favorite sewing patterns + designers :: 06 :: anna maria horner

when anna maria horner came onto the scene, she injected the sewing community with energy, creativity, color, artistic flair, and positivity!  anna maria's fabric collections never fail to make me smile.  i've sewn with a lot of her fabric over the years...quilts, skirts, tops, dresses, and bags (especially for the girls when they were younger).  anna maria also kickstarted the availability of garment fabrics in many spots with her amazing voiles and rayons.  i love anna maria's creative spirit and was so happy to have the opportunity to visit her shop in nashville last autumn.

my favorite anna maria horner sewing pattern is the well composed dress and blouse.  i have to admit that i did some altering to really get the fit that i wanted, but the main one was a quick fix.  i wanted my dress to have a more straight line at the side seam, rather than the waist coming in.  after i made this change, i love this pattern!  i also sew some of the neck slit closed, because i think it's more flattering for me- easy peasy.

the well composed pattern is very simple to sew, and i find that i can make the dress out of 1 1/2 yards of wider fabric (56"-60") which makes it economical.  my favorite well composed dress is the one made with indigo cotton linen (i think it is this, although it's hard to tell when i can't touch it).  it is my favorite dress all autumn and winter with tights and tall boots.  i wear it every sunday to church and can switch the look up a bit with a different sweater or scarf.

i also love the red indian block print top that i made with the same pattern.  i first made the bias tape long enough to have long ties hanging down from the neck bias.  it was cute, but i ended up removing them.  i'm thinking of either making this top's sleeves shorter or making a short sleeved version in another fabric...because i think it would be another cute (and possibly more useful) option.  

i've also made anna maria's socialite dress without the sleeves in white linen.  i liked wearing mine with the rounded neck to the front.  it's fun to have the option of wearing it with either a rounded or v-neckline in front.  i sewed it as a top as well.  the neckline of the socialite can be a bit tricky to get just right, but it's totally doable.

anna maria's piece of cake baby dress is a free pattern available in a variety of sizes.  i had so much fun using tiny bits of fabrics left over from other projects to make a bunch of these in different sizes as gifts.  i enjoyed receiving a few pieces of clothing in larger sizes for my girls when they were born, so i hoped that would be appreciated.  they grow so quickly!   i just think these are the cutest things!  anna maria walks the sewist through making these little lovelies step by step in her 26 minute video.  it honestly doesn't take a whole lot longer than that to sew one of these up!

and for the baby boys, i love the pants from her book handmade beginnings...the quick change trousers.  they are completely reversible and have a big cuff that allows them to grow with that little sweetie.  i've made them for a baby gift as well.

i've always loved this version of the painted portrait dress.  i mean, woah.  i think it would be interesting to try sewing it in a knit...but on the machine.  so maybe someday.  :)

i find anna maria's sewing patterns to be clear with ample illustrations.  i don't think that her goal is to teach the technical side of sewing so much as to encourage creativity and play in the sewing arena.  i think she wants people to just go for it and have fun with it.  sounds good to me!  :)

anna maria has written a number of books, all of which i think are beautiful and inspiring!  check them out from the library.  if anyone is interested in picking up a few of anna maria horner's sewing patterns, now is a great time.  she is offering one free pattern with the purchase of two until the end of june!

parts 01, 02, 03, o4, and 05 of this series.

love,
jane