All the colors

Posted in Uncategorized by ninjajnin

Mummy, I would like to have a jacket in all the colors of spring. That was my girls request. Who am i, to say something against that. I took her to my sewing room and started to take some suitable fabrics out of my stash. This beautiful flower fabric was the first one and she immediately knew, that it should be this one and no other. It`s a slightly brushed cotton twill and it`s super soft.

So I took this fabric, added some sparkle and turned it into a beautiful little bomber. She really wants to wear it every single day. To see her face when it was done and ready to wear… priceless! It`s allways a good idea to let her choose the fabric she loves the most.

It was a joy to sew. Piping, lining, pockets, collar. It took me some time, but I loved every single step. She looks so cute in it! I used an Ottobre pattern from Issue 01/2015. I made it one size bigger than necessary. She will be able to wear it in autumn as well and hopefully still in spring next year. Otherwise, I didn`t made any changes to the pattern.

The dress she wears under the jacket is a little sneak peek of the Apron Dress by Lolah likes. It will hopefully be released soon. Be on the luck out for it, I really like the pattern! I`m a bit jealous every time she wears it. I`ll have to make one for myself. If i think about it… i need the bomber and the dress.

Pattern: Bomberjacket Ottobre Design Issue 01/2015

Apron Dress by Lolah likes (tester version, not yet released)

Fabric: Cotton from Miss Matatabi

7Dec2016

It`s Friday

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Yesterday, the Fridaydress by petit a petit and Family finally released. It`s a timeless, modern shirt dress with lots of options.

A perfect dress pattern for any occasion. Sew a chic and sparkling one for Christmas, or just a relaxed dress for everyday wear. This pattern can cover it. You like a feminine touch or maybe more casual, you`ll be fine. Luckily you can sew a ton of different dresses from it, then once you decide to dive into shirt making, you`ll see it`s addictive!

My girl is a size 3. And the fit is spot on. During the pattern testing, I tested version D (waistband and semi-circle skirt). A bad choice. Don`t get me wrong. I love the look. Perfect for a tween who has kind of a waist. It was not so flattering on my little girl who still has a sweet baby bump. I didn`t like it. I couldn`t stand calling it a fail after so much time I spent on it. I carefully seamripped the skirt away from the bodice. Then i added panels until i had the wide of the view B skirt. I gathered and reattached everything. Now, with the gathered skirt, no waistband and the buttons all the way down, she looks super sweet. She felt like trying on the dress as soon as i cut the threads to my sewing machine and didn`t take it off again. A very good sign.

It`s also a good style for smaller children because it`s easy to get in and out. And the deep sideseam pockets are a highlight as always. I finished the whole dress with flat felled seams. Time-consuming fun, I enjoy while making a button up. The inside looks just so pretty.

I couldn`t resist using Snaps. Buttonholes aren`t my favorite part of Shirt making. I was more than happy to skip this part. It`s for a toddler, so whatever, it`s practical.

I had fun playing with the stripes. By the way, I sew a big piece of those nicely bias-matched stripes and then i place my pattern pieces on it. So much easier, than trying to match those little already cut out pieces.

I used a nice yarn dyed Japanese selvedge cotton from Miss Matatabi. It sews up like a dream. Good quality fabric is a live safer when sewing a shirt dress. As a little extra I could use the contrasting selvedge as a eye-catcher on the small pocket.

We`re happy, and I caught the bug. Friday we`ll be good friends! I hope you feel like sewing your own Friday dress. You can get your copies here.

Pattern: Friday Dress by petit a petit Patterns. –> View B without any alterations.

Fabric: yarn dyed selvedge cotton from Miss Matatabi

5Nov2016

Origami Double Gauze Quilt

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My Girl asked for a Blanket, as a Birthday gift. And who am I, to say no to such a request. I`m not a quilter. The only quilts, I ever made, are small babyquilts. Nothing to compare. This one had to be big. Big enough to snuggle down in it. I decided to go with a size 135 cm of 200 cm. A good choice.

I wanted it to be soft and fluffy. Double gauze it had to be. A double gauze quilt will never be as perfect as one sewn in quilting cotton. But I don`t mind. The gorgeous material makes more than up for that. Just relax and enjoy sewing. Double gauze has a mind on his own.

The Pattern I used is self-made. Actually, it`s an origami of a flapping bird. I used the crease lines as a guide. Normally, origami is a square, right? I divided the square in 4 parts and used two of them again on the bottom. See what I did here? That was my template.

And you can laugh now, but I really found a paper big like this and made a giant origami bird. The same size as my blanket. No idea how real Quilter would do that.

The back of my quilt is a beautiful linen in the same color as the binding. Between a soft, thick cotton batting. I used temporary spray adhesive, to hold everything in place while sewing. This was a game changer. Not one single pucker on the underside. I never got such a neat result when I used safety pins.

I just stitched in the ditch to quilt the layers together. First to keep the softness and as a bonus I have the nice origami pattern on the underside as well.

I think quilting wan`t be a new hobby of mine. But my first quilt experience is rather positive! I must say, I love the result a lot! And so does she! She was so proud and happy when she finally received her blanket made specially for her. In her favorite colors. She`s convinced that the quilt is able to charm her while sleeping. And it surely does. It`s made out of love! Love in every stitch.

A Birthday without a special dress, incredible. I had to try the super cute just knot it dress by Mind the Whale. I used Naniiro scraps from the quilt for the bodice and linen for the skirt. There`s too much bulk inside the waistband that`s bothering me a bit. I should have cut it down properly. But still I think she looks really sweet in it.

A very beautiful pattern! The fit is spot on and it`s nicely finished on the inside as well. One to set on your to sew list!

Maybe there`ll be an other quilt in the future. It`s so satisfying. Never say never.

Fabrics: Naniiro, Cotton and Steel, double gauze. All from Miss Matatabi. Linen is from the Dutch fabric market.

Quilt Pattern: self-made

Dress Pattern: Just knot it by Mind the Whale

13Jun2016

Louisa + Giveaway

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A princess seam dress isn`t something, you gonna sew for yourself while having a big baby bump, right? I really felt the urge, to sew the Louisa for Women, when it was released last fall. But don`t worry, I stayed down-to-earth and didin`t sew one for myself. Instead, it happened that my mum`s Birthday was just around that time… that`s how it came, that she has a Louisa by now. It was my Birthday present for her.

I initially planned to sew a winter version with 3/4 sleeves, but with summer just around the corner (you see how long it took me to finish this dress), I decided to skip them. The dress is fully lined in the same shade of the rosa like the flowers. Because it is a gift and should be something special, i went for all the nice (and time-consuming) finishing touches, everything is under-stitched, the hem is hand-sewn i added sideseam pockets and so on. I hope she`ll love this dress for a long time. I really loved to sew it, it`s beautifully drafted!

Mum picked the Naniiro, on the middle panel, out of my stash. The color, really suits her well, don`t you think? As you can`t patternmatch princess seams, I was worried the print will be really nervous splinted up by the seamlines. I suggested, to combine it with the beautiful Fuwari Naniiro. I love to touch this brushed cotton, it`s so soft, amazing to work with!

My mum has a small frame. I sewed a size 32 and still had to take in 1.5 cm at the sideseam around the bust. I shortened the dress about 8cm to her preferred length. No other changes were necessary. In my eyes, the fit is perfect. She seems to feel good in her new dress and i feel good every time she chooses to wear it.

To make you feel good, I`m going to Give-away one gorgeous Paperpattern of the Louisadress for women by Compagnie-M. Just leave me a nice Comment how you feel about sewing for loved ones. I`ll randomly choose a winner next Monday 20/6/16. International entries are very welcome!

Pattern: Louisadress for Women by Compagnie-M

Fabric: Naniiro brushed Cotton, purchased at Miss Matatabi.

18May2016

Soft Wrinkles

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A new favorite dress. For both of us. That`s rare. Here it is. A simple A-Line Dress from the Japanese sewing book, Sew for your Girls. A loose fit, in a nice and soft linen from Miss Matatabi, with a functional button-placket and a sailor collar. Not to forget the pocket. And the magic happens.

All the fabrics in this picture are linen. Don`t you love, how linen looks so soft and wrinkles in the most beautiful way. I do.

The pattern is a size 3y without any modifications. It`s perfect and will fit for a longer time. The instructions are easy-to-follow and the pattern is very versatile. I already made a little hack which is coming to the blog soon. If you follow me on IG (@fliegfederfrei), you previously got a sneak peek of my upcycling dress.

The buttons were a gift I received from a good friend. A box full of vintage buttons. Can you get a better gift as a seamstress? I love to sew those buttons on my projects, it feels so special and reminds me of good times we shared. Thank you Marte!

Happy dance on mum`s bed.

Pattern: Sewing for your Girls (I received this book as a sponsoring for Parissewsocial last year from Tuttle)

Fabric: Linen from Miss Matatabi

30Jun2015

Paris Sew Social Blogtour and Giveaway

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Sewing was always something, I did alone in my sewing room. Spending time just for myself, surrounded by beautiful and inspiring stuff, doing something that`s exciting and relaxing at the same time. I do not speak about my hobby that much. Even closer friends do maybe know that I like to sew, but do not notice the handmade clothes and I`ve probably never mentioned my blog. With the Paris sew social meeting back in April this habit changed. I found like-minded people who share my passion. And i actually love to talk about fabric, patterns, clothes, scissors, sewing machines and big dreams. I sometimes writes e-mails in the middle of the night, just to say hello to someone living miles away. Knowing the one will be still awake as well. Friends that I found through my blog. That`s amazing!

Today I`ll share two Louisa dresses by Compagnie M, I received the pattern as a sponsoring for Paris sew social. Marte, who`s the designer of this beautiful little A-line dress named Louisa (you surely all know it by heart), even hosted my family for a few days at her home. We got friends during the weekend in Paris. I never thought of things like that could happen, when I started this little blog. We had the best time!

The one with the red dots, is made from a Nani Iro, I`ve choosen at Atelier Brunette in Paris. This fabric was kindly sponsored by Bernina. The only change I made to the pattern was adding tulip sleeves instead of the regular ones.

The second one is made with a little piece of fabric I had in my stash for a long time (bought at Miss Matatabi). I was inspired by this Louisa from Marte. I added the cap-sleeves of the Lotta dress.

Today we`ll give a big thank you to all our sponsors, everybody sewed something with a Pattern or a fabric received in Paris. Check out all the other creations. There is a giveaway on every single blog!

Compagnie M

Giveaway winner will be announced 10/07/2015

23Feb2015

Spring fever

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Spring…. I`m ready! At least, I made myself the perfect bomber blouson. Just in case, maybe it helps to get rid of the snow. Can`t tell you how I love this bomber. I didn`t take it off since I cut the threads to my machine.

The Pattern is from CUT Magazine (Issue 10, 01/14), it`s drafted by a young and hip german label, a kind of guise. They`re located in Munich.

Usually, I don`t bother myself reading instructions. I learned to sew with Burda (you know what I mean?). But when I had a look at the tutorial it seemed like I wouldn`t get all this pieces together myself. So I just followed their way. And it was so worth it. The finishing is perfect. I learned something.

I used my serger for the whole piece. I`ve no regrets about buying a good serger (even if I spent all my savings). Perfect seams, always.

Yes, let`s talk fabric. The beautiful mustard jersey with the diamonds is maybe the softest knit I ever sewed with! The print is adorable and sharp. I ordered at Petit Couture.

The quilted knit is from Miss Matatabi, I already used it here.

Can`t wait for the warm and sunny days!

24Jan2015

Water and Light

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I really made my dress a few cm shorter, just to save some of this beautiful fabric for her. It was exactly enough, to make this tinny little babydoll. Even though, I had to be creative. Sometimes, I ask myself, does it just happen to me? It seems like, I always have barely enough fabric.

I wanted to show the different shades of color on the bodice too. As the squares are quite big, I went for a patchwork. I like the result!

I`m not a patchworker, but I didn`t go for straight squares. I wanted it to look like the design on the skirt. Probably I shouldn`t say that… i did it with my serger.

The dress is self-drafted. I love the shoulder part. If you ask me, the boxy shape is a nice contrast to the smooth skirt fabric.

Usually, if I come up with a new dress and ask her to try it on, she says no-no and walks away as fast as can be. But this time, she took the dress in her hands and tried to pull it over her head. As if to say, what a beautiful dress you made me, mummy. She couldn`t make me a bigger compliment. I was touched!

31Dec2014

Drape, tuck and gather

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What`s first…? The idea, the fabric or the pattern? For me, that`s not always a straight path. Mostly, everything starts with an idea in my mind, find the perfect pattern and fabric for, is a second step. But this time, in the beginning there was this fabric. I purchased it maybe half a year ago. I just loved the colors, they dovetails nicely with my hair, I think. It`s a Nani Iro double gauze from Miss Matatabi. If you follow along, you may know, i`m a bit crazy about Nani Iro. Not for nothing, this is maybe the softest double gauze I ever owned. It drapes so nicely.

It had to be a flowing robe, nothing fitted. You may remember my drape drape dress. This was my inspiration. I just wanted a dress, mostly made from one piece of fabric. Loosely draped around my body. I spent a few hours in front of a mirror, just to tuck everything in place. I own a dress-form with my measurements, but it didn’t work. I had to learn, that the movement of the body is the factor that changes everything. So I worked with my own body. Putting the dress on and off, sitting half-naked in front of the sewing machine. Just because, it took me to much time to get dressed and undressed between all those fittings.

It was a lot of hand-sewing. You wan`t find a better fabric for that. There is just one visible seam on this dress… All the tucks and gathers are blind-stiched to the inner layer of the double gauze.

Here you have it, my new years dress, I`m not going to wear. We don`t celebrate. I`m going to work this evening like I do every year. Doesn`t matter, I don`t mind. There`ll be a few opportunities to wear this dress next year, sure.

I feel like a christmas tree in our garden…! Yes, it was f***ing cold. The whole photo shoot took about 1 minute. I just ran out, and Mr. Fliegfederfrei made a few pictures. And then back to the warm and cosy fire-place in the house. Happy new year you all!

14Dec2014

Glitter, Glam and Pixy Charm

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I sewed a dress… so exciting. She`s gonna wear it at Christmas Eve. That`s a fine excuse, to explain her daddy why she`s in need of an other one. Doesn`t she look like a little pixy?

When I first saw the Blake Dress by Mingo and Grace, I instantly knew it would be the perfect pattern for this occasion. I made her a size 2 Y and it fit`s like a glove. I used my precious herring bone nani iro from Miss Matatabi. This fabric is a dream. Such a soooft double gauze. It`s like linen it doesn`t matter if it`s creased. I love it, even if double gauze really has a mind on his own, some times.

The dress is fully lined and just to add a little glam factor (come on, it`s Christmas), I attached two layers of golden organza . My little pixy is charmed by the sheen.

Have a look at her shoes, i`m still testing my pattern, it`s nearly perfect. It takes me so much time to get it ready… But in the end it doesn`t matter. It has to make fun. It`s my passion, good things take time, as we say here.

Happy Holidays in advance!