Jan 1

Jan 1 2016: year of the indie pattern

happy 2016 everyone!

one of my favorite stores in the bay area, stonemountain & daughter, has declared 2016 to be the 'year of the indie pattern' and is kicking off #indiepatternmonth today. as a long time patron of independent pattern companies i love this.

let me say that again for emphasis: i love this.

i've previously extolled my love of oliver + s, the crown jewel of independent patterns, and expressed my goal to sew all their styles. but in the spirit of the new year i wanted to share some oter indie sewing patterns that have caught my eye and i want to sew in 2016.

since this is a blog mostly about a fun young aunt sewing for her nieces lets start with the kids patterns...

mini southport dress | true bias

i saw this darling pattern on probably actually a few months ago and just can't seem to get it out of my mind.

something about this dress, the name maybe, makes me think 'preppy new england.' so for my first pass i might try it in a dark blue (either a solid kona cotton or something with a small print like this cotton & steel xoxo print). either choice would work well with more of those amazingly classy mother of pearl buttons i used for their back to school skirts this year.

now if i wanted to sew from my stash i could use the rest of that yellow seersucker from their sally draper dresses.

but then again my nieces are more funky portlandia than preppy new england. so maybe there is a version from this cotton & steel poppy bird print fabric and navy buttons in my future.

ayashe blouse | figgy's

i first saw this pattern when kristin of skirt as top made this beautiful version from a nani iro double gauze. i was smitten and picked up a copy of the pattern during my next trip to gather here.

when i texted my sister abby for ideas on what kind of fabric she thought nora and etta might like for this top she replied "eeeh they wouldn't wear that style, but they love those dresses you made them over christmas."

since then the ayashe has sat amidst my growing collection oliver + s patterns, unused but not forgotten. recently abby informed me the girls like long sleeved shirts so i'm going for it.

for fabric i'm thinking something lightweight with a bold pattern. victor's aunt and uncle gave me two yards of the heart bee fabric in grey from the cotton + steel mustang collection (!!!) for the holidays which will be perfect. because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery i'll do like kristin did use a solid accent color (one of those corals perhaps?) for the collar facing and maybe add some contrasting top stitching.

maggie mae dress & tunic | schwin designs

what can i say, the name of this pattern just feels so me :)

i think this pattern might be the first time i make maya and neela matching dresses. you see i've made them lots of coordinating outfits before but never two of the exact same style and fabric.

with neela turning one later this month (wait?! how did that happen!) i think the time has come for her to get a big girl dress.

now let's talk fabric. for my birthday this year vic's mom gave me a few yards of a beautiful mustard yellow fabric. together with a navy lawn from my stash (left over from the back to school hopscotch skirts and baby sailboat top) it makes the perfect combination for little girls who can pull off mustard yellow (ethnically ambiguous complexions for the win) and live in Ann Arbor.

darling ranges | megan nielsen

the blog world is quite partisan on this pattern. but with so many cute versions online (like this and this) how can i not try it?

so last night i ordered myself a copy from gather here. i'm thinking for my first go i might try something jewel toned. maybe a solid navy or turquoise, or if i'm feeling daring i could pay homage to my analytical and mathematical nature with this add it up print from the cotton + steel paper bandana collection.

i must confess though, this cotton + steel frock rayon diamonds print is tempting me to leave my comfort zone of 100% cotton fabric. after all this line of fabric is designed especially for apparel...

but of course i reserve the right to change my mind.

archer shirt | grainline studio

who doesn't love a good button down.

i've had my eye on this pattern for a while as a potential means for making this style for myself.

after my awesome experience with the oliver + s sketchbook shirt (posted about here, here, and here) and the big man flannel I made for vic (using the negroni pattern from walden, colette's line for men) i decided the universe wanted me to keep sewing button down shirts. so a few weeks ago on a trip to a verb for keeping warm i picked myself up a copy of this pattern.

this style has a placket and requires pattern matching in multiple places. more importantly i'm making it for a grown up, which means if i mess up it's a mistake not 'added quirk, how cute!'. so i'm thinking a solid fabric would be best for my first attempt at least.

i was quite taken by the neutral chambray version kristin of skirt as a top did. maybe this andover chambray with some vintage buttons from etsy?

those are just a few of the indie patterns i hope to try this year. but today is about watching football. go blue!