dimanche 26 décembre 2010

Another BWOF experimentation

Hello there and belated merry Christmas! I'm going to start this post with some totally inappropriate whinning about the fact that last year I spent Christmas in Singapore -which has to be my favouritest place ever right after Japan- while this year NOT! I miss travelling :(
Okay, now for today's garment, I've tried a wrapover top from the November issue of BWOF. I'm sewing compulsively these days so I think I'm probably going to end up making any Burda projects that catch my attention^^. For this top I used some cotton slightly blended with polyester, I love this sage green colour -the French name is "tilleul" which sounds quite poetic- alas this fabric is difficult to iron as you'll see from the pictures. I made my usual 12 size and changed a few details: I didn't add the ties at the hips but decided to close the top with a hidden button and a snap and I simply finished the sleeves with some bias instead of the required cuffs. I also made a mistake when I cut the front pieces so I had to add an extra seam but it looks okay! I felt like wearing the top for my New Year's Eve party but it's definitely too hot for these long sleeves so I'll keep it for the cooler months.



Of course I had to make a matching bow hair-tie!

See you soon with more tops!

mardi 21 décembre 2010

Quick Japanese top

Hey there! I know I said I wouldn't have time to sew for myself but I actually made this tunic a few days ago and couldn't finish it because I ran out of thread just when I only had the hem left to sew! I got to buying said thread today and here's the result:


The tunic is super easy to make since the front and back top and sleeves are cut in a single piece, there's no shoulder seam! You simply gather 2 rectangles of fabric and attach them to this piece and there you have your top :) I got very inspired by 2 great garments made by Ophelia for the simple design of this tunic and used mustard cotton veil, the colour is slightly darker in reality. I'm also wearing a brooch that I made last year, a little bird made of purple felt^^.


See you!

dimanche 19 décembre 2010

BWOF blouse

Hello there, how are you? With Christmas coming it's hard to find time to sew a little something for yourself but 2 evenings were enough to make this BWOF blouse from January 2008:

As you can see it has a number of features such as a front tab, pleats, 3-part sleeves, cuffs... but it was only given an easy to medium note in the magazine! I read the instructions but as often is the case with Burda it didn't make sense so I organised my own steps: first the pleats and the tab, then the sleeves, the shoulder and side seams and finally the collar and cuffs. The result is nice but a bit huge and the neckline is a little too deep fir my taste. I've made it with shirting cotton which makes it very pleasant to wear given the current weather!



That's it for today, see you soon!

mercredi 8 décembre 2010

Christmas dress and an update

Hello friends! How are you? I can't believe that I haven't posted anything since 8th November! I have been super busy with my work and, good news, I've had my first orders as a seamstress, I'm so glad! I've made tops for a woman and dresses for her little girl and they've been pleased so far so I'm crossing fingers for it to continue, sewing doesn't even feel like working :) Actually I'm planning a little giveaway to celebrate this, I'll post the details in a few days. Also, I've managed to cram crafting and sewing moments for Christmas gifts, I'll post about that on CCC later. For now I'd like to show you the dress I made for the Christmas party, it's Simplicity 7541, a pattern from 1968:


I made view 3 in teal blue cotton, I lengthened the bodice and redrafted the back -I've learned my lessons from the infamous Butterick dress- and after that it was so easy to make! I loooove the collar, I bought the pattern just for this detail :)


As for Santa, he paid an early visit since I've received my order from Bead Supplies, which allowed me to make these 2 lovely pairs of earrings, I had been dreaming of these little daisies ever since I had seen them^^:


I've also made myself a chouchou and bow hairband with a small piece of fabric my mum chose for me, it's quilting cotton printed with carnations:


That's it for today, I'll try and post on CCC and more here and fortunately not updating my blog didn't stop me from enjoying your beautiful creations, I LOVE looking at you fellow sewists/crafters' blogs so don't be like me and keep posting!

lundi 8 novembre 2010

Cool tunic and meh dress

Hello friends, how are you? I'm sorry I haven't posted much lately, I have been sewing but following a number of little delays and unexpected happenings I could never take pictures. Anyway, for today I have two projects to show you: let's start with this nice little number from the spring 2010 Pochée vol. 9.



In theory it's made of cotton but the fabric really feels and weighs like linen. I guess you can call the colour "tan", it's quite subdued but I like it! I changed two details regarding the original pattern, the back is in one piece when it should have a yoke and gathers and the sleeves should have balloon ends but I didn't have enough fabric for that. I had a brush with disaster when the red transferring paper I used left marks that wouldn't leave on the OUTSIDE of the tunic, fortunately I found a good stain remover and managed to get rid of them (it's a French product called "Le Diable Détacheur").
Now for the not so great other project, when I ordered this vintage pattern I was in the mood for a groovy 70's mini dress:


Well, it turned out rather different from the illustration, I thought the waist was high, it wasn't, the skirt wasn't mini at all, even after I shortened it and worst of all when I finished it it had the dreaded "Goldorak" look, ie the back neckline reached the middle of my neck and the shoulders were at least 1.5" too high. Look:


And here I had already lowered the shoulders by 3/4"! I felt horrible, my back, shoulders and arms are naturally huge so I do not need extra volume over these zones. I ripped off the dress, lowered the shoulders more, lowered the back neckline and bound everything with bias -strangely facings are among what I like least when sewing.


The fabric is chambray, it's cute and nice to wear but I find the dress a bit bland, I'm not sure how to accessorize it. If you have suggestions, please tell me, I've spent quite some time on this garment and I'd love to be able to wear it :(

That's it for now, see you!

dimanche 24 octobre 2010

Super sweet Japanese tunic

Hey there, how are you? Today I'd like to tell you about my MOST FAVOURITEST TOP EVER -can you feel a little hint of enthusiasm^^? I love everything about this tunic (design C3 from this book): there are 4 pieces + facings which makes a grand total of 6 mostly rectangle-shaped pieces to trace, the instructions for making the pleats and sewing the garment are crystal-clear and the facings match the top's neckline perfectly. I think the result looks surprisingly sophisticated when it is in fact easy enough to make for a complete beginner.





The only slight change I can advise you to make if you don't want your tunic to be too wide is to reduce the width of both front and back pleats by 2 cm. Another thing, it's roomy but the bust and shoulders part is fitted so choose your usual size (in this book mine is L for a 35" bust and rather large shoulders). The fabric is grey/light khaki chambray -also avoid any stiff fabric if you make this top, it wouldn't look good with these big sleeves- I bought another piece in classic blue for a vintage project, I hope I can show you it soon :) Have a nice weekend folks, see you!

mercredi 20 octobre 2010

New Look top

Hello friends! I hope you're having a nice week :) A quick post to show you a New Look top I made out of Sevenberry fabric, it's a traditional Japanese print with off-white fans/scales on a navy background. It was easy to make BUT:
- I should have used the proposed facings for the collar, I don't know what possessed me to decide on folded bias instead, it was more complicated and it isn't as flat as the facings
- I should have lifted the shoulder seams, the fabric tends to sag above my bust and in the back, ahem it's not very flattering :(
- I'm really wondering if I should have made it one size smaller.
Despite these problems I love the fabric so much I think I'll wear it anyway! It looks good with black jeans/trousers and I may even make a black skirt to wear with it (I'm not giving up on girly stuff!).




See you!

lundi 18 octobre 2010

Summer's done coming!

Hey there, how are you? I think today is officially the first day of summer where I live, with temperatures reaching 30°. Right now it's the end of the afternoon yet it's still super hot. I'm not too keen on scorching heat however I had a nice, light top to wear to go walking under that sun :) It's a design from the summer 2010 Female magazine, I made a size L but the bust cups are still a little small so I have to wear a camisole underneath, I'm fine with that, it reminds me of the black spaghetti strap top/skinny white tee combo I wore in my teenage years^^. The fabric is crisp, soft black cotton with a tiny print similar to Souleiado fabrics minus the price. Also I can totally see this top becoming a babydoll dress, it's so easy and pleasant to wear!



And look what I got later in the mail:


This cute lil' fellow was sent to me by the talented Fatima from Galago. I LOVE it, I'm going to wear it all the time! I also ordered a present for my mum's birthday, I'll show you after I gave it to her. Speaking of which, I sewed a giant buttercup bag for her. It's big because she can carry all her books and teacher stuff when she goes to work and I used a very floral fabric since she's so fond of flowers :)


That's it for today, see you soon!

dimanche 10 octobre 2010

Cleaning my closet / Vide penderie

Hello everyone, how are you? As the end of the year draws closer I've been checking on the garments I've made and I've realised that there's a good portion of them that I've very seldom worn -once! Indeed, I sew a lot and so I have quite a lot of clothes to wear, I can't keep them stored in boxes forever, I lack the room, I could use a little money and I think they will make someone else happy :) so I've decided to sell them. Please bear in mind that they're handmade, therefore the inside of these clothes are either zigzagged or pinked. Here's the list of what I'm selling:

- sundress, coton w/ yellow & white stripes, closes w/side invisible zipper + button, measures: 34", 29", 39", length from front neckline: 82 cm, (never worn)
robe bain de soleil en coton jaune et blanc rayé, fermeture glissière invisible côté et bouton, 88/76/100 cm, longueur depuis décolleté 82 cm (jamais portée) 18€

- pull-over Japanese dress T, black cotton w/ white eyelet, size M
robe japonaise T coton noir broderie anglaise blanche, taille M, 20€

- dirndl skirt, Dick Bruna fabric, closes w/ side hook and snaps, waist: 29", length: 60 cm
jupe qui tourne^^, fermeture agrafe et pressions côté, taille: 74 cm, longueur: 60 cm, sold

- high-waisted mini skirt, grey polyester/cotton fabric, waist: 27", hips: 39", length: 50 cm
minijupe taille haute en coton/polyester gris, taille 70 cm, hanches 100 cm, hauteur 50 cm, 10€

- pull-over Japanese top E Heather Ross Sisters fabric, size S/M (beware, the shoulders are a little narrow!)
tunique japonaise E, taille S/M (attention les épaules sont assez étroites), SOLD

- pull-over Japanese top V, white cotton w/ tiny golden birds & black buttons, size M
top japonais V piqué de coton blanc imprimé oiseaux, taille M, 14€

- Japanese tunic, very soft leopard cotton, size S/M/L (never worn)
tunique japonaise en coton panthère très doux, taille unique (jamais portée), 14€

- tunic, black w/ white dots polyester/cotton fabric, size S/M
tunique en polyester coton noir à pois blancs, taille S/M, 14€

- lace top (lined with cotton), size S/M
top en dentelle entièrement doublé coton, taille S/M, 16€

- loose top, black with tiny white, blue and red print polyester fabric, size S/M/L
top loose polyester noir imprimé, taille unique, 10€

- retro blouse, white eyelet, closes w/ snaps at the back, measures: 34", 28", 37"
blouse rétro broderie anglaise blanche, pressions dos, 87/72/94 cm, 16€

- waistcoat, heavy black linen, size S/M
gilet lin noir lourd, taille S/M, 10€

If you're interested in one of these garments please leave a comment with your email address and I'll get back to you. I'll accept paypal payments only, the shipping fees are 4€. See you :)
Si vous souhaitez acheter une de ces réalisations laissez un commentaire avec votre adresse email et je vous contacterai. Les frais de port sont de 4€.

samedi 9 octobre 2010

That 70's shirt

Now, that was a clever title^^ Hello everyone, how are you today? I'd like to show you a garment I made a few weeks ago, using this pattern:

Don't you just love the styling?! I want each one of these outfits, shoes included :) Love the hairdos too!

I made view 2 without the sleeves' lapels because I didn't have enough fabric. I chose simple off-white poplin and discreet camel buttons, the instructions were easy to follow and I love my shirt! I've been wearing it today with black jeans and I'll wear it next week with the skirt from the same pattern, it's a lovely design that has a 70's-ish flavour because of the rather big, pointy collar and lapels and the slim sleeves but it definitely doesn't look costumy. See:



I'm wearing it with my favouritest brooch ever:


About this little fella, I bought it in Kyoto during my latest holidays in Japan, at the souvenir shop of a hotel/spa/golf lost near a forest. Why was I myself lost near a forest? I was trying to find a temple called Daitoku-ji for my mum, indeed it was our third time in Kyoto but we had never been able to access said temple before for various reasons. This time we had a "map" -now that I think of it it was actually a simplified drawing of the place in a travel guide- we were in the right area, having just left the Ryoanji and the fact that it was noon on an extremely sunny day in the middle of summer didn't seem like a problem. Well, we walked for ONE HOUR AND A HALF under a burning sun, following our map and we ended in the forest. Fortunately that was Japan so the first lady we asked helped us, telling us where we were and calling a taxi. While we waited I entered the shop nearby and that's how I found my brooch. We eventually made it to the Daitoku-ji, even if once inside we got lost in the complex before finding the Daisenin^^.

I also wanted to show you another buttercup bag I made out of blue mock suede, the lining is higly cute cotton from Okayama and it has a bit of bias so that I can hang a strap because every bag should have its own lil' kappa:


And last but not least I fell hard for this nail polish:


That's all for now, have a nice weekend, see you!