I’d been looking for a smart, put-together piece of work wear for those days at work when I need to actually look like I’m a lawyer.

You too?

Enter Utu…

OK, sorry, forgive the bad rhyming, I just couldn’t resist.

Breaking ranks

I’ve been slowly working my way though the patterns in Breaking the Pattern. There’s my Saraste shirt and my Rae Pants…

And the Utu Pinafore is, so far, my stand-out. The star. The one-of-a-kind. Numero Uno.

The fit of the Utu Pinafore just turned out to be pretty damn perfect for my body. In fact, I found the fit so damn good that I immediately purchased the Anni Building Block patterns from Named, in the hope that they might have some similar fit magic!!

The Utu Pinafore is shaped with contour darts at both the back and the front. It is also fully lined – go Team Pretty Guts!

The Utu pattern is presented as either a skirt with a wrap belt or as a pinafore which closes with double-breasted buttons. I couldn’t decide which closure I liked better so I decided to go with both. I also narrowed the belt width and turned it into a double belt.

Because, well, why not?

And, as for the boring useful stuff, my Utu pinafore is a size 5. Also, the garment you see here is cut at the length of the Utu Skirt, the Utu Pinafore is designed to be shorter, but I was more comfortable at the longer skirt length.

Atelier Brunette Shimmer Chic

I’ve been eyeing of this Atelier Brunette Shimmer Chic jacquard since it was released but had no specific idea in mind for it. I’d had a pencil shirt vaguely in mind but it had stayed at the ‘idea’ stage. Then, during their 6th birthday sale, Meter Meter sold this lovely fabric for 60% off! (at this rate, I really CAN’T WAIT for their 10th birthday sale)!!!

Now that kind of discount was just too irresistible.

I knew the time was right to scoop up a couple of metres.

When it arrived, I knew that it would be perfect for the Utu Pinafore.

I also knew that using the reverse side for the belts and buttons would be a great way to add a bit of visual interest.

Speaking of which, can I just say that making self-covered buttons is maybe one of my favourite sewing tasks in the world. I’m going to be honest, I usually kind of despise fiddly little jobs. Installing jeans buttons or snaps. Making bias tapes. All those kind of little things that you find at the Pyrm stand at your local fabric store usually drive me nuts.

But the self-covered button kits? Oooh, they bring me an inordinate amount of joy!!!!

Plus I reckon they look alright!

Utu Pinafore instructions

Sewing the Utu Pinafore was pretty straightforward. I found the instructions for sewing the D-ring tab not particularly clear but I managed to muddle through.

Similaly, I could have used a few more diagrams throughout the instructions for attaching the lining to the shell, but it eventually all made sense after a little initial head-scratching.

All in all, nothing I can complain about. The biggest challenge was remembering to skip between the skirt and pinafore instructions to make an Utu hybrid.

So, I guess that’s pretty much it.

But, just to say it once more: I really love this pinafore! I also love that you can style it really differently with a dress shirt, turtleneck or t-shirt underneath. Each option can create a totally different look…

Until now I had been a bit skeptical about why so many ‘pinafores’ were popping up everywhere. It’s a garment that I associate with my childhood and I was not very enthused by the trend. But, I’ve decided that I can just think of my Utu Pinafore as just another dress and roll with it.

Definitely no traces of childhood Beck’s school uniforms in this Utu Pinafore…