Ama Cowlneck tops for summer

Kia ora! Sadly summer is now well gone here in New Zealand, but given that some of you are looking forward to when summer arrives I thought it's not to late to share some of my summer sewing with you.

Back in 2015 (wow!) I made the AMA Cowlneck maxi dress by Named Clothing Patterns, which I still enjoy wearing by the way. I had always thought that the top half would be great as a top or a casual throw over a swimsuit. In February I actually got to work on the idea ...

 

The pattern pieces for the maxi dress are joined at the waist, so I simply took took the top pattern pieces and extended them my 9". For this version I followed the lines of the side seam when extending the length, but they weren't straight, so this top is very snug around the hips.

side seam curves toward the back

It's made with some fabric from AS Fabrics which I picked up for just $5 per metre (although I wouldn't have paid anything more for it!)
Outer fabric: 0.92m Brown/Blue/White abstract splash chiffon
Lining fabric: 0.92m polyester georgette, has a slight crepe texture

It drapes beautifully and is super light, perfect for summer. You'll see from the pic that I switched the fabrics around for the back insert. Lining on the outside.

It seemed such an easy make and a really enjoyable sew that I immediately went to the fabric stash and selected another piece of fabric to make a second version - this time fixing the room around the hips by extending the side seam of the front pattern piece straight down parallel to the grain line.

This version is made with some beautiful silk crepe de chine from Drapers Fabrics and lined with some white cotton polyester.

Sadly it appears that Named Clothing Patterns no longer have this pattern available in their store. But hey, any of their patterns are worth buying ... if only I could sew all day every day, I would make all their patterns.

My 'take sewing action' plans with Marfy

Kia ora! I usually don't spend a lot of time curating my sewing list, other than to have an endless number of things I want to make! Lately I've been feeling that I don't actually maximise the little amount of time I do get, spending way to much time thinking about what to sew instead of actually getting stuck in and getting some sewing done. So I thought it was about time to make a list and prioritise 😬

I sat down with my Marfy catalogs and made some decisions about what was going on the 'take sewing action' list. Here is what I came up with, that includes Marfy 3855 that I posted last week ...

Marfy 1911

Denim Skirt with a Flare

Kia ora! Today is ANZAC Day, a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". It is always 25 April, regardless of what day of the week it falls on. This year is a Wednesday, a day off in the middle of the week is a real bonus. I thought I would make the most of the day off and get into some sewing ... but first I thought I would share what's been on my sewing table lately.

When I moved my blog in March I was about to start Marfy 3885 .... this is how it turned out. It's a really interesting pattern that combines features of a jean skirt with the flare of a quarter circle skirt.

Sapporo from Spring to Autumn

Kia ora and welcome to the new home of my blog. We have had the most amazing summer here in Wellington (New Zealand), but sadly it's coming to an end and there is a sense of Autumn in the air. While Summer is my favourite season Spring and Autumn are great for making the most of my wardrobe twice a year.

When Papercut Patterns launched the Sapporo pattern as part of their Sakura collection I was in love ... the cocoon shape ... the angled lines ... the all-in-one collar that hugged the neck ...

This version is actually my second make (haven't managed to get good photos of the first one yet - watch this space). I made a size XXS/XS without any fit adjustments. What I did change though was the self lining of the sleeve. The pattern says to self-line the sleeves with the main fabric, but I found that with my first Sapporo it kept pulling my the long sleeve of my top underneath.  Instead I drafted a 2" facing for the sleeve hem and then cut the remainder of the sleeve from lining.

The New Home, New Name

Kia ora!

It's a new year and time to refresh the blog. I've never been super happy with the original name I chose for the blog, it was a "it will do" moment when I started the blog. So first things first if you would still like to continue following me, and keep up with my sewing adventures, please update your blog reader.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A few years ago I had labels made with my Maori name "Ahenata", and I sew a label into all the garments I make. To give a bit more cohesion to my 'me made' journey I felt I needed to make the blog a better fit. I'll keep the label name Ahenata and add the tag line "stitched by SJ", yep that me :-) and which is the perfect new name for the blog.

If you also follow me on Instagram, or if you don't now is a good time to start, you will also notice I've changed my profile name to sandra.ahenata

So with all that housekeeping done, it's time to go do some sewing. I'm currently working on Marfy 3885.

Happy sewing everyone.

Perfecting the Skirt and Rainbows

Kia ora! In December last year, after purchasing and watching the new Susan Khalje class on Craftsy "The Couture Lace Skirt", I pulled my unfinished skirt block from the depths of the muslin pile and decided I needed finish it.

To be honest, I don't wear a lot of skirts which is why I've never bothered to finish it, but I really really really want a guipure lace skirt. I didn't want to start with having to find a skirt pattern then go through the fuss of fitting it for my body. The toile felt more than a little snug around the hips so I added 1/2" to the side seams of the pattern, giving a 1" ease, then got out some remnant fabric and proceeded to sew up a skirt. Hmmmm, it didn't fit!  It was way too big and almost fell off my hips. Yeah, I know, I should have done a fitting once I got the side seams together, but it was December and the end of a long year!  Anyway, I made some tweaks to the pattern, dived into the stash again for more fabric and made another - okay it was a boring black skirt! But hey, I made sure the lining was fun. And who doesn't need a black skirt, right.

I made a couple more tweaks to the pattern before deciding it was time to test out Susan's techniques before fully committing to the guipure lace. Hello rainbow skirt 😎

Couture Sewing School with Marfy 3507

Kia ora and happy New Year! As I sit on the plane returning home after eight intense days in Melbourne I thought I would share the amazing experience that is a couture masterclass with Susan Khalje.

I arrived to class on day one looking forward to not only meeting Susan but also to meet Melanie aka Poppykettle. It was so surreal meeting them both - isn't it funny how social media and the internet can make us feel like we already know someone without having met them in real life.

After settling into the sewing table next to Melanie we all gathered for some introductions. As it turns out most of the others in the class were returning for a second year of couture sewing under Susan's guidance, but we all very quickly got to know each other and spent the week in awe of each other's work.

When I left home I was a little unsure what I was going to make to take full advantage of my time with Susan. Option number one was Marfy 3507, a coat-dress. I'm in love with the collar and zippers of this pattern.

2017 is a wrap!

What do you know ... here we are at the end of 2017! Believe it or not I have done some sewing despite the ol' blog being a bit bare. Although I do think Instagram has played a big part as well - I can share in progress photos pretty quickly without having to worry about getting good photos, which is the part I really struggle with, and it's not so much capturing the photos it's more the time to take photos then edit them. Anyway, more about what I have had on my sewing table this year ...

This has been the year that I've pretty much sewn two of everything!

• two Jamie Christina Hi Lo Raglan hoodies
• sewed my second Muse Patterns Gillian wrap dress
• two Sapporo coats by Papercut patterns
• two Style Arc Livia jackets
• two skirts using my skirt block
• sewed my second Olivia oversized tee by Maria Denmark
• three Sewaholic Belcarra tops
• three Julia Women's cardigans by MHC
• sewed my third Saiph by Papercut Patterns

Rather than chat further let's looks at some photos of this year's entries into the wardrobe.

Moleskin Duffle for Winter 2017

Kia ora! This is kinda exciting ... well I'm excited anyway. I was flattered when I was contacted by Hawes and Freer to see if I was interested in participating in the launch of their new website. Now, little did they know that I often stalked their website drooling over the beautiful wool coating and while I wanted to say yes, I really had to think carefully about whether I could commit the time.

As you can see I said yes!

I was planning to make another Albion Duffle coat this winter, so this was the perfect opportunity when I was shown the beautiful range of lightweight moleskin available from Hawes and Freer. What colour to choose???? After changing my mind over and over I settle on the olive green, with a army gingham for the lining. It all arrived beautifully packed and labeled.

When one bomber is just not enough!

Kia ora! I know it's April but I want to take you back six months to October last year. The weather was beginning to get warmer, daylight savings was about to start and I felt that I needed more casual clothes in my wardrobe.  Or was it I was just looking for a quick fix, instant gratification kinda project?!? This is when I decided that I needed another bomber jacket in my life.

I had previously made the Rigel Bomber by Papercut Patterns but at that time I forgot to check the sleeve length, and every time I wear it, it annoys the sh*t out of me. This time I made exactly the same size as my previous jacket, adding 3" to the sleeve length. I made just one other adjustment this time, removing 1/2" from the centre back of the collar piece.

Pink Floral Sweetheart

This dress was fun but challenging at the same time. First the fun ... I found this fabric by accident while on holiday in Rarotonga earlier this year, and immediately knew it would make a lovely summer dress while still keeping within my wardrobe comfort zone ... because it was black? probably!

The challenge ... to mash together two separate patterns into one dress that looked like it was meant to be. The top is the Sewaholic Cambie pattern and the bottom is the Billy Jean pattern by Bluegingerdoll.  Both dresses I've made before quite a while ago, and well, the body has changed a little since then.

Shirt Dress with Butterick Retro

B5920 was calling my name again ... it appears that I hadn't finished with it, despite having made it twice before.

My first make was exactly to pattern version A. I never wore this dress! The second involved a few alterations to convert it to a maxi with a full length placket, which I wear regularly.

Floral, Beach, Summer, Holiday ...

Happy New Year!  Hope you all ate yummy food 'til your heart was content. I know I did.

I'm looking forward to what 2017 brings, which must be much better than 2016.  I started last year sick and missed the wedding of my very good friend and I ended the year sick, for three weeks if you please!  In between that it was just a big pile of life stuff that I didn't enjoy at all.  By default the blog went into hibernation.

Life is settled again and I begun this year in Rarotonga celebrating my eldest 21st birthday on new year's eve.  Being on holiday called for drink lots of tropical cocktails

 

Fluttering Around

Kia ora!  Oh my gosh how did it get to be March already! Best I get a wiggle on then and tell you about my first make for 2016.  Introducing my flutter dress....

To be honest I had to see a few of these on the blogisphere before I went ahead and purchased the pattern. I am a Papercut fan girl and this pattern did not disappoint.

The unpublished 11 plus two

Happy New Year!  The last three months of 2015 were hectic, although my world is always hectic, but I did manage to get some sewing done - just no time for photos or blogging!  It's now January and I'm on holiday, so a bit of time to do some catch-ups :-)

I have a total of 11 projects that were completed between August and December as well as the two dresses I've been working on over the last couple of days (peek previews on Instagram). Oh as well as the two Butterick dresses that need a Part 2 post completing. Then there was the one remake because I lost my black merino circle top somewhere - I think I left it in a hotel room or a rental car!?! I wear that baby ALL THE TIME and was feeling really lost without it.

Some of the projects really do need a post of their own, like my first formal dress, but others I thought I would quickly summarise and move on.

MARFY TOP 1913
I love my first top so much I needed to make another. This time a simple black embossed silk. OMG this fabric was the worst to work with, resulting in an uneven hem line. It works fine if I tuck it in.

Keeping with the black theme, coz I was feeling that black tops worked with my jeans, is the GILLIAN WRAP TOP. I had previously made the Gillian Wrap Dress as a tester, and I absolutely love it. I picked up this cotton knit from The Fabric Store January 2015 and had originally thought I would make some t-shirts. Well this is just a fancy t-shirt right!

Knowing that the skirt of the dress doesn't have a lot of flare I needed to add some flare to the skirt back so it would 'poof' over my jeans rather than cling!  I set to with the slash and spread method in three places adding 3/4" each time. I also lengthen the sleeves by 1-1/2" and put a wee 1/2" hem on them with the cover stitch machine.

In September I tested the TAHI SHRUG for Muse Patterns using some knit remnants. I made a size 36 in the long sleeve version.  I didn't quite have enough of the purple for the entire sleeve so added some black merino to make it look like a cuff. I also stitched it up with black thread to give a contrast look, but you can't really notice it. I don't really wear this - I'm not sure whether it's the colour or the pattern ... I think I've a bit more of a bolero, cardi kinda girl if it's not a jacket.

MESA by Seamwork
I've already made Mesa twice before and both dresses I've worn constantly this winter just gone. So of course I needed a summer version! I picked up this poly knit, that feels like neoprene, from Spotlight specifically for this dress. I did however, make a few changes to the pattern.

1. Raised the back neckline by 1/2"
2. Lowered the front neckline by 1"
3. Shortened the sleeves by 3"

I wore it to work a couple of times, but come to the conclusion (through my own modesty) that it is probably too short to wear with bear legs to the office - I was feeling too self conscious! I wore it on Christmas Day and it was perfect, so maybe it's more of a BBQ kinda dress, or I could wear it with 3/4 leggings with some heals .... hmmm things to try.

The last on the remake list is this STRIPE MISSION MAXI.
I love the Mission Maxi pattern and have made it a couple of times before. I've been looking for the ideal stripe knit, with the right amount of body and stability. I was passing by The Fabric Warehouse in November (passing by means the car detoured off the motorway!) and found just what I was looking for.  This is a cotton, lycra, poly knit which I'm gonna say is a light-medium weight.

I feel like I have a tone of maxi dresses in the wardrobe, and while I love them, my legs never get to see the light of day. So for this version I shortened the back to be a middi length and added a curve to the front piece for a bit of interest. I am in love with the dress, the colours, the comfort, the length - it just screams summer to me and I've been living in it constantly.

The Adventures of B5882 (Part 1)

A wee interweb search of B5882 will quickly reveal the challenges that this pattern has provided - but who doesn't like a challenge right!  However, I didn't realise this until after I had committed to making two of them for daughter #1.

As always I started with a muslin anyway, so no biggie, I would just work out all the fit issues at that stage and then enjoy the construction.

Finally Wearable - French Jacket #2

I didn't realise how long it has taken me to finish this and get pictures.... back in December 2014 I shared my progress with my second French Jacket here. It was 99% finished back in December, but it look me forever to put the buttons and the chain onto it.

Refining the Granville

Third time lucky ... well so the saying goes anyway.

This is my third Granville Shirt. The first was HERE and the second HERE.  But even though this was the third I felt that there were still further adjustments I needed to make to refine the fit.

For this version I left all the previous adjustments in place, you can get that list here, and then made the following tweaks

• Added 1/4" to front side seams
• Added 1/4" to the side back side seam - both these adjustments were so I could get more room around the body.
• Added 1/4" to each side of the sleeve under arm seam, tapered to existing wrist edge - again giving me more room around my arm.
• Added 1/2" to the length above the waist.
• this time I added 1" to the original pattern length of the sleeve.

Although minor, the fits feels better and I'm much happier with the length of the shirt.

The Knit Shift Dress

I've never really thought about where I fit into the style spectrum, I just make and wear what appeals. Oh yes, I've done the whole "what's in fashion now" thing, then look back at old photos and wonder what on earth I was thinking at the time?!

Now that I've done 2.5 years of ready to wear fasting I look at my wardrobe and realise that the shift dress, or variations of it, is a 'thing' for me. This probably explains why I've made two knit shift dresses in a month.

This is Mesa, one of the patterns issued with the June 2015 edition of Seamwork. It is described as "The flirty knit shift that's as stylish as it is comfortable", and I agreed 100%. Apparently it should only take 1 hour to make. It took me longer than that but that probably because I decided to line it.

I picked up 1.5 metres of this medium weight jersey double knit from Fabric Barn specifically for this dress.  The pattern suggested light to medium weight knit fabrics with at least a 25% 4-way stretch. Personally, I think that a light weight jersey would show all the 'lumps and bumps' underneath - No Thanks!

Channelling my inner Olivia Pope!

I'm not gonna lie, I was completely inspired by a winter white coat worn by Olivia Pope, while I was engrossed in a Scandal watching marathon!  Would it fit in my wardrobe and would I have anything to wear with it - who cared, I was making it anyway :-)

The coat itself has been a bit of a marathon make.  I already had the Robson Coat by Sewaholic Patterns in my stash. My first attempt at this pattern had been a complete disaster, for a couple of reasons but anyway if I was going to make this one work I needed to get a muslin sewn up and work out the fit issues. So that happened in February 2015.