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

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.*

My favourite pictures of 2016

My blogging friend Lies asked me for my favourite pictures of 2016, so here they are! Some of them were chosen for the moment they represent, others because the picture itself makes me smile. Enjoy!

JANUARY. A simple picture taken with my phone, but such a great moment. Mid-January yet on our terrace it felt like summer. The examens had just finished and my brother and I spent the whole afternoon playing board games outside.

FEBRUARY. Suse in her Ileanadress. The first time I photographed kids in Manual mode and I still love the result.

MARCH. The first summer sunbeams lit our kitchen windowsill and my best friend Jan and I just sat there and enjoyed the warmth.

JUNE. Right after the exams, I spent a week with two dear friends. Just relaxing and making time for each other. This picture was taken on a bike tour when we suddenly decided to pick some flowers for a spontaneous bouquet.

JULY. My sister and my little cousin in Valencia. Nothing was edited, these were the natural colors of the salt lakes.

 JULY. Again my sister in Valencia, again an unedited picture. I love the light!

AUGUST. My biggest project of 2016: our Tulip Dress and Top pattern!

AUGUST. Suddenly my sister and our two guests decided they wanted to sew something, there was no space left in my sewing room for me!

AUGUST. Loes in the Just Knot It dress I sewed for her. I love the pop of color against her dark skin!

SEPTEMBER. A week of camping in France with a dear friend. 

DECEMBER. Christmas walk with torchlights and another dear friend.

I wish you all a beautiful 2017 !

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Pattern launch: the Tulip Dress and Top

Today is a very special day for us: we're finally launching our Tulip Dress/Top pattern!

For those who haven't been reading along the past weeks, a little recapitulation! Tulip is a pdf sewing pattern for girls between 1 and 10 years old (sizes 80 - 140). The tulip petals and the gathered skirt add a special touch to this garment. It invites you to play with different fabrics/colors and with piping. You can choose between a dress and a top version, and between a closure with buttons or a blind zipper. 

The detailed instructions come with clear pictures so even beginners can make their own Tulip. More experienced seamstresses find a summary of the instructions so they don't have to read through all the steps.


The day of the photoshoot it was raining cats and dogs, but our little models made the sun shine!

Babette is wearing the dress in the smallest size, size 80 (or 1yo). It closes with kamsnaps in the back. We chose for the Yucca Cenote voile by Cloud9, bought at Aster&Emma.

Eloise is showing the dress in size 104 (4yo), in the same fabric but a different color of piping. 

Hanne is wearing the top in size 110 (5yo) in Lotte Martens’ Aspius fabric (a leftover from Livs communion dress).

Loes got a dress in size 128 (8yo), the tulip petals in yellow cotton fabric and the gathered skirt in the same cotton fabric with a layer of lace fabric over it. By leaving the piping out, the dress is an extra fast sew!

Liv wears the top in size 134 (9yo). The gathered skirt is made in the Yucca voile, the tulip petals are plain yellow and pink cotton with a leftover of the lace fabric over it. We used the same yellow and pink fabrics for the back. Playing with colors and fabrics makes your Tulip extra special! 

I made hundreds of pictures and choosing the best out of them was a very tough job. I ended with a selection of 70 pictures. You can see them all in this slideshow!

The pdf pattern and its instructions are for sale FROM NOW ON for 7 euros in the Kaatjenaaisels-shop! We are working on an English translation, release date planned for October!

Tulips features are:

• 12 sizes: 80 to 140 (1yo to 10yo)
•  top or dress
• blind zipper or button closure 
• pdf-pattern, seam allowance included
• option to only print the size you need
• tested by 16 beginner to experienced seamstresses
• instructions with clear pictures

Sixteen lovely seamstresses tested the pattern for us and helped us to optimize the instructions. The coming days they will show you their beautiful Tulips in the Tulip blogtour!

8/8⎮Petrol&Mint ▲ Liesellove ▲ Bel'Etoile ▲ gastblogger Elki

9/8⎮MyMinnieMie ▲ Lola with love ▲ Inspinration 

10/8⎮ Lily&Woody ▲ Woohoo by Davina ▲ Bambiblauw

11/8⎮So Popo Sew ▲ gastblogger Hanne ▲ Liezewiezewoes

12/8⎮Khadetjes ▲ gastblogger Aukje ▲ Blanche ▲ Emma & Mona  

13/8⎮Kaatjenaaisels ▲ With Love - by Eva

If you'd like to purchase the pattern, the voucher code HAPPYTULIP (in capital letters, valid until 14/8) gives  you 10% off in the shop. 

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