I am a Laurel contest prize winner!

Hi everyone!

If you surf around the sewing blogosphere, you must have come across Colette's Laurel pattern contest. The results came in and I won the 2nd prize in the "Best use of fabric" category!


Let's have a little flashback. Back in March, Sarai launched what is the biggest sewing contest I have ever seen, to go with Colette's new spring pattern: Laurel. I decided to take part in it! I started with thinking about which fabric I wanted to use. I have sketched at least 15 versions, all crazier than the other. But my mind kept on coming back to the fabric I bought in Indonesia.

During our honeymoon, I fell in love with the process of painting Batik fabric: it is a cloth that is traditionally made using a manual wax-resist dyeing technique (for more info, please visit this page).
I purchased two different silk Batiks, and I decided to use one of them for the Laurel. It has a beautiful print, changing gradually to a beautiful edge print and I knew it would look great along the hem of the dress and also of the sleeves.

I chose to try for the first time the downloaded version, Living in Europe, I found it much easier and our cats had a lot of fun with the puzzle making process! Evidence below!

I had to upgrade the pattern, I went for the size 20 from the shoulders to the waist and for the size 22 from the waist down. I was a little afraid at first because I usually wear dresses that have a clearly marked waist but the quick muslin proved to be a great surprise. All I had to work on was the sleeves. They were a little bit too small. I also prepared my own bias to encase the neckline and the sleeves.

And here is the result! A few photos outside, and a few indoors too! It was really fun taking the photos. It was still quite cold out and there was static electricity, making the dress very clingy! I shook it off a few times, and I hope that my neighbors did not see it :)

I was so happy to see the results this morning! I have watched with a lot of distress all the wonderful versions of your pattern and I was somehow sure that I would not win anything because so many ladies made such a great job! I also thought that the fact that I am a plus size misses was not going to help out.

The results appeared in the morning and I bashed my colleagues ears in! Completely unable to focus on the stuff I was supposed to deal with! This prize made me feel so great about my sewing skills and ideas and also about myself. 

And this is not the only Laurel I made, I will post about the second next time! So tune in!

Bright Pink Coat from Gertie

In the last year, a few good books came out : Colette's, Gertie's etc. I have obvioulsy purchased both and I fell in love with both. I did a couple of projects from Colette and three from Gertie. Today, I will gush about one of them.

When I recieved the book, I skipped directly to the last chapter because I was so intrigued about what Gertie would create. I have been following her blog faithfully for years now. I have also participated to her Lady Grey and Crepe sew-alongs and they have helped me learn so much ! Gertie also has a highly contagious enthousiasm about pushing yourself to learn and create your opportunities in life. She is such a model...

From Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing, I made the Pencil Skirt, the Keyhole Blouse and the Coat. I will make sure I show you the other two items but today is all about the coat.

You may not know it, but I bicycle to work everyday, 40 minutes to go and 40 minutes to come back, on good days :) I needed a comfortable and WARM coat for the winter. I have actually tried a few other patterns before but no other muslin fit that well ! I had already bought some beautiful pink wool, grey/green/pink lining, and metallic buttons.

You will see in the photos that we had a pretty cold and snowy winter here in the Netherlands ! These are also the first real pictures we took in our garden.

First of all, I am in love with the shape of the coat : fitted on top, and loose on the bottom. It if perfect for bicycling because it stays snug and warm on top and comfy on the bottom. I chose to not make the belt that went with it. To me, the metallic buttons on one side are enough of a feature and the belt is not necessary. I did not have to change much to it, I only had to upgrade 1 size at the waist.

When I went to buy the fabric, I really wanted a contrasting lining. This one was perfect because there was a hint of pink in it. It is a tightly woven fiber, keeping the warm inside the coat. I have also used a really cook interfacing that gave great shape to the garmen AND added some warmth to it. I must say that the lady at my local store was the nicest.

One of my favourite part of the design was the sleeves. It was the first time I used sleeve darts and I must say that it makes SUCH a big difference ! I have also invested in a special button mecanism that secures them. I am also quite happy about the collar. I decided on not handstitching it. I have sculpted it with interfacing and steam instead, and so far, it has been holding its shape great.

The small details also make a coat. I went for bound buttonholes. They are still not as perfect as I wish but they are much better compared to what I would achive in the past. I have also handsewn the hem and the sleeves.

I have been living in this coat all winter long, and I am feeling (oddly) sad about having to leave it in the wardrobe during the warmer days ! This coat has brought a smile on my face countless times, especially when I got complimented on it. I would recommand this pattern to anyone !

How I made my bridesmaids dresses!

As promised, this one is about my big day !!! Mister and I got married on the 6^th October 2012. It was such a lovely day ! So this post is going to be about the garments of that day : my wedding dress (made by talented people), the bridesmaids dresses (all 3 made by me) and the flower girls dress (also made by me).

Quite early on, I decided to not sew my own dress. I knew that I would recognise every little problem it might have, and I had absolutely no previous couture or corsetting skills. I was also unsure on what would happen in the weeks before the wedding, and what if I would not manage to finish it ! I did not have an ideal dress in my mind, but I knew that I wanted either lace or organza. I went to shops for the first time in Belgium with my mum, and bridesmaids. This was probably the worst day of my life !

• Shop #1 : I wanted to start the day with cheap options. I tried a couple of dresses on. The lady was very nice, and very sorry that she mostly had sample sizes I could not try on. But I had a first glimpse of what a built in corset could do to my figure:)

• Shop #2 : They had dresses in my price range but more expensive than the previous one. When we came in, the lady said that we could walk around and pull out the dresses I liked, and that we would discuss it later. Oh yeah... When we had things pulled out, she put all of them back, telling me that they would not look good on my broader figure. She than pulled out uggly huge ones coming directly from the eighties. I wanted to cry. The worst thing is that all the dresses I would have wanted to try on were only sample sizes, meaning I could not even slip in them. They could only hold them in front of me.

• Shop #3 : Higher end, with lovely Pronovias numbers. Same sample size problem here. But the ladies were at least lovely. They did their best to give me an idea of what the dresses would look like on me. And I must say that completly fell for a Pronovias one. The problem was that I could not order someting worth so much money without really trying it on...

So I went back home completely depressed. But my quest was not over! A few weeks later, I went to another shop with Mister's sister. And I found my lovely dress, and loop, and veil !!! It is a strapless A line dress, with built in boning and lace appliques on the bust. It has a lining layer, a silk layer, and a dreped organza layer, gathered asymetrically at the waist to create a « slimmer » illusion. The veil was a crazy move ! I was getting married in a church, and I really wanted a long one. At the shop, they only had small or VERY long. And, let's be honest, once you try on the long one, you can never go back, no matter how many zeros figure in the price... Anyway, it made me feel like a princess and that's what it should be !!! Here is an extra photo with the bubbles after we said yes at the church

Now, let's talk about sewing ! I could not get married without some DIY action ! From the beginning, I knew that I was going to sew the bridesmaids dresses. The idea was to use the same fabric for all three but different patterns because all three have very different styles.

My cousin is younger and likes funkier things. From the beginning, she wanted an asymetrical dress, slightly above knee length. I sent her a few patterns ideas, and in the end, we went for McCall 6330. I LOVED working on this pattern because it has such an interesting design. I enjoyed the asymetrical darts and the effect it had on the whole pattern. It took me a while to understand how to sew in the strap but I found the process so interesting.

I did a muslin that my cousin tried out. There were a few tweakings to be done, I had to narrow ot on the top. Ideally, I would have done an FBA, but I had no clue on how to to it on this pattern as it has unusual darts, and is asymetrical per nature. There is also a supportive piece and the lining. All in all, I was too afraid to do anything wrong, so I used the good old « pinching while wearing » method. It turned out great !

The second dress I made was for a friend from university. She likes more classic things, and to be covered. Her requirement was that she wanted a knee length, a V neck, and something that covers the bra straps. From the ideas I sent, she chose Vogue 1235, from DKNY. It has a deep V-neck and pleats for both the bust and the skirt. The back, however, is gathered. The construction was very straightforward. After the fitting, I had to raise the neckline. The V was too low.

The last dress was for my other friend from university. She is more girly and like graments that are well fitted. She wanted layers in the bottom, and a fitted strapless top. I sent her a few possibilities but I knoew which one I wanted her to keep. I had fallen in love with it earlier in the spring. It is one of the two first Leanne Marshall. I woud not have ordered it for myself because I would not have any occasion to wear it and because simplicity patterns are very expensive and you cannot enjoy the same huge sales as for BMV. The shipping costs are crazy and my envelope stayed stuck two extra weeks at the customs !

But anyway ! At the muslin stage, I had to do the equivalent of an FBA as well. And she wanted the waist to be as fitted as possible. Constructing the garment was so fun ! I used boning !!! Boning is one of my favourite new things in the sewing world. The end result was awesome !

And here is the big reveal !!!

Aren't they beautiful ? All three purchased the same accessory and it worked great ! I am so glad I offered them the dresses because they have been so helpful and lovely and nice, they have also organised the best Bachelorette week-end (Harry Potter themed)

In the church

Sneakily preparing for their speech!

The icing on the cake ! I also made a cute little flower girls dress. I went for a simple Burda kids pattern from april 2010.

It is a simple trapeze dress with flounces. The idea was to have it white, with contrasting flounces made of the same fabric as the bridesmaids dresses. She was the cutest little girl EVER !

So, that was THE BIG WEDDING post :)

For those of you who are still reading, here is a foodie bonus !

Scallops tartare

Chicken with veggie gratin

Multi layered ice cream and sorbet cake

Back on the saddle, and introducing the kitties!

Last week end, Mister asked me when I last posted an entry on my blog. I looked, and it was in September 2011 ! Almost a year and a half ago...

So many things happened since then : I kept on working on my full time job, winter arrived, I planned a wedding (mine by the way!!!), we bought a house, we moved in the house, we went on a honeymoon and we adopted two lovely kittens ! All those days, I never really stopped sewing, but the amount of time and energy I had available for my crafty hobby was fully used for the actual sewing, and there was none left to write notes or take pictures to document said notes.

Introducing Wellington (the contortionist) and Napoleon (with the white nose)

I have now decided that I had to take more time for this blog, because I really enjoy it, and I miss it. Also because people kept on suscribing to it ! I have a lot of ideas of what I could write about. There are quite a few projects I have finished, involving Colette and Gertie patterns. But I thought that today would be a GREAT catch up on the last year, and especially on wedding related things:)

We had not one but TWO weddings. The first small one was the legal one, in the Netherlands, where we live with just the close family and friends. On a lovely July monday morning, we walked to the town hall to get officially married by the mayor. For that day, I actually made my own dress !

I had already purchased my big traditional wedding ceremony dress (coming in a later post) and I wanted something more quirky for that day, and mostly, something I could sew up in a week end, for less than 100 EUROS ! Challenge accepted !

I wanted a few things :

• lace all over
• a pop of colour
• bare shoulders
• short at the front and long at the back

I already had a brilliant idea for the lace. Where do you get cheap lace looking fabric in big pannels ? In IKEA ! And yes, I did buy curtains for almost nothing ! I also got a nice white fabric that had a minty sheen to it, to pair the lace with. And finally, I decided to go for a contrasting green lining. Ok, some of you may think that green does not bring any luck, but I thought that that was THE occasion to go extra crazy :)

Now, for the pattern, I stole a random top from one of my Burdas and I added an asymetric simple circle skirt to it. This was also my first attempt at boning, and I found those rigilene strips quite straightforward. They are so easy to sew on ! I have also made a simple belt with the contrasting lining. Now, we don't have a lot of pictures of that day, as it was a simple family lunch. But I'm sure you will get a great idea with this. This is me, and my lovely family :)

That's it for the first post! The next one will be about our big wedding day in Belgium! With the big dress. I will also talk about the bridesmaids dresses I made, all from different patterns but with the same fabric. Plus the dress of our cute flower girl!

The wrap (s)

Hi guys!

This post will be brought to you by TGV France! Right now, I am traveling in first class between Valence and Nantes, in France. And no, it's not a vacation, it is for work... But there are worst things in life right?

Today, I am doing a double post! Two dresses in one. One long, one short. One new fabric, one old from my Grand Ma's stash! Both were made with the same Burda pattern. It was in the April edition, but it actually is not available on the Burdastyle website. I have no clue why, because it was one of my favorites from that issue! For the magazine, they had made it in a nice flowy flower-y fabric. It was a little bit Liberty-like.

For the little story, I saw it back in April and I instantly liked it. It was back when I started my job, back when I thought I could keep on blogging every evening (by the way, I bow to any one of you girls/guys that manage!!!). April was kind of warm in Belgium and in The Netherlands, and I wanted to make a quick/easy/light dress for my training in Belgium. I had a nice thin plum and grey cotton I had bought a few months before. I was ready!

This pattern is only available up to a size 44 (European), so I did my usual upgrading trick. It was not really complicated. One back pannel, and two front ones. No darts... When you look at the technical drawing, it looks almost like a kimono, which makes it comfy, but the end result is really prettier then I expected...

It only took my Sunday to assemble and finish this one. I have just added stabilizing tape around the side hems and the sleeve arm holes. I have also forgotten about the pockets... I really LOVE the result. It is really flattering, and comfy, and light for warm days.

Two weeks later, I started getting really tired in the evenings, but I wanted to saw more and more. Also, in my travels back home, I read a LOT of magazines and I came across a few articles about the McQueen Resort collection, and great pictures of Mila Kunis in THIS gorgeous Maxi Dress.

I somehow remembered that I had a fabric almost like that in my stash. It came from my Grand Ma.

I was also being pretty lazy, so I just lengthened the same pattern I had used two weeks before. I also chose to not add the sleeves caps.

When it came to adding a belt, I had absolutely no fabric left and I tried to figure out something interesting to do. I remembered I had some black bits somewhere and I had the idea of a multiple belt. Kind of like an Obi belt... I ended up with three black straps for each front panel. Which means that the dress works so much better with my black shoes and a black cardi...

That is kind of it... I must admit, these dresses have been the ones I wore the most this summer. If the pattern was on Burdastyle, I would completely recommend everyone to give it a try, because it gives such a great instant gratification! I think that it would also be a great Tunic, slightly shorter then the dress.

What do you think?

Do you like wrap dresses?

Have you ever sewn one?

PS: Ok guys, I just got stuck with the train for 40 minutes in Paris, and it means I am going to prepare another post! I'll go for a Vogue number!!!

Un Beignet á l'Orange

Hello Earth!
I am currently back from the moon. Once again, it has been ages since I posted something, I know, but this time, I will not say that it is going to change completely. I have very long days at work, and I cannot seem to keep an empty week end. And the little Me-Time left, I sew... I also read blogs, and everyone is doing amazingly!

- Novita is making me think of my Grand Ma, as she posts about her mother.
- Alexandra makes me want to sew lingerie and to get a cute big dog!
- Carolyn and I must have bought the same book within the same hour.
- Mary makes me want to sew more Colette Patterns!
- Thanks to Alana, I know that a Colette Patterns book IS COMING!
- Liza Jane keeps on showing simple and cute things.
- Oona amazes me every time she does something. The bombshell dress was GORGEOUS!
- Tanitisis makes me want to sew for children, and to sew jeans...
- Patty became my favorite blogger. Honestly, I just want to do everything like her! Work in a sewing shop, give classes, have an awesome garage/sewing room, be patient enough to do patchwork, and go on week ends in a barn! And have a dog!
- Of course, I still love Gertie and Peter... They will always be my first loves ;)


But today is a great day!!! We took pictures of everything I finished in the past few months! 8 things! And today, I will reveal my lovely Beignet! The Beignet is one of the first Colette Patterns that was online. At first, I thought that it was not that exciting. But this is a pattern that slowly crept up on me. I saw a few bloggers' finished ones. I am also looking for different types of skirts as I seem to keep on going for A-line/ semi-circle ones.

DISCLAIMER: A few weeks ago, I took it out and worked on the pieces to upgrade it. The muslin was fitting great. As you will see in the next pictures, the waist in now too large... Especially at the back. That is good and not good... I have been losing weight (I bicycle more than an hour/day), Yeay! But it is a shame that the fit is already less good...

No, Patty, I did not copy the EXPEDIT... We already had it ;)

Anyway, as usual, the pattern was a pleasure. And I used almost no fabric for it! Colette patterns tend to be slightly addictive. I suspect Sarai to slip magic powder between the pages! The Beignet allows so many little cute details! And I went all out for this skirt!

1) ORANGE fabric!!!
2) Cute white and orange buttons. I love the contrast!
3) White fabric with orange polka dots for the lining. I wish I had bought more to make a blouse out of it!
4) White trimming for the hem of the lining, sewn on with orange thread...
5) And the whole thing works great with my shoes!

I got a little annoyed at those curves though... I know, it looks great afterwards, but even with clps and notches, I struggled...

I hand-stitched a blind hem. That was quite an achievement!

 Ans I am completely in love with the hem of my lining. For the first time, I used that decorative stitch of my machine. And let me tell you, I will do it again!

And of course, We will not part before a close shot of my shoes! I got them for sale in London! Right after visiting the Liberty Fabrics original shop!!!

That's all folks! All the pictures for the next post are ready! Which reveal would you like to see the most?

- 2 wrap dresses from the same Burda pattern?
- a Burda navy dress?
- a Vogue blouse?
- a Tracy Reese Vogue dress?
- a Vogue Cynthia Steffe dress?

It is yours to choose ;)

Have a great week!

The come back skirt

Hello peeps!

My last post was mid-april! Which makes 2 months without anything! Crazy right? Well, for my defense, I did have a month of training abroad, and then another month with the new job AND the Dutch course to study in the evening! Which is no more, because I passed the end exam lat week, and I passed with very nice grades! Yeay!

As long as sewing goes, I have finished a few pieces, and it is finally time to get out and take the pictures with Mister. And today, I introduce you the first thing I finished in April: a Semi-Circle Grey skirt!!!

With my Crepe blouse and my rain boots :)

I wanted a basic piece for work that is flattering and versatile. Something cute that you can wear with sober tones or with flashy colors! I have drafted the semi-circle pattern, which was pretty straight-forward. I have also decided to use a few extra details...

It has been raining during the whole month, and I just wish it was sunny yet!

- I wanted a high belt piece that does not lose its shape after 3 hours... This is why I fused a few layers of interfacing and topstitches a few raws on it. It is now nice and solid. It provides a very nice shape that cinches the waist in.

- I used some horsehair braid at the hem to give even more shape to the skirt. I do not like when they fall flat... And, at that time, Gertie was posting about them. It is actually so easy to use and it gives an instant reward!

- I wanted a fluffy lining. This is why I have actually cut a circle skirt for it. It was my first one ever, and it is so so easy too. I have added a cute trimming to it. You do not see it when I walk or sit or anything, but I know that it is there, and it is the most important.

And here we go... There are quite a few projects to come (dresses, dresses, and dresses...) AND a giveaway. This one will be a completely worth it! Trust me!!!

I am so glad that I am finally coming back to this!!! Have a very nice Sunday!