A meeting of Maya and Emily

So, we have returned from our holiday and I thought it was about time that I shared some of my summer makes.  Thankfully, the weather was very kind to us this year and we very much enjoyed our tour of Cornwall, the lovely Rye and the New Forest.

As the weather was so warm and sunny, I actual got to wear light-weight summery clothes... Yeah!! 

The first item is a Liberty version of the Maya dress and top sewing-pattern by Marilla Walker.  I've been meaning to give it a go for ages, but somehow didn't get around to it.  The pattern is a kimono/cap sleeved dress or top with a fairly loose style and a patch pocket. As with all of Marilla's patterns she gives several options including cropped top, tunic and dress length, with or without a button down front.  Also options for the type of hem, ie.shaped or straight

It's a great pattern for showcasing a bold or colourful pattern and I love the colours in this Liberty cotton lawn, blues, greens, pinks, all very jewel like.

The instructions are very straightforward to follow and overall it's a fairly simple make with just two main pieces and neck facing.  The side seams are French seamed so it's nice that all raw edges are enclosed.  It's a great basic style top to have in your wardrobe, would also be nice in plain colours.  I intend to make a dress version of it too at some stage, so overall I really like the pattern.

I am wearing the top with the Itch-to-stitch Emily culottes - I really wanted to make a pair of culottes this summer and I have a few different patterns, but went for this one in the end.  It took me three goes to get the sizing right, but was worth it in the end. They kept turning out way too large, I think I ended up with a straight 12.  These are in a brown linen fabric which was lovely and cool on holidays and they got a good bit of wear.  The pattern is a pdf download and also is excellent as the instructions are incredibly detailed and with a ton of options, including a few different pockets, lined or unlined, pleated or non-pleated, a tie front, and different lengths.

I went for the non-pleated, tie front, knee-length version which is fine, but you really need to wear a tucked-in top with them, otherwise a little bump appears.  I would leave the ties off and do a pocketed version the next time and now that I've got the sizing right there will definitely be more, they're just so comfortable to wear - I highly recommend!

 One of my holiday highlights was paying a visit to Rye and in particular to Merchant and Mills and I got to touch and feel all their lovely selection of fabrics.  It was their dress shirt pattern that started me off on my sewing venture 4 years ago, never having sewn any garments before, so it was very special to go there, I loved every moment!

An added bonus was that the town of Rye is very pretty with lots of lovely shops, cafes and restaurants.  My boys enjoyed going into the tower of the church to see around.  I think they were pleasantly surprised with the town, it had a good atmosphere with plenty of people about.

My Rye lunch, coronation chicken salad, sustenance after the shopping ... and these were the purchases.  I honestly went intending to buy some Harris Tweed for a Haremere jacket, but none of the designs really were me, a bit too muted, but I will keep an eye out.

The Strand and The Rugby

Linens and stripes from Merchant and Mills

I will be back soon with some other summery makes, although I'm started to think of autumn!