The Maker!
Sara from The Sara Project made this beautiful Ruffle Sleeve Top in the Garden print by Kayo Aoyama.
Sara is a mum to three, a BERNINA Ambassador, and an incredibly creative sewist! Sara is all about fashion forward sewing. She takes inspiration from the runways and ready to wear pieces, then interprets them her way. What I love most is that she’ll share her inspiration source and then tell you just how she managed to create her own look from it.
You can soak up Sara’s creativity on her instagram account and blog. She shares her current makes, sewing tips and tutorials, pattern reviews and even has a whole section of her blog dedicated to free patterns if you are searching for some!
The Material!
The Garden fabric that Sara used to make her top is a Spring inspired, painterly fabric by Japanese boutique design house, Kayo Aoyama.
All of Kayo Aoyama‘s images are hand drawn or painted, digitised and then printed onto beautiful textiles. Aoyama-san describes the design process behind the beautiful plump blooms on this light to mid weight cotton:
“I love looking at large flower buds, like ranculus and peony, that are round like a ball. I drew this pattern steadily and with momentum, allowing me to capture the succulent round bud that doesn’t usually last long.” – Kayo Aoyama
Like all Indy Bindy fabrics, Garden was designed and printed in Japan. However, designer, Aoyama-san spent years studying and working in Scandinavia before coming back to Tokyo. Her broad experience translates into a delightfully unique style all of her own.
I love this print for the depth of the green in the foliage that contrasts against the pops of yellow and pink. It’s feminine but with true design mettle.
I made a Kielo Wrap Dress combining this fabric with the Grass print by otsukiyumi. What would you make with this fabric?! Soft furnishings for Spring? Baby wear? Something else entirely?
The Make!
The pattern that Sara used was the Ruffle Sleeve Top, a collaboration between Peppermint Magazine and In the Folds. The great thing is that it’s a free downloadable pattern!! Peppermint Magazine and In The Folds have generously done a whole series of free patterns!
Peppermint is a favourite magazine of mine (I looove a mag but don’t often get the time to read one, so when I do, I’m selective!) It’s a beautifully designed and curated, indie, carbon neutral, Australian quarterly magazine!! Peppermint focus on style and sustainability – covering everything from slow food, ethical fashion, natural living, health and beauty, diversity, social entrepreneurs and so much more, with killer photos to boot!
Emily, the lovely face behind In The Folds, (also an Aussie!) is dedicated to ‘demystifying the art of pattern making’. She shares sewing tutorials and tips on pattern-hacking, adjusting fit, and even drafting on her site. What will tell you all you need to know about her is that the number of free patterns in her shop are almost DOUBLE the number of patterns available for purchase. She has a long-held love of sewing, backed up with qualifications and experience. She puts a thoughtful, yet approachable twist on all that she designs.
Check out those perfect sleeves! It’s a beautiful detail that adds interest, isn’t overwhelming and works with SO many different fabrics. I love this silhouette and will be making one very soon.
Major giveaway!
Sara is so lovely and I get the feeling she makes the most of those moments in between the demands of every day life to sew. You can read her thoughts on this make here.
Now it’s time to get really excited! I have been celebrating the launch of my website for the last two months and it has come time for the last giveaway. We are going out with a bang! The prizes are AMAZING~! You have a chance to win 2m of Indy Bindy fabric of your choice, a PDF pattern from In The Folds, a 6 month digital subscription to Peppermint Magazine, an XL tote bag by Kayo Aoyama, and the Colette Sewing Planner (contributed by the awesome Minerva Crafts).
Jaw droppingly awesome, right?!
Run, don’t walk, over to the giveaway and enter if you haven’t already!!
But wait! Scroll down and sign up to my newsletter below for three additional entries and to make sure you’re first to know about any future offers, news and sewspiration too!
Let’s connect! Sign up to my newsletter and receive a 15% discount off your first purchase:
