Tag Archives: taking shape

Me Made May Day 6: Maya Top

Posted on by
2
Top: Maya Top from Marilla Walker (fabric from Marimekko)
Pants: Taking Shape
Shoes: Empress

Day six of Me Made May is one of my most regularly worn own-makes.

This simple box top is Marilla Walker’s Maya top, and it’s a really good beginner’s sewing pattern. No set in sleeves, just a front and a back. you can even skip the sleeve and neckline facings if you’re being lazy, though I wouldn’t recommend it, as they give the top a much more polished look.

I made this top using some Marimekko fabric that I bought as a remnant from Make Designed Objects. I love Marimekko clothes, but they’re usually well and truly out of my price range, but the Maya top takes just 1.5m of fabric, meaning with just a little bit of time spent behind the sewing machine I managed to make a versatile piece of Marimekko clothing for less than $100. Hurrah!

I wore the top today with my favourite slim leg pants from Taking Shape and wide fit flats from Empress Australia (so comfortable, OMG).

Boxed Up

Posted on by
8

Boxed Up Boxed Up Boxed Up Boxed UpTop: DIY from Marilla Walker pattern

Trousers: Taking Shape “State of the Art” pants

Shoes: Comfortview

 The mister’s marvelous Mum gave me a very generous Spotlight voucher for my birthday in May, and I was looking forward to a quiet unplanned weekend when I could redeem it. Finally it came, a couple of weeks ago, and this top is one of the pieces that I made!

I snapped up this gorgeous poppy-print rayon the moment I saw it on the shelves – it’s got a lovely soft drape, and the bold print makes a statement in some of my favourite colours. The mustard, deep red, black and navy mean that there aren’t many items in my wardrobe this top won’t match.

Frocks and Frou FrouI took the opportunity to crack out my newest pattern, an easy little downloadable number that I’d bought from Marilla Walker after seeing Meg from the Curvy Sewing Collective rhapsodising about it.

It’s a great basic top, and a really good project for beginner sewists – There’s no tricky darts, or sleeves to set in and while the neckline and sleeves are interfaced you could easily skip those and just hem them if you were a real newbie. The pattern sizing is spot on. I recently made a second version of this top with a friend who’s quite a few sizes smaller than me, and just like the version I’d sewn for myself, the size the pattern recommended for her measurements fit perfectly.

It looks great tucked in as well, but for a casual work day I wear it loose over slim-fit trousers. These are some not-so-cheapie ponte pull-on pants that I succumbed to at Taking Shape. I don’t know why it’s so bloody hard to find well-fitting slim-leg trousers for plus sizes – I’d been searching for weeks before I finally caved and bought these. The elasticised waist (WHYYYYYYY?) means I can’t really wear them with anything tucked into them, but they fit well and are really comfortable, so I’m making my peace with the fact that cost SO MUCH, and don’t even have a functioning fly.

For warmth I went with a mustard cardigan.

Naturally.

Boxed Up