I got an award!

The terrific Tilly at tillyandthebuttons has nominated me for a Kreativ Blogger award so I must tell you 7 facts about moi.
Okay, let's see:

1. I started sewing when I was 3, I made dresses for the neighbour's German Shepherd, Joe, who endured it stoically.

2. A picture taken by a journalist of me walking out of of highschool -complete with the black anonymity band over the eyes- illustrated almost every single article dedicated to "Violence at school" in the local newspaper from 1996 to 2003.

3. In my early 20's I had a string of sports cars and would race with anyone who wished to.

4. I'm fond of cryptozoology, my favourite cryptids are sea and lake creatures like Nessie, the Cadborosaurus and the great sea serpent. When I go to a country where there's supposed spotting of these creatures I make it a point to visit said place because who knows, I could be lucky!

5. I adore travelling even though I hate having to go to airports, taking the plane, waiting in lounges... I would pay a lot of money for teleportation!

6. To continue with travelling, I tend to fall in love with the places I visit and often end up looking for means to stay there (maybe so that I don't have to take the plane AGAIN?).

7. I often get confused with other people and it's even happening more and more as I get older.

The 7 people whose blogs I equally enjoy and that I'm nominating for the award are:

1. Gwen at allmyseams, the fact that she's a lovely person shows through her creations.

2. Rüta at daiktuistorijos, an incredibly talented seamstress with a terrific sense of style.

3. Lisette at vintageorbust, not only can she sew cute garments, she always has something interesting to share on her blog.

4. Ayumi at pinkpenguin, a crafts genius, I would like to purchase everything she makes!

5. http://galagoartis.blogspot.com/: I have no idea who this person is but I'm in awe at her creations.

6. Jen at thefabledneedle is my girl crush on the blogosphere, I love everything she does be it garments, pictures or other crafts.

7. Last but not least I've recently discovered Natasha at alldressedup... She makes great clothes!

Giveaway winners

Hi there!
So the winner of the bow necklace giveaway is Tilly.



As it felt a little sad to have only one winner I made a second necklace and the winner for this one is Lisette!



Congratulations to you two and thanks to all the ladies who entered this little giveaway. There'll be more so check regularly!

Chambray blouse

A quick post to show you my new favourite blouse: it's design V from the Otona no Couture Stylish Dress Book. I made it with a very soft chambray my boyfriend -this divine angel^^- gave me for Christmas (stash bustin'!). It's size 9 but it's almost tight at the arms and shoulders so I'm glad I resisted the urge to chop off inches as I sometimes do with Japanese patterns.
There's a collar with stand, a mock button placket on the front and a cute pocket on the heart. It took less than a day to make, I definitely advise you to try Japanese sewing books/magazines if you want quick, stylish garments!

It doesn't show too much here but these buttons remind me of little planets^^.

I used homemade bias for the sleeves' edge and inside of pocket.

Simplicity 50's dress and a giveaway

So here's another garment I sewed this week, a vintage Simplicity dress from the late 50's according to the seller. I made view 3 -actually I also made the detachable peplum from view 2 but it was far too tiny for my waist, I should have added 3 inches to it :(. I used a heavy, shiny charcoal polyester I got on sale and let me tell you that I wonder how I could live without polyester before!! It was so pleasant to sew, it didn't fray, it was easy to press, the zigzags from my temperamental machine don't show... Ok it's still a bit hot to wear here but I'll definitely use it again.
About the pattern, I shortened the skirt and put an invisible zipper on the front because I didn't feel like putting side fasteners as advised in the instructions. Even though the dress has huge shoulder pads (which I covered with Bemberg) it is a bit too puffy in the back. If I make it again I think I'll take off one inch at the shoulder seam. All in all it's a classy yet quite simple dress and I like it!





Now for the giveaway, I made a necklace out of a remaining strip of the fabric I used for this dress.


If you're interested in having it just leave a comment and the winner will be randomly chosen :)
And I got the inspiration for the necklace from this talented girl!
Edit: I forgot to say that the winner will be chosen and announced on Wednesday.

Striped dresses

I have been sewing a lot this week and I'll be posting a few pics later. For now I have only 2 dresses to show because I'm going on weekend with my little Chouchou^^. So without further ado, here are the pictures:




This white dress was a muslin to test a pattern from the January issue of Burda (dress 109), it's a bit small but I like it!




The black dress is from the previous muslin, except it's a bit bigger and therefore a lot more comfortable! Can you tell I'm obsessed with stripes these days?!
Edit: and it's a bit of stash bustin' too since I had had the white fabric for almost a year :)

Super talented sewists

Today I'd like to tell you about a bunch of sewing prodigies that you may not know yet, simply because they're French! I've prepared links that will take you straight to these ladies' creations, have a look and I'm sure you'll be captivated^^
Let's start with the specialist of Japanese sewing, La Poule: she has a great sense of style -think Isabel Marant meets Claudie Pierlot with a touch of Agnès B.- and can alter basic Japanese patterns to fit her needs like no one else! She also knits, sews for kids and cooks, not to mention her handmade earrings :) Click here to see her sewing posts (only the clothes she makes for herself will appear, there are other categories on the left on her blog for the various specialties mentioned above).
Another favourite of mine is Hélène at Henri & Violette: her style leans towards retro and Art Nouveau with a very slight gothic vibe. She also sews mainly from Japanese patterns and makes incredible garments. Here you can see all the clothes she made for herself.
Anaik makes creations that follow the latest trends, she's a total fashionista and alters patterns (not to mention she drafts too!) to get avant-garde designers' touch: here are pics of her Fall-Winter 09 garments.
This doll makes -in my opinion- the youngest-looking outfits, her style is pop-inspired and cheerful. She knits and customizes stuff too.
Finally a quick link to this dress, I've discovered this blog only recently but let me tell you that I actually DREAMT of this dress! I love it!

Vintage 50's dress

I'm quite happy to show you the vintage Advanced dress I sewed this week! I loved the design the second I saw it: love the pleated bodice with the ties detail, love the big skirt with darts and loooove the front closure (zippers are quick to sew!). The instructions are clear and easy, I only had to slightly change the order of the final steps because I used an invisible zipper.

Look at this cute bodice! I'll make a top out of it, it's too adorable

Now for what I don't like that much about the dress: I used tangerine poplin to make it because with the current temperatures it's impossible to wear heavier fabrics. So far so good, right? Well have a look at that:


The fabric wrinkles horribly because of the zigzags I used to finish the edges! It's too thin!!! I had just ironed it so it's not accidental :( I still want to wear my dress because I really like it, the shape and the colour are so nice. I thought a petticoat could improve the situation, alas:



Well I guess I'll wait for my serger to arrive (yeeeees^^) and make another one, with a more suited fabric. A shot of the anorexic petticoat:

New sundress and an old top

Hi there! Let's start with the dress: I used a pattern from a French crafts magazine called "Fait Main" to make it. I wanted to try the princess seams but I just knew the neckline wouldn't work because of its sporty vibe. Anyway I cut one of my favourite fabrics and then cried a million tears because, well, the result was awful :) I redrafted the thing and here it is now: a cute, retro sundress! I love it! Plus it's really comfy thanks to the fit of the princess seams.




Also, I wanted to show you a tunic I digged out of my wardrobe this morning: it's design J from the Stylish Dress Book I've already talked about. I was a little moved because it's one of the first things I made and I remember having my sewing confidence boosted thanks to it. Indeed, it has a few tricky details such as pleats, buttonholes, gathered sleeves and self-made bias but it went together so perfectly and quickly that it made me believe I was good at sewing^^.

できた！ Finished!

Yes! I finished my Pinky knock-off top! So I used the pattern from this dress
with slight modifications to the neckline (deeper) and sleeves (longer and wider, gathered). I also made the top back in two parts because I wanted a slit to put a cute button^^. The result is not bad actually, it's a bit short and it has A LOT of volume but on the whole I'm quite happy with it. Now the only problem is that when it's 35°C you can't wear a fully lined, long-sleeved lace top :(





I also sewed a dress for mama, I think the English name for the fabric is rayon (in French it's "fibrane"). The design is from this book, dress S. It was easy and pleasant to make, as usual with Japanese patterns! I'll probably make another one or two for her :)

Work in progress

I know some find it tacky or excessive but I am in love with fashion as depicted in Japanese magazines. My sacred one is Pinky and I even have a favorite Pinky girl, Coco Kinoshita^^! So while browsing through January's issue I found hundreds (not kidding, these magazines are packed with clothes, accessories and cosmetics!) of designs to love, among which this:


I had off-white lace, matching cotton, ric-rac, lace ribbons... I'm therefore trying to recreate this wonderful top. So far it's been going well so bear with me!