Bergère de France Magazine 179: A Review

Bergère de France has released Magazine 179. Nous allons jeter un coup d'oeil, allons-nous?





Pattern #01, Skirt and Pattern #02, Sleeveless Top. Not a bad little simple outfit. I don't know that I would go with the open back detail, as it's a little roughly done and doesn't add much of anything to the design.

Pattern #03, Short Sleeve Sweater. Personally I've never found it necessary to graphically remind a child that the beach is fun. And if it were necessary, I could probably find better designed ways to do it.

Pattern #04, Round Neck Sweater. Cute simple sweater.

Pattern #05, Shorts. The grid effect is also cute done on shorts. I agree with Bergère de France's decision to separate the shorts and the top from above into two different outfits. The grid pattern will be too much if spread over two separates worn simultaneously.





Pattern #06, Short Sleeve Cardi. That's not a badly designed pineapple, but it seems rather strange to plop it on the back of a cardi that's so plain in front.

Pattern #07, Anisette Hair Band. The green hair band looks like something you'd put on your daughter whenever you were dressing her up as Norma Desmond, which I hope is never. The one in yellow isn't terrible, but there are better designed hair bands out there.

Pattern #08, Pineapple Bag. Looks more like a toilet paper cosy than a pineapple, let alone a purse.

Pattern #09, Romper With Shoulder Straps. Not bad. I'd recommend making the rind green rather than whatever colour it is here, which makes it look less like a slice of watermelon than like a slice of pizza.

Pattern #10, Bikini. How does a design manage to be this ugly when there's this little of it? Moreover this bikini will not stay in place, or even on, once it gets wet.

Pattern #11, Pineapple Top. Not a bad little top. I'd move the pineapple image up a few inches as it doesn't look properly centred as is.

Pattern #12, Rucksack. Not bad at all. The bag has a good shape. I think it calls for wider straps, though. I hate to think how those thin cord-sized straps will dig in to a child's shoulders when the bag is full.

Pattern #13, Playsuit. This is kind of cute, but that surfboard does look a little disturbingly like a pair of lips to me.

Pattern #14, Cardigan. Not a badly shaped cardigan, but I don't think I understand the concept of sewing letters randomly across it.

Pattern #15, Short Sleeve Openwork Sweater. Not bad, though it might be a bit bulky for summer wear.

Pattern #16, Playsuit. You really need to put more effort into your "designs" than this, Bergère de France.

Pattern #17, Round Necked Sweater. Here's that simple grid pattern again. If you're concerned it'll be too much bother to fuss around with a second colour, the vertical lines are crocheted onto the finished pieces.

Pattern #18, Openwork Top and Pattern #19, Shorts. What the Ingalls girls wore as winter underwear back in their toddler days.





Pattern #20, Halter-Neck Tunic. Fetching little piece. Which I would want to do in any colour other than oatmeal.

Pattern #21, Strappy Top. Not a bad little basic pattern.

Pattern #22, Sleeveless Dress. Cute simple dress. The stripes make it.

Pattern #23, Short Roll Edge Sweater. Don't like this effect, which looks for all the world like a shrunken sweater layered over a not-shrunken one.

Pattern #24, Crossover Cable Cardi. This is rather squarish for my tastes, but it does have a certain contemporary style to it.

Pattern #25, Cardigan. This one is both squarish and minus the cable detailing that gave the sweater above some interest. Honestly, this looks like a beginner project that a beginning knitter will be really proud of at first and secretly take apart later.

Pattern #26, Hooded All In One. Rather a cute little number. But what I'd really like is the pattern for the blanket this little girl is sitting on.

Pattern #27, Romper. Just the thing for your bouncing baby balloon to wear.

Pattern #28, Rolled Edge Sweater and Pattern #29, Beanie. Not a bad little sweater. The varying stripe widths give it visual interest and a certain smartness. The hat is basic as basic gets and you probably already have an identical pattern.

Pattern #30, Sleeveless All-In-One. Adequate. I do wish the designer had done something more interesting with the meeting point of the two stripe widths.