Two Saturday outfits

I've just finished a super colourful top using a pattern from an old NHK crafts magazine and cute cotton from Singapore:

I think it's the first time I've taken pics of this particular pattern but I've made a ton of these, it's such a cool and comfortable design! I love the different lengths at the front and the back and the A-shaped bodice. Normally the sleeves are longer but it is summer now and the shorter the better :) Also there were huge breast pockets on the original version but I didn't put them here because the print is so busy it wouldn't have shown much. And I had to add a front seam because I didn't have enough fabric to cut on the fold:

 Nice topstitching if I may say so myself!

That's my typical summer outfit, a fun, loose top and shorts or a half circle skirt, which brings me to the second part of this post...
... Two Saturdays ago I was invited to a wedding so I made a pistachio green crepe cropped blouse to go with a navy linen Cascade skirt:

So yes, you can tell I'm really into that cropped, hi-lo silhouette aka I get into trends eons after everyone else^^ I'm quite happy with the wedding blouse because the fabric moved a lot and I was surprised I managed to make a neat enough collar as well as a decent button band. But I didn't push my luck and used bias tape for the armholes and hem because I think it's definitely the easiest way of getting an even finish!

Favourite outfit of the moment

I haven't worn a dress or shorts in weeks because I've been living in blouse + skirt combos: I'm obsessed! And that's all because I found a nice little pattern that looks great tucked in skirts and has allowed me to use remnants I had in my stash. I took 04/2011 Burda magazine's 108 shirt dress, shortened it and curved the hem and the armholes so that they would end higher on the shoulders. I didn't sew the front darts for a more relaxed fit and didn't add the sleeves and I got the cutest sleeveless shirt ever :)

I made this one with bits of fabric that were left after I made a dress for my mum, it's navy cotton printed with tiny white raindrops, I finished the armholes with bias tape and the buttons are from my stash.

I HAD to show my beloved heart-shaped bag!

 

Here it is worn with a white linen skirt, it's self-drafted ie I put pleats on two rectangles and sewed them down to shape the waist, added belt loops and a side zipper et voilà:

I have two more shirts like this one, both made using remnants from past projects and I'm planning more!

Me Made May 2015

As I said when I wrote my pledge on Zoe's blog, last year I couldn't document my MMM because I was working two jobs - for a few months I was a vet's assistant in addition to giving my usual lessons after office hours and at the weekend. It was a wonderful experience, I LOVE animals so I'd literally fly to work because I knew I'd be with them and the vet and I would do our best to help them!
Unfortunately the doctor is quite old and he has almost retired since the beginning of the year except for emergencies so for now I'm back to teaching only, sigh :(
Anyway, this year I swore I'd wear at least two me-made things everyday, garments and accessories, which shouldn't be too difficult because now my wardrobe is almost completely handmade except for bras and jeans!
So let's start with day 01:

Me-made knit top and cotton skirt from Burda mag patterns, self-drafted handbag and the super cute star earrings were made by my friend Vanessa!

 Day 02:

Self-drafted poplin top, denim shorts from a Japanese pattern, earrings and bracelet made by me :)

Day 03:

Me-made knit tee-shirt copied from an RTW top and cotton shorts from a Japanese pattern.

Candy

In my town there's this small fabric shop where I didn't use to go because the items in the window were both impressive and incongruous, like very tricky looking silk or tweed when it's 32° but my addiction to fabric is so great that I finally entered, I thought maybe I would find something that I didn't already have -HA! So I went in and among the expensive European fancy stuff mentioned above there was the most incredibly fun collection of wax fabrics, not the classic yellow, burgundy and green based prints we usually have in Reunion but things like this:

Yes, these are awesome wrapped candies and a sweet sensation fills my heart just looking at them :) And these beautiful blue tones with a touch of mustard, I'm in love! They also had prints with hot pink, orange, even gold but I managed to restrain myself and only bought the 50 cm needed for my Burda mini skirt. I wore it with another new garment, a pussy bow blouse from an altered Japanese pattern -I simply drafted the ties and made a slit at the neckline:

And here's the outfit in action with the sun right in my eyes hence the strange faces:

This week's projects

Yes I sewed ANOTHER Burda knit top, this time in navy stripes on off-white background and I love it! The fabric is super soft, I'm happy I managed to match the stripes on the seams and I used a narrow zigzag to finish the garment even though my machine skipped a few stitches along the way :(

I also made a shift dress for my mum out of awesome fluo green piqué, it's her usual basic Japanese pattern and this time I added pockets so that I could put some huge daisy buttons that totally complimented the fabric IMO:

Mini skirt

I had a little fabric left from my latest Lolita dress so I used it with a basic Burdastyle skirt pattern that I slightly altered and got that cute little number:

About the changes, I only shortened the pattern length and added a 5cm wide waistband because I like it better this way.

Regular hand-picked zipper and fasteners at the back

Here it is worn with a black rayon blouse I sewed using the G pattern from the Sweet Dress Book, I LOVE this design and have already made several tops and even a dress from it. Also given the ongoing summer temperatures rayon is a pleasure to wear, it's the only thing I can bear with cotton!

A lot of whining and a little sewing

OMG that end of year was atrocious and I'm not even exaggerating: of all the stupid things to do for someone who never sets foot in nature I went for a 5-hour hike in the forest last week so of course I got days of horrible stifness and caught a nasty, nasty cold after that. Then on New Year's eve and on 01st I only wanted to stay at home and watch Attack on titan but some assholian neighbours of ours had to put their stupid stereo on maximum sound for 24 hours straight and make the whole house shake. Last but not least today we're going through a cyclone. How was your end of year^^
Since I didn't feel like going out this year I don't have any party garment to show you, however I did manage to make something for my last days at work, it's a repeat of the outfit from the previous post:

Suffering personified

The skirt is Burda 133 in heavy navy cotton, I didn't add the pockets because my mind was a foggy mess from the forest-induced cold and I just couldn't figure out how to sew them^^:

The top is design 05 from this Japanese book in aqua cotton veil:

Okay I've finished ranting, let me wish you all a very happy new year and see you along 2014 :)

A (big) bunch of tops

And they're all made from that Burda pattern using super soft knit fabrics from various local shops. Seriously I could live in these tops, they're so comfortable and with their demure boatneck and 3/4 sleeves they're ideal for work. Also I tried to make the most recent ones long enough to be worn with leggings, which worked okay and still the fabric's so light I can fold them or tuck them in when they're paired with skirts or shorts and there won't be any bulk.

A little Dora!!

I finished the neckline and sleeves by folding the fabric inside and using a medium zigzag seam:

As the white top which was too see-through, I had to line the upper front and back so the neckline was finished this way:

Also I've just found some navy with grey stripes knit in my stash so another one is definitely coming :)

First ugly duckling of the year

For a reminder on what ugly ducklings are please click here :) Today's garment actually fits twice in the UD category: first I can't believe I was attracted to that highly synthetic fabric in harsh electric blue -I LOVE blue but my palette for this colour's usually navy and pastel- and second its the first dropped waist dress I've ever owned. As is often the case I don't know why I woke up one morning with the strong desire to make such a garment but I followed my fancy and I'm very happy with the result!

I used a Japanese top pattern with bust darts for the dress, I lengthened it, changed the sleeves that I finished with elastic and added three rows of shirring on the hips.

 

Also here are the last three days of MMM13:
- on 29th I wore my nautical dress from an altered Burda pattern:

- on 30th my chambray V top from the first Stylish Dress book:

- and on 31st my self-drafted fruity cotton skirt:

Lots of thank you to the awesome Zoe for hosting MMM again this year, it was a pleasure to show my me-mades and above all I was amazed at how talented and stylish all the participants were!

Me-Made-May 2013 week four recap

Well after seeing last week's blue fest I did try to wear other colours which led me to a little stash-busting, so thank you MMM^^
On 22nd I wore a dress that I made using a mix of the T and Y patterns from the first Stylish Dress Book and printed cotton bought at Nomura tailors in Kyoto with plain black cotton for the front yoke and side ties:

On 23rd a new dress from a Japanese pattern with a sweet 60's flair found in an NHK book using yellow cotton with tiny white dots from my stash:

On 24th the chartreuse green Burda skirt with a blah purchased tee:

On 25th the same design as on 23rd this time using lilac polycotton from my stash:

On 26th my first sweat shirt OMG!! I found the pattern in a Female magazine and used grey jersey knit, it was so easy and quick to make and the result is so nice to wear that I immediately made another one in kelly green that I wore on 27th with my old navy Pochée shorts:

On 28th I wore the lilac dress from the 25th -I washed it before!-with a grey blended denim jacket adapted from a Burda easy pattern:

So 3 more days to go and I'm already sad that MMM is almost finished :(