The Kew dress by Nina Lee Patterns is a real beauty and I was eyeing it ever since it came out. I was not sure it was really me (although it is my dream wardrobe, just not sure I would wear it as much). So I waited. And waited. And one day I caved and got the pattern. That is how it usually works 😊
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Kew haljina od Nina Lee Patterns je prava ljepotica i dugo sam ju mjerkala. Nisam bila sigurna da je u potpunosti moj stil (iako tako izgleda moja garderoba iz snova, samo nisam bila sigurna da bi ju u stvarnosti dovoljno nosila). I tako sam čekala. I čekala. Sve dok jednog dana nisam popustila i kupila kroj. Tako to kod mene obično ide 😊
I thought about making the dress, but as I am really into separates recently I decided to do the top first and check the fit while I am at it. Top version is not included in the pattern but it is so easy to make. You just measure how long you want your top to be and make the bodice that much longer (with extra 2 cm or so for the hem). Easy peasy.
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Razmišljala sam napraviti haljinu, ali kako sam u zadnje vrijeme totalno luda za majicama odlučila sam napraviti top verziju i usput provjeriti jesu li potrebne neke preinake. Top verzija nije uključena u kroj ali je to jednostavno napraviti. Samo trebate izmjeriti koje dužine želite majicu i za toliko produžite kroj gornjeg dijela (plus otprilike 2 centimetra za dovršiti rub). Jednostavnije ne može.

Now the fit – it was ok. That means that it was good but I had some gaping in the back. The back bodice was a bit big in the shoulder area so the neckline stood up. Not good. But I only noticed that when the facing was already sewn and the top was basically done apart from the hem. So I debated with my inner self weather I prefer to take it apart, take it in, redo the facing and stitch it all back together or I want to go the lazy route and try taking it in somehow. Guess which route I choose. Yes, lazy as one can be. So, I opted to make the back darts longer and sewed them all the way up to about 2 cm before the facing and bodice seam. This helped a bit but not 100% and there was still some gaping in the middle back. So finally I added a big dart in the middle and caught both bodice and facing in it. That gave perfect results and it now fits perfectly. This also helped with the front and raised the neckline a bit which I like. And it does not look like a butcher’s work at all and it actually gives a fun detail to the back.
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Kroj haljine mi je odgovarao, ali bila je potrebna manja intervencija. Sve je dobro pristajalo, ali kada sam praktički bila gotova sa svim osim s rubom, primijetila sam da su leđa prevelika i da majica strši u zrak kod vrata. A to nikako nije dobro. U tom trenutku sam debatirala bi li radije rastavila majicu, unjela ju i ponovo zašila nazad ili bi odabrala lijenu verziju i u ovom ju stadiju nekako unjela. Probajte pogoditi za što sam se odlučila. I tako sam išla lijenom rutom (pogodili ste, jel da?) i za početak sam produžila stražnje ušivke prema gore do otprilike 2 cm prije šava. To je malo pomoglo ali nije skroz riješilo problem. Onda sam na sredinu stavila veći ušivak s kojim sam uhvatila glavnu tkaninu i postavu i to je bilo to. Sada majica pristaje odlično, a to je čak i malo podiglo prednji izrez što mi se sviđa. I obzirom da sam išla ljenijom rutom na kraju rezultat uopće nije neuredan i još daje zanimljiv detalj na leđima. Pobjeda.
I omitted the front darts since the fit without them is perfect and with them it was too snug. I hemmed the top after making buttonholes and sewed on the buttons to make it even. I plan to wear it tucked in so wanted to make it a bit longer. That way I can wear it with high waisted trousers or skirts.
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Prednje ušivke nisam napravila jer nisu bili potrebni. Kada sam ih ušila majica je bila preuska, pa sam se odlučila izbaciti ih iz kroja. Rub sam dovršila nakon izrade rupica za gumbe i postavljanja gumba da bi ga mogla uredno poravnati. Plan mi je nositi ju zataknutu u hlače ili šoseve visokog struka pa sam ju napravila malo dužom.
And the colour of that fabric is everything! It is linen (with viscose I think) and it is gorgeous. I couldn’t leave without it when I saw it in a local shop. It is perfect for this time of year.
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Boja tkanine je sve što sam ikad sanjala! To je lan (mislim da ima i malo viskoze) i predivan je. Nisam mogla izići iz dućana bez njega. Boja je odlična za ovo doba godine.

Next I plan to make a dress version (all three of them!) and also the skirt. I think they all look great paired with the right fabric. And my wardrobe is more cheerful once again with this new garment, so yey!
Iduće planiram napraviti haljinu (sve tri verzije zapravo!) ali i šos. Mislim da sve verzije kroja izgledaju predivno kada se kombiniraju s pravom tkaninom. A moj ormar je još malo sretniji sa sunčanom bojom tako da – jej!
Thank you for reading!
Hvala na čitanju!
Ana