{"id":8336,"date":"2014-01-27T05:00:25","date_gmt":"2014-01-27T13:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sanaeishida.com\/?p=8336"},"modified":"2014-01-26T22:29:12","modified_gmt":"2014-01-27T06:29:12","slug":"8336","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanaeishida.com\/?p=8336","title":{"rendered":"Monday Outfit: Imagine Gnats Meridian Pattern + Giveaway"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ig-cardi-coat1\"<\/a>Good morning, friends! I’m not sure if the viruses are extra virulent these last few months or what, but I’ve been getting hit over and over and over. It’s starting to feel like a constant companion, this malaise. And of course, I’m the only one in the house that gets affected and M and K are cheerfully and healthily going about their days. Sigh.<\/p>\n

But enough whinging and on to more fun topics. Not only is it the start of Kids Clothes Week winter edition<\/a> today, but I also have a few sartorial treats for you. I want to preface everything with how very impressed I am with all the ladies creating beautiful independent clothing patterns out there. These talented women are running businesses and juggling family obligations and hosting delightful blog tours all the time. Amazing.<\/p>\n

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Rachael of Imagine Gnats<\/a> is one such multi-tasking dynamo currently hosting one of those delightful blog tours, and her patterns are getting featured all over the sewing blogosphere. When she asked me which pattern I’d like to try, I immediately gravitated toward the Meridian<\/a> for kids. A swingy cardigan and coat? Perfect! (Okay, it’s technically a jacket but I like to get a little alliteration going)<\/p>\n

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Let’s talk about the cardi first. I’ve had this great jersey knit for a couple of years now, but wasn’t certain what to make with it. It has stripes in greys and yellows on a cream background, and the stripes look almost painted. Since it’s meant to be fully lined, I used a mystery knit that has a sort of swiss dot effect for the lining. The double layer gives this cardigan a nice heft. We need hefty, cozy clothes this time of year…I really like that there are several closure options (one to four buttons) and I went with one button for that simple look for which I am a sucker.<\/p>\n

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I cut the size 7, which I suspected might be too big based on the measurements, but I think it was the right size for her. It’s a super cute and comfortable design, and K is a big fan. She’s also a fan of the corduroy coat\/jacket that I decided to go ahead and make as well:<\/p>\n

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The pale blue corduroy is from my mom, and it actually had a lot of ink stains so I had to get creative with cutting out the patterns. It looked like a toddler went to town with a pen while an unsuspecting mother had her back turned. There are a few virtually indistinct marks I couldn’t avoid on the left sleeve and on the back of the collar, but I did a pretty good job of working around the stains overall. I’m sure my mom thrifted it from somewhere; it’s a sturdy fabric and the color was exactly what I had in mind. I used Martha Negley’s twigs fabric<\/a> for the lining (not thrifted), and the aqua accents work well with the outer fabric. The leather buttons are also from my mom. I love the curved front with the arc of buttons. \u00a0I would say the sewing went pretty smoothly — it was a little tricky getting the lining aligned perfectly with the main fabric for some reason, but that’s probably due to the difference in stretch factor for the coat because I didn’t have any problems with the cardi (the corduroy has a bit of stretch).<\/p>\n

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All in all, an adorable coat!<\/p>\n

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And because it’s KCW week, I felt that I should make good on my\u00a0plans\u00a0<\/a>and at least sew one thing from my list. I LOVE this reversible double-gauze (the other side is cream with grey polka dots). I love it so much that I also got the\u00a0navy colorway<\/a>, which I think might become an Archer shirt for me. I made the French sleeve tunic from this\u00a0book<\/a>, but modified it by adding an invisible zipper in the back. Unfortunately, I was at the end of my bobbin thread, and it got pucker-y. When I tried to pick the seams, the double gauze started to fall apart, so I left it as is. It could pass for ruched, no? Double-gauze is\u00a0very<\/em>\u00a0tricky to work with, and it’s also very sheer (if you squint a little, you can see K’s handmade coral briefs — which, by the way, she is crazy about and keeps asking me to make more underwear). But comfort and breathability wise, it is probably one of my absolute favorite fabrics.<\/p>\n

Alright, I feel like I’ve gone on long enough. Rachael is generously offering you, my dear readers, one free apparel pattern of your choosing from her shop<\/a>! There are patterns for women and<\/i> kids! Here’s the rafflecopter doohicky and I’ll announce the winner later this week:<\/p>\n

a Rafflecopter giveaway<\/a>
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