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.

Summer is for Maxi Dresses

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a maxi dress ... so when Named Clothing released their latest collection 'Ritual' the Ama Cowl Neck Frock was immediately on my MUST HAVE list.

I'm not a fan of an elastic waist band but the back of the dress bodice is 'killer'!  I've not seen this before in any other pattern, so the uniqueness of the design was also a big attraction for me.

Ignore the bra straps that poke out from the top - they are not part of the frock!

Silk Kielo Wrap

Named is a Finnish indie pattern company that is all about clean lined simplicity with some interesting design detail. The Kielo wrap dress caught might attention with it's interesting take on a wrap but without adding any bulk and remaining very feminine.

Back in April when I made this we were heading into winter down-under but I was still keen to get a Kielo into my wardrobe that I could wear at least during autumn and spring.  So rather than a maxi dress of the original pattern design, I decided on a long top that I could wear with a pair of leggings and a jacket/cardigan would be more season appropriate.