I love wearing my first version of the Viki Sews Ivanna dress that I knew I needed another one! This pattern is uniquely shaped – it looks complicated but in reality, the pattern has very few pieces. The dress has pleats across the front and back section of the skirt which is one pattern piece….
Emerson pants
My friend Collette and I recently tried on each others handmade pants. Turns out we have very similar shaped bodies! It was a great experience as I discovered the wonderful Emerson crop pants through this exercise. The Emerson pattern is a pull-on crop pant or short with an elasticized back and flat front waistband. There…
The Gosling Shirt
The Gosling has been on my radar for a while. It was released as a sewing pattern by Sew Sew Def magazine published by Mimi G. There aren’t many versions of this pattern online so I thought it was worthy of a review! I bought it from Mimi’s website for the bargain price of $3…
The Assembly Line V-neck Jumpsuit
I have been wanting more jumpsuits which I can style for work or play. I came across this V-neck Jumpsuit pattern by The Assembly Line and thought it would be a perfect pairing with this Japanese wool suiting which I recently purchased from The Fabric Store. This pattern has a relaxed fit with a dropped…
Zadie how I love thee
The Zadie jumpsuit is one of my favourite patterns. I’m not alone – this pattern seems to have a lot of adoring fans! This is my second version of the jumpsuit – I have also previously hacked the pattern to make 4 wrap tops. The pattern has a large size range which is fantastic to…
Barbara Jacket – the second.
My friend Sue invited me to raid her stash a couple of years ago and I have been trying to use each piece of fabric for special projects. Sue has exquisite taste and instead of playing fantasy shopping cart with online fabric stores (like me), she tends to check-out. I’ve been enjoying wearing my pink…
Menswear looks under lockdown
Birthdays under lockdown aren’t great! Whilst on lock-down it was mum and Paul’s birthday. My mum is still waiting for me to go to the post office to send her presents – sorry mum. Since Paul and I live in the same house it was much much easier to get him to help design his…
When inspiration strikes – McCalls 7661
I love wearing my other version of McCalls 7661 pants that I knew I needed another pair in a different fabric. I purchased this gorgeous fabric from Tessuti fabrics last February. It deserved to be made into something amazing. This fabric is perfect for pants! The Tencel makes the fabric softer/drapier than pure Linen. Personally I prefer…
The Floral bomber – McCalls 7637
I recently finished a fifth bomber jacket for Paul using McCall’s pattern 7637. The jacket has all the same alterations as my original version. Other versions can be seen here, here and here. This jacket is a quick and satisfying make! It came together over a public holiday weekend. Paul sees these jackets as an…
The Pink Suit – Lander pants and Barbara Jacket
It’s day 2 of enforced New Zealand Government lockdown so it’s a perfect time to get back to blogging! It took me a while to be interested in the Lander pants. It was only after I saw several versions on Instagram that I decided to make them. The Lander is a wide-leg high-waisted pant made…
Grasser 693 skirt
This skirt is the result of an evening spent researching Russian sewing patterns. For a while I was starting to think I’d seen all the new sewing patterns and was feeling a little uninspired. Since falling down the Russian sewing patterns rabbit hole I’ve discovered lots of new companies and pattern designs which has me…
Menswear updates
I wanted to share with you my latest menswear makes. My menswear posts both here and on Instagram get far less engagement than my womenswear posts. However, it’s important to keep sharing to provide ideas and inspiration with you – dear reader. Do let me know if you like this content as it encourages me…
Deer and Doe Myosotis
I tend to follow my ‘guidelines’ of what suits my body shape. You can read more about this here and here. But there are times where I like to create over-sized garments or what I jokingly like to call man-repelling as inspired by the original man repeller Leandra M. Cohen. The Deer and Doe Myosotis dress…
Viki Sews Ivanna Dress
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with sewing Russian Sewing Patterns. After my success with these two patterns by Viki Sews, I have been experimenting with more garments from their pattern range. Their designs are what I love about sewing – the ability to make garments which fit your body and lifestyle. As someone that works an…
Roberts Collection Dungarees
A pair of dungarees has been on my to make list for a while. I was inspired to make this pair before our recent sewing retreat because of a dream. In the dream I was wearing dungarees at our retreat with a bumbag. These were all things on my too make list! My dream felt achievable so…
Silvia Coatigan – The Third
This is my third version of the Silvia Coatigan by Schnittchen Patterns. This coat was part of my winter sewing plans and my frocktails outfit. My other versions of this coat can be seen here and here. My skin gets so pale in winter so I’m try to warm it up by incorporating berry tones…
Breaking the Pattern – Utu Pinafore
In the last few years, I’ve become a fan of pinafore dresses. The York by Helen’s Closet showed me how good they are for work wear. The items underneath can be easily layered depending on the season. So far I’ve tried several different pinafore patterns- the York, Dani and now the Utu. I’ve made three versions…
2019 Summer collection
When I met Nina, the director of Style Gorgeous, she got me thinking about my wardrobe as an Orchestra. She talked about how we should have garments in our wardrobe which act like the triangle in an orchestra. They don’t get used frequently but when they do they’re memorable. For instance my Banana Jacket, Falda Jacket,…
Adrienne blouse
I‘ve been eyeing up the Adrienne blouse for a while. It’s a knit top pattern which is fitted through the body and has voluminous sleeves. It’s a look I’m really into at the moment. I knew once I found the perfect fabric I’d make it. We ended up finding the fabric in one of the…
Kalle Shirt
The Kalle shirt is a popular pattern within the sewing community. In my quest to find the perfect shirt pattern I thought I’d give it a try. My favourite version of the Kalle is the cropped style. It also comes in a tunic and a dress. I didn’t want the top to be too cropped…
Emma's Atelier 