MORI DRESS PATTERN TOUR

The first PDF pattern I ever bought was an Elegance and Elephants pattern, the Bubble Pocket Shorts, and since then I have become a great fan of Heidi’s designs. So, of course, I had to try the new Mori Dress…

PATTERN: Mori Dress by Elegance and Elephants. I felt in love with the Mori when I saw this beautiful photo Heidi shared on IG. Such a cute and girly design… Then I checked the details and loved it even more when I discovered it was a pullover dress with no back enclosure. That little detail makes it such a fast sew and also makes it super easy for my girls to put it on and off without my help. So, when Heidi asked me if I would like to take part of her tour I had to say yes. I made a tunic in size six for Teresa, though she turned 8 last November, as that was the appropriate size for her chest measurement and the fitting is perfect! I made no changes to the original pattern but I had to skip the back tie as I could not find the right ribbon and didn’t feel like making ties from the tunic fabric.

FABRIC: Love Birds by Holly Holderman for Lake House Dry Goods (outer fabric) and grey/white striped cotton (lining fabric). Sometimes I love a print but I am not so sure I like the final garment made with that print. That’s exactly what happened with this quilting cotton! Maybe it is too bold… Maybe it drapes the wrong way because it is quilting cotton… Maybe my kids are already too old for this kind of prints… I really don’t know! Anyway, I mixed it with some lovely striped fabric from my local shop (Park dos Tecidos) and matching pompon trim and Teresa loved it so I guess that’s enough for me! But I think next time I will try this pattern with some nice white linen for a softer look…

 

 

Another detail I love about this pattern is the lined shoulder ruffles (is this the appropriate name?). They are great to play with fabric combinations and they are way faster to sew then if they were hemmed. Plus, when working with quilting cotton you don't ever see the ugly non printed inside of the fabric. Perfect!

So, don’t forget to check the other Mori Dresses and Tunics on the tour and remember you can get your copy of the pattern at Elegance and Elephants store with 10% discount until midnight (PST) on April 30 with the code MORITOUR.

And finally, I would love to share with you my other Elegance and Elephants creations as they are still among my (and my daughters’) favorite garments: the Bubble Pockets Shorts and the Bubble Pockets Shorts turned into rompers (with a tutorial), the Spin Skirt, the Bohemian Babydoll, the Hemlock Top and the Hemlock Top turned into dress. Enjoy!

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.

THE ELEENA DRESS BY COFFE AND THREAD

Today I’ve got a beautiful dress to show you: The Eleena Dress!

This is actually the first dress I’ve sewn for Teresa for quite some time as she isn’t much into dresses anymore. And you know what? She is in love with it. She might even go back to liking dresses again just because of her new Eleena…

PATTERN: The Eleena Dress by Coffee and Thread. This is such a cute little vintage dress! I love it! This kind of dresses were very popular in the sixties and I even got an old pattern – sent all the way from New Zealand by my friend Constança - for a very similar design. But vintage patterns come in one size only, so I am glad Olga decided to launch the Eleena Dress so I can make it in every single size I need! Plus, the Eleena has some really nice sleeve options – flutter sleeves, short sleeves and long sleeves – and that makes it perfect for every season. There is also an option for a pretty collar and a contrasting central panel that will allow you to play with fabric. The dress is quite a-line shaped so it swings beautifully. I think that little detail was actually the one that made me want to sew it for my kids…

 

 

 

Since I had already seen so many amazing versions of the “original” dress (check #eleenadress on IG to be amazed), I’ve decided to play a little bit with the pattern and make something slightly different… I started with the collarless long sleeved version with continuous front panel and then hacked it a little bit: I’ve cut the skirt into two pieces and used a bright yellow contrasting piece of fabric for the bottom part, replaced the back invisible zipper for a big and long exposed zipper and the lining for a little neck facing (because my chambray is quite stiff and I thought the lining might make the top part of the dress too bulky), I’ve lengthen the sleeve a couple of inches (about 5cm) to properly accommodate Teresa’s very long arms and shorted the overall length again about a couple of inches as I like my kids dresses to be quite short.

FABRIC: Denim chambray and solid yellow cotton, both from my local shops (chambray from Feira dos Tecidos and Solid Yellow from Park dos Tecidos). I´ve got this thing for color blocking… I just love these simple designs in nice bright contrasting colors! But in Portugal, especially in winter time, kids wear mostly dark colors and sometimes – especially when I look at school or birthday photos – I feel like my daughters look  a little bit like aliens… I just hope they will not be traumatized adults because I make their clothes! But I am almost sure they will only wear black in their teens!

Don't forget to check out the other creations on the tour:

February, 22 

Bonnie & Lottie, As it Seams, Sew Happy, Call Ajaire

February, 24

In a Manner of Sewing, Skirt Fixation, Stitched Together, 

Made by Sara, The Life of Compulsive Crafter

February, 26

A Jennuine Life, Fairies, Bubble & Co, Hungie Gungie, Doguincho

February, 29

Rebel & Malice, Sew Shelly Sew, Creative Needle and Threads, 

Welcome to the Mouse House

March, 2

Candice Ayala, LBG Studio, Crafty Biggers, Sewing Like Mad

March, 4

Greendoodle, Rita Pirolita, Boevenbende, Kristine Hansen 

March, 7

Les Reloux, Just Add Fabric, Lokakid, While She was Sleeping

 

The Eleena dress is on sale for only $7 until March 7th and you can get it here! 

 

Olga has also put together a great giveaway were you can win Coffee and Thread two patterns and one yard of Sara Jane fabric.Try your luck on the Rafflecopter!

 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

DEAR PRUDENCE BY SEW PONY

Today I am really happy to be part of the Dear Prudence Pattern Tour! Dear Prudence is the latest pattern designed by my good friend Suz and, like all other Sew Pony patterns, it is absolutely gorgeous!

PATTERN: Dear Prudence by Sew Pony.  Are you into unique and special designs with a touch of vintage style and some cool technics that might challenge you just a bit? Then this is a pattern for you! The ultra-complete instructions will guide you through out the all process and you might learn a couple of things while sewing your Dear Prudence.

What have I learned? I am happy to tell you that this pattern made me face an old fear of mine: shrinking shirring! It was actually my first time shrinking shirring with elastic thread and, though my shrinking shirring is far from perfect yet, I think it is quite acceptable for a beginner... I hope I can master this technic really fast as I love it and want to use it more often. (Thank you Suz for helping me  distinguish shrinking from shirring!)

 

For Teresa’s dress, I chose the cap sleeve option and I have only changed three things to the original design: 1. Instead of 9cm of shrinking lines, I have sewn only about 5cm because, as I told you before, I was afraid of shrinking! 2. I’ve hemmed the dress with piping because somehow I messed with the dress length and didn’t have enough fabric to make a regular double folded hem… 3. I added a belt. I don’t really know why I did it (because I do like the dress the way it is) but it just felt right! Maybe it was because I was using a solid color fabric. Anyway, I think the belt looks nice and Teresa and she likes it too.

Teresa was the one picking the hat for this photo shoot. She is starting to like to take photos! Should I be happy about it or not?... I really don't know if I am happy about it...

FABRIC: White cotton from a bed sheet I bought long ago at Zara Home. This is a super soft fabric with some nice little wrinkles (I’m afraid you can´t see them on the pictures…). Nothing special but Teresa wanted a white dress so I had to make her a white dress. As I was afraid the white cotton might be slightly see-through, my Dear Prudence is fully lined with some white voile from my local shop too. All notions were found on my very big notions stash (don’t you love when that happens?!): both piping and buttons are vintage and the belt buckle was bought on my trip to Copenhagen at Hadler Tekstiler, a great haberdashery in the city center.  

I hope you liked my Dear Prudence! Now please check all other gorgeous dresses from the pattern tour and, if you feel inspired to make one – as I am sure you will!-, don’t forget to use the code PRUDENCE15 to get 15% discount on your pattern.

And for more inspiration check out my Paris Sew Social post. There you will find a quite free approach to this pattern…

THE BEDFORD DRESS AND TOP BY BROOKLYN PATTERN CO.

I don’t know if I have already told you but, lately, Teresa has been really hard to please in terms of clothing. I have been struggling to find patterns and fabrics she likes but this time, thanks to Erin from Brooklyn Pattern Co., I think I have nailed it!

As soon as I showed Teresa her new Bedford Top made with the silver star France Duval-Stalla fabric I got in Paris she said: I LOVE IT! And I thought to myself: HURRAY!

(Do you like her new, kid of pirate without one front tooth, look?)

PATTERN: The Bedford Dress and Top by Brooklyn Pattern Co. I must confess I also felt in love with this top/dress the first time I saw it. It is such simple but so cool design. Perfect to make a 7 year old girl look really stylish!

Teresa needed tops more than dresses so I made the top version. According to her chest measurement, I should sew a size 5 and so I did. I really like the fitting but I must confess I have already sewn another Bedford in size 7 because I love this top so much I want it to last. So, though on the blog photos Teresa is wearing the smaller top, in reality she will be wearing the bigger one and Ines will wear the smaller one. (Confusing?! That’s what happens when my kids wear matchy-matchy outfits!) And you know what? Both size 5 and size 7 do fit her nicely and that's a really great thing on a pattern.

This was the first time I have sewn a Brooklyn Pattern Co. pattern and I was amazed with the quality of the overall design, the super clear instructions (I prefer diagrams to photos and Erin’s diagrams are perfect!) and, as I said before, the impeccable fitting. But, though the instructions really easy to follow, the technics are kind of challenging… A perfect project if you are an intermediate sewer looking for a nice challenge!
On my second top I have actually used this technic to close the harmholes. It is a great "backup" technic if you don't want to topstich though the way Erin tells you to do it perfect too.

FABRIC: Grey Silver Stars Glossy Coated Cambric from France Duval-Stalla (I think this specific color is out if stock now but there are some other quite amazingcolors on sale right now.) Have I already told you that France Duval-Stalla shop was my favorite shop in Paris? (And there are some pretty amazing shops there!) I felt like buying the all store! But instead, I got this beautiful silver stars chambray and a peace of blue linen I have been selfishly saving to make a dress for myself! This chambray is truly soft and has the perfect drape for this pattern. I feel happy because I have used it to sew such a great pattern but I think I might have to go back to Paris soon to buy some more…

The zipper and matching bias tape I’ve used to hem the tunic (the only thing I have changed to the original design) are from my local shop and I just adore the contrast between the pink and the bluish grey.

So do you feel like trying this pattern too? Or the Henry? Or the Franklin? Brooklyn Pattern Co. is offering a special launch discount until July 15 (11:59p.m.)! You can get 20% off any pattern with the code SUMMERFUN15.

And don’t forget to check all other Henry and Bedford dresses and tops on the blogtour. The lineup of bloggers is amazing and I am sure we will all be super inspired!

Thank you Erin for such a great pattern!

PARIS SEW SOCIAL (AND A GIVEAWAY!)

I still can’t believe I actually went to Paris in April to meet some amazing sewing bloggers I only knew before through their blogs or emails. It was the most incredible weekend and I already miss all the chatting about sewing, fabric, patterns and blogging....

But that’s not all! We also had the support of many wonderful sponsors how were kind enough to give us the most amazing pack of sewing supplies: from fabric to thread, from patterns to books and magazines, from pins (great pins from Snaply!) to zippers. I was truly amazed with their generosity and the quality of the products we got.

 So today I am sharing an outfit for Teresa I made (almost) exclusively with my Paris Sew Social goodies... These are the kind of clothes she likes to wear now and though she was not in the mood for photos she really did like her new tee and shorts and has been wearing them non stop.

PATTERN: Dear Prudence by Sew Pony and City Gym Sorts by The Purl Bee.


Dear Prudence is the newest pattern by Sew Pony and it is actually a pattern for a woven dress. Since I had already made the dress for next month’s pattern tour and I though the design would be great for a tee (and actually Teresa was in need of new tees), I modified slightly the bodice pattern and turned it into a tee. I must admit am kind of obsessed with the design of the collar. I love every single detail in it: the fact that it is an open collar, the piping, the little buttons… Love it!

The City Gym Shorts is a free pattern from the NY shop Purl Soho. Not only it is a free pattern but it is also a great pattern! And it comes in children and women sizes. Perfect for matching mother and daughter outfits, if you are into it! These shorts are a must have for summer time. The fitting is great and the design is simple but cool. I must admit I have changed slightly the shorts construction because I didn’t have enough bias tape… But I think the overall result is still pretty nice and I am sure I will make many more City Gym Shorts in the near future. Actually I have already made a couple more using a wonderful cotton chambray from Merchant and Mills and some Liberty bias tape. There is a sneak peek on those shorts on my Instagram. Check it out!

FABRIC: Solid dark blue organic cotton knit from Lillestoff and plaid woven cotton from MonDepot.

These too fabrics are such good quality! And I think they go together so nicely… The dark blue knit from Lilletsoff has the perfect weight for tees and, since it has a little bit of spandex, it is super stretchy and comfortable. Plus it is organic. Great fabric!

The plaid fabric from MonDepot is super soft and it was a pleasure to work with. I was kind of scared about making bias tape and piping with it but the fabric was so easy to sew… I really like the contrasting bias plaid on the shorts and I am so proud of the plaid piping and buttons on the tee. I think Teresa will not wear this two pieces of clothing together very often as they are kind of too matchy-matchy for her taste but I am sure she will wear them separately all the time as she thinks the plaid is really cool.

 

So, are you ready for the giveaway now? Well, I’ve got a pattern from Sew Pony to give in the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But that’s not all… Actually all sewing bloggers that went to Paris have a different pattern from one of our sponsors to give on their blogs. Here they are! Do check them out!