Who is Kaki?

Deciding what to name our most recent knit pattern was a snap. “Kaki” is the nickname for owner Karen’s daughter, Katharine. Serving as the inspiration for this comfortable and functional dress because the “real” Kaki loves wearing knit dresses. Kaki is probably like many of the girls you sew for – she has a closet lined with beautiful dresses, but when given the choice grabs something made from knit. When Kaki was 4 – 6 years old, her favorite dress to wear was the Children’s Corner Louise. Karen made Louise in a variety of styles from fancy to everyday. Soon Kaki’s designer voice started asking Karen to make her beloved Louise out of knit – the combination of her favorite pattern and her favorite fabric. Reluctantly stepping back from lovely cottons, like Liberty of London, Karen set to work on sizing down the Louise to work with knit fabric. Guess what? Kaki loved the outcome!

Kaki’s love affair with this style was so infectious there was no other choice but to make it a pattern. You can see from Kaki’s smile on the cover in VIEW B, Kaki adores this dress. Karen often makes VIEW B for Kaki with contrasting binding on the neck and armholes to make it more a little more playful and fun. At age 9 and in the fourth grade, she still proudly wears her Kaki dresses to school. Of course, like most of you, Karen wishes Kaki would still sport a Liberty of London dress to school. Instead of letting her machine gather dust, Karen willingly listened to and embraced Kaki’s fashion exploration. While Karen had to turn over some of her design license to arrive at a mutually desired dress, in the end Karen gets to continue to sew for her girl. Something we can all call a win! Not a traditional nickname for Katharine, Kaki earned her nickname from owner Emily’s son. When Simpson was 2, he struggled to say Katharine. He came up with “Kaki” on his own. She was sweet to allow him to misspeak her name, and over time it became her official nickname. It beautifully captures her playful spirit that we all love.

We hope when you sew this great new pattern, the delightful spirit in your girl is as noticeable as our Kaki’s.

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