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!

Birthday outfit

This year I made a matching crop top and skirt in some beautiful, colourful cotton fabric from Stof!

The pattern for the top is altered from the bodice of my tnt babydoll dress and it closes at the back with wooden buttons:

The gored skirt is a vintage Style pattern that I have already made many times:

I love this fabric so much, I got super inspired when I saw it! At first I wanted to make a sleeveless maxi dress with it but then I knew I wouldn't wear it often, whereas a top and a skirt are more versatile, I can match them with other garments. I'm so happy with the result I can see other ensembles like this one in my future :)

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.

Wild thing

I hadn't sewed this particular 70's skirt pattern in a looong time but I had the perfect fabric for it, some heavy but flowy leopard print cotton from Japan and after a few hours I got this:

The pattern is simple and quick since you cut a center and a side piece four times each and the waistband is a rectangle folded in two. I added belt loops and hand sewed the zipper and the hem, which was made using some bias tape because I wanted to keep the skirt as long as possible:

Of course I adore my skirt and it's going to get a lot of wear because it goes well with simple tees as well as cropped tops :)

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:

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!

Cascade skirt and vintage top

Living on a tiny rock in the middle of the sea means you can never be sure if and when your orders from outside may arrive so thank you technology for printable patterns! Today's garments were made using different era and style pdf patterns but I'm equally happy with both :)

 Also can you guess which photo was taken the day after my Kirin and sake fueled night?

Let's start with Megan Nielsen's Cascade skirt which had been in my mind for a loooong time -as well as the Tania culottes but this is for another post. I love everything about this skirt, the awesome train-like back, the flouncy, glamourous front panels and of course the fact that it's super easy to sew: tracing, cutting and sewing took less than one hour and as for hemming I folded the fabric to the inside and used a zigzag seam all along because I'm lazy like that. Naturally I had to fiddle with the waistband and make my own which didn't change much in the end except that I made the second buttonhole on the wrong side and had to cheat with a sewn-on button to keep the symmetry. 

Now I chose to make the skirt with some amazing vintage cotton fabric I found in my usual local treasure shop, the colours and print are beyond gorgeous and it gives a very 70's vibe to the skirt IMO, however given the layout of the pieces I ended with vertical waves and people in boats in the back, I can't decide if it looks horribly bizarre or if it's okay.

As for the top it's a halterneck pattern from the fifties which I purchased here, since my test garment was a bit large I altered it but it ended a bit tight, especially in the decolleté area. Well I'm fine with modest necklines so I'll wear it anyway!

The bodice is cut on the bias, there's a peplum in the front and the back is made in one piece with darts. I moved the zipper from the side to the back because I think it looks neater there. And yes I have already paired the top with the skirt and they worked really well together but sadly I haz no pic :(

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 :)

Sewing for the family

I've been suffering from atrocious bouts of selflessness lately and as a result I made stuff for my relatives! It was my cousin/bff's birthday a few days ago and I made her a -if I dare say so- GORGEOUS jacket, I'm waiting for her to take a pic of it because of course I never thought about doing that when I had said jacket in my possession^^.
Meanwhile here's a t-shirt I customised for my mama using appliques, I found the shapes in one of my Mrs Stylebook magazines:

I had never tried appliques because I was afraid it would look a bit cheap and badly done but the result's actually quite nice, now I want to put some everywhere! I used two-face fusible interfacing, fabric scraps of course and finished the pieces with a narrow zigzag machine stitch.
I also made her a navy cotton skirt, the fabric has a beautiful embroidered, scalloped edge that gives the simple A-line design a lot of class :) And yes she has stolen what used to be MY Liberty top :

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 :(

Me-Made-May 2013 week three recap

OMG I think I have never worn that much blue in a row!
On 15th I wore my 70's denim skirt with a sweet Uniqlo tee:

On 16th a blue wax dress with plain black yoke adapted from a Burda mag pattern with the refashioned denim jacket:

On 17th the usual 70's dress pattern, this time in navy Japanese cotton:

On 18th a 70's skirt in cotton veil and a 70's kimono jacket in navy raw silk:

On 19th the same jacket with my cropped trousers in navy ponte from a Japanese pattern:

On 20th a brand new self-drafted blouse in light blue crepe graciously gifted to me by my bff for my birthday with a 70's skirt in fruity navy cotton fabric:

I made self-covered buttons for the back.

On 21st I wore a self-drafted shirred maxi dress in white and blue cotton lawn and the refashioned jacket: