MaaiDesign Tour: see you at six

I enjoy looking through my old sewing projects. I am still proud of some, others make me cringe, but I learned something from each and every one of them. One of the things I have learned is that the choice of fabric can be crucial.

When Maaike asked if I would be interested to join her blog tour promoting the new range of fabric in her shop MaaiDesign I did not hesitate to say yes. I have purchased fabric from MaaiDesign before, and I was always happy with it.
 
The new fabric is See You At Six rayon (viscose), brought to us by the talented designer behind Soft Cactus fabric (also available at MaaiDesign). The new range is aimed primarily at grown up girls. I am not saying it cannot be used for the smaller ones. But I must warn you that once you lay your hands on this fabric you would want to keep it for yourself. This fabric feels divine!

I have never worked with rayon before. I made a Twist It blouse that screamed for soft drapey fabric like rayon. This pattern was originally written in German. Annika from Näh Connection translated it into English so those of us who don't know German could sew it without risking dying of laughter at gibberish of on-line translating programs. I don't want to spoil any surprises, but if you are an English-speaking seamstress you might want to keep an eye on Annika's shop as she has been busy translating a few more wonderful German sewing patterns into English. But of course you did not hear this from me, right ;)

Haha that's me feeling awkward posing for photos. Back to the pattern though. It is super clever. The blouse itself is cut from one pattern piece placed on the fold. I love the way Shelley took advantage of this when she made her blouse. I chose to place the pattern in such a way that the centre seam is on the back. I will try using a walking foot next time I sew rayon, like Natalie suggested.

The neckline has two options. It can be reversible, so that the back and the front of the blouse could be rotated. I opted for a regular neckline. I decided to lengthen the cuffs a little so the sleeves would move up and down my arms freely.

The pattern is designed for a 170 cm tall person. Let me hear all the tall girls say Hallelujah!

The Twist It blouse pattern works best with fabric that is 140 cm wide, which is the width of See You At Six rayon. I used Strokes Deep Blue print for my blouse. I love love love the depth of colour of this fabric. The print is simply perfect.

No, I am not pretending to be Maria from the Sound of Music in the photo above. I am trying to demonstrate that the blouse is fairly roomy. This pattern requires fabric with great drape or the blouse might end up looking too big and bulky.

I love the way this fabric moves with me. This blouse feels so nice on my skin. This was my first go at sewing rayon, but it certainly won't be last!

If you would like to get your hands on gorgeous See You At Six rayon you can use the code 'seeyouatsix' at checkout to receive a 10% discount on this range of fabric. The code is valid until the 30th of September.

Maaike invited a few super talented ladies to participate in the tour. Please check out what they have made with gorgeous See You At Six fabric.

12th of September: Shelley from Bartacks and Singletrack
13th of September: Kate from Sewing With Kate
14th of September: Nicola from Create.nic
15th of September: Anna from Blogless Anna
16th of September: Caroline from Usefulbox
17th of September: Suz from Sewpony
18th of September: Allison from The Tall Mama
19th of September: Toni from Make It Perfect
20th of September: Suzanne from Dressed in Pretty Little Things
21st of September: Natalie from Sew Outnumbered
22nd of September: Jenya from While She Was Sleeping
23rd of September: Maaike from MaaiDesign