WHAT I LEARNT FROM MIE

One of the greatest things about sewing isn’t actually sewing related… It is the pleasure of being part of an incredible international community made from talented, generous and fun people.

Supporting each other, sharing our knowledge and having fun is what this sewing community is all about. So when Celina and Ines contacted me to ask if I would like to take part of this surprise for our friend Mie I was delighted. (I was also a bit freighted but we will get back to that later…)

Mie is quite amazing! Not only is she an amazing seamstress (check out her blog and delight yourself with her gorgeous creations) but she is also an amazing friend. She knows so much about sewing and she is always willing to share her knowledge. That’s why our surprise is entitled: “What I learnt from Mie!”

I have learned many, many things with Mie! But one remains in my mind the most: she showed me how to line jackets. I remember us talking through Messenger… This is a tricky technic and it took me quite a while to understand it but she didn’t give up!

So on the video, the girls and I are all wearing nice lined jackets I made and I have some more photos of the girls’ jackets to share with you today. (I will try to blog about my jacket one day…)

PATTERN: View Q from the Japanese book Girly Style Wardrobe (check all projects in this book here). The only thing I have to say about this pattern is: I love it! Well, I actually didn’t like that the jacket was not lined… But with Mie’s help that little issue was easily solved. As Japanese patterns don’t have seam allowances, creating the pattern pieces for facing and lining was piece of cake. I know adding seam allowances is a pain but if you are into customizing existing patterns is makes everything much easier and fast. Since I was lining the jackets I also decided to add a little trim where the lining and outer fabrics meet. It is a nice way to smoothly change from one fabric to the other and gives the garment a special touch.

FABRIC: Outer fabric: wool blend fabric from Traetela. Lining fabric: rayon from my local shop Feira dos Tecidos. The outer polka dot fabric is so special… It was given to me by my good friend Rita last year and I am so glad I used it for these jackets. The quality is great! Teresa and Ines have been wearing them almost daily for 5 months and they are still looking pretty good. For the lining I picked a nice viscose to give the jackets a warmer felling. It was my first time working with viscose and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. But I am glad I started working with this fabric for the inside of the garment. Though Mie is totally right when she says the inside should look as nice as the outside of a garment…

And that gets me back to the purpose of this post… The video for Mie! I was so freighted about having to shoot a small video. I am glad I could have my daughters’ help as I think I would not make it all alonee. But now I am so glad I did it!

As usually, Celina made a wonderful job putting together the testimonials of these super talented ladies:

Celina . Petit à Petit and Family, Abby . Sew Much Ado, Rita . Conversas de Hermanas, Heidi . Handmade Frenzy, Olu . Needle and Ted, An . StraightGrain, Jenya . While she was sleeping, Trine . Groovy Baby and Mama, Andreia . In a Manner of Sewing, Jess . Sewing Rabbit, Hayley . Welcome to the Mouse House, Marta . Do Guincho, Maria . My Cozy Co, Natalie . La Gang à Nat, Holli . Hello Holli, Erin . Erin Always, Olga . Coffee and Thread, Delia . Delia Creates, Alida . Alida Makes, Gabriela . Chalk and Notch, Victoria . As it Seams, Rachel . Stitched Together, Chelise . Chelise Patternson, Emi . Just Add Fabric, Inês . La Folie

Check out the video, have fun and… THANK YOU MIE!

What I learnt From Mie from Celina Bailey on Vimeo.

BACK TO BLOGGING . SEW CHIC KIDS

Hi everyone! Are you still there? I hope you are…

I can’t believe I am blogging! Actually, I can’t believe I am blogging without a deadline or a commitment! But I am…

So I have been blogging a lot less but I must tell you I have been sewing a lot! This winter I have bought noting besides shoes and underwear for my kids and I am so happy about it. I love to see them wearing me made clothes and I feel good about not having to buy really cheap clothes that I don’t know how – and by whom – were made.

But that’s not all. I’ve been also busy sharing my passion for sewing as I have just started teaching at a couple of my local sewing shops. It has been the most wonderful experience and I hope I can keep doing it in the years to come. That leads me to the project I am sharing with you today since my first workshops were based on the book Happy Homemade: Sew Chick Kids…

 

 

PATTERN: View A from the book Happy Homemade: Sew Chick Kids by Ruriko Yamada. The original pattern is actually for a dress but, since the patterns in this book have all the same base, I mixed it with View C and created a tunic. I know it is a pain to add seam allowances on Japanese patterns but that’s also why they are so easy to mix and match and to customize according to our taste or idea. I think that’s actually one of the reason why I love them so much. As you can see, the pattern is perfect. It can be worn both in cooler days with a turtle neck unearned or on its own in sunny warmer days. The little opening at the back is quite tricky to make but the instructions are perfect and, with some patience, it isn’t that difficult to make. Besides that, all sewing steps are quite easy and the overall result is so cute! I think I might need to make many more for the summer time…

 

FABRIC: Flower printed denim chambray. I bought this fabric with my friend Ana Sofia at a local children’s store that was going out of business. (Thank you so much for the tip Rita!) It was a bargain and the quality is amazing.

 

Ines is also wearing a store bought turtle neck (got it last year!) and a pair of flared denim trousers I have designed. I actually need to blog about these trousers… I it a super simple pattern but I absolutely adore the way they fit. Plus, Ines loves how comfy they are.

Well, that’s all for now. I hope I will be back soon.

Meanwhile, you can what I have been making on my Instagram.

PS. Do you also like to sew with Japanese patterns? Well, Mie from the blog Sewing Like Mad has started a fun challenge for you: Sew Japan with Mie. Check it out at Celina’s blog Petit aPetit and Family!