Summer dress anyone? :: Dressmaking Inspiration ::

*Do not forget to enter my current giveaway here*

There are a few reasons why I am keen to improve on my dressmaking skills - one of them is to able to recreate some items of my favourite fashion designers, for instance Maje, and save some pennies in the process.

I love Maje style but find sometimes that it just on the too-expensive side for me, especially when it comes to dresses - I hardly wear any so I am not necessarily ready to splash out. However I am a happy browser, and when I saw the Rayano dress in the flesh, I just knew I had to share with you this possible adaptation of the Cami dress, so you could have yours too (for a fraction of the price) - or make another Cami dress if you have the pattern like me!

Pattern: Cami dress by Pauline Alice Patterns (my version is here)

Fabric: I chose an organic eyelet fabric in 'natural', but I also love this organic blue fabric - if you are keen on red, you may consider this one.

Probable modifications: Remove the collar 

(whoohoo collarless, such an obvious modification); 

Maybe shorten it as well,

and Add more fabric to the get a fuller skirt.

Dress: You can buy the dress here. 

We are looking at a grand total of £55.00 which is not cheap of course, but still saves £250.00 on the Maje dress - a pretty good result - and of course allows me to make different versions of a pattern I already have (and get the colour and borderie anglaise detailing I want)! 

You can see my inspiration to make other designer garments here.

Love/Hate [Le Challenge] :: Sewing ::

Le Challenge is back... and as per usual, I made it just...and in fact this post is really late.. But dots was the theme, and dots I give you! Let's start by the only thing that comes to my mind when I think about this project - this fabric did my head in, but I love this top. It was so slippery, I just did not control any of the sewing process - ok maybe I did a bit because it does look like the Tova it is meant to be.

Not sure I have a lot to say, except that this is my favourite make ever. It a Tova but without the collar, it is much more my style. I applied a light fusible interfacing to the placket, and finished with a bias tape (although I really need to redo this for a better finish). I also shortened the top a bit. It is a tad on the small side at the moment (to encourage me to diet better..?!)

This fabric has been in my stash for at least a couple of years, and I have no idea where I got it from. I am surprised I actually like it on me, but that blue/grey really works for me - I suppose the dots/flowers add interest? 

Here you are I hated the process, but love the result - the perfect combination for Valentine's Day?!

Does 'dots' inspire you? Link in to le challenge here for a chance to win a voucher to the Fat Quarter Shop. 

Catching up - The Tibi skirt {Sewing}

I am slowly catching up with blogging - not much to be fair, catching up with sleep has become my priority these days. However when one of my makes appear on a blog, I will make time to read it. 

A while ago I had a post about the Tibi skirt - and had found a Butterick pattern that looked quite similar. Well, a skirt was made and now styled by Cee and appeared last week on her stylish blog. 

I followed the pattern except for the length - I added 12 cm. The fabric is a dupion silk - in a lovely midnight blue colour. I added horsehair braid (found here) at the bottom to give it more volume - following Gertie's tutorial.   

The pattern is not that hard, but the fabric was a bit of a pain, it frays quite easily and I spent some time trying to tidy the seams, and I am still not super happy with it. 

However I love the result - what a beautiful skirt for a fraction of the price of the Tibi one. I will try to make one with folds that match the real thing, so stay tune!

The Pink Ethical Tova | A Finish {Dressmaking}

I finished the pink Tova more than a month ago - but I was waiting for the pictures from our family photoshoot to arrive to share the result with you. There are a few more pictures in this post than the usual but if you have a very talented photographer taking pics - you want to make the most of it. 

You may notice that this Tova is pink - and I hate wearing pink. I am going to put it down to being pregnant and wanted something new. The (very loose) inspiration for this top is this shirt pinned on my style board on Pinterest. 

The Tova pattern is a great maternity wear pattern if you modify it slightly. All the modifications were explained here; I added another couple of inches at the bottom for more comfort (I was 7 months + pregnant at the time of the pictures).  

The embroidery pattern was larger to start with - but when I started cross-stitching it looked really weird, so I halved my pattern. I have it down somewhere if anyone is interested. It is not that complicated - except that I was for the whole time worried the two sides would not match. 

Of course I used the waste canvas method - I did say yesterday that I was cross-stitching everything! 

The fabric is my first purchase from the Offset Warehouse - an online fabric shop that stocks a wide range of ethical fabrics, trims, haberdashery and paints - and is based in the UK. 

I wanted a lightweight fabric and found this pink handwoven chambray (at £7/m it is quite good value as well). It was great to work with, and it is lovely to wear. The only thing is that I tend to wear this Tova a lot - and because it is hand woven, the weave is not as tight as for other fabrics - and it shows at the underarm seams. But it is not major. 

If you would like to buy ethical fabrics in the UK - this is a great place to start - for dressmaking of course.. 

I am so please with both the shirt and the pictures! My friend Debs Ivelja is a great photographer (worth checking out her website/facebook page). And you get a little snippet of where we live too! 

Also did you read Mr X Stitch post on Le Challenge this month - and his views on arts vs craft, even if you don't want to join Le Challenge it is worth a read. The theme this month is x and the winner will win a $25 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop and your choice of 25 close ended zips from Rickety Rose Crafts! 

PS: I love Baby MiH top, it is ethically made by Tootsa McGinty. 

Can normal sewing patterns work for maternity wear? #2

*For a chance to win one yard of organic cotton fabric dyed naturally

please make sure you enter the giveaway here*

After the fun and success of our first project together, we decided to sew together again.

So the aim is still to sew the SAME normal pattern, but the choice is probably more limited as we have to be able to adapt for maternity wear. In between the posts, we email each other of course talking about the process, what we learn, how we get on, modifications we are considering but also potential new patterns we should try. We will probably post one post together with our final garment, and another one explaining the modifications made to adapt them to our current shapes. 

Our first pattern was the TOVA from Wiksten. The second one is the Carme Blouse by Pauline Alice. There is a sew-along on Pauline's blog, and it provides instructions on how to modify the pattern for pregnancy wear.  

The Carme Blouse is a feminine shirt with a small mao style collar and lots of details! Depending on the fabric you choose, it has the potential to be very versatile, perfect for work or weekend wear. 

The pattern is definitely the most challenging one that we have used (ever), notably in terms of number of pieces you have to deal with but also the finishing (the pin tucks of course, but also the sleeves). All these details make the shirt look very professional in the end, and the sew-along makes the process as painless as possible. The instructions for this pattern are very detailed and full of illustrations. Now that the Carme is done, it really gives us confident to tackle more advanced projects.  

As for the fit, we both had to grade it, and still wondering whether the fit is right. It may be an idea to go one size smaller than the measurements suggest to make it more fitted, which will work better (even for the maternity version). A lot of bloggers have made a few versions of the Carme blouse for their wardrobe. The look is quite distinctive, and there may be some many Carme you would want to have in your wardrobe. The process may also deter us from making more of them, but it is probably not a definite no - just a no right now.

We would rate this an advanced intermediate pattern - there are few tricky bits and a lot of finishing to do (and many trips to the ironing board for those pin tucks!), and many pieces to handle (and try not to lose). Do choose a fabric that marks easily - there are a lot of things that will go on it. 

Have you made the Carme blouse? What was your experience? For our own modifications, check out our blogs in the course of the week! 

We have chosen our next pattern (with less pieces), and now comes the choice of fabrics - always an exciting part!

Maternity Wear # 2 - The EcoFabrics Top and a Discount Code | A Finish {Dressmaking}

These pictures were nearly never taken - this is our last shoot before we had to fly out of Brittany (ie a couple of hours before the flight was actually due to take off), but I am so happy we took the time to take the pictures. Of course on the blog, it is about the top and the fabric I chose, but I do love that picture with Baby MiH, showing his addiction to the sand, and me thinking, please please don't eat it.

Going back to this new pregnancy top... I have actually already made a top out this pattern (from a Japanese book, in French but honestly it is all about the pictures) - and in fact I took pictures of it back in Brittany whilst pregnant with Baby MiH - can you see why I was so keen to take pictures out there. 

I knew it was a great fit for pregnancy wear, but this time I wanted to have a much lighter fabric than Essex linen (this year's summer has been much hotter). 

Let's start by the minor modification for pregnancy wear. Although the pattern (cut in my normal size M) fitted me until I was 5/6 months pregnant without any changes the first time round (and I am a little bit smaller this time), I decided to add some fabric at the gathering stage at the front, in a similar way as with the Tova. I added 2 inches to the pattern (4 inches in total). I reckon I probably added another 2 months for pregnancy wear and it can still be worn as an oversized blouse when I am no longer pregnant. 

I also cut a size bigger for the sleeves, because the pattern seems to fit skinny arms only. I cut the sleeves in L, and added another 1 cm when cutting the fabric. 

The fabric, well let me tell you, I am very excited about this. My readers will know that I am trying to find fabrics/craft supplies that are ethical and environmental-friendly - and this is my first find. I had been looking for a while on the net, and then thought of Etsy - and this is where you will end up on the Eco Fabric Store run by Vishruti, which stores organic, naturally dyed fabrics.

And it is quite hard to find fabric prints that I like, and fit with my sustainability aspirations, that I wanted to know about more about Vishruti and her shop, and share it on the blog so that if you buy her fabric, you too will feel part of the Eco Fabric Store story. 

Hi Vishruti, how long have you been interested in environmental friendly processes in the dyeing of fabric?

Since my teens, I have always been interested in Eco, Organic, Recycled, Earth-Friendly ways of living. It is something that was a part of my lifestyle even before I knew it. My businesses too always reflect the same sentiment and values.

Tell me more about the Eco Fabric Store and its values. 

The Eco Fabric Store was born recently on March 21, 2014, and is based in Mumbai in India. However I have another 3 other shops on Etsy , so technically I am an Etsy shop seller since February 2009. You can only find me on Etsy at the moment, but I am planning to build my independant website as well. 

All my fabrics are Eco Friendly and Earth friendly. The yarns are natural and are hundred percent biodegradable. We also offer a variety of fabrics made from Eco and Earth friendly fibers such as Organic Cotton, Bamboo, Hemp, Soyabean Protein, Banana and Ahimsa Silk. 

I used to have my own organic cotton garmenting and manufacturing unit which was certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards) . However I closed my unit because of my marriage and moving to another city, but kept very good contacts and friendships with the certified mills I used to work with and all the fabrics that I am selling on Etsy are from those certified mills only. I work with local communities, and all her products are a representation of local communities, paying fair wages and generating local employment. These are stringent tests that they have to pass to gain the certification.

What dyeing process do you use?

The naturally dyeing process is a GOTS Approved Natural Dyeing (also referred as Vegetable dyeing, Herbal Dyeing). We have developed the expertise to dye/print with flowers, roots, fruits, etc.  like turmeric, onion, myraballams, madder, kesu flowers, dhavadi flowers, natural indigo etc. This not only prevents water pollution due to replacement of petrochemical dyes with vegetable dyes/natural dyes,but also imparts medicinal value to cloth as many herbs used for dyeing are having high medicinal value. Also, this is not a newfound process, it was a common practice in ancient India. Historically done by hand and on small scale.

Do you design the pattern? 

Yes, being a designer, I also design fabric patterns. I also take personal or custom orders from clients who like to create a range or produce a custom line for themselves only. I also have a little block printing space where I create fabrics prints using unique OOAK wooden blocks for myself and my family. 

What can we expect to find in your shop? 

Hopefully there will be more designs available each season, and very soon trimmings. However working with nature needs me to work according to its moods ! For instance the rainy season doesn't allow the natural dyes to dry soon. There is also high humidity issues which causes certain pigments to coagulate which is why certain colours cannot be prepared in certain seasons. For updates, you should like her Facebook page. 

And because Vishruti is such a nice person, you can use the discount code: MADEINHOME10 to get 10% off any purchase in her shop.

As for me, I cannot wait to get started on other projects using the other fabrics I bought in her shop. I am also really tempted by her new tribal print, and I have noticed that she has posted an amazing dark red version of it. 

The ubiquitous Tibi | Inspiration {Dressmaking}

There are a few reasons why I am keen to improve on my dressmaking skills - one of them is to able to recreate some items worn by fashion bloggers I admire the wardrobe of, and save some pennies in the process. 

Maybe you can see I am already fed up with being pregnant and thinking of my post-pregnancy life (to be honest hot trains are not helping). For a few of you it may be the wedding/summer parties season, and I thought you might be interesting in seeing my inspiration board for the Tibi skirt which currently retails at £495.00 at Net-a-Porter. This is not the most expensive designer item I have my eye on - but still, it is cheaper to make it.  

Pattern: B5929 from Butterick (easy pattern); 

Fabric: there are different colours available on cheapfabrics.co.uk; but one option could be the Dupion Silk in wine which should shimmer a bit to add that touch of gamour

Probable modifications: Lengthen the skirt - to get the Midi Tibi skirt look. 

You could also adjust the pleats if you felt you need more, smaller ones

Tibi Skirt: You can buy it on NaP for £495

So let's do the maths.. 

You are saving quite a bit but what attracts me to this project is that you could really adjust the size of the patterns according to your morphology (as in I have 'usually' a small waist and big hips in comparison). Also it is a great staple garment to have in your wardrobe as there are a lot of inspiration out there to make it work for more casual or glamorous looks. And Butterick says that it is an easy pattern - I do not have a lot of experience with Butterick so hopefully easy does mean easy..  I do love that look with the stripey top - this is will be for next Summer for me, hoping it inspired you! 

You can see my inspiration to make other designer garments here. 

Maternity Wear #1 - the TOVA | A finish {Dressmaking}

Here is the full Tova post that explains it all. Unfortunately I am not going to impress you with wonderfully clever modifications to this pattern to work for maternity wear. It was really easy to make it work for my bump, which I suppose is a good thing as the last thing I can/want to do at the moment is making some weird mathematical schemes to change a pattern. 

And all the credit goes to the pattern - which is well-written and with an interesting construction - without being too complex (the front and the back are cut on the fold). To be honest the limited number of pieces worried me around the bust area - which is doing its own thing at the moment - I was wondering whether it would be too lost or too tight.

Although it does not appear in this post (I did post on IG), I actually made a proper muslin for this pattern. Not wearable at all - a proper muslin just for the sake of understanding the construction and whether it would work on me, what a concept! There are two things that became really clear: a dress would not work on me (it looked so wrong) and that the fabric needed to be light-weight because of the amount of gathering involved at the front. 

The amount of gathering seemed adequate from the start (I made a headstart by reading other bloggers' experience), and the top should see me through my pregnancy for at least another 2/3 months. 

As I am destashing, I had to use fabric from my stash. I am so happy I actually bought fabric that I liked, otherwise project destash would be a right nightmare. You will have already recognised the fabric - Nani Iro Spring 2014 collection, 100% cotton double gauze that I got from Miss Matatabi. 

I made a huge (well probably not huge, but huge for me) Nani Iro order, so expect more Nani Iro to appear in my project destash. 

I made a few modifications to the pattern, but only one to adapt it for maternity wear and that is to add 8 inches to the gathering piece (so 4 inches on the fold to the pattern - I basically added a rectangle to the pattern). In terms of size, I did the L (12/14 in the UK) - one size bigger than my normal size - but once I had done the French seams, it is probably a big M/small L (10/12), so my normal size. 

Other modifications made were:

• to make a slimmer placket (from 1 inch recommended by the pattern to 3/4 inch)
• to shorten the sleeves by 2 inches
• to take in 2.5 inches from the bottom of the top ( I kept the length in case out of proportions like with my first pregnancy)
• also I had issues with the collar when I made the muslin, so added an inch on each side to the collar pattern to ensure I have enough fabric to cover adequately the collar (this may be a problem because of the fabric I used for the muslin)
• And I used French seams everywhere except on the side. I love French seams! 

The finishing is really what makes this top so special - and I received a lot of compliments (at work and from friends) - probably the combination of an interesting fabric and a well fitted garment. 

And in case you are wondering how long I could wear it, I asked the wind just to show you how far and wide I could go. I am looking very impressed! 

I am wearing; handmade top; my friend's pregnancy jeans from H&M; 

Pikolinos shoes seen here; sunglasses, Tiffany's from a long time ago; 

necklace, thrifted (one of my best purchases) 

You can find Michelle's modifications here if you are not pregnant (so nearly all my readers right!) and would like to know more about the dress version. 

Also I have to tell you a very random fact, nerdy sewer that I am, French seams are translated as English seams in French. Amazing! 

Oh, to own a Jonathan Saunders bomber jacket! | Inspiration {Dressmaking}

There are a few reasons why I am keen to improve on my dressmaking skills - one of them is to able to recreate some items of my favourite fashion designers, today Jonathan Saunders, and save some pennies in the process. 

I love Jonathan Saunders style - quirky but classic, but I cannot really justify the price, especially for a jacket I would only wear occasionally. But isn't it beautiful? Surprisingly (yes there is some pink involved) I love the colour combination too! But, here is the thing, I could be making my own... 

Pattern: the Rigel Bomber jacket from Papercut; 

Fabric: I chose a Floral Embroidered Dupion from Joel & Son which is not as shiny as the embroidered silk used in the designer model but could work. I am also very (very keen) on this colourful version. 

Probable modifications: Not sure whether it will be a modification as such, but a lot of care will have to be given to matching fabrics. 

Bomber Jacket: You can buy it on NaP for a mere £1,495.00

So let's do the maths...

This would be one of the most expensive garment I would be making - but still at a bargain price compared to the designer version. Although before I get started on this, I would definitely do a muslin - just because I know I would be scared to cut into that fabric and mess it up. 

However I have seen a lot of sewists' versions of that jacket, and it does look like the real deal on them, so it would be worth the investment. 

Good thing that Baby MiH is cute | Le Challenge {Sewing}

Beware this post relies a lot on Baby MiH making his T-Shirt look good. And even with a lot of pouting, it is still looking a bit weird on him. I am however loving that at 16 months, he does not mind wearing whatever I put on him without too much drama queen action (and he has some good actions believe me)! 

So this month's theme for le Challenge was bright - and honestly it was easy, and who knows why I did not start anything before yesterday. I heard a song about 'bright stars' on the way to nursery and it made me think of the gorgeous fabric (I love that fabric) I bought for Baby MiH from Ma Petite Mercerie - and then came back the crazy idea of sel-drafting a Tshirt for Baby MiH. 

Action baby - and yes it is 6.30am and he is pouting...

Everything that could go wrong probably went wrong - except that it actually fits him and it looks like a T-shirt, which are surely basics to be happy with!

Check out the shoulder pads as if it was the 80s! - extra fabric, and heavy stitching did that.. Also, you cannot see it, but the sides are not symmetrical - all very wonky. 

I had the right idea with the stitching, I think, but the actual coming together is not that great. 

Look Maman I can see myself in your phone, I am just too cute!

But he still loves me... And I promise I would make him a better version of this. I was very careful with the cutting of the fabric to make sure I had some left for another one - ... Better search the net for a proper pattern, drawn by people who know what they are doing. 

Hope you had more luck with your Le Challenge, and, I will just add a new Tshirt to my to do list and may start on the next Challenge as soon as the theme is out tomorrow...