Crafting A Rainbow

As I ease back into blogging, I’m trying to remember how on earth I ever wrote twice a week for years! I think the secret is not limiting myself to finished objects, but exploring sewing, my wardrobe and the community in other ways too. With that, I thought I’d do a look back at all the Muna and Broad I’ve made, and what became my favourite items!

(FYI, I’m friends with both halves of M&B online, and with Leila IRL because she lives locally. All opinions my own!)

I think the patterns I made were this set of Willandra pants and the Nullarbor cami. I was a paid tested for the pants, and happened to have enough scraps left over for a top! I love how this outfit looks – which makes it more baffling that I didn’t wear it once this year. (In fact, I’m not sure where the top is – maybe is disappeared into my poorly organised winter/summer piles and never got brought out.)

Is it because of the navy? I should love navy. I just don’t find that navy pants “go” with my tops, which are mostly based in black as a neutral. I also made almost all my pull on pants last summer too big. I actually ended up taking a vertical tuck in these from waistband to upper thigh to get rid of some excess fabric. On the plus side, these pants made me fall in love with this silhouette, and Muna and Broad pant drafting. I’m feeling inspired to make sure I wear them next week and see how they go as autumn trousers instead of summer!

This Nullarbor cami dress never made it to the blog, but it has had lots of wear! I love the way the boarder print adds some interest, and I’m a sucker for a leopard print. Perfect for very hot summer days.

My all-time favorite and most made Muna and Broad pattern is the Mallee jacket. I have four, and have plans to sew more this year. It’s a very simple dropped-shoulder boxy jacket, which i find is the perfect “cardigan” for over boxy tops or as an extra layer when the house is cold. I love how a high round collar looks on me, which sets this apart from all the other v-neck variations out there.

My first two, above, where made in a cheap local boiled wool/poly blend with a lingering smell of sheep, and double gauze. Both get lots of wear!

My third is the most worn – the garment that made me love yellow! It’s so cheerful and cosy. You can see in the picture above that I usually don’t bother with facings when i use boiled wool, and instead just stitch 1 cm from the edge to prevent it from stretching out over time. This is another local boiled wool/poly blend, but thankfully without the smell! This version made a small appearance in this blog post.

My most beautiful version is somehow the one I’ve never properly photographed :

It is sewn in a high quality boiled wool/rayon blend, and hand embroidery using scraps of Noro wool. Although the pictures don’t show it well, it is a cool-toned royal blue. I did use facings on this one, so that the backside of the embroidery doesn’t show as much when it flaps open. I’ll make sure to get better pictures this fall!

Next up is a couple of Torrens box tops. This was the first M&B pattern, I think, and it has certainly taken the sewing world by storm! This pink one is the original draft, and the next (blogged here) is the revised draft, which I believe was tweaked to get the shoulders and neckline to sit flatter.

Overall, I find Torrens cute but my versions are a bit oversized for my preferences. I find it hard to get the length just right for such a voluminous top – or maybe it is that I like a different length for different types of bottoms? It is a beautiful simple pattern for showing off fabrics, but I find mine slide around a lot in the course of a day and I’m forever pulling them back into place. Both get plenty of wear regardless!

Finally, my Glebe pants! Glebe is an interesting pattern because there is tons of volume in the leg, but they actually fit with just a few inches of ease at the hips. Understandably, they are perfect for the boxy-on-boxy look that Muna and Broad are famous for. If I think my waistband is going to show, then I prefer the super-high waistband of the Cashmerette Calder pants for the way they enhance my curves.

Here I am in head-to-toe Muna and Broad!

I’m so happy to see Muna and Broad take the sewing world by storm, because it’s high damn time that plus-size folks had cool modern clothes! Cashmerette is great if you like classic styles, Style Arc is good if you already know how to handle minimal instructions, but Muna and Broad seems unique in how it is drafted for fat bodies and the way our bodies change with size. They draft for a 41.5-71.5 inch hip, and will draft larger sizes for free as needed. I’m also home-town proud to see a half-Canadian company doing so well!

My fall sewing plans include a plaid Mallee jacket, and maybe a sweatshirt fabric version? I own several patterns that I haven’t sewn yet, including the newish tapered pants and last winter’s fitted t-shirt. I’ve been really dragging my heels on setting up the printer and taping together new patterns, but maybe I’ll get over that and try some new patterns here soon!

Have you sewn Muna and Broad? Does the boxy style suit your preferred look, or do you admire (or gaze in confusion) from afar?