Dueling Brumbys/Inaris

Here are two Brumby/Inari tee duos I made recently. I don’t have that many high-waisted bottoms, and it has been so hot that I can barely stand any tight clothing right now, but this combo is working pretty well for me. I am looking forward to cooler weather so I can wear the tees with jeans.

First up: Inari tee. Wow, I had no idea how much I would love this. I have a couple of simple tank patterns in my stash already, so I was hesitant to purchase another simple tee pattern, but this is great. I have not really explored the world of CROP TOPS too much, but I think I will be making more of these. The fit is swingy and forgiving, and if I wear high-waisted bottoms, no midriff shows. I remember when shirts got really long so many years ago, and I have been used to that, so this is a very big change for me. From cutting out the PDF to finishing this shirt, I think it took 2.5 hours to make. SO SATISFYING.

Brumby Skirt Notes: I have made 4 of these so far, and I love them all. Its also a quick sew, and I am surprised by how easy it is to wear such a high-waisted skirt. I wear them all the time! Totally recommend this pattern.

colorful wax print inari tee

colorful wax print inari tee

colorful wax print inari tee

brumby_skirt_inari_tee

brumby_skirt_inari_tee

brumby_skirt_inari_tee

The white linen Inari was originally going to be the dress version, but the bottom hem was hanging so weird and I was very disappointed with it, so I cut it to be the tee. The bodice front and back are underlined with a slippery white lining fabric.

This Brumby has Hong Kong finished seams, and I used lace tape to finish the hand-sewed blind hem. I love this skirt. I also finished the waist with rick rack so it pokes out a teeny bit when I tuck a shirt into it. I also made a serious effort to match the plaids. I cut the pocket and waistband on the bias.

brumby_hem_tape_hongkong_seams   rick_rack_brumby

Credits:
Brumby 1: black linen from Joann
Inari 1: wax print cotton from Tissus Regent in Montreal
Brumby 2: madras from a street vendor in Lyon, France
Inari 2: white linen gauze from Tessuti Fabrics in Surrey Hills, Sydney.

Summer dreams

I made Stylish Dress Book Dress I with some beautiful Anna Marie Horner Loominious fabric. I made it before we went to NZ as a summer weight, shapeless dress for those super hot days when nothing that is form fitting is bearable to wear. It was lovely for the trip, and now that its 90 degrees out and very very humid at home, it is getting the job done now. I lined the front and back bodice with some of my leftover owl-print voile, and made a contrast neck band with that blue silk that keeps on sneaking its way into projects. I added inseam pockets, although they are too low to comfortably put my hands in them. Oh, well. It is nice how forgiving these Japanese dresses are to make, but it spoils me because each one I make turns into a workhorse of a dress, and I don’t even have to work that hard to make it fit nicely.

Thank you, Anna Salamon for snapping some pics during our picnic today.

stylish_dress-book_i

Stylish Dress Book, dress I from above.

 

stylish_dress_book_dress_i
side shot of the dress. note the saucy pose.
side_view_stylish_Dress_book
accidental stripe matching on point.
stylish_dress_book_dress_i
I used the wrong side of the fabric for the waistband.

I have been looking for a robe for awhile, but I couldn’t find anything that I liked. All of the robes I found were either $$$$$, not made in the US, or made from synthetics. I was really frustrated. I happened to be cruising around the internet, and came across Named Clothing. They had the most beautiful kimono-style robe pattern with deep arm slits. For me, the most frustrating part of wearing a robe is dealing with the fussy sleeves, so this seemed perfect!

I thought about making the robe out of charmeuse (inspired by this incredible robe by Poppykettle), but I just didn’t want to deal with the fuss of sewing slippery fabrics since I am still working on the hem for my wedding dress. I settled on this organic cotton voile from Cloud 9, and I must say, I was really nervous at first when the fabric arrived in the mail. Before I attached the sleeves, I tried it on and thought it looked like a hospital gown.

BUT, now that its finished I LOVE IT. The sleeves are wonderful. I french seamed the entire thing (even the sleeves!), and hemmed with thrifted lavender single fold bias tape. The neckband was a bit wonky to finish, but I added some lace tape to finish it off.

I think it will get softer with more washings, but I am really happy with it already!