Pilvi Coat Dress - Named Clothing Evolution Theory Collection

The Pilvi Coat Dress was the second pattern I tested from the Evolution Theory Collection by Named (see my Talvikki Sweater here).

The Pilvi Coat Dress by Named Patterns

I love that Named often produce patterns with a difference with clean lines and cool details.

The Pilvi is a double-breasted, fitted coat dress made from knit fabric. It is a really lovely pattern with princess seam detail, pockets and a belt with loops incorporated into the side seams. The style works equally well as a coat or a dress.

The back seams ensure a great fit.

The instructions recommend a medium-weight, knit fabric with 40% stretch. I used 2.5m of a bone-coloured ponte from Remida. The front overlapping sections are stabilised with knit interfacing. I unfortunately used interfacing with less than 40% stretch and have a bit of pulling around the bust as a result. Bummer. Check your interfacing before you iron it on!

The instructions are very clear and well illustrated and the pattern is well drafted, as is usual with Named patterns. The pattern would suit advanced beginners. One thing I love about Named patterns is that when I print them on A4 paper, there are no margins to cut off so you can get straight to the sticking-together stage. This is a huge time saver! I don't know whether this is also the case with US letter paper.

What can I say, another successful Named pattern. I love them all and I've been wearing this coat dress a lot since I made it.

 Named, you rock!

Named Evolution Theory Collection - Talvikki Sweater

In case you haven't heard, Named Clothing have just released their new collection. It is called Evolution theory and I think it might be their best yet. I am planning to work my way through most of the pieces! I was fortunate to have tested two of the new patterns and this one has already been worn a lot!

This is the Talvikki sweater. A stylish and simple design with interesting dart details at the front and back neckline, side splits and a high/low hemline. Just the right number and combination of features for a perfect design.

I made mine from lovely French terry fabric in grey marle from Potter Textiles. I am wearing it above with StyleArc Lola pants in the same fabric, but it works equally well with jeans (Named Jamie Jeans, below) and other combinations.

This is an easy garment to sew and the instructions are clear with helpful diagrams. I made a size 40 according to the size chart and the fit is loose and comfy.

You can see the darts that shape the neckline in the pictures above and below. Top Tip: use very stretchy knit interfacing on the neckline facing or it won't go over your head!

I love the gently curved, longer back.

 Actually, I love everything. This is so comfortable and cosy, I never want to take it off!

This one's a winner!

Brief thoughts on Me Made May 2016

StyleArc Toni dress made as a top with StyleArc Elle pants / Named Jamie Jeans with Burdastyle 06/2014#114 jumper / Vogue 1378 pants with Megan Nielsen Briar tee made as a jumper / StyleArc Lola pants with Deer and Doe Plantain tee and Paprika Patterns Opal cardi / StyleArc Mara Shirtdress / Pauline Alice Xeria dress with Megan Nielsen Virginia leggings / Vogue 1378 pants with Burdastyle 11/2012#128 top / Refashioned dress from jeans

Like me, you are probably ready to forget Me Made May for another year. However, I thought I'd just have a quick look through the handmade clothes I wore in May 2016 and see what was popular in my wardrobe.

May 2016 in Perth was, weatherwise, pretty similar throughout. Most days were in the low to mid 20s with a couple of rainy days. This meant that hardly any of my warm and cold weather gear was seen at all, which was a bit of a shame.

Patrones army jacket with StyleArc Elle pants and Named Wenona shirt / Patrones jacket in black with khaki StyleArc Lola pants / Deer and Doe Plantain tee with black StyleArc Lola pants / Named Jamie jeans with Paprika Patterns Jasper sweater / Named Jamie jeans with StyleArc Amber top / Vogue 1313 dress with Closet Case Files Nettie bodysuit / StyleArc Estelle jacket, Paprika Patterns Jade Skirt and SavageCoco Patterns Presto top / Named Inari Tee dress / StyleArc Estelle jacket, Patrones blouse and silk StyleArc Lola pants.

MY MOST POPULAR PATTERNS IN MAY 2016

Pants: StyleArc Elle and Lola pants (some of the Lola pants were altered to have an elasticated cuff and front and back patch pockets) and Named Jamie jeans.

Tops: Burdastyle jumpers and Deer and Doe Plantain tees.

Jackets: Patrones jackets in black and khaki, StyleArc Estelle jacket.

Dresses and skirts: my refashioned denim dress from jeans was the only dress or skirt I wore more than once. I always wore my Megan Nielsen leggings to stay warm. I love all the dresses and skirts I wore in May.

The pattern companies I wore most things from were StyleArc, Paprika Patterns and Named Clothing. I think I use mostly patterns from these companies year round actually.

StyleArc Estelle Jacket almost finished! / Named Wyome jeans, Paprika Patterns Zircon sweater / Named Wenona shirtdress / Victory Patterns Hannah dress, Closet Case Files Nettie bodysuit / Burdastyle jumper and StyleArc Elle pants / Refashioned dress from jeans / Patrones jacket, StyleArc Lola pants, indigo dyed Plantain tee / Vintage pattern jumper with Megan Nielsen Virginia leggings in ponte / Burdastyle jumper, Named Jamie jeans

So there we are. Thank you to all who followed my progress on Instagram and made lovely comments. I loved seeing what everyone else was wearing day to day too.

Named Clothing Marie Blouse and StyleArc Lola pants hack

 

A couple of months ago, Lauren of Baste and Gather made some gorgeous Hudson pants in stretch woven fabric with added patch pockets. I had to have some. Immediately. Determined not to buy any new patterns and not owning the Hudson pattern, I searched through my collection. I emerged with the StyleArc Lola pants pattern. I have made this pattern numerous times in knit and woven fabrics, but never in a stretch woven. I set about drafting front and back pockets and an elasticated cuff so they looked just like Lauren's. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

I used a fairly lightweight stretch fabric, nabbed for $2/m at a local designer closing down sale. You should see how much I bought at that sale. Everything was $2/m. OMG!

I made the front pockets quite large, maybe a bit too large at the opening, but I love hanging out with my hands in them! The side seams were taken in a bit until they seemed about right, then I added some bar tacks to strengthen the lower pocket opening. Yeah, I ran out of topstitching thread and changed colour halfway. I tell myself it's hardly noticeable. It bugs me every time I notice it.

The back pockets are rectangles with the bottom corner folded in. I pinned them here and there on my rear end until they looked ok in the mirror, then sewed them in place.

The lower cuffs were made the same width as the waistband and with the same construction method - insert elastic, stretch elastic to match cuff, sew two parallel lines of stitching through elastic and cuff, attach to pants.

HOT TIP: don't make the elastic fit your ankle as you would fit your waist. It will be too tight! The ankle elastic should be a bit loose-fitting. Mine could be slightly looser.

On to the blouse. This is the Marie blouse by Named Clothing. You may have seen the Marie dress I made with the same pattern. I bought some floaty silk/cotton fabric for this at Potter Textiles. It is beautiful to wear.

I deviated slightly from the instructions by adding elastic to the sleeves above the elbows, as in the dress, and by leaving off the elastic at the waistline. This resulted in a comfy and relaxed top that suits my lifestyle. 

I love both these pieces and the pants have been worn constantly since I made them. Thank you to Lauren for the inspiration. I'm already planning my next pair!

Marie Gathered Midi Dress - Named Royals Collection

I was very excited to be a pattern tester for this dress as it is quite different from my usual style. I usually tend towards casual shift dresses and shirt dresses, so this fun and frilly frock was quite a departure from that. This is the Marie Gathered Midi Dress from the Named SS16 Royals Collection. 

Marie Gathered Midi Dress - Named

You may be thinking that my dress is looking rather less than midi length and you would be correct. I initially made it longer, but decided I preferred it above the knee. I shortened it at the waistline so I didn't have to redo the frill. There is a picture of the original dress further on.

This pattern has some lovely design features. The neckline and waist are elasticated and there are lines of elastic at the elbows and cuffs. Then there's the frill at the hemline. This is such a comfortable dress to wear as it's all stretchy and the sleeves can be worn pushed up or down.

You could even wear it off the shoulder if you were so inclined.

I used a light cotton fabric with a cute bird print from Textile Traders to make this dress. I was careful choosing the print as I didn't want it to be too large and overwhelming as there's a fair bit of fabric in the dress. Having said that, I had no trouble cutting the dress from 2.5m of 150cm wide fabric. The fabric hangs well and is lovely to wear. The belt is an obi-style one that I made from silver faux leather. 

Here is the dress before I shortened it and without a belt. I took the side seams in a bit on the final, shortened version too.

So there we are, a gathered and shortened midi dress. And the verdict on the style? I really like it. It's so easy to wear and I keep reaching for it when I'm going out for lunch or dinner. I've worn it several times already. So get on over and check out the lovely patterns of the new SS16 Named collection. I've got my eye on the Beatrix dress and Eleonora skirt. I've also made the Marie dress as a blouse. Stay tuned!

Thank you to Saara and Laura for another very enjoyable and professional round of pattern testing. You are the best xx

Madeleine Bow Tie Blouse - Named Royals Collection

I love pattern testing for Named and this was the first of two pieces I tested for the brand new SS16 Royals Collection. This is the Madeleine Bow Tie blouse. Stay tuned for the Marie Dress, to be blogged soon!

I made my usual size 40 according to the size chart and the fit of this is absolutely spot on. It is slim-fitting, but just right and no pulling across the shoulders. 

When I first saw the picture of this blouse, I wasn't sure quite how the yoke detail worked. It is actually trimmed with ribbon or piping which is pressed away from the yoke to give this interesting, three dimensional effect. The collar is also trimmed with ribbon with extra length for a bow.

I used a white cotton woven fabric for the blouse and blue polka dot ribbon trim. The pattern calls for 4cm (1.5") wide ribbon that is folded in half and sewn to the yoke. I had trouble finding ribbon I liked in the 4cm wide category so, after standing for so long in the Spotlight ribbon aisle that they thought I'd moved in, I bought 2.2cm (7/8") wide ribbon instead and sewed two lengths together (wrong sides facing). This worked perfectly. The neckline trim is supposed to be a single ribbon 1-1.5cm wide and I found matching 1cm ribbon, so that was good. 

Regarding the ribbon I would say: don't stress if you can't find matching 4cm and 1.5cm ribbon, just buy a 1.5-2cm wide ribbon that you love and use it everywhere. 

 

The cuff is gathered and elegant and features four buttons. This is not a garment to be thrown off quickly in the throes of passion, but the prettiness of the cuffs makes up for that!

I would say that this is a project for someone with some sewing experience, but it is not difficult and the instructions are very helpful. Here are a few more pictures:

 

Some full-length pictures, worn with my Named Jamie jeans:

With the neck open...

...and the sleeves rolled up!

This is a fun and elegant design that gives a fresh take on an ordinary blouse. I love it!