line up

line up

19 Dec 2013

Underwear: the comeback!

Bonjour tout le monde !

As I told you in my previous post  I made a few things in the previous months to improve my wardrobe. They had to be quick to make, because I had a only a few days here and there to sew.
So I decided after staring at my fabric pile to make camies, more precisely a cami.


I made the blue one this summer, to be worn as a light top. It's very pretty with my white shorts. And then, I reused the pattern, witch is very rare for me. I don't know why but I always want to make something I have never done before.

You know I always use my pattern making books  by Line Jaque. But it's a bit dated. She does explain how to make slips an therefore camies, but she uses zipper on them! It makes sense for people who didn't have access to elastic fabrics. There is actually no chapter on how to make a pattern out of this kind of fabric (note to self: find a book who does :-))
So I just took my basic block, omitted the dart at the waist for both front and back, took on the side a bit, so that it wouldn't be too large, but large enough not to use a zipper. And it worked, Yeah!



I the made another one a few weeks ago. I bought the fabric because it was pretty, and because I thought I could make a shirt out of it. But it's better this way (and I still have some left, so more camies for me!).
I mean, the fabric is nice, it's a bit shiny and very soft, but you can see it's not silk, and since I want my clothes to look fancy, I prefer reserving synthetic to my underwear or summer stuff. Don't ask why, I have principals :-).


I made self bias for the neckline, and I even made the effort to make the inside stitching by hand cause you know: lingerie=luxe=stupid hand sewing. And also I'm not a fan of visible stitches.

But then I had enough of making tiny bias, so I searched in my ribbon stash for something to make the straps of and I found some black and some baby pink. Perfect. I had a little hand shake with myself to thanks me for this oh so appropriate purchase.
I played a bit with it and came up with the lovely pink bows and double strap thinggy. And then added the black bow in the centre because it's nice.


It horrifies my mother that I show my underwear on the Internet but hey: I AM NOT IN THEM!
It's so much fun making panties, or tangas or whatever! Why shouldn't I show them to you and encourage you to do the same?

I bought some lace this summer at my favourite haberdashery (I am so lucky that we have one on our tiny island). Just 1 euro total for a bit less than two meters.

For the pattern, I just wrapped the lace around me at the place were I wanted it to be, and used a block pattern for thongs that I had previously made for my first panties. It reminded me how the patterns in the ESMOD book I use for underwear are so eighties! You know with the sides of your thong almost up to your  waist, hilarious, and also bleuh!

That's it for today. I have been sewing for kids lately, making Barbie outfits and costumes. It's a nice change as I don't really need any new clothes right now.


Come on Barbie! Rock this stylish/wife of mafia boss outfit!

Au revoir tout le monde.

9 Dec 2013

Do I look like a minstrel?

Bonjour tout le monde !

I am finally back from my trips and back to the sewing machine. I have managed to make a few things during the few days I spent at home but some computer problems and my %&!§$ camera prevented me from posting earlier.
Hopefully the weather and the camera finally agreed to let me have a paparazzi session. Here is the result:

houndstooth cape (not easy to say for a french!)
A cape! I made a cape, I love it, it's so chic. The model is from Burda Style 08/2013 n°122. It's made of wool and lined with black polyester. It's really warm.
Of course I couldn't just follow the pattern as it was, and also I didn't have enough fabric... It's not my fault, you know that I buy fabric in bulk and sometimes I just don't have enough to make what I want because I changed my plans.
Anyway, this case the cape demanded for A LOT of fabric: more than 4 meters. I never buy that much, in fact, I usually buy less than two meters. So it was really a miracle that I purchased three meters of wool.


Ok , so, I had three meters :-), but at the same time the original design was a bit too long for my taste. I shortened  it and omitted the pleats at the back (because I thought they were vents hum hum).
And there you go: enough fabric!!


Fun fact: do you know that houndstooth is said "pied de coq" in French? It means rooster's feet !! What do you think, is it more chicken or dog? Or did the "fabric namers" had a bit too much to drink?

Look at all this light, isn't it better like that Germany? No more Grey skies!
I maybe shouldn't have shortened it that much, maybe a bit longer, at a miniskirt level would have been more chic. What do you think?


Here is a view from the back. Oh, I forget, I added a ribbon on the seams, the houndstooth made the cape look too, I don't know, my husband said it hurt his eyes... So I added some black ribbon from my stash with my machine (no hand stitching, no way), and I think is works really good.
I mean, what's the point of having weird rectangular seams if no one can see them, right?

And for your eyes only, the inside:


The construction is rather simple, no back stay, no tailoring technique. Just some interfacing for... the facings, to give some structure. And a rectangle of fabric to  close the "hand passage".
And the final touch: the buttons from Groix! Oddly enough I think they the cape look more modern, and rich. Rich is good no?

How beautiful are they? I am so pleased I have finally the opportunity to use them. I bought them thinking (no, no, no screaming in the shop) MY PRECIOUS!!!! It's gold, shinny, inexpensive, rare, what can I say, it was love at first sight.
But I don't think I can use them for something other than a coat. I don't even know if they would work for a jacket, maybe if I don't wear a coat above it, hum something to think about... And you know what the good news is? I still have some left!

That's all for today, I still have a lot of things to show, if my camera is up for it.


Au revoir.