At Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics, our Indie pattern designers are some of the most inspiring and talented designers we have come to love. It's one of the reasons why we made the switch from the Corporate/Big 4 pattern companies to these independent pattern companies. No matter what your sewing skills are, you can find designs to suit your abilities. And we love giving these (mostly) women-owned businesses a leg up in this challenging, competitive industry.
One of our new pattern lines is Named, a Finnish clothing pattern label founded by sisters Saara and Laura Huhta. In their own words, "the story of Named started from the dream of turning a passion into a career, designing their own collection of clothing patterns felt like a natural way to implement both sisters’ love for clothes, fashion, design and DIY. The duo wants to encourage fellow fashion lovers to give sewing their own garments a try." Seems like our values and mission are so aligned!
Like so many of our Indie Patterns, Named patterns have a name (Check out my previous blog, "More than a number"). The "Sointu" is a kimono style loose fitting top. Sointu means "chord" in Finnish. The notes in a chord can be harmonious (angelic) or dissident (nails on a chalkboard), but the Sointu is definitely a beautifully harmonious blend of ease, femininity, and versatility.
Though it's drafted for knits, we chose to make our Sointu in a woven cotton ikat, one of our go-to fabrics for all-weather wear. Ikats come in all weights, but our indigo blue is lightweight and the perfect fabric for late Summer into Fall. One of the beautiful things about ikats is the variation in the weave itself. If you're looking for perfection in a woven fabric, you won't find it in an ikat. But their imperfect perfection is what makes them so vibrant and appealing...besides their wearability and versatility.
The Sointu instructions call for bias binding around the neck area. If we were using a knit, bias bindings tend to be easier to apply around the curves of a neckline or armhole. But since we are working with a woven, we chose to make a facing. Just trace the neckline on a piece of pattern paper and cut the width about 2-3 inches wide. We always stock pattern paper in the store!
My sister from a different mother (and seamstress) Laurel had to try a Sointu as well. Her Sointu features a facing made of a scrap of musical chord fabric she had on hand. Very appropriate, huh? You can see how the facing is applied around the neckline.
Don't forget to clip your curves and understitch your facing if you choose to go this route, rather than the bias tape.
My finished Sointu
We can see so many different ways to make this easy top. Perhaps we'll try it in a knit. Or turn it into a dress...and add some pockets and forget the belt. We just love it in this ikat fabric!!
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| Colette is ready for a garden party... |
Laurel's Cactus Sointu...
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| Preview of the Sapporo Coat! |
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| No. 1 Pant with Button Detail! |
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| Out for our lunch date in our Sointu Kimono Tees! We just love the versatility and grace of these tops! |
We have enjoyed the "Summer of Love" Challenge...seeing your garments and feeling the love. Let's keep making beautiful music together this Fall! Show us your indie pattern garments and where you wore them. Did you make something special for a concert or a vacation or a night out on the town? We want to see it!
Stonemountain and You...Making beautiful music together.
With love, your FabricLady,
Suzan
Suzan
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