When Allie from Indiesew invited me to join their 2016 Spring Collection blog tour, I was absolutely thrilled. I am a fan of Indiesew and – as a new blogger – to get a spot on the blog tour to present some pieces of their new collection together with several great bloggers and designers was very flattering, to say the least.
There are several online communities who collect and sell digital patterns, but Indiesew is somehow different. Allie from Indiesew doesn’t just add everything out there to the shop. She looks for the best modern indie patterns for women out there and adds them, one at a time. If it’s on Indiesew, then it’s a good pattern. I promise.
But back to the 2016 Spring Collection:
I have sewn three of the five patterns of the collection: the Sanibel by Hey June, the Florence Kimono by Sew Caroline and last but not least the Rushcutter by In the Folds.
And it was about time to get my spring wardrobe ready, since spring is right around the corner here in Northern Norway. Just kidding… As you can see in my photos, we are not even close to spring up here in Northern Norway, but hey – the contrast makes the photos even better and this collection is totally worth freezing for!
I have been a tester for the Sanibel and modified it into a blouse. I just took the dress pattern and cut it right under the pockets. There were two reasons for this: I had this gorgeous silky fabric from Indiesew that I really wanted to use, but I had just 1.75 yards. And I assure you, I used every. single. scrap to make this happen!
The other reason was that I really wanted to be able to wear the Sanibel at work and I wasn’t sure if the dress would be long enough. The pattern also includes cap sleeves, a version without a collar and, most importantly, a romper version.
The romper looks so cute, but we have very few really warm days here in Northern Norway and I wouldn’t have a lot of use for it. As always, Adrianna’s instructions and the pattern itself are impeccable. I had no problems at all sewing the Sanibel.
The only thing I changed beside the length, was using perl snaps instead of regular buttons and in the process of that I managed to switch the button plackets. But I guess that doesn’t really matter.
Next I made the Rushcutter by Emily from In the Folds. This is also a really versatile pattern, since it comes with long sleeves and big side pockets or with short sleeves and in-seam pockets. The looks are really different and you can change them even more by wearing both versions with or without a belt.
I went for the sleeveless version and didn’t make any changes. And I have to say that I had a lot of fun putting it together and I was impressed by Emily’s careful and thorough instructions. The construction of the yoke is a little bit unusual and for me it is always fun sewing something out of the ordinary. The whole dress is constructed with French seams (even the pockets!) and I appreciate a garment that looks as good from the inside as it does from the outside.
I used a thin cotton batiste that my sister bought locally in Germany as a Christmas present for me. The yoke is made out of gorgeous cotton silk from Robert Kaufman, bought at Imagine Gnats. I used it inside out, since it was a little bit too shiny for this kind of dress. I am usually not a very pink-and-glitter kind of girl, so I was a little bit unsure about choosing a bright pink for the yoke. But I am so glad I did!
The batiste is a little see-through, so I made a simple slip of the pink cotton silk to wear under it.
The last garment I made was the brand new Florence Kimono from Sew Caroline. It’s one of those garments that are very satisfying to make, since it can be sewn quite quickly and adds a flattering and versatile piece to your wardrobe.
It still took me a few hours to make it, since it is made with French seams and is finished with bias binding at the front. My version is made of rayon challis from Imagine Gnats, and working with rayon didn’t really speed up the process, neither did making the kimono in the middle of the night before the photo shoot. But I LOVE the result! It’s soft and flowy, comfy to wear and especially because of the lace trim it has kind of a wow-factor. Now I want to use lace for everything I make.
I shortened the sleeves by approximately two inches, since they become a little longer again because of the wide lace trim – and I really like the bracelet length for this style.
I originally cut the kimono at hip-length, but did shorten it again by about 8 inch after trying it on, it just went better with the dress like that. I think this makes it about the same length as the cropped version marked on the pattern.
I was incredibly tempted to make the Birkin Flares and the Lou Box Top, too, and to photograph a third outfit, but sometimes I need to remember that I can’t (and don’t have to!) do everything… But maybe I’ll post an unofficial Spring Collection blog tour post part II soon!
Anyway, this Spring Collection consists of great and well drafted patterns – I can see myself wearing every single one of the five items. Head over to Indiesew to buy the full collection or the mini collection and you can even save a up to 23%!
And don’t forget to check out the makes of the other participants of the blog tour!
Det var masse fint du har sydd. Personlig likte eg enormt godt rushcutter, både stoff og modell. Den vart ekstra fin siden du har brukt samme stoff over brystet. 🙂
Tusen takk! Rushcutter var virkelig artig å sy, siden bryststykket består av så mange enkelte deler som til slutt passer perfekt i lag!
Just an amazing collection. Your write up and photos were done beautifully. I can see why you were picked to be a part of this. Great job and great pieces. You have added a new level of inspiration to this collection for me.
Oh wow, thank you for many kind words, Deanne! What an honour to be an inspiration to others!
Your pieces are all so gorgeous, and of course the photos are lovely!
Thank you, dear Adrianna! =) I had so much fun preparing this post!
Lovely clothes and beautiful photos. Impressed you braved the cold weather 🙂 .
Thank you so much! For me it’s kind of ‘all or nothing’! But I can’t wait until we have summer an midnight sun here, it’s going to be so much easier!
Love everything you’ve made!! Perfect choice of fabrics! I think I really need the Sanibel in my life and maybe the Florence Kimono too…
The photos are stunning!!
Thank you! I was a little terrified to use bright pink… 😉 I’m not some with the Sanibel, either, I’d really like to make a version with short sleeves soon, it’s such a versatile pattern!
Hello! I am from the Northwest Corner of Washington State. The other night, I stumbled across your IG account while late-night cruising for sewing inspiration. Then…I ran across your blog via Indie Sew tonight. I bought this collection – my first purchase after following them from almost the beginning. I basically never comment on blogs, but felt compelled to comment on yours. Your pictures are the best sewing blog pics I’ve seen! I am a mountain and ocean girl at heart so combining them with sewing makes my heart flutter. Great work! I’m obsessed with the Rushcutter ,but have never done a zip, so am intimidated. All of your creations are beautiful.
Oh Amy, thank you so much for your kind words! Sometimes sewing can be a lonely hobby and to see how blogging about my makes can inspire you and others, and how it can connect us sewists, really makes me smile! The Rushcutter is great, and my version doesn’t even have a zip! Emily from In The Folds has a tutorial on her blog on how to make the long sleeved version with buttons instead of a zip, too. But I am actually more terrified of buttons than zippers! ?
Beautiful photos and your sewn garments are stunning too. I can imagine how cold you must have been for this photo shoot! (I am in Canada so I know cold too.)
Thank you! I was a little cold, yes… 😉
Wow, gorgeous garments! And, may I say, gorgeous country…your photos make me want to visit Norway!
Thank you, Lydia! We are really blessed with the nature here in Northern Norway…
[…] I made friends with several great sewing bloggers around the world and started testing patterns for Adrianna from Hey June. I have no idea why, but she gave me a chance to test for her and it opened a door to a really great community of indie sewists and designers from all over the world. Not long ago I was even invited to join the 2016 Indiesew Spring Collection blog tour! […]
[…] As I wrote before – I really enjoy sewing garments that remind me of making a puzzle. The Camellia absolutely deserves a spot in this category: The shape of the front pattern piece looks so strange when cutting it out! And then you start sewing darts and pressing pleats and everything makes sense, suddenly. But you really have to follow the instructions to make it work. As soon as the front ends up having the same shape as the lining, the rest is pretty straight forward. I have to admit that I had some troubles sewing the invisible zipper. After sewing it I realized that I never understood the correct method of inserting an invisible zipper! It’s nearly embarrassing to say, but I never realized that it’s possible to press the zipper teeth to the side to be able to sew right at the edge. I had just been wondering about how on earth people manage sewing THAT close to the zipper… As a result my zipper isn’t as invisible as I’d like it to be just yet, but maybe I’ll make an effort to fix it. Another thing giving me some headache was the construction of the lined slit at the back of the skirt. […]
[…] As I wrote before – I really enjoy sewing garments that remind me of making a puzzle. The Camellia absolutely deserves a spot in this category: The shape of the front pattern piece looks so strange when cutting it out! And then you start sewing darts and pressing pleats and everything makes sense, suddenly. But you really have to follow the instructions to make it work. As soon as the front ends up having the same shape as the lining, the rest is pretty straight forward. […]
[…] I’ve made the Sanibel before, while it was (re-)tested, and blogged about it as part of the Indiesew 2016 Spring Collection blog tour. That time I hacked the Sanibel into a blouse – partly because it really wasn’t the […]
[…] few weeks ago I had the honour of being part of the Indiesew Spring Collection Blog Tour. You may recall that I really wanted to make all five patterns and that I promised you a second […]
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[…] fabulous Rushcutter Dress Emily from In The Folds, released about a year ago? It was part of the Indiesew Spring Collection this year and I blogged about my pink version […]
[…] a pretty sharp turn when I suddenly found an email from Allie from Indiesew – headline “Spring Collection 2016“. My first thought was: “Oh, is the Spring Collection already released?” But no, […]
[…] the next collection. Luckily for me, I’ve been involved in blogging about every collection since spring 2016, (I forgot – I jumped over the last collection!) which means that I always get a little sneak […]