Berlin Coat for ladies

I've been wanting to sew a coat for myself ever since I was a beginning seamstress (Five years ago already! Time goes so fast when you're having fun!) But somehow coats frightened me. I sewed up some childrens versions already, but kids don't have those difficult lady-shapes :) So when I started Project Sew It in January, I knew a coat for myself would be on the to sew list for 2016. And here it is! Started in April, finished in June. A Berlin Coat for myself!

Berlin is a pattern by StraightGrain, designed for winter and for kids. The little rebel in me decided to make a summer version for ladies out of it! I chose the biggest size (12yo), skipped the batting and lengthened with 8 centimeters. Omitting the batting created extra space on the inside so I didn't have to widen anything.

I chose for Berlin because I love the lines! I added piping to accentuate them.

In the original pattern the pocket flaps are just decorative. But I like real pockets, so I added some under the flaps. I used a soft voile (leftover from this dress) and a snap for closure.

And now: some details! I added little bows at the sleeves (adopted from the Jackie coat pattern) and lined them with the same voile.

Belgian summers can be quite cold and windy. Therefore I wanted to add some warm details! Invisible, hidden under the sleeves, is a piece of ribbing, which makes it quite impossible for the wind to fly into my sleeves.

The hood is accentuated with some piping and lined with beautiful texture fabric, al leftover I bought from Mieke. 

The original pattern has a box pleat in the back. But the piping I used all around made the pleat 'stand out' a little, so I decided to close it at the bottom. Actually, I prefer this finish over the pleat! 

It's my first ladies coat, and it's far from perfect. The sleeves aren't tight enough for me and the buttons could have been placed better too. I was a little disappointed at first, until my mom told me: "Eva, don't be so hard on yourself. This is your first time, you can't expect it to be perfect. It's beautiful, even with those mistakes. And you can start practicing from now on!" 

She was totally right. Moms are for life lessons. And even with the imperfections, I still like it!

Now I'll wait 'till someone takes me on a citytrip to Berlin. A Berlin Coat in Berlin, wouldn't that be perfect?

Outer fabric: pale pink felt wool

Lining: mini stripes aqua pink - Nosh Organics (won here gewonnen, used here)

Pattern: Berlin coat by StraightGrain - size 11/12 yo

Voile (pockets): Wildfield in Cherry voile - Free Spirit - leftover from this project

Hood inner fabric: bought from Mieke

Scarf: Betty Blush - La Femme Garniture (sold out)

Cocoon Dress for ladies

**I am not a native speaker, but I try my best to translate my blog posts into English. The original Dutch version can be found here **

A few months ago, I bought this beautiful Marimekko-style fabric from Mieke's stash. Usually I don't buy fabrics without a clear goal, but I just couldn't resist this one. When I saw the Cocoon Dress pattern by Groovybaby and mama, I knew it would make a perfect match with the sweater fabric.

The pattern comes in sizes 2yo to 12yo and can be bought here. Only a few hours after ordering, the pattern arrived in my mailbox! Since the fit of the dress is quite loose, I didn't have to make a lot of changes for my ladies version. I started from the biggest size, lengthened it and added two little darts. I also altered the sleeves based on her suggestions.

Here in Belgium, university students have two exam periods a year: one in January and one in June. My sewing speed has slowed down a little this month since I was mostly studying, but I found some time for this easy and fast project. Sewing this dress takes less than two hours!

My usual studying outfit consists out of a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. Not very stylish, I admit. However, this dress is so comfortable that I love to wear it while studying, yet it is decent enough for everyday use.

The perfect dress to add some color to a rainy day!

Fabric: bought from Sisko by Mieke
Pattern: Cocoon Dress by Groovybaby and mama (gifted to me by super friendly Trine!), with modifications
Shoes: HIP  @Hippeschoentjes
Knitted cardigan: Boozy cardigan @CKS (AW15/16)
Scarve: Anne Kurris (AW15/16)
Umbrella: Flying Tiger

Compagnie M. - contest 2015: A Parisian girl in the woods

*Uitgebreidere Nederlandstalige versie hier*

Normally, I do not like competitions at all. Maybe my lack of talent in almost every sport has something to do with that :) But when I heard about the Compagnie M. - contest, I immediately knew I wanted to take part!

My aim was to design a pattern for myself, mixing elements from different children's dresses by Compagnie M. I ended up with:

- Lotta's folded collar

- Ileana's raglan sleeves, which I lengthened to Louisa-length. I added some golden piping.

- For the basis of the dress, I used Louisa. I have liked the special lines ever since it was released, and used yellow satin piping to draw the attention to them.

- mustard yellow, thé real Compagnie M.-colour!

To be unique, I also added a 'With Love - by Eva'-element. I added a contrasting part to the pocket part, in beautiful handprinted fabric by Lotte Martens. The quality is amazing, just like the beauty of the golden flowers. Because they are handprinted, every panel is slightly different and therefore unique!

Ileana, Lousia, Lotta and Eva combined, look like ... this!

For the cape, I used the Ileana skirt as a basis. I changed the shoulderline using the raglansleeve-pattern piece. I cut the front piece to add armholes ...

... and the back piece to add a little more of the beautiful flowers!

I had planned a button placket and a peter pan collar, just like the original Ileana pattern has. But in the end, it turned out better with an asymmetrical closure. So, I used the fabric I had bought for the collar to make a little scarf!

I hope this entry will charm the you and the jury :) Until the 3rd of November, you can vote here by clicking the little heart in the upper right corner of the blog post. Lots of beautiful creations were uploaded, so make sure to have a look at the others! One vote per creation per computer, so you have the opportunity to vote for all of your favorites!

Fabric for dress: thin grey wool by Prada

Fabric for pleated parts in dress and cape: Nivalis katoen - handprinted by Lotte Martens - for sale at Bambiblauw and de Stoffenkamer

Fabric for dress lining: Sketch Gold - Timeless Treasures

Fabric for cape: grey wool

Fabric for scarf: white teddy fleece with golden sparkles

Mambo!

There are lots of talented pattern designers, but most of their patterns are designed for children. Although I have my little friend Liv to sew for, I sometimes feel a twinge of jealousy when I see your kids pictured in the most beautiful handmade clothing. Not scared of a challenge from time to time, I decided to grade some children's patterns up to my size!

This dress is named Mambo, and it comes from a Belgian sewing book called Homemade Mini Couture. The pattern comes in sizes 3yo to 10yo, so I took de largest size and modified the pattern until it would fit me.

Concerning fabrics, I chose a voile by Anna Maria Horner. It is just lovely to wear, especially when the weather is hot.

My little sister took the pictures during our holidays in Italy. The owner's dog liked us very much and kept running through the photos!

fabric: Forest Hills Sweet voile - Anna Maria Horner

pattern: modified Mambo - Homemade Mini Couture