Saturday, December 14, 2013

Minerva Blogger Network : My Christmas Emery dress


***Traduzione italiana in fondo al post***

Pattern: Emery dress by Christine Haynes (purchased here).
Size: size 6.
Alterations: did a 1,5cm FBA following this brilliant tutorial; shortened the skirt by about 5cm.

For my December project of the Minerva Blogger Network, I knew I wanted to make the ultimate Christmas dress: red, feminine, possibly with a bow. What can I say, I’m a girl who likes to embrace traditions, especially during the Holidays!

When I put my kit together, I didn’t have a precise idea of the dress I was going to make, but then Christine Haynes released the Emery dress pattern and it was love at first sight.
This pattern was an absolute pleasure to work with. I used size 6 with a 1,5cm (5/8”) FBA and it fits me like a glove.
The instructions are well written and illustrated, and if that's not enough, Christine just had an extensive sew along covering all the steps to make this beautiful dress. 

The tartan fabric was a pleasant surprise as well: although it’s mostly polyester, it was a pleasure to cut, sew, press, and wear as well! It feels very warm and I would absolutely recommend it for both dresses or to make a very cute skirt.
It is a rather bulky fabric, though, so to reduce the bulk of the gathered skirt at the waist seam, I stitched some bias tape on both seam allowances, then I trimmed the skirt seam allowance, and finally I stitched the bias tape to the bodice. This creates a faux waist stay that conceals the seam allowance and reduces the bulk all at once. I've already done this for my Anna dress and I love this little technique. Maybe next time I should take photos and do a mini tutorial?

The only regret I have with this project is that did a terrible job at matching the plaid. Before cutting the fabric I read Lauren’s tutorial and I was like “Yeah, I can do it!”, but I managed to make so many mistakes anyways! The worst being I didn’t center the front bodice correctly… That makes me so mad at myself, how could I not see this? And the skirt back doesn't match either... UGH! I wanted to cry when I stitched the center back seam!
At least I learnt for next time, and a few people told me the print of the dress is busy enough that you don’t notice it too much. I guess it's one of those things that you only see if you have the "trained eye" of a seamstress.

In conclusion, I’m completely in love with dress! I think it’s just perfect for Christmas. Some might find it cheesy, but I like to be dressed with a theme!
If you want to make it for yourself, you can purchase the kit here.


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

La Mia Boutique 12/2013

Silvia and I are a bit behind schedule, but here's the last issue of the year of La Mia Boutique.
The December issue is usually full of party dresses for the Holidays and outerwear, both of which make me happy... Let's see if that's the case.
You can see the rest of the magazine in Silvia's post here.


Anna: I was SO glad when I read that Chiara Boni of La Petite Robe was featured again! Her designs are (almost) always gorgeous, classic and feminine, but modern as well.
I love the detail in the back of this first dress, it definitely makes it unique.

SilviaI love the inverted darts on this dress. It reminds me of the top I made in September. As for the back detail, I am not convinced. If I were to make it I would remove it.

Anna: I was absolutely convinced this was a dress until I looked at the technical drawings ! This outfit is the only disappointing one for me in this photoshoot… I don’t love the squared neckline (although I like the faux-bolero effect) and the ruching on the butt of skirt is a big no-no for me… I’m afraid of how it would look on a real woman’s bottom.

SilviaI actually like the top and the square neckline! As for the skirt…I can already picture how huge my bum would look with ruching. Not for me. But this is certainly not a problem for everyone!

Anna: This is where this issue started going south for me, or at the very least it became very boring.
Take this coat. It’s cute, it’s classic, but I feel like I’ve seen it a hundred times, and with more interesting details. Pass.

Silvia: I agree with Anna. Though the pattern is quite a classic and something I actually like… by now I have so many that this brings nothing new to my list.  

Anna: Well, this is surely stunning, but you definitely need an occasion for such a dress, which probably doesn’t make it appealing to a lot of people. You can always shorten it and it would still be cute, although pretty standard.

SilviaI am officially looking for a party to have the excuse to sew this dress! I am even considering getting married again (to the same guy!) And if those plans should fail I am thinking I could take out the train and shorten it. It’s just beautiful.

Anna: Uhm… What is this? A “minidress”, which looks more like a regular tank top to me with a tulle overskirt. Where would you wear this outfit and WHY? I do not understand this.

SilviaOk, taking into account this is a holiday issue I sort of get what they were trying to do with this. It’s certainly a quick and fun outfit to make…and can satisfy the ballerina inside. Not for me, but for a glamourous New Year’s Eve party it could be fun.

Anna: I like the double pocket detail and of this jacket, but something here smells like very dated. I can’t decide whether it’s the zipper or the color, but I don’t like it.

SilviaI think it’s the color that makes it look dated (I’d check out Zara’s collection… if only I had one close by!) So for once I would blame it on Zara’s designers!

Anna: As I mentioned in Silvia’s post, it turns out the two of us have quite different taste in lingerie. While she’s very happy about this set of patterns, I’m mostly indifferent, although I like the polka dots here!

SilviaYes, I confirm I like the basic lingerie style! For me undies have to be comfy…and if they are also cute like these ones I may even consider giving lingerie sewing a go!

Anna: I don’t think I would invest the time to sew a bag, but this one is not too bad (in another color and without fringe, please). I have too many clothes I want to sew to start sewing bags too.

SilviaThis bag is really dated to me…70s style I would say. But if look beyond those ugly details well, it’s a bag! Thanks Anna for making me reconsider this pattern!

Anna: This was so out of contest it made me laugh a little. Ok, it’s presented with two other bags, but they probably should have included this in the children’s patterns section (which Silvia and I never review). I don’t know, I guess it’s cute for a little girl, but what do I know?

SilviaI hope one of the readers can shed some light on this pattern. Will a girl like it? And do all girls like pink?

Anna: Gosh, no… Just no. I’m not even going to elaborate.
Why do they always do this to the “real people” plus-sized model?

SilviaAgain I blame my reaction on the fabric design…but at the same time now that it’s at least the fifth time I look at these patterns I may be even starting to like the design…Or perhaps it’s just too late at night!

Anna: I actually like the idea behind this pattern, I wouldn’t be too thrilled to trace this very simple pattern and add a seam allowance. For those who are willing to do that, this could make a very cute and useful handmade gift!

Silvia: I like this new feature…a blogger’s pattern. That’s a step in the right direction to get readers involved and also add a step by step visual tutorial. Well done, La Mia Boutique!


So... all in all a disappointing issue for me. But if you don't agree with me, run over at Silvia's post, because she's giving away two copies of LMB! Good luck!



Monday, December 9, 2013

Paunnet blog in italiano

Beware... Photoshop genius at work XD
Some of you might have noticed it, many probably didn't, but since my last two posts, I started writing in Italian as well as in English. This is something I had done in my very first few posts and immediately stopped because I had almost no Italian followers, so I felt like the extra work wasn't worth it.

What's changed?
Last week I had an incredibly energizing and motivational chat with the brilliant Marine of Supercut, owner of one of the very few online fabric stores in Italy. We spoke for more than an hour about the discouraging situation of the sewing world in Italy and how we want to contribute to change it, helping to bring sewing to the masses the way it's happening in other parts of the world.

Well, my first, small contribution to this change is to blog in my beloved mother tongue, so that my contents are more accessible to Italian readers and, hopefully, they might inspire and encourage more Italian girls to sew.

Nothing will change for my "international" readers. Excluding this post, where I wanted both languages to be visible at the same time, you'll simply see the phrase "Leggi in italiano" ("Read in Italian") at the bottom of my posts. You'll only see the Italian translation by clicking on that link.


Chissà se qualcuno l'avrà notato... A partire dagli ultimi due post che ho pubblicato, il mio blog è diventato bilingue e contiene ora una traduzione italiana di ogni post da qui a venire.
E' una cosa che già avevo fatto agli albori di questo blog, ma che avevo lasciato perdere quasi subito perché il numero di visitatori e commentatori italiani era vicino allo 0 (ed è tuttora limitato al 5%), e la traduzione mi sembrava quindi una faticaccia senza merito.

Cos'è cambiato?
La settimana scorsa ho fatto una lunghissima chiacchierata (che mi ha motivato tantissimo) con la fantastica Marine di Supercut, uno dei rarissimi negozi online di stoffa in Italia. Abbiamo parlato a lungo della situazione del cucito in Italia, che francamente è un po' scoraggiante se paragonata a paesi come la Francia e il mondo anglosassone. Entrambe vorremmo fare qualcosa per avvicinare le masse al cucito e far capire a tutti che non è un hobby da vecchiette come la maggior parte delle persone con cui ho avuto a che fare sembra pensare.

Ebbene, il mio primo, piccolo contributo in questa direzione è di integrare la mia amata lingua madre nel mio blog, in modo che i miei contenuti siano più accessibili ai miei conterranei e che, incrociando le dita, possano ispirare e incoraggiare più ragazze italiane ad avvicinarsi al cucito.

D'ora in poi, basterà scorrere i miei post fino alla fine, cercare la scritta "Leggi in italiano" e cliccarci sopra: si aprirà così la traduzione italiana, a seguito del testo in inglese. Non è la mia soluzione ideale, ma non essendo una maga di html è quella che funziona meglio per me in questo momento.

Si accettano suggerimenti e si dà il benvenuto a chiunque voglia commentare in italiano! :)

Friday, December 6, 2013

Sew Bossy Initiative : Viviane dress

Source
Size: size 38, graded up to a 44 at the hips.
Alterations: lowered the bust dart by 1,5cm.
Fabric: Fabric was sent to me by Julie of Jolies Bobines as part of our Sew Bossy Initiative exchange. I don't know the composition of the main fabric (Julie, help me out!), I only know that it's synthetic because, as you can see from the photos, it clings to my tights. I love the bird print so much!
For the contrast yoke, I used fleeced sent to me by Julie and some black cotton from my stash.

Do you know what the Sew Bossy Initiative is? To sum it up, two seamstresses send each other fabric, notions and a pattern to make an item, relinquishing all the decisional power to the other person.

A couple months ago I asked Julie of Jolies Bobines if she wanted to participate with me. Although we have different body shapes, we have similar taste in fashion and fabrics, so I knew this pairing was perfect!
The problem with us, is that we're both pattern junkies, so it was actually kind of difficult for both to find a pattern that the other person didn't have already. It's peculiar to say the least that we both ended up choosing dresses with a very similar silhouette for the other one. I sent Julie the Malvarosa dress by Pauline Alice and she sent me the Viviane dress by République du Chiffon. You can see her finished project here.

Julie proved to perfectly know me by sending me a black and white fabric with an animal print. I mean, seriously, that's me in fabric form!

The pattern is a thing of beauty as well. The Viviane dress is a relatively simple loose-fitting dress with a dropped waist that features a STUNNING quilted yoke with scalloped details.

This silhouette used to scare me a bit, but I'm totally in love with it right now. I know it's not the most flattering on a pear-shaped, petite girl like me, but it's not unflattering either. What's for sure, it's that it's incredibly comfortable to wear and I find it so elegant and modern. I'm thinking about making this my Christmas day dress, as Christmas at my household means a huge lunch with the family, and that also means a huge, bloated belly.

After my interview with Géraldine, many of you expressed curiosity towards République du Chiffon's downloadable patterns.
The Viviane pattern is a pdf; the pattern pieces are overlapped, just like for Burda or Named patterns. I love that, because it saves paper and a LOT of time for assembling. Of course, that means you need to trace your pattern pieces, but it's something I always do anyway.
Bear in mind that the pattern pieces have no seam allowance included, so you might want to add it while you trace them. This is the only thing I disliked about the pattern, because I hate having to take this extra step.
The instructions are also available in English, but I used the French version, so I can only speak for those. They are clear and have illustrations for the trickiest passages, so I was happy with them.

If Next time I make this dress I'll probably do a FBA on the size I've already traced, because I have some tension in the armhole and chest area. I thought I could avoid it because of the looser fit, but it will make for a more comfortable dress.
I think this pattern was made to accommodate a very small chest, so keep in mind that if you usually need an FBA, you'll probably need it here. 
Also, for next time, I definitely want to use solid fabrics, because I want that beautiful yoke to stand out as much as possible. The black fabric I used here conceals the details way too much, but I was too afraid to use another color (or colored thread) with such a busy print in the rest of the dress.

Thank you so much, Julie, I had a blast! :D


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Interview : République Du Chiffon

Maybe you've come across her beautiful blog, maybe you've seen some of her patterns made up by the lovely Julie of Jolies Bobines or maybe you've seen her adorable book featured on Tilly and the Buttons. If you did, I know you want to know more about République du Chiffon and who's behind this beautiful French brand.
I know I did, so I had a little chat with Géraldine, the creator, and this was the result. If you prefer to read the interview in its original French form, you can find it here.
Enjoy!

✄ First of all, can you tell us something about yourself? How long have you been sewing?
My name is Géraldine, I’m 35 years old and I live and work in Lille, in Northern France. My hobbies are reading (I love science fiction and Jane Austin, I know they have nothing in common ;) ), the cinema, which is where I often get inspired, I cook and I obviously love to sew.
I started sewing after my daughter Violette was born, and it soon became my passion. I had the opportunity to enter a school for design / patternmaking where I got my degree.
The Margot blouse pattern

✄ How did you start République du Chiffon?
I started République du Chiffon in 2010, it was a fashion and sewing blog. After my degree, I wanted to make a shift towards design and patterns for home sewing, trying to create trendy styles addressed to modern seamstresses. Since the offer is still quite poor in France, I hope there is a place for me.

The Penelope dress pattern
✄ Can you tell us more about your book ("Un été couture", Tutti Frutti ed.) and your latest pattern releases?
What I try to do with my patterns, both in my book or in the downloadable patterns, it’s to offer modern styles and to make sewing democratic, making “difficult” things approachable by anyone. My hope is that the clothes made by seamstresses at home are as trendy and of good quality as what current designer offer today.

The Gérard coat pattern
✄ What are your main sources of inspiration? Your favorite designers or style icons?
I find my inspiration everywhere, in the street, in magazines, movies, illustrators, etc. I’m a big fan of street style fashion (Yvan Rodic, Sartorialist etc.) and I spend a lot of time reading fashion blogs (Le Blog de Betty, Punky B, Le blog de Pauline and many many more). As far as “style icons” are concerned, I don’t really have any, I’ve never been a big fan. I prefer anonymous people who have style, but if I have to mention one, at the moment it would definitely be Alexa Chung or Kate Bosworth

The Viviane dress and blouse pattern
All images in this post from here

✄ Where do you see your company in the future?

My wish is to make of République du Chiffon a real brand of modern patterns. It’s just the beginning of the process. I decided to leave my job to devote myself completely to the brand, so, starting next year and if everything goes well, there will be a collection of printed patterns (10 styles every season) and I’ll keep offering more downloadable patterns to very small prices so that everybody can sew République du Chiffon. I hope you’ll like it.



Thank you, Géraldine! I wish you all the best!

I'll be back soon with my version of one of her patterns! Are you curious yet? :)

Forse vi siete imbattute nel suo bellissimo blog, o magari avete visto le sue creazioni realizzate da Julie di Jolies Bobines, o magari ancora avete visto il suo libro in un post di Tilly and the Buttons. Se è così, sicuramente anche voi vorrete sapere qualcosa in più su République du Chiffon e su chi c’è dietro a questo adorabile marchio francese.

Io ero curiosissima, perciò ho fatto una chiacchierata con Géraldine, la creatrice del marchio, e questo è il risultato. Per chi preferisse leggere l’intervista nella versione originale (in francese), la può trovare qui.

Buona lettura!



✄ Innanzitutto, ci puoi dire qualcosa su di te? Da quanto tempo cuci?

Mi chiamo Géraldine, ho 35 anni e vivo e lavoro a Lille, nella Francia del Nord. I miei hobby sono la lettura (mi piacciono la fantascienza e Jane Austin, so che non hanno nulla in comune ;) ), il cinema, dal quale spesso traggo ispirazione, mi piace cucinare e ovviamente amo il cucito.

Ho cominciato a cucire dopo la nascita di mia figlia Violette ed è presto diventata la mia passione. Ho avuto l’opportunità di entrare in una scuola per stilisti/modellisti e mi sono diplomata.

Modello blusa Margot

✄ Come hai cominciato République du Chiffon?

Ho cominciato République du Chiffon nel 2010, era un blog di moda e cucito. Dopo il mio diploma, volevo spostare il blog nella direzione del design e modellismo per il cucito a casa, cercando di creare modelli alla moda, per sarte moderne. Poiché l’offerta è ancora scarsa in Francia, spero di trovare un mio spazio.

Modello vestito Penelope

✄ Ci puoi dire qualcosa in più sul tuo libro (“Un Eté Couture” edito da Tutti Frutti) e sui tuoi cartamodelli scaricabili?

Quello che cerco di fare con i miei modelli, sia nel libro che per quelli da scaricare, è di offrire stili moderni che rendano il cucito democratico, rendendo le cose “difficili” abbordabili per tutte. La mia speranza è che i modelli creati a casa siano tanto trendy e di qualità quanto quelli offerti al giorno d’oggi dai designer.

Modello cappotto Gérard

✄ Quali sono le tue fonti d’ispirazione? Hai dei designer preferiti o delle icone di stile?

L’ispirazione la trovo dappertutto, per strada, nei giornali, nei film, da illustratori, ecc. Sono una grande fan dello streetstyle  (Yvan RodicSartorialist ecc.) e passo molto tempo a leggere blog di moda (Le Blog de BettyPunky BLe blog de Pauline e tanti tanti altri). Per quanto riguarda le “icone di stile”, non ne ho di vere e proprie, non sono mai stata una grande fan. Preferisco anonimi che hanno stile, ma se devo fare un nome, al momento sarebbe decisamente Alexa Chung o Kate Bosworth.

Modello Viviane - vestito e blusa
Tutte le immagini di questo post prese da qui

✄ Cosa vedi nel futuro del tuo marchio?

Vorrei far diventare RDC una vera marca di cartamodelli. Ho deciso di lasciare il mio lavoro e dedicarmi completamente al marchio, perciò, a cominciare dall’anno prossimo e se tutto va bene, ci sarà una collezione di cartamodelli cartacei (10 per ogni stagione) e continuerò ad offrire modelli scaricabili a prezzi contenuti in modo che tutti possano cucire République du Chiffon. Spero vi piacerà.



Grazie, Géraldine, ti auguro tutto il meglio!

Io tornerò presto con la mia versione di uno dei suoi modelli… Siete curiosi?