Scallop fever #1

I guess I'm not the only one who noticed the plethora of garments with scallop details in sewing blogs lately (I also featured a couple of them). I really love scallops, so I was very happy about this, and I decided to try some of the tutorials that my lovely fellow bloggers provided.

I started with probably the easiest one, the Day to Night reversible scallop hem skirt by Megan Nielsen.
It's a very comfy and versatile high waisted elasticated skirt. I used plain black cotton on one side (yes, I wear A LOT of black, even in the summer) and on the other one, the same blue fabric I used for my last Macaron dress. I hate to waste nice fabrics and I don't mind having two garments in the same pattern.

If you're going to try this, be very careful with your measurements: my version is a little shorter than I would have wanted, I'm afraid I failed to calculate the extra lenghth needed for the hem. And I used to be so good at math at school!

You'll see more garments belonging to this "Scallop Fever" soon, but in the meantime I'll be busy with another challenge...
If you're feeling this "fever" as well, please post links to your creations, I'd love to see them!

Highlights of the week

1. This ascot bow tutorial at Here's looking at me kid is very simple but a great idea to make a simple dress more interesting.

2. An adorable cherry blossom plate how to I found in Ruche blog.

3. Another Lisette Passport dress, this time by liza jane sews. I'd really like to have this pattern, now!

More interesting stuff:

♥ At Grosgrain, a free blouse pattern from Colette and a cool t-shirt reconstruction how to.

♥ Casey shared a beautiful bow belt tutorial.

♥ Gertie gave a sneak peak of her book, with this amazing boning technique.

Happy weekend to all of you! :)

Inspiration: Prabal Gurung for J. Crew

Love everything about this mini collection: the colours, the volume, the shapes. My favorite is the pink blouse.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Moodboard Wednesday

Yestarday it was my boyfriend's first day at his new job, so I made a cake to celebrate. It was my first attempt at cheesecake and it turned out great (I followed this recipe), but the best part was the strawberry compote I made to go with it... So sweet! Now I have strawberries stuck in my head.

Highlights of the week

1. I've found Sarah's blog through Casey's and I've fallen in love with it. Love this dress (and I want her Swedish Hasbeens!)
2. I really liked this tutorial for an easy and cute dress by schwurlie.
3. These pants look great! Great job, Sherry.
4. Want to see a nice refashioning project? Head over to Miss P's blog!

Aaand that's basically it for today, I hope you liked these links
I also hope next week I'll be able to show you the last things I made and that I'm really really satisfied with.

Have a great weekend, people!

Moodboard Wednesday

Today I have even less words than usual, my mood is far from good, but I still hope you'll enjoy these images.

Polka dots Sencha

Yup, a completed project, finally!

It seems like from now on I'll be able to dedicate a little more time to sewing, and it makes me soo happy! Yesterday I managed to finish this blouse and to make a skirt (which I'll show you soon). It's amazing how sewing something relaxes me and makes me feel accomplished. I've already written this, but I missed so much some serious sewing time.

For this blouse I used Colette's Sencha pattern, version 3 (the one with the pussy bow!). I used a silk blend which wasn't too pleasant to sew, but it's very nice to wear. I cheated a little bit in the construction: since the hem was coming horribly (because of the slippery fabric and my lack of patience) I bound the edge with black bias tape and I'm very satisfied with the result.
I used raspberry colored buttons to add some contrast. I haven't decided if I love them yet, but if I notice that they make the blouse difficult to wear, I'm always in time to change them. What do you think of them?

One thing I like about this blouse is that it's very versatile: here I'm wearing it with jeans, but it looks even better with a cute high-waisted skirt to achieve a more elegant look. What I'm not too crazy about, instead, is the fact that the neckline is a bit too high and I feel a bit constricted.

Well, one could argue that it's another black and white garment made from a Colette pattern, but I hope you'll like it anyway. :)

Burda 06/2011

The preview of all the patterns is finally out (actually, it has been since before the weekend) and I'm glad to say that even if I wasn't a subscriber, I'd buy this issue just for this pattern:

I've been looking for a pattern like this for a long time, I was almost resigned to drafting it myself and then... hey, mr. Burda made me a surprise! I'll definetely change the straps, connecting them to the back panel and I'll probably add buttons to the front. We'll see!

This is the only other pattern I found remotely interesting. It seems like a comfy and cute dress for summer.

The rest of the patterns are either very basic (uhm, bland?) or not really of my taste, but as I've already said, I'm quite happy for the first pattern I showed you.

As usual, I liked the vintage issue. This time, the styling is Brigitte Bardot/ 50's inspired and I love the colours chosen for the garments.

 

Is there anything else you like? Please share your opinions!

Highlights of the week and an award

1. Casey posted a tutorial for a beautiful scalloped collar blouse. I think it's gorgeous, maybe because I'm a bit obsessed with scallops lately. Also make sure to check out her other tutorial, for a 1920s inspired chemise blouse at Grosgrain.
2. Zoe made a 50s inspired day dress. I adore the fabric she chose!
3. This clutch by animatrionika is so fashionable. But I must admit that I'm a fan of all of her creations.

Remember when I included a beautiful blouse by Charlotte in my weekly recap post? She's giving it away on her blog!

Finally, it's time for me to thank mokosha for giving me the Adorable Blog Award (sorry, I'm very late!). I'm supposed to answer some questions about me, so here we go:

 

1. What inspires you to name your posts?
It's usually the post itself (duh), or I often refer to song lyrics or titles.
 

2. Describe yourself in 4 words.
Nerd, lazy, independent, empathetic.
 

3. Favorite quote:
"I know I was born and I know that I'll die, the inbetween is mine. I am mine." (it's from a song by Pearl Jam).

I tag anyone who feels like answering these question and share something about them.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Moodboard Wednesday

I recently discovered Pinterest (thanks to my dear Merylu) and I've literally fallen in love with this site. There's so much... awesomeness! It's really inspiring and I've already discovered a lot of interesting stuff.
Anyway, I thought that I can get some content for my blog while I spend hours browsing through the site (seriously, it's a drug). I hope you'll like this new weekly feature and maybe get some inspiration from it.
Enjoy the eye candy!

 

Happy Mother's Day

My mom in the late 70s

After my recap post today, I thought my mom deserved a little post on her own.
This morning I handpicked a small bouquet of daisies for her and we ate tiramisu to celebrate her.
My mom has always been a big inspiration for me, she always worked so hard while being the best mother to her two children. She helped me to be creative since I was born and taught me to sew when I was a child, trusting me with her notions and fabrics (could I be so selfless with my stuff? mmh...).
I also want to share this picture I found recently of an outfit she sewed for me when I was 4.

Polka dot blouse and skirt, a ruffled collar with a bow and lace tights... Is it bad that these design elements still are probably my favorites, 20 years later?


Anyway, how did you celebrate your mum (or how did your kids celebrate you)?

Highlights of the week

Hi guys, sorry for being late again. It was a very busy week and a terrible one, but here are my favorite links:

1. A stunning retro ensemble from J.na Leśno-Marchewkowej. I really wish I could understand Polish to read what she writes!
2. Cute constellation embroidery tutorial (via Dan & Diana Hulme)
3. This dress is too cute! Great job, longredthread!
4. A romantic flower headband tutorial by Un chic petit.


I also want to mention the Sweet as Honey dress by Sweet Pie Bakery and nette's pattern for a cute button-up scalloped skirt. Go check them out!

In other news, I finally managed to SEW CLOTHES for myself. It seems ages since I made something for myself. It'a blouse and I'm currently finishing it, but I'm not sure I'll manage to take some pictures until next week. Anyway, it's a start, right? :)


Finally, tomorrow it's the last day to enter my Facebook giveaway, if you haven't entered yet.

Happy Sunday and happy mother's day to all the mums of the world!

Facebook giveaway

Happy monday, everyone!

I'm having a giveaway on my Facebook page. If you like the prizes pictured above, you can participate here.

Good luck!

p.s. A huge thanks to nette who gave me permission to use her Eva bag pattern for this giveaway.