Muna and Broad – Broad in the seams

March 3, 2021March 2, 2021

Belmore M&B Capsule

Although I know I’ll never have a capsule wardrobe, I like to break my wardrobe down into mini-collections. I like to think that if/when we get back to international travel, I’ll have my wardrobe down pat and will easily be able to put together a comfortable travel wardrobe which all pair with each other.

To that end, I’ve put together a little 7-piece capsule wardrobe of Muna and Broad Patterns, all of which I’m very happy to pair with my chambray Belmore Jacket!

My 7-piece capsule wardrobe

Liberty Print Waikerie Shirt

Striped Tarlee T-Shirt and pink Glebe Pants (View B)

Wasabi Tarlee T-Shirt

Chambray Belmore Jacket

Pink Linen Waikerie Shirt

Radioactive Huon Dress

The Result

I like that the blue of the chambray basically reads as a neutral and can be worn with basically any colour without issue. Any of the tops can be worn alone with the pants (the dress can also be worn sans jacket), which means that these 7-pieces can easily become 10 different combinations.

Below, you can see 3 of the tops worn with Glebe Pants, and then also worn with the Belmore Jacket over the top. Above, you can see my favourite pink linen Waikerie worn with and without the Belmore, and also the Huon Dress- with and without jacket.

Need more?

Not explored here, but there’s also the possibility of triple-layering or wearing the Waikerie as a duster over a Tarlee. A Tarlee under a Waikerie under a Belmore could be a great triple-layer outfit! @StyleIsStyle is great at this with their outfits, if you need some inspiration.

It adds more combinations: triple-layering or duster-izing the Waikerie over a Tarlee also adds to the number of possible outfit combinations! 8 more combinations are thrown into the mix!

My conclusion from this exploration is that my Belmore Jacket will be my go-to once we get back to traveling around (or perhaps even for weekends away in the hopefully not-too-distant future.

February 27, 2021February 27, 2021

Quilted jacquard Belmore

I finally cut into this precious fabric from my stash, once I’d decided that the new Muna and Broad Belmore Jacket was the pattern for me!

Now, this fabric is the Merchant & Mills jacquard fabric that you might have spotted online. It’s precious because it was so frightfully expensive. I didn’t love it when it arrived, and I did consider on-selling it to someone instead of using it myself. Even though I bought it on sale, it was still very pricey, and dare-I-say ‘not worth the price’!? Certainly, if I had felt the fabric in-person I would not have sprung for it.

Having said all that, the cosy texture on the outside of this fabric looks snuggly and nice- I like the look of the final jacket (which is a ‘quite hacked’ Belmore Jacket’). The inside of the jacquard has a super open weave which will snag easily, so I think I’ll have to add a lining to cover the internal bits. I’d hate to see this expensive jacket ruined quickly so I’ll have to take some extra steps to make sure it lasts. It started shredding and falling apart as soon as I cut it out- so I raced to serge/overlock everything before it was too far gone.

My advice, for anyone who loves the look of the fabric is to self-quilt some double gauze. Or pay someone to do it for you- it’d probably still be cheaper.

Fabric details: I had 2.5 metres of this 120cm wide fabric- I got rid of the design lines and the pockets and cropped the jacket so that I could fit all the pieces in. It’s always possible that I could have mapped out my pattern tetris a bit better, and I didn’t manage too match the jacquard pattern on both of the neck pieces. I added contrast cuffs (by cutting into an unworn Cashmerette Springfield Top), and added pink bias tape around the top of the cuffs.

Pattern modifications and Size: I used a straight Size E for this but cut the back as 1 piece (instead of the 4 piece back on the original design) and I cut the fronts as 2 separate pieces (without pockets) instead of 4 pieces with internal pockets. This was mostly because I wanted the texture of the jacket to speak for itself, and to not be interrupted by pockets or seam-lines. I also didn’t have a tonne of fabric for pattern matching (or the patience to worry myself about it)!

I imagine this will be a well loved jacket in cooler weather, and I’ve got plenty of time to add a lining in before it starts to cool down here.

February 26, 2021February 26, 2021

Linen Belmore Jacket

The Belmore Jacket is the latest pattern from Muna and Broad. I’m wearing a full Muna and Broad outfit here for my pictures!

Linen Belmore Jacket, bamboo Tarlee T-Shirt, and pink linen Glebe Pants. Not visible are a Banksia Bralette, and Kapunda Undies!

Belmore Muna and Broad Tarlee Glebe Pants

Fabric Consumption: For the Size F, which I made, the instructions suggest 2.7m of 150cm wide fabric. I squeezed this out of 2.5m of 150cm wide linen from The Fabric Store- I bought it in the Christchurch store, so I’m not sure which of their shades it is.

Size: I made a Size F, but lengthened the sleeves by 3″. Size F is our sample-size, but my 48″ bust would generally mean that I’d make a Size E for our tops. Next time, I’ll make a Size E and won’t reduce the length of the sleeves.

The pockets on this are built in to the front, which we also replicated on the back of the jacket. This means that the jacket is perfect for scrap-busting and colour-blocking. Leila made a great denim version with lots of the leftovers from her jeans making.

My scrap-bins are telling me that I could absolutely make a whole jacket from scraps from previous projects, so we’ll see what’s up next.

February 25, 2021February 25, 2021

8oz Chambray Belmore Jacket

The Belmore Jacket is the latest pattern from Leila and I through Muna and Broad. We’ve been thinking about a lighter-weight layering piece which is perfect for pairing with our existing pattern collection.

As always, Leila has added some great features, which makes for a great sew with great final results- check out my sweet contrast-cuffs!

This is my toile of the pattern, which I decided was far too versatile a fabric not to finish up and make into a ‘wearable toile’!

I’m wearing a full Fabric Store outfit here! My Glebe Pants are heavyweight natural linen, my Waikerie Shirt is Liberty lawn, and my Belmore Jacket is 8oz chambray– all 3 purchased from TFS. Not sponsored- but would be more than happy to receive free liberty fabric and TFS linen in return for continuing as I am.

Fabric Consumption: I buy this 8oz chambray in large amounts, especially when it goes on sale. I’ve been using it to toile pants, with great success. Since I cut this jacket from several pieces of leftovers from pants toiles, I’m not exactly sure how much fabric I used. Leila calculated 2.7m of 150cm wide fabric, and that’s probably spot on (since she knows what she’s doing).

Size details: For my 48″ bust, 57″ high hip and 54″ hip body, I made our sample size, Size F, which aligns with my hip measurement. For my next version, I’ll make Size E , which corresponds to my bust size, the over-sized fit will ensure that there’s plenty of room for my hips.

I did a hong kong bind on the collar seam and also on top of the cuffs, but was too lazy to bind the rest of the internal seams.I like the peek of colour that you get on the cuffs from binding there, and the tidiness of the collar once that’s bound too.

February 23, 2021February 23, 2021

Wasabi Tarlee T-Shirt

I’m always thinking a lot about my wardrobe, and it struck me that although I had 2 chartreuse dresses that I loved a lot, I didn’t have any separates in that shade- so I present my Wasabi-coloured Tarlee T-Shirt!

I did a deep-dive into my stash and pulled out this lightweight-bamboo knit from MaaiDesign in Australia. I bought this wasabi bamboo from there maybe 3+ years ago, and it’s been sitting, waiting for the perfect t-shirt pattern (and for my knit neckline proficiency to improve)!

This exact shade isn’t in stock any longer, and the bamboo that I’ve ordered from MaaiDesign since then is much heftier than this lovely, slinky, but also rather clingy fabric.

Size and pattern details: My current measurements are 48″ bust, 57″ high hip and 54″ low hip. I made a Size E Tarlee T-Shirt at the shoulders, grading out to a Size G by the hip (which is exactly what the size chart would recommend). I lengthened the sleeve an inch, or so, but might go back and removed what I added. I also graded out the sleeve- starting at Size E at the sleeve head, and grading up to a Size F by the time it hits my bicep- this wasn’t strictly necessary, but I like the extra room.

Fabric Consumption: I ordered 2 metres of this fabric all those years ago, and had enough fabric for this tee, even though I cut one of the sleeves 3 times to try and match what might have been an imperceptable right-and-wrong side… Since I was using my serger to construct this (including serging the neckband on!?!) I didn’t really want to get it attached and then decide that I could definitely spot the different weaves.

I wore this exact ensemble to my local coffee shop this morning, and the server commented on how she loved my bright combination. It is brighter than my usual go-to combos, but it’s also supposed to be 30C (86F) here today- so I suppose you could say that I’m dressing for summer!