Her name(d): Saunio Gabriola

Sewaholic Named Sewaholic ::: Gabriola Saunio Renfrew

Ahh, separates, clothing items closest to my heart and most worn in my wardrobe. I adore mixing textures and patterns while creating a cohesive outfit with complimentary colour, well I like to think it works!

This photoshoot very nearly went to the birds, they photobombed enmasse at the waters edge, I really did feel I was channelling Tippi Hedren as Melanie Daniels – I didn’t dare go anywhere near the children’s playground! (feel free to look up The Birds, ‘Crows on the playground’ clips…)

Most importantly, what did I wear! Well, the distinctive swooshy 7 panel maxi skirt with angular pieces as its yoke might give the game away … yes this is Sewaholic’s glorious Gabriola, in a lightweight geometric silk. I underlined the translucent silk at the yoke and omitted the straight waistband. I have always adored the glamour of the Gabriola, but feared she & I were not to be, she’s for curvy pear and hourglass girls and well, I’m a rectangle. I shouldn’t have ignored her for so long, the sewalong over on the Sewaholic site had the answer all along, how to grade from a  size 12 waist to a size 8 hip – thank you.
I do wish the sewalong had gone into a tad more detail about changing the waistband, using an invisible zipper, french seams and adding lining, yes, I made these modifications, and look how fabulous she is! It’s love.

To pair with a slinky, flowing maxi shirt, I do love to channel some ‘street style’ fashion bloggers and use a contrasting structured, and fluffy, top.

No, I don’t have an exposed black zip or a tail, it’s a pretty black ribbon that undid itself as I fled from the birds 😉

Meet the Saunio cardigan from Named Pattern’s SS14 All Things Nice collection.

This has been a sleeper pattern, it was released in early 2014, however all of a sudden I’m seeing it appear all over my Instagram feed! Justifiably so, it’s a quick and easy little jacket which goes with everything, in fact, I’ve worn mine every day since making it, over dresses and with jeans as well as with my Gabriola. This is a the ‘medium’ size 38-42 and I’m right in the middle of that range. If you’re bigger through the bust or have more muscular forearms, it might be worth leaving larger seam allowances.

I really love how it works both draped and closed. I wasn’t sure how it looked closed until I made it, and it crosses both R-L and L-R equally easily. I haven’t added any snaps to keep it closed as my fabric grips itself just enough, especially when I have my satchel slung across my body on windy days!
 This is a wool blend, it’s got no mechanical stretch and has a tight, almost boucle weave to it. I omitted the facing’s interfacing and added an extra line of topstitching 1cm from the front edge to give some structure to the edge but not the entire facing. More pics, outside of its role in the separates category, are over on The Somnolent Dachshund.

And to tie these 2 glorious separates together:

Hmm… you’ll just have to believe me that my top is much more complementarily purple and less blue in real life 😉

This is a barely recognisable Sewaholic Renfrew, yes, really! It’s such a versatile pattern. This version has 3/4 sleeves and a crew neck, and I’ve swapped the hem and cuff bands for twin needle hems. It’s sewn in a soft viscose knit and feels heavenly on.

Thank you to all of the Indie Designers, especially to Sewaholic and Named for the discount codes that I put to good use 😉