NINA CULOTTES AND SKIRT BY COMPAGNIE M. PATTERN TOUR

I still can't believe I am on a women's clothes pattern tour! I am really excited about it though I am a little bit scared too. Will you like the clothes I make for myself? Will the photos be good enough? Will you actually feel like buying the pattern after seeing what I have sewn? Well, let's hope so...
When we were together in Paris, Marte from Compagnie M. asked me if I wanted to try her new pattern, the Nina Culottes and Skirt. She was wearing a Nina skirt and the design and fitting seemed perfect but I was not sure if culottes were my style so I told her I would think about it. I gave it some thought and I am so glad I said yes! I actually made a skirt and a pair of culottes and I love them both!

Let's start with the skirt. Since, according to the size chart, I am a XXS at the hip and a S (almost a M!) at the waist I decided to make a muslin and I am glad I did! I don't like to make muslins but I am learning they are very, very important! Well, my muslin "told me" I should make a size XS and so I did!
Then I had to choose one of (so many) different options for the pockets and enclosure this pattern offers... But that was easy! I knew right from the start I wanted the diagonal side pockets and side invisible zipper (next time I hope I have the courage to add the double welt pockets!)

I made only a couple of changes to the original pattern: I added interfacing to the waistband and shortened a bit the hem (I'm sorry but I don't know how much...). The fabric is Simply Color, Metro Dots Dotty Ombre Grey by V and Co., a quilting cotton I had on my stash for ages! I am not a great fan of women's clothes made with quilting cotton but I think it works quite nicely for this pattern. Plus I love the design! These dots are so much fun but it is still quite a discreet print. Finally, I was lucky enough to have the perfect matching color piping on my stash too so I finished the hem with it and I am glad I added this little detail to my skirt.

While I was sure I was going to love the skirt, I was not that sure about the culottes... I thought culottes were for tall women and I am kind of short. Guess what? I was wrong! The Nina Culottes really have a nice and flattering fit.

My pair of culottes are not made of woven fabric though... I made them with french terry! They were super fast to sew (no side zipper needed as the fabric stretches) and they are so comfy! Plus I think they fit quite nicely and look much fancier then a pair of yoga pants. What have I changed from the original pattern? Not much! Of course I didn't add the side zipper and since I was making the culottes with stretchy fabric I cut a size 14 and used slightly shorter waistbands in order to get a better fit. Once again the hem is slightly shorter then the original, maybe about 5cm, I think.

The fabric is, once again, from my stash and I think I got it on my local shop. The qualities is quite nice and I hope the black will not fade when washed... Because I want to wear these culottes for a long, long time!

Well, do you feel like sewing a Nina skirt or a pair of Nina culottes? You can win a copy of the pattern here! Good luck!

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