Natalie and Nina

This is another of Kat's fabulous patterns teamed up with my fave cardigan, Muse Natalie dress and Style Arc Nina cardigan.

I'll not say much about the cardigan, I've said it all before, it is so easy to cut and make up. I love them. I know the draped look might not be for everyone, but I get so much wear out of these.

I think I bought the fabric for this one, intending to make something else and it was definitely pattern tetris cutting this out. I think the bottom piece is actually cut across the grain, but hey, it works and the cardigan has been washed a couple of times since making up and it's made no difference. This merino is quite closely woven and keeps it's shape really well. Unlike my black merino Nina cardi which has gone a tad baggy now!

The details
Fabric:  Fuchsia pink merino from Levana, Levin, June 2015.
Notions:  Thread and some cotton tape to stabilise the shoulders and neck.
Pattern:  Style Arc Nina cardigan, size 14
Changes made:  None
Another one/recommendations:  I've made four of these cardigans. I love them. They are great for slobbing around in and are smart enough for work. I know the look isn't for everyone, but for me, I love them!

And so to the Natalie dress. I was intrigued by this dress from the start. I was over at Kat's one weekend for a knitting afternoon and she suggested I try on one of her sample versions. I loved it, the fit, the style, etc. I knew I needed one in my wardrobe. And so, I used this pale grey knit I got from Levana back in April. It was intended to be another Gillian, but I decided it would be perfect for this dress.

I went for the version with the gathers under the bust. I didn't intend to, but this fit was actually much better for me. I had to be careful with pattern placement, I could have had flowers in the wrong places - as it were!

The pattern, like all of Kat's patterns, is drafted perfectly. This is a size 38 and fit me straight out of the box. I've made no alterations to the pattern at all. I followed the instructions to the letter, they didn't need any changing. It's really easy to put together and sews up so quickly. The sleeves are the perfect length for me - I love 3/4 length sleeves.

I honestly have no complaints about this pattern. OK, the ties are really long and that's possibly because they are intended to come round the front, but I'd rather leave the front free. Hang on, is that my only gripe - what am I saying? Nope I've no gripes or groans at all and I get so many compliments when I wear this dress. It's a real keeper and very tempting to make another...

The details
Fabric:  Pale grey polyester knit from Levana, Levin, April 2015
Notions:  Thread, interfacing and some cotton tape to stabilise the shoulders.
Pattern:  Muse Patterns Natalie dress, size 38
Changes made:  None
Another one/recommendations:  I'm actually really tempted to make another, this dress is great, it fits well and I really love it. I certainly recommend the pattern, it's so easy to make up and the fit is fab. Oh and what's more you can make a top or a maxi dress too.

Excuse the hair everywhere, we'd done photos the day before and the exposure was all wrong and this day is one of Wellington's lovely windy days. You'd have thought by now I'd learn to put my hair back!

Muse Tahi

Happy first birthday to Muse Patterns!

I've been testing again! When Kat first mentioned this pattern combo to me, I was there. I love shrugs and I thought this one would be great to go over my concert dress to replace the very old tie front cardi I was using. As for the seam detail on the skirt, I was sold, please let me test, please, please!

The shrug
This is great for stash busting, it uses such little fabric and is so easy to put together too. That easy that I forgot I was testing and completely forgot to read the instructions - oops!

I made the version with 3/4 sleeves. Honestly it is the simplest thing to make. Stitch the shoulder seams, insert the sleeves, sew up the side seam and sleeve seam in one go, hem the sleeve cuffs an then attach the binding around the raw edges and away you go!

I used less than a metre of fabric. My version gapes a bit at the back of the neck and the binding seems to be tight at the bottom of the back. I think this is really my fabric choice, trust me, trying to find notches cut in this fabric is nigh on impossible!

Now wearing this over my concert dress, I ideally would need to pin the front of the shrug to the straps on my dress, since it's a strappy dress. I can't be showing skin to all and sundry in concerts. I don't have a photo of this yet. However, with anything else I love the shape. I think it looks great over everything else. At most, an additional inch on the front would be good, but anything more than that is getting in the realms of FBAs and SBAs. As it is, this style suits everyone.

The details
Fabric:  Black fluffy fabric received from a swap from A Charm of Magpies, one of our WSNB-ers
Notions:  Thread and some cotton tape to stabilise the back of the neck.
Pattern:  Muse Patterns, Tahi Shrug, size 40
Changes made:  None
First worn:  For photos here at Truby King Gardens in Wellington with the Tahi Skirt and a Belcarra made in June.

Another one/recommendations:  This is a great pattern, definitely recommended even if you just want something quick and easy to make up. I've a feeling more could be on the cards for me. It comes with four different sleeve options, to cover all seasons. I've just taken mine away on holiday and it was worn every evening out!

The skirt
Ok, so the skirt. Those seam lines on the front, they were what drew me to this pattern. Just look how simple yet effective they are. I made this out of minimal fabric and even my pattern placement required quite a bit of pattern Tetris. I had to place the centre seamed piece at 90 degrees to the grain. It was just not possible any other way. Oh, and before you ask, the plain simple A-line skirt just wasn't an option!

To be honest I love how this shows on the final skirt. I reckon it was an inspired choice!

I thought the corner seaming detail on the front would also be really difficult but no, follow Kat's instructions and you'll be fine and dandy. Honestly, they are so easy, it's frightening just how easy they are.

The problem I had was with the zip... Due to the lack of fabric I decided to omit the centre back seam and use a side seam zip. Silly girl I forgot Kat has said all seams bar that centre back seam are 3/8ths. You try putting in a lapped zip with 3/8th seam allowance! Fortunately after ripping the zip out I realised that I'd cut too large a size and could easily take in 5/8ths seam allowance. Zip woes averted! It's still not perfect because I played around with the seam afterwards to get the skirt to fit but I was testing the pattern and was uncertain of my size. I cut a size 40 if that helps, since I'm between sizes. So I went up a size as I thought it would be quite fitted.

The instructions are really clear, I even followed the instructions to the letter for the zip. This is something I'd normally just go, lapped zipper, ok I know what to do!

I'm also shorter than Kat and ended up cutting about an inch and a half off the bottom. Personal preference for length also intervened.

This is going to make a great casual skirt in my wardrobe. I'm working out what I could use to make a fancy posh one, perhaps something floaty which needs lining in the long flared version?

The details
Fabric:  Tan coloured cotton drill, a remnant from Evans of Masterton, April 2015, I had 90cm of 150 wide!

Notions:  Thread, metal dress zip and waistband stiffening

Pattern:  Muse Patterns, Tahi skirt, size 40, which I took in.
Changes made:  I removed the centre back seam and put the zip in the side seam, and shortened it. 

First worn:  To Fabric-a-Brac here in Wellington, with my Belcarra, made in June. Photos here in Truby King Gardens

Another one/recommendations:  Like the shrug, this is another great pattern from Kat. The drafting and the instructions are really great. The corner seaming is so much easier than it looks and it's just so effective. I certainly quite like the idea of something long and floaty... Just check out that maxi floaty version on the website.

Kat gave me this pattern for testing purposes. All comments and opinions are my own.

Gillian awesomeness

Now I love a wrap dress as much as the next, but never until now have I found a wrap dress which fits, doesn't gape and just makes me want to wear it all the time.

This if you haven't guessed is the Muse Patterns Gillian dress. Yes I know it's from the creative mind of my great friend Kat from the WSBN, but honestly I am NOT biased. Just read the reviews elsewhere on the Interwebs and you'll believe me!

I decided to use the red contrast as the blue flowery knit is quite a fine knit and the red gives it considerably more stability where it needs it. Even though I had two completely different knit fabrics, they work really well together.

I cut this out at the beginning of May and it went together so quickly. Kat's instructions are clear and easy to follow. I got a bit confused with the waistband to begin with, but I was suffering from the beginnings of lurgy and probably my head wasn't really thinking straight! Looking at the instructions now, they make perfect sense and I think a really novel way of creating the waistband with the gap through which to put the tie through. The instructions have lots of images - you all know by now how much I like images! Pictures, give me pictures!

I didn't really know what length to cut, I went with the longest version and am completely happy with it. It is the perfect length to me, I'm about 5'5', sorry I think that's about 165cm in new money. I wasn't completely sure how long the skirt would be, the pattern states the top length and the skirt length. I wasn't completely certain if this translated into the length of the skirt for the dress as well, but this is the perfect length. Since this is also a knit, I didn't worry about the cup size. This Muse pattern is for a B cup, which certainly isn't me, but, this works. I didn't show it, but this wrap dress does not gape - yay!! Oh and the best bit about the bodice - the gathers onto the yoke.

This pattern has three sleeve lengths, I went for the 3/4 elbow length sleeves. I love this length sleeves. They are perfect in my mind.

The details

Fabric: Plain red knit and blue floral knit from the Fabric Warehouse, January 2015.

Notions: Thread and some tape to stabilise the shoulder seams.

Pattern: Muse Gillian dress size 38, I'm actually between sizes, so went for the smaller one, this is a perfect fit.

Changes made: None
First worn: Middle of May, I couldn't help but wear it as soon as I'd made it! These photos were taken at the end of May when it was a wee bit chilly!

Another one/Recommendations: I completely recommend this pattern. The drafting is fantastic, the instructions are clear and easy to follow. Oh and did I say it fits perfectly with no gape? I already have another planned, so watch this space.

Conveniently I've made this up in time for the first week of Indie Pattern Month from The Monthly Stitch!

The Jenna Cardi

This is the new pattern from one of my lovely WSBN friends here in Welly. The amazing Kat launched Muse last week with this first pattern, the Jenna cardi, named after her equally lovely sister.

I was lucky enough to be one of the testers. It's actually the first time I've tested a pattern and I was so flattered when asked, my mind went into overdrive! Crazy English lady that I am!

Straight away I printed it out and stuck it all together, I just couldn't wait to get going! The pattern pieces lined up perfectly. Some patterns I've printed are just slightly out, but this one was perfect (yes I was using a printer I'd used before.) Next was to find something from stash I could use to make it up. The fabric was a wool viscose and very loosely woven, plus it slipped and slid everywhere. Note to self, don't sew with wool viscose unless completely necessary!

I cut out a size 40, simply because I'm halfway between sizes. My fabric choice was poor and in hindsight, the 38 would have been plenty big enough!  Anyway, this pattern has lots of options with sleeve lengths and the optional yoke detail. It's also sized from a 32 to 48, which should cater for a lot of sizes.



I decided the longer hip length cardi with long sleeves would get the most wear, but since I didn't really have the amount of fabric recommended I had to ignore the cutting layout (not ideal, but sometimes needs must.) I also realised there wasn't enough for the sleeves! Help! Then I checked them out, they were too long for me, so I happily cut them a couple of inches shorter.

Please note: I wasn't the only one with short arms and the long sleeve pattern pieces have now been altered in the published pattern, so you should all be AOK.

I did cut the side seams curved as in the pattern, but with my loosely knitted fabric, this didn't work and I actually stitched the side seams straight down from the waist. This works brilliantly with my fabric giving me a loose fit cardi which goes with so many things in my wardrobe...

Gabrianna, Mortmain, Cami, unblogged pencil skirt, Tania culottes and Kay Unger dress to mention but a few ;-)

I think Kat has actually altered this hip length curve slightly since testing to make this fit better.

I think that's enough on the fit, what about the construction? Well if you want an easy cardi pattern, this is the one for you. It goes together so quickly, I'd cut it out and made it up in about four/five hours total. All my seams are finished with a wide zig-zag stitch and so it would be even quicker if you use an overlocker (which I don't have).

The instructions are really well written with clear pictures. I'm a great one for looking at the pictures and ignoring the instructions and Kat's images didn't disappoint. What I really like is that the sleeves are attached before sewing the whole side seam from cuff to waist. I love this type of construction which gives a really clean finish and is so much easier to insert sleeves this way. The cuffs for the sleeve and waist give a really nice finish to this pattern, giving it a great fit.

The button band is interfaced with non-stretch interfacing ensuring the button band keeps it's shape and is really structured. I spent ages cogitating and ruminating over the buttons, in the end I went with these silver pink flowery buttons I got from Fabric-a-Brac.

The details
Fabric:  A ribbed pink wool viscose from Fabric-a-Brac, October 2013
Notions:   Non-sretch interfacing, thread and buttons from Fabric-a-Brac, February 2014.
Pattern:  Jenna cardi - the first pattern from Muse Patterns
First worn:  As soon as I'd finished it, about a week ago!
Worn here with:  A RTW skirt from Zara (old from the UK), purple tights and black boots from Overland. Oh and a hat I've knitted (not blogged about).
Changes made:  Since I was testing, I made as the pattern said. The only change I made was to stitch straight down the side seam.
Another one?  I think I might just have to. This pattern is fabulous. I'd love to find a much more structured knit to create the version with the yoke.

No outtakes this time, but a sad end to the tale :-( I wore this lots, then washed it in exactly the same way as before I cut it. I dried it flat too and the cardi has stretched widthways (the stretch way) and shurnk in the length :'( I'm currently at a loss with what to do, I might try washing it again and being even more careful how I lay it flat.