Philippa

Posted in Uncategorized by ninjajnin

Last Monday was a big one for me, I started school. I`m super excited to learn all the things I used to figure out by myself for years. I’m such a lucky girl.

I don`t know in which way it’s going to affect this little space, but I’m thinking about making it into a dairy of all the useful things I am going to learn. Maybe, it’s worth knowing for you as well.

Today, i would like to show you my most recent pair of pants. It s the Philippa by Anna Allen.

The Philippa pants sewing pattern was created out of a need for simple but sturdy tapered leg trousers, slim fitting and high waisted. The side seams are completely straight, just as jeans and pants were typically made in the 1930’s and ‘40s. The straight side seams make this pattern perfect for selvedge denim, which is a type of denim woven on narrow looms. The Philippa pants include waist shaping at the front/back, two back darts and features a classic button fly, back pockets and belt loops. The pant length ends at the ankle, but can be lengthened or shortened as desired. This pattern is drafted for woven non-stretch fabrics.

How couldn’t I fall in love with this pattern? It’s simple and beautiful. Nonetheless, i had to sew three muslins until i got the fit just right. Maybe, it’s about this high-waisted style but, they fit beautifully as long as I stand up straight. If I sit or stoop down, they pinch me in the belly. And yes, if I’m honest, it isn’t the most comfortable pair in my closet. That’s not a big plus if your a mum and pick up something every two meters.

Anyway, I feel great wearing them. I feel great to wear well fitting pants in a beautiful fabric made to measure by myself. The fabric is amazing. Those pants are made from hemp-denim. I got it from Atelier Goldfaden in exchange for a sample garment. It`s soft. Holds his shape perfectly well and it feels so lightweight and cool. No better fabric for a pair of summer jeans! Hemp is a really sustainable fabric to sew with. Today a few more beautiful hempfabrics are going online on the Atelier Goldfaden Shop.

The Philippa is a straight seam pattern. It`s made for selvedge fabric or you could do what I did and eleminate the side seams. What really adds a special touch. As I have quite some hip-to waist ratio, I had to sew a dart where the sideseams would be.

I’m wearing my new favorite pants with a lightweight french-terry Inari Tee by Named. An all time favorit pattern of mine.

And because i m such a lucky girl, a huge thank you goes to Mr. Fliegfederfrei. The pictures, he takes of me are like the way he looks at me. I`m way more beautiful through his eyes and linse. He holds my back and lifts me up, makes me strong and help me to life my best life. With him backing me, I can do it, I can do everything. It means the world to me, that you love me, belief in me and help me to reach for my dreams.

Also my parents and my parents in law who look after the kids while i`m in school, it wouldn’t be possible without you. Thank you so much for your support. It means so much me to get this chance!

13Apr2019

Sparrow wrap

Posted in Uncategorized by ninjajnin

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Sometimes, you dream about something for ages. You just don`t get over that stage. A dream that stays in your mind, while you care for your kids or go to work in a job you don’t really love anymore. It’s there, sometimes louder, sometimes you’re just comfortable with it just being a dream.

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Until someone shows you, that your dreams could get real if you just go for it. After giving birth to three kids, it’s finally time for me to make my first steps towards my dream of sewing for a living. In Summer im going to start training.

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It takes courage. And I still can`t get over, how much love and support i got from my husband and my family. It means everything to me! As a mum it’s not that easy anymore to change your career. I’ll get the chance.

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The person who showed me, that it could be possible and introduced me to the training I choose now is Mirjam from Atelier Goldfaden. She is in a similar situation as a mum who made a career change. It’s so inspiring to see what she’s doing now after finishing her training.

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She just opened the most beautiful online fabric store in Switzerland. She offers natural fabrics like linen, wool, silk or double gaze. Wonderful japanese fabrics or indian block prints. Fabrics from Merchant an Mills, Oilskins. Her selection is amazing. It’s the kind of shop you want to buy everything you see. For sure its the shop im buying my fabric from now on.

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Mirjam offered me this most gorgeous linen. Its soft, has a beautiful drape and a wonderful weight. Since I cut the threads, I wore it as soon as it came out of the washing machine. I wore it over t shirts as it’s still a bit chilly for spaghetti straps. The fabric has a very subtile black check. You can get away with not matching it, but it adds some visual interest.

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Pattern: Sparrow wrap dress from afternoon patterns. I sewed the smallest size and had to take off a few cm on the skirt wide and change the hip curve. There are some tucks under the bust. I had the feeling that it added to much bulk on the side covered by the wrap. it looked silly as I don’t have so much bust, i took them out. I’m happy with the fit now.

Fabric: Were offered from Atelier Goldfaden in exchange for an example dress. You can find it here.

Thank you Mirjam for being an inspiration and for showing me that dreams can be made reality!

29May2017

Northern Sea

Posted in Uncategorized by ninjajnin

The seaside in the north. I didn`t know it`s that beautiful. It`s all I love about the sea. Wide, Windy, empty and lots of shells in the sand. I need to see more. I would love to walk on such beaches for hours. Just me, the ocean and the smell of salt.

I`m wearing No. 8 Svaneke by How to do fashion, in a special cotton piqué, I bought in Paris. I sewed a size 34 based on my measurements. The only adjustment i had to make was to lower the darts by 1.5 cm. The bustpoint was way off for my small bust.

The pleated skirt is actually a hack, you`ll find instructions on the how to do fashion blog. Easy to do. I`m so glad I added pockets into the seams. So much more comfort. The skirt is made from 6 panels, it has a good weight. I like that, it makes a nice sound when i move.

I left the back of the top open. I just added one golden snap at the top to close it. I was afraid it would look to ascetic otherwise. And i love the sneak peek at my tree.

Pattern: No. 8 Svaneke by How to do fashion

Fabric: cotton pique, bought in Paris.

9May2017

HannaH

Posted in Uncategorized by ninjajnin

There are a few patterns, I immediately think of, if i`m just randomly looking at the fabrics in my stash. My stash, by the way, is the spot i pick out the fabrics for all my projects. I never shop for fabric for a special purpose. I just buy if i stumble over something that speaks to me. Hannah, is one of those patterns, I keep thinking about. It`s so clever and i love wearing my first version that much (If you want to read more about Hannah nr.1). It was one of those days, I was just looking at my fabrics (odd lady i know). This very lovely cotton lawn enshuku by Kokka caught my eyes, I bought it from Miss Matatabi some time ago. The texture of this fabric is so special. Like stones on the ground of a river. I like it a lot. But as a whole dress, it would be overwhelming. It`s a fabric you want to highlight without overdose. Hannah can do that.

It sets the perfect frame for a very special fabric. Some patterns just demands more than one version. Do you have a pattern you keep thinking about?

You may notice the inspiring, beautiful location. Mr. Fliegfederfrei took those pictures of me very spontaneously, while visiting the c-mine Genk, in Belgium. Marte and Bjorn showed us that wonderful place on our last visit. That`s why my dress isn`t ironed. My leggings have a hole at the knee. My boots are dirty. Wild hair I don`t care. The location makes up for it. I love the pictures he took.

A hidden buttonplanket is the best thing if you love snaps on a dress. Laziness, that won`t be noticed. The instructions for that buttonplanket are very well made. I love how it assembles step for step.

The dresspattern doesn`t have a back seam, I accidentally didn`t place the back piece on fold. Happily, i discovered my mistake early enough to add seamallowance at centre back. Let`s call it a design element.

With two Hannah’s in my closet, I can stop thinking about that pattern now. For some time. Maybe.

Pattern: Hannah by VictoryPatterns

Fabric: Cotton enshuku from Miss Matatabi

11Mar2017

Jackie – Victory Patterns

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With sewing my own clothes, I started to get boldly about trying new styles. Styles, i would never have picked from a clothes rail. The process of making, seems to enlarge my possibilities. It`s the creative process, that makes a certain style to my own. From the vision in my mind until the finished garment made with my hands.

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When I first saw the line drawings of the Jackiedress, I didn`t now if it`s for me. Kristiann asked me if i feel like testing it. I slept over it. After imagine all the possible Jackies i could sew, i finally felt in love with a plain, simple and of course grey version. We take small steps, don`t we?

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I`m so glad I gave this style a change. I tryied it on for the first time and it felt great. So comfortable. A secret pyjama that makes you look properly dressed. A clean and simple chic without being to loud. Perfect for everyday. But i could also wear it for going out. I made it mine.

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Victory Patterns has designed an other dress i`m madly in love with. After Hannah and Trina she has set the standard high (see my version here and here). But Jackie doesn`t disappoint in any way. It`s a beautifully drafted pattern. The seamlines shapes the dress so nicely and the opening at the back is a lovely detail, that takes away some of the seriousness added by the high neckline. All is finished with a facing.

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The buttons on the back neck are glorious! I had some vintage ones in my stash, which i covered with the same fabric. Score!

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I sewed version one, with short sleeves. Size 2. The dress is drafted for a height range from 165-175 cm. I`m 168 cm tall and had to shorten the skirt about 12 cm (maybe about 3 cm too much). The hemline should end just below the knee.

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Fabric is a heavier cottonknit with some elastane. Like used for t-shirts. It drapes beautifully and is oh so comfortable. I found it locally.

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I finished all the hemlines with my new vintage industrial coverstitch. It`s such a beauty! It took me three!!! evenings until it was set up the right way and i finally had nice stitches. Small and bigger victories of a seamstress.

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More Jackies are already in planning. Thank you Kris for letting me test! I love that dress a lot!

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Pattern: Jackiedress by Victory Patterns

Fabric: Cotton/Elastane Knit purchased locally.

1Mar2017

Helmi

Posted in Uncategorized by ninjajnin

February is over. Short month. My sewing goal this month was to sew a blouse (see project sew it). I do not own one single blouse until now. Sometimes one should try something new I thought. I tried, i really did. I made good resolutions, I bought the Helmiblouse pattern by named. I had my eyes on this one since it released last fall. For my Blouse sewing plans it was maybe not such a smart move. There is a dress version included as well. You can feel my dilemma, can you? Yes, you can see the result. I couldn`t help myself and went for the tunic version. I got a beautiful Helmitunicblouse. Ha. For me that totally counts! Oh how I love it!

Clean seamlines, the hidden button planket. The mandarin collar. The beautiful shaped hemline. Nothing too much. So my style.

By the way, Named just released the Spring Summer 2017 collection today. Check it out!

The fabric is special! It`s a double-faced one. On the inside is a nice grey cotton and on the outside there is this really soft and warm wool. I bought it from `in the beer`in Belgium. Marte visited this store with me. She looked at this fabric when I pulled it out from a big staple and just said, a real Nina fabric. It is.

I wanted to sew the whole dress with this fabric. But luckily it wasn`t enough. So I picked this beautiful sand-crepe out of my stash. It has a lovely weight and drape. I had just enough for the skirt part. It was meant to be!

A dress without Pockets. Doesn`t work for me. I never know where to store my hands. I used a piece of the wool as pocket lining. Cold hands, not with this dress. For a bit of visual interest I added some rivets. They were black, but lost their color after the first wash.

The hem is finished with a facing. I`m addicted.

To make up a balance. It`s not really a blouse, when a blouse is defined by the length. But at least, I made a garment i truly love and perhaps is more in use, than a piece of garment i was not sure if it would fit into my wardrobe so well. I call it a success.

Pattern: Helmi Tunic and Blouse by Named Patterns

Fabric: From in the beer Belgium (Bodice) Skirt fabric bought locally.

11Feb2017

Kielo Shift Dress

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This dress was lying in the darkest edge of my closet for nearly a year. It looked a bit different back then I`ve to admit. His story starts back in 2015, I was in need of a dress i could wear for Christmas. Nothing fancy. I was pregnant, my belly was already uncomfortable big, let`s call it huge. Maternity patterns are most of the time… hmm. (how can i say that in a friendly way) Just not that much my style. I thought the Kielo Pattern by Named would fit the bill and have enough room for a big belly. Specially, when sewn in a knit fabric. It actually could work, though. But not in this particular fabric. There is nothing wrong with the fabric. It`s a beautiful double-knit. Firm, heavy with not that much stretch, great recovery. Not the attributes you would name, if you search for a good match with the Kielo pattern. I don`t know what drawn me to this fabric, probably I just felt like being comfy, cozy and warm. With the result, that I looked even huger than I actually was. Any way you looked at it, it was just not flattering. When i was back in shape after pregnancy i gave it a change again. It was hopeless. I just picked the wrong fabric for this project. Sad dress went back on the shelf.

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Until a day, I found it again. I felt a bit ashamed when I saw the dress in my closet. I hate it when something isn`t working out how i imagined. And having wasted that beautiful fabric felt even worser.

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The fabric. Most of my projects start with the fabric. A fabric should work well with a pattern. And then it occurred to me. Heavy, good recovery, little stretch. This fabric has to be a shift dress.

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The Shoulder, neckline and the sleeves fitted very well. Everything I had to do was lay it on top of a well-fitting knitdress and trace the shape from under the armpit to the seamline. I reused the straps of the Kielo, attached them to the waistline and I was good to go. 15 minutes guys.

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I ended up with the most beautiful and well-fitting shift dress I ever owned. It`s so sexy without being loud. So casual but still so chic on the same time. I love versatile clothes. That`s probably what describes my style the best. I love clothes that can be worn in any situation. Being with kids, Business, friends, going out. Everyday. Clothes i want to wear for all the opportunities. That`s one of those genius dresses.

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By the way one little side note about my shoes. They`re new. You may now that I`m a bit of a sucker for Doc Martens. I wear their boots like all the time. The same pair since 8 years (winter version) and 10 years (rest of the year version). Emm, yes. I like to invest in quality that lasts for a long time. This year i thought it`s time for a more grown up version. Still have to get used to them. They work with a dress as well as with jeans. Win.

So here i`ll leave you with a last view on the nice backdarts of the Kielo that gives the dress such a nice shape.

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Pattern: Kielo by Named with the free long Sleeve. (Modified)

Fabric: Double knit, bought locally in Freiburg (Germany)

3Feb2017

Hannah

Posted in Uncategorized by ninjajnin

Hannah, wins the award, for the most clever pattern I`ve sewn so far. It`s just awesome how everything comes together. I really had to sew it up until i completely understood how it works. I had to follow the instructions while sewing, something i don`t do that often. But they`re so well made. You won`t get lost.

I love everything about the design. The clear style lines. The curved hem, the deep pockets. I`m specially in love with the deep pockets. I just store my hands in there the whole day. Beautiful, how the crossover back detail ends up in the pockets, isn`t it?

The fabric I used, is a proundly-cherished one. I got it from Marte of Compagnie M. She spotted it for me and knew, i would love it a lot. And i really do! She`s such a sweet person. I`m so happy, we got in touch through Parissewsocial. I found a worthy place for this special gift, though.

I finished this dress some time ago. But never came around to take pictures. I wore it all the time. The last sunny days went and winter came. And I ended up taking pictures on a very freezing cold day. That`s how it goes.

I sewed a straight size 4, down to my measurements. The only thing I might change on a second version is to lower the armscye just a tiny bit. But that`s just a personal preference. The dress is drafting perfection!

Pattern: Hannahdress by Victory Patterns

Fabric: Bought locally in Belgium

1Feb2017

Split Hi-Low Hem Tutorial

Posted in Tutorial, Uncategorized by ninjajnin

I`m not the person, who makes resolutions on the beginning of a new year. This year I made one. Sewing related of course. I stopped buying clothes more than 2 years ago. There are a lot of reasons for. First, I want to know, who makes my clothes and to which conditions. Second but not less important point is that our clothes, or the way we buy clothes is eco-unfriendly. That`s why, I decided to stop buying and make it myself. Now, i know exactly who made my clothes and because i made them myself, they bring me so much joy. Pieces i love to wear everyday for hopefully a long time. For 2017 it`s my goal to sew all the stuff, which is really missing in my closet. You know, the stuff you don`t fancy to sew, when there is just an other nice dresspattern on your table. Like sweaters, t-shirts, leggins and underwear. Yes underwear.

To help me to stick at my mission I decided to sew along with Project sew it. I`ll try to sew a wardrobe stable item for myself or my husband every month. Or even better, for both of us.

January was all about sweaters. Haha, yes. Waffle knit sweaters for Mr. and Mrs. Fliegfederfrei. We`re not going to wear them on the same day, of course.

It`s not the same fabric actually, mine is a Waffle knit from Miss Matatabi. It`s very beautiful with the white reverseside. The one of Mr. Fliegfederfrei is bought locally in Belgium. The cuffs and the detail on the neck are made with the backside of this fabric. Different, but not less beautiful.

You may be interested in the nice split detail I added to my Inari sweater. I made you a Tutorial.

SPLIT HI-LOW HEM TUTORIAL

I used the Inari cropped tee pattern by Named. I planned to try out the free long sleeve. With my fabric it didn`t work. The sleeve was really baggy. Maybe because of the weight of the Waffleknit. I seamripped it out again and went for the short sleeve pattern piece which comes with the Inari and just lengthened it to my measurements. Much better. The hemline is extended as described in the tutorial.

Mr. Fliegfederfrei wears a modified Finlayson Sweater by Thread Theory. A size S with extra length. The neckdetail is selfdrafted. Read more about his previous Finlayson Sweater here. He wears his handmade sweaters as soon as they`re out of the laundry. It`s so nice to sew for him.

I really like our new sweaters and I`m quite sure I would probably not have sewn two sweaters without the extra motivation of Project sew it. January was a success.

2Dec2016

Madeit Fashion Week 2016

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Welcome to the Madeit Fashion Week 2016.

I proudly present you my turn on the Dropdress. The new pattern by Madeit. It`s the dress you sew for yourself, when you don`t know what to wear tonight. Yes right. Even an hour before you should be ready to go out. Drop is sewn as fast as a t-shirt. It wears like a t-shirt. It may feel like a t-shirt, but gives you stylish and dressy look. With it`s long sleeves and the slash neck it`s the perfect dress for the cooler winter days. Wear it with a big scarf and you`re ready.

The special drape detail just occurs to the asymmetrical cut. Very clever. I was excited about that dress on the first glimpse. Luckily, Olu let me test. By now, I got 4 versions. Can`t stop. It`s a dress you love to wear as a mum. Effortless and comfy to wear. but don`t be fooled by that. I feel so well dressed in my Drops.I even got some compliments, while wearing them. What do you want more?

This striped version is made in a very nice french terry. It is thin and drapes very well. I found it locally. It`s a gorgeous fabric. I just have to get used to the white. Not a color that suits me very well, though. It makes me somehow palish. This was the very first version of the pattern. For the pretest. Since this version, the pattern changed a bit.

My grey version is made from a normal t-shirt fabric style knit. It drapes way less beautifully but works as well. It`s not just plain grey, you can`t see it very well on the pictures, but it has some nice blue stripes running horizontally and vertically.

The fabric choice can make all the difference with this top! Try a true knit, something with 4 way stretch or even a french terry. You`re drapes are going to be much more special!

Madeit Fashion week is also a funny little contest about a great backdrop, between all the talented lady’s contributing. My theme is monochrome. From head to toe (my nails are grey as well accidentally). I just had to wear my Turban hat to make the look complet. This one is selfdrafted and i still have to tweak the pattern a bit. I allready love it a lot. It feel so sophisitcated to wear a turban.

Back to the Backdrop. I just attached Christmas wrapping paper on my wall and jumped in front of it. Looks funny doesn`t it?

You can win as well!!!

So jump over to Madeit Patterns, no time to lose! And psst… you`ll get 20 % off your Drop during the fashion week! Use code MFW2016.

Thank you for having me Olu and Anna!

fliegfederfrei

Tag Archives: sewing for myself

Philippa

Sparrow wrap

Northern Sea

HannaH

Jackie – Victory Patterns

Helmi

Kielo Shift Dress

Hannah

Split Hi-Low Hem Tutorial

SPLIT HI-LOW HEM TUTORIAL

Madeit Fashion Week 2016