Sewn: Named Stella blouse & Ruri sweatpants

In my last post I shared two of my existing favourite patterns by Named. This time around, here are two pieces from their latest collection, Earth Science.

Here's my pattern testing story: I often test patterns for Named, but they don't all make the blog. Sometimes I make them up in a fabric that I've kept strictly for muslins and testing, and the end results are not always wearable garments. I always make the straight size first, as I feel a big part of testing is making sure notches match, etc. Sometimes the straight size works out well, but for some patterns, the straight size is not a good fit. If I don't have time to make a wearable version, they don't make it to the blog! We are never asked to blog or otherwise publicize the patterns, but part of the reason that I test for Named is that I love the patterns, so a post was born.

This time around, I had time for two patterns, so let's have a look!

Let's start with Stella - the raglan sleeve blouse with a really neat shaped collar. I made a straight size 44, which corresponds to my bust, but ended up going back and slimming the sleeve slightly, as well as narrowing the cuff opening. I also shortened the sleeve - I'm 5'7 with average length arms, just a bit shorter than Named drafts for. The fit is very loose, if I make this blouse again, I think I'll go down a size and do a full bust adjustment to see how that works. You can see in the back shot below just how much fabric is billowing around!

Tiny bicycles!

The fabric that I chose is a rayon, and my one regret is not using an interfacing with a bit more body on the  collar and stand, to show off the cool shape to it's full advantage. And I may finally invest in a snap setter. I think it took longer to install the snaps (and rip out all the ones I crushed) than sewing most of the blouse. I'm pretty happy with the snaps/pattern design/fabric choice over all, though, I think it looks really cool!

The cuffs are really easy to sew, they are made of a simple band that's folded over and held into place with more snaps. No messing around with tower plackets here - a time saver as well as nice design feature.

Now for the Ruri sweatpants. I was pretty excited to see these, as I love the Alexandria pattern so much, and get so much wear out of them. The pattern description calls them "relaxed, yet smart", which is ideal. Again, I made a straight size 44, using a vaguely houndstooth ponte. I was looking for a cool sweatshirt fabric, but didn't have much luck locally in July.

The pocket has a cool shape, though it does buckle a bit at the bottom. Overall, I think I could go down a size in this pattern, too. It's so interesting how our measurements translate to 3D garments! The waistband is flat through the front and sides, with an elastic portion at the back. And the cuffs! They are my favourite part. So simple, yet so cool. Just a simple fold and snap, instant sweatpant elevation.

Also a great excuse to wear my beloved high tops.

We've had a very warm fall so far, so aside from photo day, these haven't seen any wear yet. But I'm looking forward to integrating these two into my wardrobe. Thanks Named, and thanks readers, for stopping by! Did anything in the new collection catch your eye?

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