Ell-issie in Wonderland

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Stories without endings, the new fabric collection by the Belgian textile designer Lotte Martens, is coming to the stores!

I work for Lotte a day a week as a job student and I love it soooo much. Actually, my working day is my favorite day of the week ;-) Lotte prints her fabrics by hand and they are all gorgeous. Look at this ombre knit, isn't it just too cute?

A major advantage of working for Lotte is that she needs someone to sew tests with her new fabrics. Well, how could I say no to that? ;-)

The new collection offers loads of different fabric types, like scooba, plissé, woven basics and mohair that looks like you've knitted it yourself; all with the handprinted Lotte Martens touch. For this post I chose for the Aronia Pink jersey knit and an Issie top by Sewpony.

The Aronia jersey has an ombre print and the pattern pieces of the Issie top invited me to play with the stripes and color differences.

I also made a skirt to go with it. One of Lotte Martens' main principles is that the more 'extravagant' fabrics of her limited editions always combine easily with her basic collection. For the skirt I used Spacer Limonium Rainbow, a funky knit fabric which I already used here in the silver color way.

I added a little butterfly to the skirt, which is an application also designed and handprinted by Lotte. Her Pimp It collection is a set of DIY-packs for easy embroidery so you can add a LM-touch to all your bags and garments!

I sewed this outfit for Ellis, a cute little two-year-old with loads of imagination. Stories without endings? She just invents them herself!

Her story itself is a brave one, since Ellis is fighting cancer. She is a little girl whom I got to know because she was in the same hospital as I was during my illness. At first I had planned to sew an Issie for Liv (the 9-year-old I babysit and mostly sew for), but the day after I got the invitation for the Issie blog tour Ellis’ mom asked me if I knew an easy-to-sew pattern with ruffles. I told her about Issie and she was very enthusiastic yet a little scared to start sewing with knits, so I promised her I’d sew an Issie for Ellis first. She bought the pattern right after we took the pictures and she already sewed an Issie herself too! Check it out here.

After being ill myself I have a strong desire to mean something to other people going through similar misery. I remember getting depressed of the grey ugliness of the hospital, so I tried to brighten up their day with a colorful outfit! 

The knit fabrics will be distributed to all the Lotte Martens stores (you can find them listed here) within the coming weeks. Keep an eye on Lottes facebookpagina for the exact dates! The skirt fabric is already for sale, as is the Issie pattern. The code ISSIERELEASE10 gives you a 10% discount.

T-shirt pattern: Issie top - Sewpony - size 18mo
T-shirt fabric: Aronia Pink - Lotte Martens (I used 50 cm)
Skirt fabric: Spacer Limonium Rainbow - Lotte Martens (I used half a panel)
Butterfly application: DIY pack Zinnia 003 - Lotte Martens
Model: Ellis, almost 3 yo

More Issie inspiration?

MONDAY 23/10: anaaisID//frl.love//naaisgerief//

WEDNSEDAY 25/10: VINK//amore//MeToezie//

FRIDAY 27/10: Beletoile//Flaflinko//Froleintilia//Ariane//

MONDAY 30/10: Riddersenrozen//128//

WEDNESDAY 1/11: WithlovebyEva//ByDagbjort//Stannel//

FRIDAY 3/11: Nah-connection//DoGuincho//Groovybabyandmama//liiviundliivi//

MONDAY 6/11: Pistolwhip//Mendandmakenew//Kneesocksandgoldilocks//

WEDNESDAY 8/11: Creativecatoo//Justaddfabric//Casennina//

FRIDAY 10/11: Enjoyfulmakes//Kaatjenaaisels//Larth//Whileshewassleeping

A last summer outfit

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The Belgian fabrics brand See You At Six just launched their second collection, a mix of cotton lawns and sweater knits in beautiful prints. The Australian web shop Maaidesign stocks them all AND she ships internationally! I already bought some french terry to sew an Autumn sweater for myself, but first I want to show you something I made with their previous collection.

A beautiful cotton lawn in copper and rust with which I sewed an easy-peasy gathered skirt.

To match the skirt I sewed a top with a V-neck and flutter sleeves.  I altered the pattern to make the sleeves even wider and I added the V-neck to the back too.

I sewed this outfit back in July when Belgian temperatures were still nice and summery and I wore it so much! Right now the rain is pouring but I can't wait for summer to come back so I can wear this outfit again.

The pictures were taken by my little friend Liv again. She is just 9 years old but her pictures are amazing! I love how she makes me shine.

Stof rokje: Grid Copper, Playtime collection by See You At Six, bought at De Stoffenstraat

Stof topje: beige mêlée sweater fabric and glitter ribbing, both bought at De Stoffenstraat

Pattern skirt: self drafted
Pattern top: Knipmode 

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Feliz

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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

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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 

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Vienna in blue

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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.*