Sewn // Maxi skirt & Pleated blouse

I've talked a lot about the Start Sewing Club on the blog over the past week, but I haven't properly blogged about the garments I made for the club. So, I thought I'd share a few (ahem...) photos of the finished projects that I made as samples for the club.

We did the shoot for the samples in a nearby park, and I love how they turned out. Hence the million photos about to follow. I've said this before, but every time Rein takes photos of me (aka 99% of the photos you see on the blog these days) I'm amazed by how much he's grown as a photographer over the past year. For instance, I didn't crop any of the photos from this shoot. I loved all the angles he shot! I'm seriously considering getting him into a photography course. I know this is totally unrelated to this post, but I'm just so proud of him.

Have you also noticed the improvement in the photography on the blog, or is it just me?

Back to the projects. I'm totally loving the maxi skirt! I'm actually contemplating wearing it to my best friend's wedding, but since I made it to be worn with flats, I'm not really sure.

I used a creamy pink slightly textured fabric I already had in my stash. I'm not sure about the fiber content, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's a cotton-viscose blend. It's a medium-weight and has a great drape. Luckily, I had just enough to make the skirt. I lined this one, since it was a tad too sheer. Adding a lining will be one of the bonus sessions in the course, by the way.

 My aim was to design something that would be very easy to create even for beginners. I know patterns can be a stumbling block for beginners, so I designed both my club projects to be made without a pattern to transfer and trace. This skirt, for example, consists of 2 rectangles, basically.

I know that a circle skirt is often suggested as a great first sewing project, but I actually disagree with that. Drafting a circle skirt is much more difficult than drafting a pleated skirt. Also, it's more difficult to sew, because of the curved hem.

Pleats, on the other hand, are so easy to construct and sew. And, there are have so many variations that once you've masted the basics of pleating and understand how to construct them, you can sew up a whole wardrobe full of different pleated skirt - each different from the rest.

I also wanted to leave out zippers. They can be intimidating for a beginner, and take the fun right out of sewing. And, I wanted to show that there are other ways to construct closures that don't involve the notorious zipper.

I carried the same principled onto the blouse. A very simple self-drafted pattern and no zippers. Also, no darts. A simple silhouette that would suit most body types was what I was after. I've been loving flowing loose-fitted deigns lately, so that's what I went for. You can always belt it is what I say.

To make room for our feminine curves, I added shoulder pleats, which also make pretty design features, I think. The width of the blouse and the fabric band create a faux capped sleeve. (Side note: the design is also very maternity-friendly)

The pattern is again constructed based on a rectangle that is then modified in the course of the sewing process. This is a process I developed to make creating a self-drafted pattern very easy and straight forward. You don't need any knowledge of pattern-drafting - being able to hold a ruler is enough.

The fabric I used for the blouse has a story of its own. I got it from my Grandma a few years back. It's a vintage fabric she had kept in her stash for about 30 years. So, the fabric itself is older than I am. What I love about it is that it has an oddly modern pattern. Which shows how styles always come back in fashion.

I hope you enjoyed the look at my club projects, and the behind the scenes details. What do you like or dislike about the projects I created for the club? Did you get excited to create your own version? Tell me in the comments!

xo. Hanna

P.S! If you got inspired to maybe join the sewing course, you can get all the club details HERE.