Project 44 – discovering Indie love.

Only everyone in sewing blog land seems to rave about the independent pattern makers, but I’d never tried one.  It’s not out of any love of the big four.  I don’t buy many patterns at all.  

A couple of years ago I did a pattern drafting course, and though my skills are far from perfect, I can draft skirts, pants and tops from my own blocks, which eliminates most of the fitting alterations required  with commercial patterns.  I can look at pictures of garments (especially if there’s a line drawing) and figure out how to draft it from my blocks.  I still get Burda every month, and draft styles from there by overlaying their pattern pieces and my blocks.  I also can’t draft jackets or dresses.

Recently, though, one pattern has had me scratching my head; Tania.   

I’ve never found a pair of shorts that work with my thighs.  Project 44 on my 2013list involved finding a pair of shorts that I could wear.  There are many aspects of my life that call for shorts through the summer months (cycling being the obvious one).  The Tania pattern looked like the answer to my prayers.  It looks like a short skirt, with the freedom of movement that shorts offer.  I looked at the line drawings, examined the finished garments on the web but couldn’t work out how it was drafted.  Every blogger I’ve read raves about this pattern – simple to construct, flattering and great to wear.  I figured that anyone who could figure out how to draft this garment and do so well enough to earn all this praise, deserved a few of my hard earned dollars.

At the risk of sounding like everyone else, this is a super pattern.  It took one evening to put together, really does look like a skirt…

And twirls like a skirt…

…but it really is a pair of shorts.

I added 14cm to the length, ‘cos really short skirts aren’t really my thing, but other than that it fit straight out of the packet.  

I can definitely see a few more Tanias in my summer wardrobe, and maybe even a winter version (like this one) one if I’m still feeling the love by Autumn.