Earlier this year, my dad made a trip to Niger and brought me back some waxprint fabric. It was absolutely beautiful and I wanted to make something that would do the fabric justice. I wasn't sure what that was, so I sat on it for a while.
While the fabric sat untouched, my dad made another trip to West Africa, this time to Togo. He brought me back a couple more waxprints fabrics and a light weight cotton piece. So now I have a small collection of gorgeous West African fabric. Thanks dad!
I wanted to find a pattern (or patterns!) that would showcase these fabrics in a way that they could speak for themselves. And if you know me, you know I wanted a practical pattern. Something easy to wear, and would be useful in Eve's closet.
Why Eve? Because obviously Eve, my 8 year old, needed something made in at least one of these fabrics. For a while now, she has wanted to visit Africa and I hope she gets to someday. She hopes to see giraffes in the wild and she is jealous that her poppy, my dad, got to experience that when he was in Niger. Hopefully someday Eve!
When I saw the Andover Pullover and Jacket by New Horizons Designs, I knew this would be perfect! I could think of a couple patterns I could use in the summer months, but with this pattern I wouldn't have to wait for warmer weather.
I let Eve "shop" from my waxprints fabrics and she chose the brightest print, the one from Niger. Good choice!
I went with the lined hood pullover option.
The pattern features:
- Inverted box pleats, box pleats, a placket (pullover option), and a button tab on the front.
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| Sorry it's hard to see the pleats with such a busy fabric! |
- Front rounded patch pockets with elastic gathered opening.
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| Eve was cold and wouldn't keep her hands out of her pockets the whole time we took pictures. I would say the pockets are a hit! |
Eve and I are both happy with it! Her older sister is a little jealous, but maybe I'll have time to make her one soon.
This was my first time sewing with waxprint fabric. I normally sew with knit or drapey apparel wovens, so this was not my usual make. I'm no expert on this type of fabric, especially since it comes from another part of the world, but my description of it is that it's a heavy weight and colorful cotton woven. The front and back is the same, I honestly couldn't tell them apart. I would love to learn more about these fabrics and it's uses! From a sewing perspective, it was easy to work with.
Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully soon I will be able to share more projects from these fabrics. Just wait until you see the giraffe print! It's a lightweight cotton though, so it will have to wait until it gets warmer. I bet you can't guess which child of mine has already claimed it! :)
