Literary Sewing Circle: Amatka Inspiration!

 

It's the first week of our Literary Sewing Circle featuring Amatka! Have you found a copy yet? Have you started reading? If so, how are you finding the opening chapters? 

This week we'll be looking at some of the characters to inspire a project. This story has a wide cast of characters to draw from, and luckily for us, some of their names even match right up with patterns.

We'll start with our main character, Brilars' Vanja Essre Two -- or more simply, Vanja. There's a Vanja Hoodie/Sweatshirt Dress pattern on Makerist, and the cozy warmth of it is just what Vanja might have appreciated when she first arrived in the chilly environs of Amatka. Note: the pattern is in German but looks pretty straightforward. 

Next we'll look at Vanja's new housemate Nina. Being more adjusted to the weather in Amatka, Nina might have already been prepared with this Women's Nina Coat from Shwin Designs. It's a stylish but warm option!

Upstairs in Nina's house we find their older tenant, Ulla. She's a bit of an iconoclast, and very interested in what happened to Berol's Anna and the other residents of Amatka who are said to have died in a fire... She might have worn something unexpected by Amatka's residents, just as she's willing to think unexpected things too. This fluid Ulla Dress by Fibremood could reflect the fluidity of reality in Amatka. 

And speaking of Berol's Anna, how about making this classic Anna dress from By Hand London in honour of this great poet and author of the book Vanja discovers in the library, PlantHouse Seven? 

If you're thinking of something a little smaller to work on, you might consider making something for a child. Nina's daughter Ida could inspire this cute little Ida blouse & dress from Atelier Brunette. 

Or maybe you'll just let Ida inspire you to make a dress for yourself -- like this comfy t-shirt Ida Dress from DG Patterns. 

Looking outside Vanja's household to some of her coworkers gives us a couple more options. These are especially handy if you prefer to knit rather than sew. First, Vanja works with Anders once she gets a job in the administrative offices in Amatka. The Anders Gilet might be the perfect project, using Swedish yarn as found at LoveCraft! 

And finally, Vanja heads to Amatka on her work assignment in the first place, all because of her supervisor Oydis, who thinks she needs a change. If you're a knitter, you could make this Oydis Sweater by Lina Marveng, and top it off with the Oydis cowl. Both beautiful! 

If you tried, I'm sure you could find more patterns inspired by the names of people or places in this novel. I hope some of these are catching your fancy, but if not, stay tuned for another inspiration post in a few weeks that will be looking at the book from a different angle. 

Happy reading!