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!

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!

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!

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€.

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!

My boyfriend's jacket

Hello! YEAAAAH I DID IT^^ I managed to finish the lined wool perfecto jacket for my boyfriend before his leaving tomorrow. He's going to spend the next 9 months in France so I wanted to make something warm for him, hence the wool and lining :) It was my first time lining a jacket -and drafting said lining since there wasn't any in the original pattern- of course I forgot a small piece at the shoulders and I had to add 2 patches but it really doesn't show much, I'm so happy! Well, that's relative since I'm awfully sad that my baby is going away, I think I also made the jacket to have something pleasant to think of as his departure was coming nearer. Anyway, here are the pics:

Unzipped front, the red lining is peeking :)

Zipped, and a white piece of thread somehow landed on it, tsssk

The back and the open wrists with the lining showing again.

In the meantime I made a little something for me, Rae's free buttercup bag, the upholstery fabric is Ikea and the lining is white gabardine, I love it! It was easy to make and I can already picture some nice variations for it!


See you and thanks again to all of you who read this blog and/or comment :)

Two tops

Hello friends, how are you? Today I have two tops to show you, I used a pattern from Female magazine for the checkered one and a pattern from Ottobre for the dragonfly printed one. The fabrics had been in my stash forever so I really needed to make something out of them! The black and white checks were a remnant from some of my favourite shorts -made in January- and I bought the dragonfly fabric in Tokyo in 2008. I know they're not big projects but they were so easy and pleasing to make, I was really glad to sew them and even more to wear them :)




Speaking of big projects, I'm working on a lined wool perfecto jacket for my boyfriend and I only have 3 days to finish it, wish me luck! See you!