Tired

Friends, I feel so tired, that I haven't felt like posting lately. Haven't felt like doing much outside work, really. I know this is a bad time for many of us on the Northern hemisphere... when to the general blahness of midwinter, you add a series of accumulating bad stuff, it is just... wearying.
Ah, well. Things are bound to improve, right? :)

I did get a wonderful package from Summerset, full of super thoughtful gifts... of which I'll share more later, as some of its content is in the (slow) process of being turned into the latest Burda wrap top. :) Thanks again for everything, Summerset!

I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon for my first weekend at Seb's, in Amsterdam! Hopefully, I'll come back refreshed. :)

In closing, I'm leaving you with a picture Seb snapped while he was there last weekend, which also happens to correspond exactly to how I (we?) am writing this entry tonight (down to the kitty tunic). You see, Miss Cutie/P'tite Mignonne loves to follow blogs and check my spelling.

God, I love my kitty.

Have a great weekend, everyone. My life would be very much different without your inspirational blogs and friendly words. Thank you, for all this.

See you all next week! :)

So I set in a sleeve...

And there was no looking back.

Boy, don't I look smug. What can I say. I had just set in the sleeves and was feeling happy!

Thanks very much to everyone who gave their opinion! I just loved reading your comments; and thank you for being so many to vote!
I guess this one was meant to have sleeves. But, as several of you suggested, I might totally make another one sans sleeves, for summer. Great idea!

Top on its own (unlayered).

Sorry I look tousled and wan and all - I was (am!) on my way to bed. Almost cropped my head off but - away with vanity. I totally respect those of us who won't pictures of their faces - there are so many reasons for this - but I always feel my pictures are friendlier if I don't cut the face off. :)

I'll hem the top and snip the dangling threads ASAP (I do want to wear it soon!), and then post better pictures and a review for you.

Sorry for making this quick and dirty, but it is late and I need to get up real early tomorrow.

Good night, everyone! Thanks again.

(Désolée, pas d'article en français ce soir... Il est trop tard et je vais me coucher ! De toute façon, les photos se suffisent sans doute à elles-mêmes. :) Merci beaucoup à celles d'entre vous qui m'ont donné leur avis sur les manches ! :) )

Simplicity 4022 - Sleeve or No Sleeve?

English version: click here -> Version française: cliquez ici ->

Hello, friends.
Thank you very much for your words and thoughts. What would I do without you? Thank you. :)

In between nursing a very sick companion, I took a much welcome break in my work this weekend and played with Simplicity 4022.

I am/was planning on making the same view that the model is wearing, with the bell sleeves. The fabric I'm using is a black and white Liberty lawn, very lightweight:

I only need to prepare and set in the sleeves and hem the top... But it turns out I'm undecided about the sleeves. When I tried the blouse for a last fitting before setting in the sleeves, Seb said it was cute as a sleeveless blouse.

(the top isn't hemmed yet and I'm not sure how long I want it to be).

By the way, I am wearing it here with my new Plain and Simple Everyday Pants (by Hot Patterns). I will photograph and review those properly as soon as I get my act together and hem them! I just felt more like starting a new fun project this weekend to refresh my mind.

The advantage to the sleeveless version is that I can wear the top in the summer, and layer it in colder weather, like here:

(I think I like it better layered over a top!)
Of course, I could (and would definitely) layer the top even if it had sleeves. But the sleeveless top might be more versatile.

Personally, I love the bell sleeves and am still thinking adding them might be the best option. I'm thinking the top would be classier and more distinctive with the sleeves. But Seb's remark made me waver, so I would be interested in your opinion. If you feel so inclined, please vote below. Thank you! :)

PS: I took these pictures with my self-timer, and used a tripod for the first time. My tripod is my new best friend!

Bonjour à tou(te)s. :)
Ce week-end, j'ai joué avec Simplicity 4022.

J'ai/j'avais l'intention de faire le même modèle que sur la photo, avec les manches pagodes. J'utilise un Liberty tout léger en noir et blanc :

A priori, il ne me reste qu'à faire et monter les manches et ourler le bas du corsage... Mais finalement je suis un peu indécise concernant les manches. Quand j'ai fait un dernier essayage avant de monter les manches, Seb m'a dit que le corsage était joli aussi sans manches.

(le corsage n'est pas encore ourlé, je ne suis pas encore sûre de la longueur que je veux lui donner).

Au fait, le pantalon que je porte est fait à partir du patron "Plain and Simple Everyday Pants"(Hot Patterns). J'écrirai un article à part quand j'aurai enfin ourlé le bord !

L'avantage de la version sans manches est que je pourrais porter le corsage en été, mais aussi quand il fait plus frais, avec un haut noir en dessous :

Personnellement, j'adore les manches pagodes et je me dis que le corsage serait plus chic et moins commun si je les rajoutais. Mais la remarque de Seb me fait hésiter. Alors je me demande ce que vous en pensez, vous :) Vous pouvez voter ci-dessous si vous en avez envie. Merci ! :)

PS: J'ai pris toutes ces photos avec mon minuteur (comme je dois souvent le faire maintenant que je vis seule la plupart du temps) et en utilisant un trépied pour la première fois. Celui-ci me change la vie !

Blessings and Silver Linings / Les belles choses de la vie

English version: click here -> Version française: cliquez ici ->

This very sweet pillow was stitched by dear Patty. If you do not know her yet, Patty is a stitcher and another English teacher from France!

I love this little pillow. The saying is so true. I firmly believe that a key to happiness is indeed to count one's blessings - and to always look for the silver lining. Not that I would want to sound like a sententious grandma; but there is indeed seldom a day when I don't ponder both. And it is the English phrases I ponder, because there is no satisfying equivalent of the notion of "blessing" in French; and the "silver lining" is also an untranslatable idiom. (So you could well say that part of who I am, and how I choose to be, is determined by my constant obsession with the English language.)

A silver lining to Seb's living in Holland is that when he comes home on a weekend, he thoughtfully brings me the Knipmode magazine, a Dutch sewing magazine which you cannot find in France.

I really, really like the styles in this magazine - a mix of swish and trendy designs that are nonetheless not over the top (being therefore highly wearable in everyday situations), and of casual wear which is yet not unstylish. Whenever I browse a Knipmode, I always get the feeling of a happy medium, which complements well the often über-stylish (but therefore not always wearable on a day-to-day basis) Vogue or Burda designs that I also favour. I already try to alternate between making garments I can wear everyday, and more special creations. The Knipmode fits right into the everyday category.

(Another thing I like about Knipmode is that unlike Burda, the models look like real women, women you could actually meet in real life; not dolls one would take out for a photo shoot and then carefully put away again in airtight boxes.)

As you can see on the cover, a good deal of the latest issue is devoted to "jeans for every figure". Making a pair of jeans is one of my goals for 2008, so this should come in handy.

Here is the jurk (dress) I would like to make pretty soon (as soon as I find stretch satin):

I like the fluid lines, the three-quarters sleeves (always my favourite), and the bubble sleeves. Actually, I also love the fabric and its colours, but I am not sure this kind of big print would look on me because of my smallness. What do you guys think?

I hope I shall find the proper fabric soon. Meanwhile, I do have three projects all kitted up (Simplicity 4022, Vogue 8420 in a black stretchy gabardine, and Vogue 8411 in a deep red silky poly), so it would seem reasonable to tackle those first. :) At least the first two tops!
A blessing I count daily, for sure, is you friends! Life would be SO different without my friends from the Internet.
Tini just sent me a wonderful magazine, yummy-looking chocolate, and a pretty card, as just-because gifts. Just to remind me that I had friends thinking of me. Danke, Tini!

The magazine is very interesting; I had never heard about it. I'll discuss it later. Tini told me it is a Dutch magazine (another one!), but this is a German translation, which will be much easier for me to understand than Dutch. ;) Although it looks like the Knipmode may help me develop a minimal knowledge of Dutch. Amazing what a little motivation can do to improve your language skills!

If you would say a little prayer, or have a little thought for our family... It would be most appreciated. :)
Enjoy your weekend, everyone :)

Ce petit coussin fut brodé par Patty. Si vous ne la connaissez pas encore, Patty est une brodeuse, elle aussi prof d'anglais !

J'aime beaucoup ce petit coussin. La maxime en est si vraie... Elle est très difficile à traduire car nous n'avons pas, hélas, cette notion de "blessing" dans notre vocabulaire... Son sens est beaucoup plus large que celui de "bénédiction", par lequel on la traduit souvent. Il s'agit de toutes les choses qui vont bien dans notre vie... Je trouve qu'il est tellement important de s'y raccrocher, même quand on l'impression que ça va mal. :)

Voici un magazine Knipmode qui m'a été gentiment rapporté d'Amsterdam. J'ai désormais un coursier privé qui me les rapporte tous les mois. :)

Il est dommage que ce magazine ne soit pas vendu en France. J'aime vraiment bien le style des différents modèles. Les moèles chic ne sont pas pour autant immettables à force d'être originaux ; les modèles plus détendus, qui sont aussi nombreux, n'en sont pas moins tendance et très mignons.

Ce magazine complète bien ma fascination pour les patrons Vogue et certains modèles Burda, des modèles "haute couture" souvent très classe, mais par conséquent pas toujours mettables au quotidien. Comme ça, je peux faire un peu des deux. C'est déjà ce que j'essaie de faire, en alternant les vêtements que je peux vraiment mettre tous les jours et des créations plus spéciales, plus habillées.

Comme vous pouvez en juger par la couverture, le numéro de février comporte un dossier intitulé "des jeans pour chaque silhouette". Faire un jean est une mes ambitions en 2008, et cela devrait m'y aider !

Et voici la jurk (robe) que j'aimerais faire pour la mi-saison :

J'aime beaucoup les lignes fluides, les manches trois-quart (toujours mes préférées), et les manches-boules.

En fait, j'aime beaucoup le tissu aussi, et ses couleurs, mais je ne sais pas si ce genre de large imprimé m'irait bien, à cause de ma petite taille. Qu'en pensez-vous ?

Mon amieTini vient de m'envoyer un gentil paquet d'Allemagne :

Le magazine (encore un magazine de couture, avec patrons inclus) est très intéressant. Le connaissiez-vous ? Je n'en avais jamais entendu parler. Il est en allemand, ce qui sera pour moi plus facile à comprendre que le néerlandais ! Quoiqu'il ne soit pas impossible que le Knipmode m'aide à apprendre des rudiments de néerlandais. C'est fou comme on apprend vite quand on a une motivation particulière. :)

Bon week-end à tou(te)s ! :)

Sewing - back to the saddle (or almost!) - article bilingue

English version: click here -> Version française: cliquez ici ->

Hi all!
First, I would like to say a big thank you to Sigrid, who gave me the code and explanations to show either the English or the French version of a post (or both, if you check both boxes). After repeated requests on the part of French readers to add some French to my posts on this blog, since I closed my French blog last summer, I decided to add some French whenever I had time; but I felt it might create long and perhaps tedious posts for those of you who were interested in the French part. Let us hope this is a satisfying solution for everyone! :)

On to sewing. Remember the pair of black Hot Patterns Everyday Pants I had started back in September, and which I couldn't finish because somebody had misplaced the back waistband pieces? I had left the project at a standstill in frustration. This was my one and only sewing UFO, and I wasn't proud of it.

At the end of 2007, I decided that these pants simply had to be finished before I tackled any new project in 2008. The pants are now almost done: I just need to hand-tack the waistband facing to the inside, and to hem the pants (oh, and to rewash them, considering how long they've been waiting around!). I haven't been able to touch a needle since Jan. 2, but I cannot wait to finish these - and to wear them.

I have always had a terrible time finding RTW pants that fit me. If they fit at the hips, I can usually put my two fits into the pants at the back waist. If they fit at the waist, I can hardly (if not at all) slip them over my hips. (Is that what you guys call a sway back? In French we say "dos cambré" or "reins cambrés").

Finding a pattern for pants that that work well poses of course a similar challenge; but this pattern by Hot Patterns is a winner. The two back darts on either side of the centre back are perfect for my body type. As any pants, they required some fiddling and fitting alterations, of course. But these were definitely minor.

I'll post more once I'm fully done with them, of course. :)

Now, what shall be my next project after that?

Simplicity 4022. I am going to make view D (with the pretty bell sleeves). In this black and white Liberty print:

Now, the reason why I haven't made this cute top yet is that I felt it would look bulky and billowy unless made in a very lightweight and fluid fabric; so I figured that the distinctive, superfine Liberty lawn would be perfect for it. There was a remnant piece of just the right side waiting for me at Shaukat (I just realized they now had a website!).

Of course, both the pants and the top fit just right in my Autumn/Winter wardrobe (my theme being: a lot of black, a bit of white, and a touch of colour). :)


In closing: I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my Japonaiseries kimono top featured in Pattern Review's 2007 Best Of article! This certainly made my day - although I still cannot figure out how my little top made it there. PatternReview.Com hosts such a wealth of über-talented garment makers!

This definitely makes me eager to pick up my thread and needle again!

Happy day, everyone. :)

Bonjour.
Vous avez été plusieurs à me demander de rouvrir mon blog français. Je n'ai pas l'intention de le faire, pour diverses raisons. Mais pour faire plaisir à celles d'entre vous qui me l'ont demandé, j'ai décidé de vous écrire une petite version française de mes articles aussi souvent que j'en aurai le temps et l'envie.
Il vous suffit donc de décocher la case "English" et de cocher la case "français pour lire cet article en français. Merci à Sigrid pour m'y avoir aidée !

La version française sera plus brève que la version anglaise, simplement parce que cela prendrait autrement trop de temps et que je préfère passer le peu de temps libre que j'ai devant la machine à coudre plutôt que l'ordinateur. Merci de le comprendre. :)
Voici mon projet en cours: un pantalon noir, à partir du patron Hot Patterns Everyday Pants. Je l'avais commencé en septembre mais les pièces de la ceinture avaient égarées par un "rangeur" un peu trop zélé... Découragée, j'avais laissé ce pantalon de côté.
Mais à la fin de 2007, j'ai décidé de m'y remettre et je me suis interdit de commencer un nouveau projet avant d'avoir fini ce pantalon. Il est maintenant presque fini. Je n'ai pas pu toucher à une aiguille depuis deux semaines, mais j'ai bien hâte de trouver une heure de libre pour le terminer et le porter.

Ci-dessus, mon prochain projet. J'hésitais à faire ce modèle car je pense que seul un tissu très fluide et léger peut donner un résultat seyant. C'est alors que je me suis dit que le linon si fin et si particulier à la marque Liberty serait un bon choix. J'ai trouvé une pièce de juste la bonne longueur sur l'étagère à chutes de Shaukat (C'est sur ces étagères que l'on trouve les Liberty les moins chers que j'aie jamais vus : 7 livres, soit 10 euros le mètre). On aurait dit que cette pièce attendait ma venue.

Le pantalon noir en cours et ce corsage à venir devraient prendre parfaitement leur place dans ma garde-robe coordonnée d'automne-hier 07/08. Le thème que j'ai fixé pour ma garde-robe est : beaucoup de noir, un peu de blanc, et une touche de couleur. Vous pouvez voir ce que j'ai déjà cousu pour cette garde-robe ici. :)

Pour conclure : j'ai eu du mal à en croire mes yeux quand j'ai vu que mon haut kimono "japonaieries"figurait parmi le Best Of 2007 de Pattern Review.

Quel honneur !J'espère que les couturières parmi vous connaissez toutes Pattern Review, ce site de référence où l'on peut déposer et consulter des comptes-rendus de patrons de couture. Je n'achète jamais un patron sans aller d'abord voir s'il a déjà été référencé, et comment il rend. Il y a déjà plus de 25 000 comptes-rendus de patrons !

Voilà, j'espère que vous avez apprécié cet article.
Vous pouvez bien sûr laisser vos commentaires en français si l'anglais vous rebute. ;)

Inner French Girl, we miss you!

This is a message for Severine of Inner French Girl... Severine, I sent you a couple of emails but they bounced back. This is why I am writing this post.

I really hope that you and the whole IFG team are well, and that your absence is only temporary. And I hope you'll see this...

We miss you! xxx

Handmade Gifts- Embroidery

Hi everyone,

I'm using my lunch break to start sharing pictures of Christmas gifts I made this year. This post is devoted to the machine-embroidered gifts.

~*~

Pour les francophones : je vais désormais tâcher de vous mettre un petit mot en français aussi souvent que possible. Voici une partie des cadeaux que j'ai faits pour Noël : ici, ceux réalisés en broderie machine. Huit serviettes de table pour ma Maman assortis à un centre de table fait il y a trois ans ; et des coussins-coeurs personnalisés.
Je suis submergée de travail et ma BAL marque 55 messages non lus... A celles d'entre vous qui m'avez écrit, je vous demande pardon de ce retard et vous implore d'être encore un peu patientes. :) Bon dimanche à tou(te)s !

~*~

I made and embroidered eight napkins for my Mum.

They match the table runner I made for my parents three years ago. (which can be seen here... but the pictures are terrible.) The design is a freebie by Brother, it can be found here. The flowers are cattleyas, which also constitutes a fond reference for Proust lovers... and my Mum is one of them.

These designs stitch up beautifully, but they are dense and therefore pretty work intensive; so I spread the process over a fortnight, making a napkin every other evening.
My mum's mother loved beautiful linen, and this was also a way of telling my mum that Mamie is still part of everything I make.

I also made a few hearts like this one:

The idea for these hearts came from here.

Finally, a satin heart stitched with silk, which I made as a Christmas gift for a very dear and special lady... who will be very much missed.

~*~

I have hardly been able to visit your blogs yet... not to mention actually reading the messages in my inbox. Please forgive me! Work is insane right now. Every hour of the day and every day of the week has been spent working. I am not saying this to complain - love my work! - but to explain why I am so slow in commenting and emailing. :)

Lunch break is over! Happy Sunday, everyone.

Dear everyone,
I am sorry for the silence. Our family had a rough start to 2008. Things are much better now, but we're still shaken and now that Seb is back in the Netherlands I'm not quite feeling like posting again yet. But we're OK. :)
We did manage to spend a few days in England (half for holidays, half for work), albeit under different circumstances than expected. It did us both good though.

I'll be back soon... promise. Thank you for all the love! I'll tackle my overflowing mailbox as soon as I am up to it.

Merci aussi à mes lectrices francophones. J'ai eu besoin de faire une pause de quelques semaines. Je promets de revenir bientôt. Merci pour vos messages et commentaires qui me touchent beaucoup ! Bonne Année 2008 à vous toutes.

La P'tite Mignonne vous dit bonjour. :)