FINSHED! A bejeweled Kanerva

I love this make.  I really really love it.  (So sorry for the many photos to follow). Do you have clothes that just make you feel great and seem to give you a whole new attitude or is this just me!? So much so, that as soon as I finished it I wore it to the supermarket on Sunday with my Iris shorts. Then I wore it to work on Monday tucked into a skirt (and my gold pour la victoire shoes - nothing like blinging it up for work!) and I'm planning on wearing it on Wednesday night with my jeans for dinner with some friends. Who'd have thought there'd be so much versatility from such an over the top print. And this is probably the most over the top print I own (and in a wardrobe of prints that is saying something!). 

So, first thing, the print. A couple of weeks ago I saw this liberty print on Lizzy House's instagram and I fell in love. I'm not sure how I missed it til now. I immediately bought 1.5 from Shaukat (not realising that it is available at Addicted to Fabric!). Check out the Elisalex Diana did in a different colourway!

The print is Alexandra C, from the Liberty Art Fabrics Collection SS 14,  Gallery of Prints collection by Liberty Art Fabrics.  

A photographic print – the Alexandra fabric design represents the glittering jewels of Liberty’s decadent Jewellery Room.  The Street Level fabric story celebrates Liberty’s eclectic ground floor accessories. Each design pays homage to a different area or department, taking on the intrinsic mood of each individual space. 

The next thing that happened was that I saw Rachel's blouse from week 2 of Project Sewn,  I fell in love with it and popped over to the Named Clothing website to check out the pattern, the Kanerva button back shirt. Et voila, the perfect pattern for the Alexandra fabric.

This was my first time sewing a Named Clothing pattern and it was really enjoyable.  I have read that they have made loads of changes since their first pattern range and it shows.  The pattern is pdf but still required tracing (a bit annoying) but it wasn't too onerous as there aren't many parts to this pattern.  The instructions were clear and well stepped out. I love the construction and the way that the peplum has a little fold. 

The neckline is finished with binding, I prefer a facing but no big deal. The instructions suggested the back placket is done and then the neck and hem although I switched this around. I cut a straight 36 but removed an inch from the length above the waist to ensure the peplum sat at a better spot for me.  Otherwise the fit is good. 

The pattern fabric suggestion is: "Prefer an elastic, light or medium weight fabric, so the shirt is easy to put on without opening the buttons". In hindsight I'm not sure whether this means that it should be only a knit fabric and not a woven, but I went with the Liberty tana lawn and despite thinking right up until the last minute that I would need a team of dressers to be able to get into it, it does slip over the head. Not so easily that I would consider forgoing the button up back, but easily enough. 

I had a really great time on Saturday meeting up with a great bunch of Canberra sewers: Jen, Myra, Siobhan, Kylie and Amanda. Jen suggested that wooden buttons might look good and she is right they would look great but I was carried away with the opulence of the print and went for some very bling, yellow buttons that almost look like they could have popped out of the print. 

I think this style is just so flattering and I love that it is so versatile that it can be easily tucked into a skirt or pants. There will definitely be more than one of these in my wardrobe. It really is a fantastic shirt pattern.