Last post of the year

2012 is almost over and everybody in the blogosphere has been reviewing their year of sewing, so who am I not to do it?

First of all, a final look to 12 in 2012; the only progress I made since my last check-in are:

✄ Draft a bodice sloper    → I didn't do it myself, but I finally have my own sloper. I'll blog about it soon.

✄ Knit a garment         → It's actually more of an accessory and I haven't blogged about it yet, but I'm exercising my knitting muscle.

✄ Hosting a sew-along   → Sureau Sew-along.

It definitely wasn't a good idea to take this commitment, I almost always sew on a whim and I'm terrible at sticking to plans.
That's why I'm not going to do anything similar for 2013. My only resolution is that I'll still try to post at least once a week, but for the first part of the year I will need to focus more on real life stuff (sigh).

Some of the things I sewed this year that I like the most are:

My Madeleine skirt...

My Tutti Frutti Cambie dress...

My Kelly skirt...

The crown definitely goes to my Doe-printed Sureau, probably the things I love the most in all my wardrobe. The fact it spawned from a beautiful collaboration with Eléonore makes it even more dear to me.

Notice that all these garments are made from indie patterns... Definitely not a surprise to me!

Happy New Year, everyone! 

Burdastyle Magazine 01/2013

I'm incredibly late with my Burda review, but I promise you haven't missed much.

Speaking of being late, for all of those who are wondering why there was no review of La Mia Boutique in December, that's because no issue came out. They wrote on their Facebook page in early December that they were experiencing some technical issues; a week later they wrote that their magazine wasn't going to close down (WTF?), then two days ago they thanked their fans for their support and they are hoping to give us good news soon. They didn't say anything at all about the next issue, which I found a little disrespectful for their subscribers... A little more transparency might have been appreciated.

Anyway, back to Burda. Let's start with some gorgeousness:

As I said, gorgeous! This neckline is to die for.

I'm not going to write that this photo sucks in terms of showing the garment in a clear way, but you know I'm thinking it.

Very simple, but very flattering and chic.

I don't really understand the necessity for three horizontal seams if you're going to use the same solid fabric for the whole dress... Suggestions?

I think this dress has huge potential but it looks a bit dowdy in the photo, definitely because of the color... and maybe because of the sleeve length? Is the dropped waist a bit awkward?

It looks like it has a low neckline in the back, which might be very interesting.

I'm curious to know what that dashed line at the waist means.

I'm usually not too into the loungewear patterns, but there are some very cute ones in this issue, like this long-sleeved t-shirt here. There are also some cute pants and cardigans in this issue.

I could stop this post here, because I wasn't hugely impressed by anything else.

BUT.

Burda included some Fasching (i.e. Carnival) costume patterns in this issue, and they are creepy as shit, so I had to include them.

WHAT?

 RIDICULOUS rendition of a Darth Vader costume and the photo is extremely creepy.

 The costume idea is cute, but this photo gives me the chills for some reason.

And this is awesome.

I need to be careful not to show this to my boyfriend, or I'll have to make him an adult version of this Yoda costume asap.

DIY Lannister cushion cover

Be aware: this post is very nerdy.

I think I already mentioned it in the blog, but I'm a huge nerd of "A Song of Fire and Ice" by R.R. Martin.

As many people, I caught the bug when "Game of Thrones", the tv show inspired by the saga, came out and I quickly went through all the books and became very fascinated by this world.

My friend Mauro read the books alongside me, and we spent many dinners talking about the books (while my boyfriend was bored to death and tried in vain to join the conversation).

Anyway, since my friend is definitely Team Lannister, I made him this cushion cover as a present.

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I used a pre-made IKEA cushion cover (honestly, it was so much cheaper than making it myself).
Then, I used this image for the applique: I used this site to print it in a bigger scale, then I cut around the silhouette of the lion head, pinned it on some yellow felt and cut it. 

Sewing the felt applique on the cushion cover was trickier than I thought and the end result is not perfect, but I'm happy with it. I'm actually thinking of making one for me inspired by House Stark...

I didn't think to take photos of the process because it was very straightforward, but if you want to know more, don't hesitate to ask.

I still haven't given my friend his present, so I hope he doesn't end on my blog by accident or I'll spoil his surprise!

Finally, for all you fellow nerds:

Sureau Sew-along: Your finished Sureau!

Today we're celebrating you and the work you did on your Sureau!
I'm sorry I can't show all the beautiful dresses you posted on the Flickr group, but here's some of them.

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Amanda of Bimble and Pimble is from Australia, so while we're all freezing our butts off, she's enjoying summer in her new beautiful floral Sureau. You can read more about it on her blog.

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Would you say this fabric costed Marilolou just 1euro per meter? She sure made it look a lot more expensive than that and the addition peter pan collar makes the dress even more adorable. Great job!

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I really think florals work perfectly for this pattern, and Sabs' dress is definitely a confirmation of my theory. How cute is her version? She used an invisible zipper and added pockets (brilliant!), and you can read more about it on her blog.

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Last, but definitely not least, probably my favorite version out of all, Alisonrea's dress.

Her fabric is just divine, and I love both how she shortened the sleeves and how she styled it. Not to mention, she was incredibly fast and finished before we even started! :)

Here's her post on her Sureau.

I really want to thank one last time each one of you sew-alongers for spending this time with me and Eléonore. I hope you had fun and if you haven't already, please keep on posting your finished project on Flickr!

(And I have one more Sureau to show, life got in the way of taking photos, but it's coming soon!)

Lastly, good news for all of the non-French-speaking fans of Deer and Doe:
the patterns have been translated into English and will be available in January!
I know many of you have been asking for this ever since I first introduced them here, so I hope you're happy! :D

Black and White Sureau

Do you recognize this fabric?
This black and white polyester satin was shot in most of the sew-along construction posts!

It was a fabric quite hard to work with and the fabric snob in me cringes at the thought of polyester, but it was inexpensive (without looking so), it's durable, easily washable and I really liked the graphic print (which reminds me of this dress).

It's not a dress as special as the one I showed you in last post, but I'm really happy with it. This is what I meant when I said that the Sureau pattern is the perfect every-day dress for me: girly, comfy, easy to wear and to style.

This version is as basic as it gets, that's why I didn't take any detail photos. I used my modified bust pattern with the bust dart, and as you can see, it creates a less dramatic gathering at the center front.

Nothing much to add: no embellishments, no buttons, what you see is what you get!

I wish you all a great weekend!
I'll definitely enjoy some family time in my beautiful hometown.

Doe-printed Sureau

Hello, new favorite dress!

I've had this silk with tiny does and polka dots printed on it for a very long while, but boy, it was worth the wait!

This is without a doubt my favorite Sureau out of three I sewed (actually four, if you count the one I made before the sew-along) and I see myself wearing it for a long time.

A few details on the alterations I made to the dress:

✄ The fit: here you can see how I altered the pattern to fit my bust.
For this dress in particular, I rotated the bust dart into the gathering portion. This created a LOT of bust gathering, which is my only regret about this dress. I much prefer the look of the side dart with less bust gathers.
I also lowered the gathers about 3cms, there was too much fullness above my breasts and it wasn't flattering. Maybe my bust is a little lower than average? Working so much on fit can make you really paranoid about yourself really easily...

✄ Alterations: I added a small peter pan collar using Eléonore's tutorial. The dress is fully lined (tutorial here). I added some elastic to the sleeves (using the hem as casing) because they were a bit too loose for my taste.

✄ Final thoughts: as I said, I love this dress so much. One of my favorite details are the sheer sleeves.
This dress also makes me feel like I totally conveyed ME and my style into something I created and it's an awesome feeling. If you sew your own clothes, you know what I'm talking about.

On another note, and I hope I don't sound narcissistic, but I missed taking photos of a finished garment SO much after a month of sew-along, the whole the process from getting dolled-up to editing the photos.

I went shooting in my favorite place, the "entrance" of the forest-y area behind my parents' house (which you have already seen here, here, here and in many more posts) and there was this amazing light, very crisp and ethereal at the same time. I wish it was always like that!

Sureau Sew-along: Wrap up

Today I was supposed to post one last alteration, but since I haven't had the time to put together a decent tutorial on horizontal pleats, instead of doing something half assed, I'll just give you a link to a beautifully made tutorial written by Esther on the subject.
We're still friends, right? :)

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And so... we're officially done!

For a recap of all the posts, you can either click on the button in the sidebar or on the "Sureau Sew-along" tab you can find under the blog banner.

I hope you enjoyed the sew-along and you found the posts useful. I sure learnt a lot from this month, it was stressing but fulfilling at the same time. I hope there will be another sew-along on this blog sooner or later!

She already knows this, but I want to thank Eléonore one last time for support and patience, and her general awesomeness.

I noticed a general lack of comments from you guys, but I really really hope you had fun and I'll see many Sureau pop up on your blogs and on the Flickr group.

Personally, I have three Sureau to show, so cross your fingers for the weather to get nicer in the next few days, after a week of rain, so I can photograph them.

Eléonore and I want to celebrate your efforts and feature your finished dresses on our blogs during the week of December 10th. I hope it's enough time for everyone to finish their Sureau and post about it. If you don't want to share your photos on the Flickr group, please send us a picture or a link to a blog post if you'd like to be featured either here or on Deer and Doe.

Thank you, everyone!

Sureau Sew-along: How to line the dress

Here we go with our last variation!

If your fabric is see-through or you want an extra layer for warmth, let's see the steps to add a lining.

Basically, you will need to cut another dress in your lining material (you will need about 1,75m of fabric), omitting the sleeves and the facings. You'll also skip the facings in your main fabric.
I also recommend to cut the lining skirt panels about 3 cm shorter than the main fabric, so the lining will be nice and concealed at the bottom.

You will construct everything as usual, but the side seams of your lining are going to be the opposite of your main fabric. I'm borrowing this illustration from Eléonore, because it's a really foolproof way to explain what I mean.
After you constructed everything, be sure to press in the seam allowance of the zipper opening of the lining.

Pin the neckline of the lining to the dress with right sides together and stitch.

Notch the seam allowance and turn wrong sides together.

Press the neckline carefully and topstitch. If you don't like the look of topstitching, understitch the lining, so it will lay in place.
Pin and baste the armholes wrong sides together. Assemble the sleeve including the lining into the seam and finish the seam allowance.

Now, the only delicate part: hand stitching the lining to the zipper.
On the wrong side of the garment, pin the lining to the zipper tape (baste, if you need more security) and stitch in place using a fell stitch. If you're not familiar with this hand stitch, here's a quick tutorial and a video.

At this point, hem the skirt and the lining separately and you're done!

Hemming just the skirt

Cut the skirt panels in your lining material and stitch the right side seam.
Stitch the left side seam sewing from the end zipper mark down to the hem.
Attach the lining skirt at the waist seam, right side of the lining skirt against the wrong side of the bodice (the bodice needs to be sandwiched between the skirt and the lining).
Stop your seam on both sides about 3cm before the zipper, this way you'll be able to fold in the seam allowance and hand stitch the zipper opening of the lining to the zipper tape. 

Sureau Sew-along: Sleeveless variation

If you want to make your dress sleeveless and don't feel like drafting a facing for the armhole, you can use bias tape! This is my favorite finishing method.

Of course, you're going to need bias tape, either store bought or self-made. It must be between 3,5 and 4cm wide.
Measure your armhole and cut a strip of bias tape of the same length + 1 cm for seam allowance. Stitch the ends with right sides together.

Pin the band to the armhole on the right side of the dress, then stitch using a 1,5cm seam allowance.

Now turn the bias tape and understitch as close as you can to the seam line (2-3mm). You will be stitching through the bias tape and both seam allowances underneath.

Trim the seam allowance excess and clip it (be careful not to clip in the seam).

Fold the bias tape in half so that it meets the seam line. Press it with the help of a tailor's ham if you need to (in most cases, I find that finger-pressing is sufficient).
Then turn toward the wrong side of the dress and pin.

Finally, you just need to sew as close as possible to the edge and press carefully to make it lie flat.
Don't skip this step! I did, and as you can see from these photos, the edge looks quite messy and it doesn't lie flat. Never underestimate the power of your pressing iron!

If you want to see another alteration, check out Eléonore's post!