LANA PATTERN TOUR

Hi my friends! Are you still there?!
I hope you are as today I have a really cool blouse to show you. I hope you like it as much as I do!

PATTERN: Lana Blouse by Coffee and Thread (women's version). I had lost my sewing mojo and Olga's invitation for Lana's pattern tour was just the right kick I needed to get it back. This pattern was a perfect project as, though it was a really quick sew, it was also just enough challenging and fun. Plus I was quite impressed with the fitting of my new blouse. Thought it is slightly more fitted then I am used to, it is super flattering. The pattern comes with several options. I made the blouse but there is also a dress version and a long sleeve version. I can't wait to try them both!

FABRIC: Silver Lurex Light Cotton Jersey Fabric from Mike Tecidos. I bought this fabric a couple of summers ago when I visit for the first time Mike Tecidos store in the north of Portugal. I think they carry mostly leftover fabric from local ready to wear factories and sometimes it is possible to find really nice fabrics for amazing prices. This light cotton has just the right drape for the Lana Blouse. The color is a cool shade of mint green/blue and the shine of the sliver lurex makes it look a little bit special but still wearable on my everyday life.

Get your Lana Blouse pattern with a nice 20% discount during the pattern tour with the code "lanatour". Don't forget to check the children's version too! Or maybe get the bundle and sew a matchy matchy outfit…

WE ARE READY FOR SUMMER TIME! . NEW NOSH ORGANIC PRINTS

We are definitely ready for warmer sunnier summer days! Where are you Summer?!
We had so many rainy cold days this winter… I hope sewing summer nice clothes will bring nicer weather.
So let’s start with the right foot by sewing my favorite girl’s summer pattern in a super cool new print from my also favorite organic cotton fabric brand.

FABRIC: Tyrsky Jersey in Light Blue/Vanilla and Solid Black Rib by Nosh Organic. I am always super exited when Nosh releases its new prints. They always have something nice for me and something cool for the kids. This spring/summer is no exception! The wave print is perfect for our summertime since we live across the street from the beach and we spent lots of fun times there. This print comes in several colors but Teresa picked the light blue one – my favorite one too – so I ordered it to make her something nice for the summer.  Choosing the right rib was not easy as I had in my stash both solid black and stripped black/vanilla rib. I would have picked the striped as I think it would had a fun detail to the dress but Teresa asked me to keep it simple so, as I really wanted her to like and wear her new summer dress, I went for the solid black. As usual, it was a pleasure to sew with Nosh knit. It has the perfect stretch and recovery and it is easy to sew. Plus I know the dress will look exactly the same at the end of the summer, after having been worn and washed to exhaustion.

PATTERN: Racerback Dress by Hey June. This is my “to go” summer pattern. It is easy to sew, even easier to wear, I love it and my kids love it too. The only down side: size 8 is the biggest size… Thankfully Teresa – how is already 10 - is quite skinny and size 8 still fits her pretty nicely. I made no changes to the original pattern but I added a couple of centimeters at the hem as I wanted this dress to last as much as possible. This pattern is perfect for the Nosh’s bold wave print and, though it is still a simple racerback dress, the small detail with the back contrasting yoke and the gatherings makes it super special.

So all we need now is the sun to shine and the temperatures to rise so Teresa can wear her new summer dress!
Thank you Hey June for such a wonderful free pattern! Can we please have this pattern in bigger sizes? Maybe even a teen or women’s pattern?
Thank you Nosh for such nice fabrics! I think you are spoiling me and the kids and it will be hard to sew and wear other knits after having tried Nosh!

THE NINA BLOUSE BLOG TOUR . A NEW PATTERN BY COFFE AND THREAD

It has been a busy week around here! But when a good friend launches a great pattern and asks if you feel like sewing it, is it possible to say no? Of course not! So I say yes!

PATTERN: The Nina Blouse by Coffee and Thread. When I went to my local shop with my almost finished Nina blouse to look for some nice buttons, the waitress said: “Did you sew this?! It looks amazing. So perfect and professional!” I blushed but I knew it was all Olga’s fault as she had put together not only a beautiful timeless design but also a great pattern. Plus the fitting is perfect! I made the cap sleeve version – there is a long sleeve too – with round collar – there is a scalloped collar too – in size 8 for my skinny 10 year old daughter as the sizing chart was pointing into that size. I made no changes to the original pattern but I added a couple of top stiches here and there because Teresa wanted her Nina to look more casual and denim shirt like.

 

FABRIC: Denim/chambray bed sheet from my local street market (buttons and bias tape are from my local shops.) Every Wednesday there is a street market in Cascais and sometimes it is possible to find real gems there. This fabric was definitely one! For 5 euros I got enough fabric to make shirts for all the family. The quality seems to be really nice as the fabric is incredibly soft and has good drape. Since Teresa asked me for a casual denim shirt, I thought having contrasting topstitching would make sense. And all other details fallowed that topstitching: the sleeves and neckline are finished with matching color bias tape and the buttons are the exact same color as the thread.

 

I am really happy with my Nina blouse. And so is Teresa. I just hope spring arrives soon so she can start wearing her new denim shirt.

 

Get your Nina blouse with a nice discount - 20% off - with the NINAPATTERNTOUR code. It is good through March 19, 11:59 pm Central (Chicago) time zone.

And visit Coffee and Thread blog for lost of inspiration!

 

LOTTE MARTENS BLOG TOUR . PARTY COLLECTION

Last year Lotte Martens, a Belgium fabric designer, asked me if I would like to try their fabrics. Of course I say yes! I made a blouse for me and a dress for Teresa with this gorgeous rayon that have been worn over and over ever since I made them.

When I was contacted again to try their new Spring/Summer Collection I felt really privileged to be able to work with such luxurious fabrics again.

FABRIC: Ciccioni05 from Lotte Martens Party Animals limited edition SS18. This beautiful lightweight jarcard comes in several colors but I felt in love with the silver/pink/green combination. The fabric is really rich and luxurious and, as it is not too heavy, it has a nice drape. Though it frays easily – after all it is a jacard! – it was not hard at all to sew with. The colors are vibrant but not too laud and that makes it perfect for garment sewing. I had 1 meter of fabric so I was planning to make a blouse but, to my surprise, the fabric was enough for this dress pattern so I went for it.  

PATTERN: View W from the Japanese book Stylish Party Dresses. I knew I needed a tried and trusted pattern so I would not ruined Lotte Martens precious fabric. This pattern has a simple but elegant and easy to wear shape that fits my body type nicely (or at least I think so!) plus I had made a linen version of this dress last year and I still like it so much… I am glad I made this decision! While last time I made the dress without any adjustments, this time I had to reduce about 10cm in height as I did not have enough fabric to make it as long and decided to add inseam side pockets. I am so glad I added the pockets! They are the perfect detail for this simple dress!

Thank you so much Lotte Martens for giving me the opportunity to sew with your fabrics once again! I am delighted with my new dress and I hope spring arrives soon so I can start wearing it.

CATHERINE CARDIGAN BY SEW PONY . BLOG TOUR

I still can’t believe I missed a blog tour deadline. I am so sorry Suz! Things sometimes just don’t go the way we would like to…

But better late than never, right? So here is my Catherine Cardigan!

 

PATTERN: Catherine Cardigan by Sew Pony. Well, the Catherine Cardigan I’ve got to show you today isn’t actually a cardigan… Teresa was desperately in need of long sleeve tees so I made a couple of small changes to the pattern – inspired by the super talented Trine – and now Teresa has a new tee she loves. As she asked me to keep the pussy bow, I decided to cut a stripe of fabric to create a fake placket using the original placket pattern. Because I was making a tee, I’ve finished the neckline with a regular band, instead of the neckband provided, and the long sleeves with a hem, instead of a cuff. Hacking this pattern was super easy – for sure because it is such a nice pattern!

I am glad Teresa asked me to keep the pussy bow. Such a cute special detail, isn’t it?

FABRIC: Black slub cotton/linen knit from my local shop (Feiras dos Tecidos). I bought this piece of fabric long time ago not realizing it was too small to make something for myself. When I started sewing I didn’t think slub knit was appropriate for children clothes… I didn’t think black was suitable for children’s clothes either... But things change and now I feel like this combination is perfect for my pre-teen girl! Especially because I know she likes it and she will actually wear it. I wanted to make the central stripe and the bow in a different color but Teresa asked me to keep it simple so I did. It isn’t as photogenic – for blogging purposes -  but it works out so nicely in “real live”… We are happy!

Thank you so much Suz for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. Congrats on another great pattern!

Ines also wanted to take part of the photo shoot. Here she is wearing a couple of garments that never made the blog: After School pants by Oliver and S in denim from my local shop and Hemlock Top by Elegance and Elephants in Nosh Organic knit fabric.

Find theCatherine Cardigan Pattern at Sew Pony Shop and get inspired by all the gorgeous cardigans on the tour fallowing the links bellow.

wensje/petrolandmint/naaisgerief/fratsels/128/jurkjesmama

sewitcurly/larth/anaaisid/liiviundliivi/beletoile/sisforsewing

welcometothemousehouse/casennina/coffeeandthread

whileshewassleeping/justaddfabric/straightgrain/amore

molemieke/madebysara/gaafmachine/groovybabyandmama

minnimie/doguincho/frl.love/flaflinko/plus2is5/lilyenwoody/stannel

 

BABBY SHOWER FOR ANNIKA

My good friend Annika just had her third baby! What a courageous women she is!
Baby L was born just before Christmas and, to celebrate it, Annika’s sewing friends got together and organized a virtual baby shower for her and her baby girl.
This was, of course, the perfect opportunity to sew some cute little baby clothes…

PATTERN: Birdie Birdie Jersey Dress and Caterpillar Leggings both for Ottobre MagazineSpring 1/2015. I think you already know about my love for Ottobre knit patterns… I love their simple design and perfect fitting. But I also love how practical and easy to wear their designs are. So it was a no brainer to choose a little dress and a pair of leggings for Annika’s baby girl from one of the magazines I own. Baby L will look stylish and but super comfortable. I made no changes to the original patterns except for the neckline finish on the dress. Because I couldn’t find any matching ribbing, I made a simple neckband (serged and topstitched with a double needle) instead of a “proper” neck binding. I think this way it is slightly stretchier and hopefully easier to dress and undress.

FABRIC: Liberty Cotton Jersey from Mike Tecidos (sorry, it is out of stock!) and Striped Cotton Jersey from Maria Pirosa. It is hard to find nice Jersey fabric in Portugal but I got lucky with both these fabrics. I just hope Annika likes the soft prints!

 

Last but not least…

Because, with babies, there is always the need to store an extra set of clothing or a diaper, I though a nice matching knit bag would come handy. So, with the leftover fabric I had, I made a simple – but personalized – bag for Babby L.

 

 

Congrats Annika! I hope we can meet soon!
 

@Inspinration | @Huisjeboompjeboefjes | @MadebyToya | @Pienkel Do Guincho | Needle and Ted | As It Seams | Made by Sara @Dottasews | @Mycozyco | @Compagnie M @Stahlarbeit @Froeleintilia | @Byevamaria | Craftstorming

A LONG SWEATER OR A MINI DRESS?

I think my new sweater is actually a mini dress… 

PATTERN: Bento Tee by Liesl and Co. The Bento Tee is one of my all-time favorite knit patterns. It comes with two different styles: a simple tee with cuffed sleeves and a long sleeve sweatshirt with front pockets. Last year I made several simple tees and sweaters using this pattern but I didn’t try the pockets option as I thought the pockets were a little bit too high on the torso for my taste. When I got this gorgeous fabric from Nosh (more about it bellow), I decided it was finally time to try the pockets! Since I had some extra fabric, I could add some length to the bodice so the pockets would lay a little bit lower - hopefully at the waist line! I was thinking about making a long sweater to wear with skinny jeans but now I really like to see it as a mini dress. I think the boxy shape of the Bento works really nice as a mini-dress.  As long as I don’t have to lift my harms too high…  

 

FABRIC: Silmu Knit in Black – Vanilla by Nosh. I must admit felt in love with the structured knits collection Nosh has put together this year the moment I saw it. All colors and textures are simply perfect for winter sewing! As usually, the quality is top. But that’s not all. Though the Silmu is a cotton sweatshirt fabric, it looks a lot more luxurious. I actually feel like my mini dress looks quite fancy and not sporty at all. Sewing with the Silmu was super easy as the fabric is quite stable. I used my serger in very seam but sew the pockets seam first with my sewing machine. (I’ve also added a stripe of interfacing at the pockets to be sure they stayed crisped and nice looking.) The neckline is finished with a narrow neckband made with Nosh rib in black and all hems are finished with a double needle, just as the pattern calls for.

So, this might be my last make of 2017 and it is for sure one of my favorites. It was a pleasure to collaborate with Nosh Fabrics this year. Sewing and wearing nice organic fabric is a so, so good!