A typical bi-day outfit or why I love sewing

So today as is often the case, I've had the morning free and I'm working later which means I'll wear two variations of the same outfit, one to go walking and shopping and the other for more professional purposes. Here's the freetime version:


My eternal me-made denim shorts paired with a new top, the I've-almost-tamed-that-damn-fit version of New Look 6808 that I managed to squeeze in a yard of quilting cotton bought on sale. Even though I forget to take pics of them I've actually made a few of these tops and I like to add little changes from one to the other. For instance here I've bound the neckline and sleeves with navy bias topstitched in white and I've put a little bow on the side. I'm glad I found this fabric because it's super cute with its pink and blue confetti print and also because it was a real bargain since it went from 19€ to 6€ a yard -yes, that shop has crazy prices but fortunately there are plenty others which are much more affordable where I live :)

Close-up of the fabric and details and maybe a hint of the side handpicked zipper

Back to the outfit, as you can see it's pretty laid back and nice to wear in the current summer. Now for the teaching version, well I'll put on some jeans, pumps and I'll bring a pale yellow cardigan and that's it:

I LOVE my dazed face on this one, you can tell my baby cat was acting the fool behind the window^^

I don't think I have to ramble on and on about why I love sewing so much, obviously it's just too excellent to spend the entire day in stuff you've made yourself! Have a nice week and see you soon!

I got awarded!

Indeed I received a Versatile Blogger Award from the amazing Jeyco, OMG if you haven't checked her blog already you must go, she's beyond talented, the dresses and coordinates she makes are incredibly gorgeous! Thank you again for this award Jeyco!
Here are the rules for this award: add the VBA badge to the blog (since I have no idea how to do it I'll pass on this^^), list 7 facts about you and then give the award to 15 bloggers -don't forget to tell them.
So 7 very random things about me:
- my favourite flowers are peonies
- I love eating (no meat!) and drinking so I often need to go on a quick diet if I want to keep wearing the clothes I make :)
- I have never worked a steady job, I'm literally allergic to routine
- since I live in a small and remote place I love going abroad every year and seeing other cultures, landscapes and weather
- my favourite fabrics are cotton and rayon
- I don't watch much TV, only the news and the French version of the game Going for Gold
- I've been a Hello Kitty fan all my life!
Now I found 8 very interesting bloggers whom I haven't given any awards to yet, so there you go:
Sewing Through the Motions
Adventures in Adventuring
Ayenforcraft
Carly makes stuff
House of Pinheiro
Invisible Flower
Is That Sew?
Petticoats and Peplums
See you!

Navy Ceylon dress

Finally, my first Colette pattern! I waited for eons before buying it but in the end I couldn't resist this beauty with its low waist, full skirt, cute bust gathers and heart neckline and puffy little sleeves:


I waited notably because I knew I would have a lot of adjustements to make to have a decent garment but the good news is I'm seriously happy with how the dress turned out :)
So let's see how I got the best out of that Ceylon! First I don't have a classic, hourglass figure -I'm more of a bloc actually- and second my sway back problem is getting more and more visible therefore I needed to redraft the waist pieces. Indeed when I tried on my size 6 muslin 1) I looked awful and 2) there were lines running from the waist side to the front pulling the fabric in a most horrid manner. I cut both waist pieces in two along the waistline and lengthened them by 1cm before straightening the very curvy outer lines: these operations helped me with the "blocky" body problem. To accomodate my swayback issue I added an extra centimetre in the centre of the front piece while I removed one at the back, going back to the original back centre length:



These operations solved my main fitting problems but I still had some work to do:
- I shortened the back yoke piece by 2.5" to get rid of fabric bulking;
- I lowered the neckline by 5/8";
- I redrafted the shoulder yokes to make them a little smaller around the neck;
- I shortened the sleeve heads by 1".
Phew^^! Now here's the dress:




I LOVE it! Not only is it a flattering design but it's very comfortable, I used some navy bedsheet so it's light and soft, I didn't even complain when I had to sew the 16 buttonholes and their little heart shaped buttons:


And it helped me in my stash-busting mission since I used some polka dot remnant and old pinkish lace for the inside:


I won't sleep until I've made another one! Have a nice week, see you!

My Christmas dress

In March, why not^^ Well I hadn't had the opportunity of taking pics of it until today hence the late post. After seeing and falling in love with Camelias and Crinolines' Christmas dress last year I got totally obsessed with poinsettias fabric and I desperately wanted to sew myself a vintage dress out of it. So imagine how I felt when I came across this on etsy:


It has red AND pink poinsettias, roses, holy, buds, pine cones and even peonies, it's light as lawn and I had 5 yards of it for $5 :) I used my favourite Advance pattern and here's what I got:



It's such a fun dress to wear, even though it's Christmas-themed I don't think it shows too much, especially when accessorised with simple, natural accessories:


See you!

I made a dress...

... or two! Today I'd like to tell you about two variations on a Japanese pattern from the second Stylish Dress Book. The design is M, it's a short-sleeved babydoll dress with daisy embroidery and rik rak around the neckline:


How cute, right? I love that dress as it is and I will probably make it one day but first I wanted to try it a little differently :)
For the first version I used some striped rayon -talk about stash busting! I bought it in francs- and purple cotton. When I was younger I used to be a bit (a lot) of an anime geek and black and white striped garments with dashes of bright red, pink or purple are quite the rage in some of these, so I had always wanted to make something in this spirit. Well I'm happy to report that the result doesn't look too costume-y to be worn^^:




I cut a size 9 but I lowered the bust darts by 1" and lengthened the bodice by 1" too. I cut the back in one piece to avoid extra volume -it's a habit when I sew with Japanese patterns unless I want to end up with a parachute- and I added the tie to give the dress a little shape. It's very comfy, the fabric stays cool despite the current high temperatures and I even have enough room for my large back, shoulders and arms.
That's why I'm a bit disappointed that the other dress I made with the exact same changes and even an extra inch in the sleeves turned out a little tight to say the least^^. I used red poplin and I could finally start to bust my velvet ribbon stash with it! It doesn't look bad but I have a hard time moving my arms in it:

You can't see them but there are two velvet ties at the bodice's sides.

I guess a stiffer fabric will make a difference! I'm going to try and wear it to the restaurant tonight -I hope yummy Chinese food won't go into my arms first- because at least there's plenty of room for my belly^^ Have a nice week, see you!

The Hem-isphere challenge: part one!

Hello everyone, I hope you had a nice weekend, I got a bit busy and so I couldn't post at the same time as Zoe the Grand did about the outcome of our first Hem-isphere project!
Here's a pic of the awesome nautical themed vintage top she made from my modest offerings^^:


For this miscellaneous swap Zoe had sent me two dress patterns from the 60's and 70's and yards of blue checkered fabric -and a cute little badge^^:


I had chosen the mini smock dress and had made a muslin and it did look great but when I laid the pieces on the final fabric I realised that I would wear my garment much more if it was a simpler top. Enters the second Stylish Dress Book and its "U" tunic that I was dying to try and here's my absolute favourite top of the moment:



I didn't put the sleeves and the gathers at the hem and I like it as it is! As always with Japanese patterns it was very straightforward, a front and a back piece and a collar on the bias and that was it.
I'm really grateful for this challenge, the first episode was so much fun, I can't wait for the next one! And PS I made the denim shorts too and I'm wearing them all the damn time :) See you soon with more creations!

Valentine's Day dress

Warning: smug face pics ahead.



Well, what can I say, I LOVE this dress! First, its origins deserve a little explanation: by now you must think that being French sucks, what with all the sh***y trouble with that damn Euro but on the other hand did you know that we can purchase a SIMPLICITY AND NEW LOOK PATTERNS MAGAZINE every 3 month?! Dozens of US patterns in all sizes that we would otherwise have to pay 12€ one are ours for 6€! I found the pattern to today's dress in the latest issue of this "Tendances couture":


I made a muslin first because I wasn't sure of the sizing which strangely varies from one model to the other, I had some minor adjustements to make regarding the neckline -I'm not a fan of deeeep décolletés- and center back seam and after that the dress came together like a dream!
I used black cotton lawn with a slightly Japanese print -yummy chrisanthemums- that I found in a local shop and I lined the bodice with black polycotton. I'm quite happy with my lining since I didn't follow the magazine's steps -I actually have a hard time understanding them- and I had to plan how to proceed.



Oh and just for your information, a few minutes after those photos were taken I went out and got showered by some unexpected rain :( Fate is against me^^
Happy Chocolates' Day anyway, see you!