Feliz

** Om deze post in het Nederlands te lezen, klik je best hier **

From the first sneak peek on I knew I would sew the Feliz dress for  my little friend Liv. She likes clothes to be a little loose so she can dance and play all day long, and she likes flutter sleeves and ruffles and romantic details.

However, as she turned 9 lately, I didn't want to make the dress too girly. You never know when these little kids will suddenly turn into teenagers that hate cuteness, right?

Yup, that was a big fail :-) I had planned on sewing a funky Feliz in a black&white Nani Iro, with a visible metal zipper to add some more spunk. I ordered my fabrics and left on holidays, but when I returned the fabrics still hadn't arrived and the blog tour date was approaching. Bye bye funky Feliz!

Since it was weekend and all fabric shops were closed I had to go with some fabrics from my stash. Although I admit that there were quite a lot of options in there (Fabric hoarder? Me?), nothing seemed 'just right' for my Feliz. So I went for my second option: princess feeling all the way!

The result is a little too romantic for me, but she loves it!

The only prerequisite when sewing for Liv is softness. She is very sensitive and although she loves what I sew for her, she won't wear anything that sticks. So softness it would be! For the bodice I used off white fake fur and I lined it with a leftover from my Moonstone blouse, which I also used for the sleeves.

For the skirt I recycled a skirt I once sewed for myself but was never actually worn because the elastic was slightly too loose on me. It was on a hanger in my sewing room for almost a year, meant to be unpicked and redone, and the more I looked at it the less eager I was to fix it. I'm happy it got a new destination. Liv is happy too because it twirls way better than most dresses I sew for her. Not at all a teenager yet ;-).

At first I wanted to keep the visible metal zipper to temper the sweetness a little, but then I realized that a zipper wouldn't make a great combination with the hairy fabric. Oh well, the spunkiness I had planned had fallen anyway, so I could as well go for total romanticism, right?

She loves it so I'm happy too, although I think I'll be sewing a more funky Feliz soon! 

"The pattern is called Feliz", I told her, "which means 'happy' in Portuguese." She looked up at me and nodded as if she had just given her permission. "That's fine", she said, "because I am happy." ♥



It was my honor to close the blog tour with this princess version of the Feliz dress. For more inspiration, check out these blogging friends of mine!

Lily & Woody | Kaatjenaaisels | Yerasi | Flaflinko | Blanche | Liesellove | Bel'etoile | Petrol & Mint Made By Sara | A Naais ID | sewpony | 128 | Sweeter Than Cupcakes | Noortjeprullemie Thread Riding Hood | Clara stickar | Christinaa | Love You Sew | My Petite Sophie | With Love By Eva

Moonstone

** Om deze post in het Nederlands te lezen, klik je hier **

A fabric with a dreamy name and a beautiful print, that is Moonstone by Atelier Brunette. I had set myself the goal to use up some of my stash before buying new fabrics, but this one made me fail. It was just so soft that I had bought it before I even had the time to think about it.

To prevent my stash from growing I used it up right away. In the Dutch pattern magazine Knipmode I found a pattern for a flowy blouse, perfect for this lightweight fabric.
 

The fabric was so sheer that I interfaced all seams as I learned from Olga's patterns. For the sleeve hems I used super soft elastic binding.

The only reason why this simple blouse looks so sophisticated is because of the amazing photos. Now guess who took them? A little hint in the picture below:

Not quite what you'd expected, right? My little friend Liv, 9 years old, did all the photography for me.



I set the camera to automatic mode and let her experiment with it. Well, that was not exactly what she wanted. "The light doesn't look good", she told me, "how can I change it?" So I explained my 9-year-old about shutter speed and diaphragm, and told her how to focus manually. She listened carefully and this is what she came up with. Isn't it amazing? This kid and her endless patience ♥



When she grows up, she'll be a photographer, she told me. I bet she'll be a great one.

Fabric: Moonstone Pink, Atelier Brunette, bought at Lanalotta

Pattern: Top 25, Knipmode december 2013, size 36

Photographer: Liv 

BewarenBewaren

Vienna in blue

** Om deze post in het Nederlands te lezen, klik je best hier **

I don't have kids of my own. Well, not yet. Being a university student, parenting would not make a perfect combination (ahem - understatement) with passing my exams. But this little kid, she stole my heart.

A few years ago, when she was only a toddler just starting school, I did some volunteer work at the local kindergarten. She was shy and in need for someone to comfort her; and somehow I felt it was my task to care for her.

Day by day her shyness lessened and she became more confident. Seven years later she is a happy little lady with lots of friends. But her one and only Best Friend, that's me. (Or at least that is what she tells me ;-) ) She writes me notes telling how much she loves me and brings me crafts filled with hearts. And even if she wouldn't, I could just read that in her eyes every time she looks up at me.

She is such a creative and talented little girl and I love her just as much as she loves me. Sewing is my favorite type of craft so I sew her dresses to express my love. And I bet she feels it, because the Eva-mades appear to be her favorites and she is extremely thankful for everything I sew for her.

This time I made her a Vienna dress, a pattern by Kaatjenaaisels and Bel'etoile. From the moment I saw the design of the dress I knew it would be perfect for Liv. She doesn't like clothing to be too tight on her as she likes to dance through her days.

For our Tulip dress & top pattern I worked together with Katrien, so I knew she is an excellent pattern designer with an eye for detail. After Tulip, she released another two dress patterns: Vienna and Nena. From now on, both of them are available in English too (Tulip was translated to English one year earlier), as pdf patterns with super detailed photo instructions. And you know what? To celebrate the English release, you get a 10% discount using the code INSTAPARTY ! Hop over to her shop to check out, I promise you won't regret!

Liv turned 9 in August but is rather tall, so I sewed her the size 10, which is a perfect fit. Both Liv and I are in love with Vienna!

I think the flutter sleeves and the gathered dress look really cute on her, while the V-shaped back and the plain blue bodice give it a more grown-up feel. Doesn't she look like a little lady in it?

This girl, I am so proud of her, of the way she looks at the world, open and a little naive, with care and detail. I feel so grateful for being part of her journey. Not always the easiest one, but sure a beautiful one.

Pattern: Vienna Dress - size 140 - by Kaatjenaaisels and Bel'etoile - pdf for sale here

Fabrics: Cocquelicot Bleu (Petit Pan), combined with plain dark blue quilting cotton

Model: Liv (9yo)

*None of the links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.*