Sunday 19 October 2014

Completed: Named Patterns Kanerva Blouse


This is actually the second pattern I've used from Named Clothing SS14 collection, the first being my *as of yet unblogged* Jamie Jeans. There are a lot of things to love about this pattern company! I adore how they release the patterns in seasons just like a fashion label and the little details that make each piece something unique and special. As much as I love vintage style clothing it is refreshing to find a pattern company that specialises in classic modern silhouettes and everyday basics. They have also recently released some of their patterns in paper format which is nice for some of us who cant be bothered with taping a million pieces of paper together! And apparently, recently updated their instructions to a more user friendly format.



I chose to make the Kanerva Blouse for a number of reasons. I loved how it was a cropped top, perfect for wearing with high waisted skirts without the need for tucking them in. It makes for a different silhouette which I now find I actually prefer. The only downside is not being able to wear it with low waisted pants or jeans without looking like a 90s tramp.



I may or may not have *stuffed up* when choosing the right size. I went off the finished garment measurements as I wanted the shirt to fit snug but now looking at the photos it may be a tad too tight. It also may look like I copied the fabric choice with this pattern too, but in my defence, I had been meaning to make myself a boat neck stripe top out of my navy and white stripe knit (left over from this project) and this happened to be the perfect pattern.

The pattern calls for fabric with slight stretch to make it easier to pull the shirt over the head rather than perform a variety of yogaish poses to button up the back buttons. I decided to go for a knit which worked well, but, hindsight is a wonderful thing and now its occurred to me that I probably could have left out the front side and centre darts...doh!! I managed to line the stripes on the centre darts quite well (it took me a couple of goes) but I really think it would have looked better without them as it draws attention to my bust area.



In other news, it appears I have conquered the stripe!! This shirt almost kicked my butt *read: was almost sent to the WIP box, never to see the light of day* but I persevered and managed to get every seam *almost* perfectly lined up. I discovered that decisions you make in the cutting stage really can affect the final perfect stripe matched product so it really pays to give some forward thinking and a little bit of hand basting is sometimes preferable over pins.


Other than that I'm very happy with this pattern, its simple, classic shape yet still modern and stylish and by the look of it I'm going to get quite a bit of wear out of it this winter. I've yet to add a row of gold buttons down the back to add some visual interest.

The skirt is actually another Named Pattern! The Vanamo Skirt!! This is my second version of the skirt, the first is yet unfinished un-blogged but I'm hoping to pull my finger out and get it up on the blog soon.












2 comments:

  1. Nice photos Miranda, much better than the phone selfies I usually get to see! Love seeing your completed garments.

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    1. Thanks! I figured it was high time to stop bugging the Boy to take photos of me and buy myself a tripod and remote :-) It will also come in handy for taking family photos too!!

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