PDF pattern vs. regular post

So as I mentioned last week, I'm making a Christmas dress for myself and a dress for Puddle. I've already finished my dress but Puddle's dress isn't even close to completion. Both dresses use a McCall's pattern and I bought both patterns online.

Why the difference? I bought my dress as a PDF pattern. The same day I bought it I downloaded the pattern and printed it from my home printer. Puddle's pattern? Well, I bought that online from the McCall's site as well, but I bought a regular paper pattern. I bought it weeks ago, but it still hasn't arrived in the mail.

So would I recommend only buying PDF patterns from now on? No, not exactly.

The McCall's PDF pattern I printed from my home printer was a whoping 55 pages! After I printed it I had to tape the entire thing together using grid instructions. This involved trimming the edges of each piece of 8x10 paper to make sure the marks lined up properly. Sheesh. For someone who loathes cutting out sewing patterns, this was an extremely tedious process.

This is what I recommend: Buy regular paper patterns for adult sized clothing and PDF patterns for baby or children's clothing. If you're in a hurry to get your paper pattern, don't buy it online. Take the time to drive to the closest local fabric store to buy the pattern (even if it's 40 min away as is the case for me).