Finished for FESA : Châtaigne skirt

Well, this one took a long time coming too...but at last, it's here!

Sorry I can't be a fast blogger AND post awesome pics...at least you get to see the wonderful Christmas tree which the building's caretakers installed in the lobby!

So, this is Deer&Doe's Châtaigne shorts, turned into a skirt thanks to Estelle's tutorial.
I used a brown tweed-like wool mix as my main fabric, scraps of brown cotton for the inside of the pockets and the waistband facing and olive green Bemberg for the lining. And I added some pleather piping accents around the pockets and waistband yoke..
As you can see I went for the high waisted version and made it longer by 25 cm. I decided to put the zipper in the back, instead of the side seam, slightly tapered it at the side seams to get a that pencil skirt look, and added a back vent. And I also lined it.
I don't know if anybody else tried to make the high waisted skirt version, but once I had modified the leg parts of the short to turn them into skirt parts, the back parts were shorter than the waistband by 1.5 cm, so I had to add that much to my back skirt pattern pieces if I wanted my booty to fit in!
Apart from that, I had no problems making it - except for a bit of thinking about how to attach the lining.

Here's a look at the back vent...

Wait...would that be my first ACTUAL invisible zipper???

And here's my lining. At first I thought the lace was just beige but it's actually golden! Not what I chose first but I finally like it that way.

This skirt is not perfect - for instance, you don't want to look too close at my lining and facings, and I should have done something to reduce the bulk in some seams...but the actual fit is great, it's really comfortable and i love wearing it!
Even though it's not really historically accurate, the look of it is still reminiscent of the 40s/50s, while being at the same time modern and casual...that is to say, everything I'm looking for in a garment!
I'm very happy with this skirt and I'll probably make another - maybe a simpler, black one, in a stretchy fabric. Just wait and see!

Some cuisine : Potato and camembert gratin

Hi all, got a little recipe for you today!

Here's a dish I like to make in winter. You know, when you want to eat things that are light and fresh (just kidding). I've been tinkering with this recipe for a moment...and I think I just got it right yesterday evening, so here it is :

For 2 persons (or 4 if you want to serve it as a side dish) :

• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 4 potatoes
• 1 apple
• 1 camembert
• 20 g butter
• 1 shot glass apple juice
• 1 leaf of laurel
• salt
• pepper
• nutmeg
• caraway or cumin

Peel and dice the potatoes. Peel the garlic clove. Put in a saucepan, cover up with water, add the laurel and some salt, then boil till soft. Drain the water from the potatoes.

Peel and dice the onion and the apple. Spread them evenly in a dish that goes in the oven. Put the potatoes in that same dish, mix (as much as possible, without squashing them) with the onion and apple. Cut the butter in small bits and distribute it evenly in the dish. Pour the apple juice evenly the dish. Cut the camembert in small bits and scatter them over the dish. Add pepper, caraway/cumin and nutmeg, to taste (no salt, as the camembert is already quite savoury). Put in the oven for 30 min at 180°C.
Serve hot, with some salad on the side if you want. I used some lamb's lettuce yesterday evening.

Previously, I would do this recipe using a whole glass (ie 25cl) of cider, instead of 1 apple + a shot glass of apple juice. But the alcohol contained in the cider gave a bitter taste, and the whole thing was rather watery. However, the apple+apple juice combo gives just the right amount of sweetness and it's not watery at all anymore!

Finished for FESA : Aiken

Hi all, I finally finished my Aiken!

Here's the front...

...and the back.

I must admit it took quite a time, though. As a matter of fact, my first version was too big all over (as I tend to knit quite tightly, I thought it better to go with 5.5mm needles instead of 5mm as advised on the pattern...bad idea for this one!) so I had to start all over again with smaller needles.
I stupidly forgot to pick up stitches from the back to create the front when I started version 2. I made my front as a separate part, so some sewing was involved.
I only partly followed the instructions to adapt the pattern according to row gauge, but I got something I like in terms of length.
Although I had to start it all over again, it's quite a fast knit - version 2 was made in a little less than 3 weeks!
I haven't blocked it yet but this is already my second day wearing it, and I'd love to make an Aiken dress now! Anybody got tips on how to make a sweater longer and fit it to accomodate hips and buttocks?

In project for FESA : Chataigne skirt

Hi folks,

Just started muslin-ing my Chataigne skirt, for which I used Estelle's tutorial. And damn, was I right to make a muslin!

When I made the Chataigne shorts, they fit me right a way and no adjustments were needed. However, the skirt is super tight and will definitely need some adjustments, especially as I intend to line it. Nevertheless, I really like the overall look of it and I think it will be great if I manage to make it fit right!

the front...

the side...

and the back.

My last FESA project - the Aiken sweater - however, is not running as smoothly as I expected and looks a little too big overall. Not the pattern's fault, though - it's pretty quick and simple to knit. I started again with smaller needles and hope I'll be able to finish it - and my skirt - before the deadline...Fingers crossed!

Finished for FESA : a Goth(ish) Moneta

...or the dress that took a long time coming!

No mirror picture this time, I thought I'd take advantage of the natural light coming from my bedroom's window. I still prefer to see picture of worn garments, but at least I managed to get something that's not blurry and gloomy-looking! 

This is Colette's Moneta. The bodice is plain black jersey from Mod'Tissus (local fabric shop), the skirt was made with this lace print jersey :

Source : Place des Tissus

Not many alterations there, just raised the back neckline to make it more office/special professional event-appropriate (I also love the original back neckline, though!) and made the skirt 5 cm longer (only to shorten it in the end because I thought the dress looked frumpy. Duh). However, depending on the fabric, the next version might need an armhole/neckline adjustment to prevent it from gaping.

Everything went quite smoothly until I got to the shirring part. I first started using a normal foot + narrow zigzag stitch, but the shirring looked uneven as fuck. Then I tried gathering with the "string technique" (which Lauren explains here) and my gathers looked OK, but I thought it would look super bulky as I had to sew the elastic on top of the gathers. Finally, I rummaged through my sewing machine's notions compartment and dug out this roller foot. In addition to that, I did lots of matching marks on my elastic and skirt waistband...and eventually got something correct!

As if that was not enough to slow me down, I also broke my twin needle (that's what happens when you forget to check stitch settings) on a Sunday, and therefore had to wait one more week till I could buy a new needle.

Which I broke, too, the week after (fortunately this was at the end of the hem).

Then I thought my skirt was too long, so I bought a 3rd (and a 4th, better safe than sorry...) twin needle (which I didn't break, yay!) to make a shorter hem.

And finally, I got something I like! 

However, in spite of these little problems, the dress itself was really an easy make and it's very comfy! Chances are I'll make more than one!

Perfect cigarette pants : Burda vs Cynthia Rawley

So...this may (or may not) be part of my FESA 2014 plans, but I'm currently on the lookout for the perfect high waisted late 50s style cigarette pants pattern. I already have one pattern that might be a likely candidate (Gertie's B 5895), but I sort of got the fit right for the length and I'm afraid to mess everything up if I try to make it longer (don't know if that sounds very clear)...so I'd rather start afresh with a pattern originally designed to make proper pants (as opposed to capri/pedal pushers length).

I have already ordered the fabric to make them (a black stretch corduroy from Les Coupons de Saint-Pierre) but I still can't decide on the pattern.

So, which one of these 2 contenders is going to win?

On the left, Burda : 

Pros :

• Rather cheap, print-at-home pattern, so no need to wait,
• Don't know what they'd look like in real life but I like the Brigitte Bardot styling, this is what I'd like to emulate.

Cons :

• I've never sewn from a Burda pattern ;
• I'm scared of having to add seam allowances and of their reputation about sizing.

On the right : Cynthia Rowley for Simplicity: 

Pros :

• They're not looking that vintage-y to me (or at least not in the way i'd like them to) but i see great potential in them;
• I like where the waist hits (higher than natural waist).

Cons :

• I know it's a designer pattern, but 11$ sounds expensive for a Big 4 pattern, plus I'd have to pay for the shipping and wait till they get in my mail box...
• There seems to be a pleat at the front and I'm not sure what it would look like on me...

So, which one would you choose ? Unless you'd suggest another pattern?

FESA is back !

Sarah's Fall Essentials Sewalong is back! Basically, FESA consists in making warm, cosy and easy to wear garments for Fall, and as there are several categories you can choose to make any garment you like and as many as you like...which means that pretty much any sewist can join in with whatever she (or he) is making between September 1st and November 30th! Pretty cool, isnt'it?

The only thing I managed to me make last year was Wearing History's overalls, which did not turn out so great...but at least I see now what I must do to make them better!

This year, however, I feel like I could be more productive during these 3 months (yayyyyy for learning to knit!), so here are my plans :

• In the "Fabulous Frocks" category, a "Goth-ish" Moneta, which I'm going to make in a lace print over beige background jersey for the skirt, and plain black jersey for the top (version 3, with the 3/4 sleeves) ;
• In the "Chic Chemises for Cool Climates" category, Andi Satterlund's Aiken sweater, most likely in Cascade Lana d'Oro (in color 1036 or 1058 H, not sure yet)
• In the "Fashionable Foundations for Frosty Weather" category, a Chataigne skirt (following Estelle's tutorial for turning Deer and Doe's Chataigne shorts into a skirt), in a brown wool mix I have in my stash

Well, that makes three garments, let's see if I'll be able to make all of them!

Interested in FESA? Then pay a visit to Sarah's blog Rhinestones and Telephones if you want to learn more about it and join in!