At last a Selfish Sew

One of my first custom prints ever was a beautiful 'stained glass' rendition of Flynn Rider and Rapunzel out on the lake, enjoying the floating lanterns. I mean seriously, how gorgeous is this print? I bought it at the same time as the Mario fabric I used in 2017 and 2018, but never *quite* got around to cutting it, for fear I would make something that did not flatter, or did not fit. 

But of course, when you're working from home everyday and can wear whatever you want. Style takes a backseat to comfort, and there's room to experiment if you don't have a teleconference that day!

A few months ago I saw an *amazing* v-necked shirt with arm bands and a hip band on one of my feeds. I'm not entirely sure what the pattern was, but it seemed to have the same basic silhouette as the Halla Amanda - which I've owned for a while but never tried - so now seemed as good a time as any.  

Color selection with this fabric turned out to be a challenge - with so many vibrant colors in the print, it was easy to get overwhelmingly bright (even by my definition). My initial instinct was to go with the fuschia at the bottom, but in the end, a milder plum purple won out. I wanted to showcase the colors of the print, not compete with them!

The Amanda doesn't have a hip band so I had to add one, and Halla's names for the different options aren't always so obvious to me who has no background in clothing design. But the pattern itself was well drafted, well sized, easy to assemble, and included good instructions. And I was VERY happy with the fit and look of the final product.

So here's to a selfish sew that gives me confidence not only as an artisan but as a wearer! At last a pattern I will make and wear, again and again.