When we received Named Clothing patterns, I immediately knew I was going to make some models from their collection! 

It must be said that Laura and Saara offer us great patterns with top-notch instructions! 

The two Finnish sisters have been working together for over 10 years creating their pattern brand, and I must say it’s a great success! 

Between the Isla trench coat, the Taika dress, the Sisko jersey dress, and also the lovely jumpsuit, my heart hesitated a lot before choosing a dress! Yes, old habits die hard! 

So this week, I’m taking you to discover Named Clothing and the Taika dress.

Let's go! 

The Named Clothing brand (Finland, since 2012)

It was on a bus ride together in September 2012 that Saara and Laura laid the foundations of their brand... 30 minutes on a bus to change two lives!

Six months earlier, Saara had earned a degree in fashion and clothing (allowing her to acquire a wide range of skills in the clothing sector) and Laura had graduated as a shoe designer around the same time. Both had worked in fashion and clothing for different companies, but neither was thrilled with their experiences in these fields. 

During this half-hour bus ride, they asked themselves: What would we do if we could do whatever we wanted? Their answer was clear: sew and, at the same time, make sewing as a hobby, especially garment making, interesting, exciting, and accessible to as many people as possible!

Once they arrived at their destination, they immediately wrote the business plan for their future company and since that day, they have been working to make their dream come true.

On August 1, 2013, the shop went online and the first collection was launched: First Named.

Over the next four years, eight new collections of patterns were created.

In 2018, they released their first sewing book, "Breaking the Pattern," followed by the second, "Building the Pattern," in 2021.

"Today, we are still – or more than ever – enthusiastic about what we do and, above all, about what lies ahead!"

I don’t know about you, but I think it’s amazing to manage to create a profession that reflects your values and brings something good to society 😊... it speaks to me! 

But let’s get back to my Taika dress! 

The pattern 

Taika is a timeless shirt dress with mid-length sleeves. What immediately attracted me to Taika is the play of gathers on the bodice at the bust. These are details that make a garment extremely feminine. 

Taika is fitted and highlights the waist. It features a V-neck and a button placket at the front.

The curved seam at the waist passes under the bust at the front, while the gathers at the bust and in the middle of the back give volume and shape to the bodice.

I find that Taika is a dress that can be worn both during the day and in the evening; it’s a beautiful piece to have in your wardrobe. 

It also benefits from being accessorized with a belt for those who like to cinch their garment even more. 

Practical information for sewing this pattern

Taika is available on our site in PDF format.

Taika is graded from size 32 to 56; which is really great as a size range because both the smallest and the curviest can sew this pretty pattern.

Note that both the pattern and the instructions are in English, fortunately, because I don’t yet master Finnish! If you don’t master English, don’t worry! The assembly instructions have very clear diagrams for all the assembly steps. To be honest, I hardly read the instructions; I looked at the assembly diagrams 😂 and I managed very well. 

To make your life easier, I have summarized the assembly range below in French. 

All seam allowances are included and the printing is done without overlapping pieces. You can therefore cut directly from your printout at the desired size; no need to trace. 

What do I receive when ordering this PDF pattern?
- Printable PDF at home A4: 40 pages for home printer
- PDF for copy shop A0: two sheets.
- Pattern for projector
- PDF instructions
- Print preview. 

In the seamstress's basket

Taika is a pattern to be made in a woven fabric.

Choose a lightweight or medium-weight, non-stretch fabric.

Depending on the desired result, you can choose a fluid fabric, like viscose or Tencel, or a fabric with more body like light cotton, cotton satin, cotton lawn, broderie anglaise or even linen.

In addition to the fabric, you will need:
- fusible interfacing matching the thickness of your fabric,
- 7 mm elastic
- 9 buttons
- a spool of thread matching your fabric. 

My supplies

I hesitated for a long time about whether to sew Taika in viscose or cotton poplin... fluid version or a version with more structure? In the end, I opted for the Japanese cotton poplin of which I had a coupon of just under 3m left with pretty butterflies. It is a fabric from our joly coupons.

By the way, this year we received the same pattern but with a blue-gray background, which is also absolutely beautiful. 

I chose a H200 fusible interfacing that was perfect for my poplin. 

I also selected some elastic and buttons from my stash. 

Technical stitches and assembly sequence

The Taika dress is designed for intermediate / average level.

I find it quite straightforward since there are no very interesting technical stitches that I detail in the assembly sequence.

The most difficult part will be making the button placket.

Assembly sequence

1. After cutting all your pieces, interface the back facing and the button placket (fully or halfway depending on your fabric’s composition and weight)

2. Sew the sides of the bodice

3. Sew the skirt panels (make sure to match the pieces well - you have notches for assembly)

4. Create gathers on the front and back bodice according to the markings

5. Attach the bodice to the skirt at the waist

6. Hem the bottom of the dress (folded in 1cm)

7. Sew the button placket to the front of the dress

8. Sew the shoulders (leaving 1cm free at the back shoulder near the neckline to attach the back facing)

9. Attach the back facing, clip, turn, and press well. 

10. Sew the sleeve sides

11. Create the sleeve hem and form the casing that will hold the elastic; don’t forget to leave a hole to slide the elastic through later. 

12. Attach the sleeves to the bodice after gathering the sleeve cap

13. Make the buttonholes

14. Slide the elastic and adjust its length to your bicep width and comfort. Don’t forget to sew up the small hole. 

Ta-da, all that's left is to wear it! 

My sewing experience

I made Taika in size 36. 

The measurements are well respected in the size chart. Since it is a fitted dress, I recommend choosing the larger size if you are between two sizes. This is a model not to size down. 

Regarding the time spent, I took:
- 1h to assemble my pattern and cut the paper pieces
- 30 min to cut the pieces in the fabric
- About 4h to assemble the dress and finish it
Total: 5h30. 

I encountered no difficulties during assembly.

I made two modifications related to my body shape.
I "shortened" the back of the dress. Indeed, Taika was patterned for a height of 1.72m and I am 1.53m, so the back was too long for my small stature. I removed 2cm from the center back height. 

I also removed 25cm from the length of the dress because it was way too long for my height. 

I'm delighted with my butterfly dress. I find it pretty and feminine. 

I think I'll make another one in viscose and sleeveless to have a very summery version. 

What do you think?

So, ready to discover all the patterns from Named Clothing? Find the entire collection here. 

Come on, all that's left to do is!

Get your needles ready!