sizing adjustments, I can ensure squared and true seams which makes sewing faster, and I can add any SA I like. I prefer 3/8″ for knits. I do this so there’s still a little bit to trim off on my serger and when there are a lot of layers to sew through, as there is on this hoodie, it helps ensure I’ve caught all the layers when I sew.

Alrighty. Back to the options:

• It comes in two lengths: Regular (what they call Pullover) or a dress length (or Kleid)
• Hoodie, Cowl, or neck band
• Plain front, “princess” seams with a hidden inseam kangaroo pocket, or a pouch pocket type of construction
• Short or long sleeve (see Resources box at end)
• Sleeves are raglan style

There are a lot more fine tuned details throughout the pattern instructions but those are the major basics. There really is a lot of great information packed in!

In terms of general construction (i.e. do pattern pieces fit, line up, seams trued, etc.), it went together with great ease. What I find lacking in a fair amount of children’s sewing patterns are notches. I don’t sew with pins so having these notches makes the sewing go even faster. I am pleased that the Vanja has these and they lined up beautifully from piece to piece. Especially at the sleeves and most importantly at the hoodie as it wraps around the neck opening.

I have two minor complaints. The first one is mostly personal preference but I felt the hem band was a little too short. I’d add a bit more length next time. Secondly, there are no marks indicating grommet placement on the hoodie. This meant I had to clip on the hood, have my son wear it, and eyeball where I wanted the grommets. Then un-clip the hood, apply the grommets then sew back on. I felt this created a bit of a time suck but perhaps this was so people could create their own look. I did notice the instructions talk a lot about safety due to hazards of hoodie cords so maybe it’s related. She does also have a great way of minimizing the danger in her instructions but still allowing the look of a corded hoodie.

Details

I love all of the opportunities for detailing on this pattern. The instructions indicate all of these sewing techniques so you can easily add them too. I decided to do a reverse coverstitch at the seams on the front of the shirt as well as to create a “casing” for the hood ties. I think it really pops.
I wasn’t going to make the hidden pocket on this because at first I couldn’t quite figure it out. But I practiced on some scrap material and going solely off of the pictures in the instructions, was able to easily figure it out. If you’re stuck on how to do it, leave a comment and if there’s enough interest, I’m happy to do a video!

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Fit

My guy is a skinny child. From what I have read this hoodie has a slim fit. So even though he measures a size 116 for chest, I used his height and sewed a size 122 overall. I ended up straightening the waist line as it does curve in. Another thing to note about European patterns is their sizing is based on overall height in centimeters. In the US, and even here in Australia, sizing is based on age for the most part. Size 122cm is roughly equivalent to a size 6/7. Page 6 of the instruction booklet contains the size chart. Here are some rough translations from the size chart (all of the measurements are in centimeters):

Grosse = Size (again this is height in cm)
Brustweite = Chest
Taillenweite = Waist
Huftweite = Hips
Armel-lange ab Halsloch = Sleeve length off neckband
Lange Pullover in hintere Mitte = Length of sweater from middle back
Lange Kleid in hintere Mitte = Length of dress in middle back

Sprichst du Deutsch?

Did I have issues with the pattern being in German? At first I did. The photos that go along with the instructions are good enough, coupled with 10+ years of sewing knit garments, I really didn’t need the words. However, the first 8 pages has some very useful information including fabric requirements, size chart, and a walk through of all the options. I did upload the instructions into Google Translate which is only mildly helpful if not sometimes confusing. Google Translate doesn’t know sewing terminology and is quite literal with translation. But I did find an amazing website (listed in the Resources Box at the bottom of this post) which helped me determine the most important translations for me which is the terminology used on the pattern pieces themselves. Here are the most common ones you’ll find in this pattern:

Kragen = this is the pattern piece for the cowl option
Kapuze = this the pattern piece for the hoodie option
Halsloch-Bund = this is the pattern piece for a regular neckband
Armel-Bund = Cuff pattern piece
versteckte Eingriffs-Ta = cut 2 of these for the hidden kangaroo pocket
Vorderteil -mitte = this is the shirt front. Note there are cut lines initiated depending on which option you want to make. The marks labeled ersteckte Eingriffs-Ta is for the hidden kangaroo pocket. You’ll need to trace two separate pieces: one for the middle front, and then one for the side panels.
Saumbund = hem band pattern piece
Armel = sleeve pattern piece
Ruckenteil = shirt back pattern piece.

I’m making assumptions on these terms but there are abbreviations which I think correspond as follows:
FDL = I believe this is indicative of “grainline”…maybe an abbreviation for Fadenlauf?
Bruch = Fold (as in Fold Line)
VM = Center Front (there is also a notch on the hoodie with this indication)
HM = Center Back
Schulter = Shoulder (a notch on the hoodie has this indication)
Ubertritt = this one threw me a bit. This is a notch label on the hoodie pattern piece and believe it means “crossover point.” In other words, the point of the hoodie wraps around the neck opening to the other side at this notch. I promise it makes more sense once you’re construction the hoodie.
You can see some of these on my IG post below.

The phrase Zuschnitt zzgl. Nahtzugabe I think is indicating that the pieces need to be cut with a seam allowance added…or something like that.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Red Dog Studio (@reddog_studio)

Will I try another pattern not in my native language? Perhaps. Especially if it’s fairly simple and straightforward. I can tell you I am more likely now than before to try it out. I purchased the Taschlings pants pattern eons ago and there are so many options and pages of instructions that it was completely overwhelming. Perhaps I’ll push on and give it a shot!

RESOURCES:

Where to Purchase the pattern:
– Directly Meine Herzenswelt’s website – Please note that there are actually a few freebies that are “expansion packs” to the pattern. These include pattern pieces and instructions for creating a short sleeve version, as well as how to create a ruffled/gathered side panel version which I might have to try for my daughter. There is also a women’s and men’s version of the pattern! You have the option of purchasing kid’s vs teen sizes separately but there are also packages available making this a very affordable pattern. If you type Vanja in the search box in the upper left hand corner of the home page, you will see all the options and size ranges available for purchase. I went with the Kids and Teens Kombi e-Book and it was only 10 Euro! There is also the Familien e-Book which is every Vanja pattern for the whole family – kids, teens, women’s, and men’s for only 20 Euro!
Facebook Groups to post questions:
– International Knit Sew A Longs
– PDF Pattern Sales & Promotions
Websites:
– English Translation of German Sewing Pattern Words & Phrases
– Sewing Translator – this site actually has a few different languages but the amount of terms is limited.
Fabric:
Shapelines by Mamasliebchen. There are many colorways
– Purchased on-line from a local shop: SEMS Fabric
Stripes lining hood & pocket:
– yarn dyed goodness from Debauchery Fabrics (formerly Opulent Monsters) in Mist Stripe.
Grommets:
I have a DK-98 professional snap press with grommet dies and the inside of the grommet measures 3/8″. I backed the grommet with a square piece of fusible fleece interfacing (~1″x1″) in addition to the decorative square of fabric on the finished side.
Hoodie “drawstring”:
I used a single fold binder attachment on my Babylock Coverstitch machine to make the “string” from a regular piece of jersey. Finished size is 3/8″.
Large Format/Plan Printing local to the Gold Coast:
Don Kibble in Southport – pricing is competitive with Office Works and let’s be honest. I’d rather give my money to a local, family owned business. In your area, search for a local “blueprint” or “large format” printing house which there should be one in most larger areas; you know, the place where architects and contractors go. Because we don’t go to Kinkos if we don’t have to.

Happy Sewing!