Another Sew Over It Love Affair: Mia Jeans & Juliette Blouse

September 16, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Hello there. I hope you’re not getting tired of me sharing Sew Over It makes 100% of the time. I’ve been wondering myself what draws me to these patterns (after just buying and cutting out a bunch of new ones…) and I think it’s the simplicity of the construction, the versatility and having found that for most of their patterns I do not need to make any adjustments. And that’s just such a huge time saver! I rarely have these moments anymore where I feel like picking a super complicated Burda masterpiece that I most likely will only wear once or twice. I crave patterns that I can make in a day over the weekend and can wear to work on Monday.

The Juliette Blouse took me a bit more than a day, as I needed to wait until the sewing shop opened on Monday to find matching buttons! I actually found the exact same colour, a peachy pastel pink, which was a little weird but I carried those two buttons home as if I found the most precious treasure, I can tell you.

This was the first time making this pattern and I really like it. I had no adjustments to make, as it’s quite loose-fitting. The fabric is a peachskin polyester with a little bit of weight to it, which works really nicely with the drape on the front detail. I love those little sleeve cuffs, they make the blouse look so elegant. We had a super hot summer, so I haven’t worn it often yet. I already see myself wearing this to death in autumn.
SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The Mia Jeans does not need an introduction, I guess. I stopped counting how many Mias I’ve made and plan to make. It might soon overtake my Ultimate Pencil Skirt collection in numbers. I found this really cool stretch cotton in our local sewing shop. I wasn’t too sure about the print when I saw it on the roll, but I went for it and I really love it now. Such a cool trouser fabric! I got a lot of compliments wearing this. And it’s also really comfy to wear because of the stretch. SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Oh, and here’s a picture of me changing in the car, hehe. Anyone else do that when they take pictures for the blog? I’m being honest here – we do not take pictures just before I head out to work wearing my outfits. I would not have the nerve. Also it takes a lot of coaxing for the husband to comply with all this. (The current price is one round of board games per outfit…)We take an afternoon and drive somewhere and take pictures of several outfits during those sessions, so I sometimes have to get dressed in the car. This way I only have to get my hair done and apply makeup once! I noticed that I really need this as I feel much more comfortable having my picture taken when I had time to doll myself up a little.

What are you making on the weekend? I currently have cut out a Florence Dress and a Doris Dress (both Sew Over It), which I’m really exited about. The Florence will be a first. I have already made a beautiful Doris, which I’ll share real soon!

Charlie

Happy sewing!
♥

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Feeling Great in Mia Jeans & Carme Blouse

July 9, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

Mia Jeans and Carme Blouse by thisblogisnotforyou.com

A Winning Team

Hello & meet my new two favourite pieces in my wardrobe! Can you tell how much I love this outfit from the photos? I just love the combination of textures, colours and silhouettes. Let’s have a look at those fantastic team members, shall we?

pattern: Carme Blouse by Pauline Alice Patterns
fabric: cotton lawn from local shop
amount: 1,5 m
other materials: 10 buttons, interfacing optional
cost: Zero as fabric and buttons both were gifted to me. (+8€ for the pattern)
duration: It took me almost two full days.

First, there’s the versatile, but high-maintenance Carme Blouse. I’ve had this pattern in my stash for ages and knew by the look of it that this wouldn’t be a quick and easy make. It a PDF/paper pattern by Pauline Alice Patterns, who have a small but growing gorgeous range of patterns in their shop. I sewed this pattern without making any fitting alterations, so it’s basically straight from the envelope!

After so many years of sewing my own clothes you should think I could more or less tackle any technique, right? Well, say hello to pin tucks. Let’s just say there’s still oh-so many things to learn. Man, these pin tucks were some real suckers, especially constructing them with such a lightweight fabric. Luckily the print is crazy enough to hide the uneven pleats! Otherwise you could see that I struggled on the left front yoke and had it figured out reaching the far right side of the yoke. My tip: instead of following the pattern markings for the pin tucks, measure them out one by one as you go. This way you’ll get evenly spaced pleats. In the beginning I tried to follow the pattern markings – but if you’re off by just a millimetre the inaccuracy becomes very noticeable after a couple of pleats and it’s increasingly difficult to correct.

I used this luscious cotton lawn, which was a gift from the Mr for our wedding anniversary. He bought it at a local fabric shop, so I can’t give you any more info than that it’s fa-bu-lous. It might be a bit too noisy for such details as pin tucks, but it was an experiment and I love how it turned out. Together with some simple skinny jeans it’s not too crazy, right?

The pattern comes with really cool sleeve taps and a button-down front, which make the blouse quite versatile. I like to wear the top unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up. It looks a lot more casual and the white back of the fabric gives a nice contrast. The cute buttons were a gift from my sister which she bought on a trip to Korea.

***

Let’s check out team member number two!

pattern: Mia Jeans by Sew Over It (Capsule Wardrobe ebook, £20)
fabric: stretch denim from Alfatex.de (12,90€/m)
amount: 1,5 m
other materials: 12,5 cm long zip, one jeans button, fusible interfacing
cost: ~ 20€ (the ebook was courtesy of Sew Over It)
duration: ~ 3 hours

It’s the very low-maintenance Mia Jeans! It’s my fourth pair of Mia Jeans, a pattern by Sew Over It. It’s made from a stretch denim fabric and the only main alteration I did (and which I do with all my Mias) is that I lengthened them to full-length instead of ankle-length.

The top-stitching at the waistband got a bit out of hand. There are days when I love me some top-stitching and this was one of them. I think it looks really nice and it also gives a bit more structure to the waistband. The best part about making jeans is that I get to try new decorative stitches on the pockets every time. My sewing machine has loads of different ones which I sadly never really need or use, so I make an extra effort of putting them on all the pairs of jeans I make.

I used blush pink thread for the top-stitching and overlocked seams. You can’t really see it in the pictures, but it looks really nice up close.

The easy fitting and quick construction is what I love about the Mia Jeans. As the cut is quite simple, the fitting options are limited. I always use stretch fabrics and try to really stabilise the waistband so it doesn’t start gaping after a couple of wears. As it’s a quite high-waisted pair of jeans it’s flattering as long as you haven’t had a big lunch. But I don’t mind, life’s too short to suck in your tummy!

jeans & blouse: handmade | shoes: second-hand Clarks | watch & jewellery: Skagen

I tried to wear this outfit as often as seemed appropriate recently without appearing like I have nothing else in my closet. I will definitely make a few more Carme Blouses, I’m sure! I might skip the pin tucks here and there and do a hack without them. I just really like the sleeve taps and button front.

As for the Mia Jeans – of course there will be more. My first pair was just about to come apart after two years of constant wear when I finished this one. So this is a constant cycle of sewing, wearing and burying the dead.

It’s crazy what a successfully handmade outfit does to your confidence. I’ve written about sometimes disliking myself in pictures in my last blog post. Well, not this time! Thumbs up to sewing boosting self-esteem, I guess.

Charlie

Happy sewing!
♥

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SEW OVER IT Ella Blouse & Burda Culottes

September 3, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Hi there! It’s been a while. We’re back from our summer vacation and the weather is finally cooling down enough for me to be able to use my sewing room again. (The drawbacks of having a very light space…) I did get some sewing done, though!

Today I’m sharing one of my most recent makes plus one make that was finished two years ago but never got any blog time.

I made these fabulous Burdastyle culottes a while ago. They turned out really neat, but were way too tight at the waist, although I had made a muslin before I started. So I had these really neat culottes that I couldn’t wear. Two years later they fit me well enough to be put on and photographed, but the fit is far from perfect. I won’t be wearing them any time soon.

The pattern is Burda Style Midi Culottes 04/2015 #113A. If you’re interested in a more detailed review of the pattern, check out the wearable muslin I made. I used a medium-weight midnight-blue cotton, that was a breeze to sew with. I overlocked all the raw edges and used some purple satin bias binding to encase the edge of the seam at the waistband.

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com Oh, and check out my new amazing labels! (Courtesy of The Dutch Label Shop – there’ll be another post giving more details soon!) I had them match my blog layout, which I’m super happy about. I’ve got so many of them, I seriously need to up my sewing game now! But winter’s coming, so there’ll be plenty of time spent in doors way too soon!

But now on to the blouse!
SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

That second little pattern is the wonderful Ella Blouse by Sew Over It. It’s a pattern they’ve released quite recently. It’s a fairly simple and super quick little project I cannot recommend enough. It doesn’t use up much fabric and a nice cotton or rayon fabric will do the job just fine. Another plus, no inserted sleeves, no zips or buttonholes! Which makes this project extra quick and pretty much fail proof.

I’m really happy with the fit. I was a bit concerned about gaping in the front, but there’s been no nipplegate yet. The only drawback I find is that you need some super high-waisted trousers or skirts to match with it, otherwise it’s not appropriate for work. Unfortunately, most of my high-waisted skirts are patterned, so I will have to make more plain skirts or more plain Ella blouses. I guess, I’ll end up making both!

SOI Ella Blouse and Burda Culottes by thisblogisnotforyou.com

So…what’s next on my sewing list?
I’ll certainly make a few more Ella blouses, just because they are so easy to make, but as I said, I need more matching skirts! Also, there’s a Sew Over It Juliette Blouse already cut out waiting to be sewn and a few more Silk Camis planned. So quite a few SOI patterns! When I’m done with those, I have some really great autumn patterns lined most which are mostly going to be from Burdastyle magazine. (And there’s knitting to be done!) I definitely won’t be bored!

What are you sewing at the moment?

Charlie

Happy sewing!
♥

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Lottie Blouse for Grandma

November 7, 2015.Reading time 2 minutes.

Lottie Blouse by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I’ve done it again! I thought I wouldn’t but then it happened. I made another Lottie Blouse. Gosh, you must think I’m super boring. To my defense, it’s just such a simple and quick sewing project. And, this time it wasn’t for me. I made this blouse for my grandmother.

I never made her anything before (makes for family and friends happen, but very rarely) and I think she likes it! I made another version of the button up, which is the hack I created for Love Sewing Magazine. Lottie Blouse by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Because the pattern is so simple and easy to fit, I really enjoy taking time to get the details right. The construction involves a tiny bit of handsewing and also the button placket needs a bit of attention if you want it to look flawless.

The fabric is a gorgeous cotton lawn, gifted to me by Daniela. I really love it, although I usually don’t wear a lot of yellow. I also would’ve loved to keep this fabric to myself for an Anderson Blouse, but this was the fabric most fitting for my grandma, as she likes flowers and a warm yellow. I’m happy I sacrificed it, the blouse looks fab and I can’t wait to see her wear it. Although I don’t sew a lot for others, it’s always super satisfying to see someone else wear something you made, right?

The buttons are vintage, funnily enough I got them from my grandma a little while ago. So I’ve given them back to her with a blouse attached. Payback time! Lottie Blouse by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I won’t answer the “Will I make it again?” question, because I can’t promise I won’t. I have plenty of Lotties for now, but who knows. I think this might be the 8th Lottie I made. Wow.

Do you have a sewing pattern which you use all the time?

Charlie

Happy sewing!
♥

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Cropped Blouse – Burda Easy Pattern

November 15, 2014.Reading time 6 minutes.

cropped blouse Burda Easy by thisblogisnotforyou.com Hello gang! Today I want to share one of my latest makes, a cropped blouse with a studded collar. I hope you guys like it as much as I do! Let’s talk about the pattern first!

cropped blouse Burda Easy by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The Pattern:

The blouse pattern is from the Spring/Summer 2014 edition of the Burdastyle Easy magazine, a special edition of the normal Burdastyle mag which comes out only a couple of times a year. Since it’s quite hard to get hold of the patterns later on (they’re not published digitally as the normal Burdastyle pattern are, as far as I know), I always make sure to get my hands on these mags. The patterns are always pretty simple, but pretty and combined they make a beautiful capsule wardrobe collection.

I really love the cropped blouse (pattern 1K in the summer 2014 issue) and since I have never properly tackled shirt collars before, this was the perfect project.

cropped blouse Burda Easy by thisblogisnotforyou.com — Source: www.burdastyle.de

The blouse has got raglan sleeves which end at the elbow and the hem ends just below the waist.

The Fabric:

Luckily, I had pretty similar fabric in my stash. I got it from the Mr’s granny who recently moved houses and found a massive stash of vintage fabrics and patterns she gave me (yay!). I am not quite sure where it is from and when she bought it, but I will ask her next time I see her.

The fabric has very fine dark blue and white stripes and at first I thought it was linen. It was not. I didn’t notice until the blouse was all sewn together and I was working on the collar. When giving the collar a final press, it actually melted. Yeah. It waited to do that until it was completely finished and then BOO! That mean bastard. It even left an imprint on my ironing board which smiles at me now every time I use it. After that fiasko the collar was also shrunk and absolutely unusable. I cut out a new one (luckily, I had enough fabric) and started again. This time I was super careful and did everything perfectly. Well, it just wasn’t my day. When I finally wanted to attach the collar to the blouse it was about 4cm too short for the neckline. I almost had a nervous breakdown. It was past midnight and I just wanted to get this over with. But there was no way of attaching a collar that wouldn’t match up with the neckline. I went to bed knowing I would have to cut out a third collar without knowing what had gone wrong.

Guess what? Next morning I had the brilliant idea to just try it again, before cutting out a new one. I gave it another good press and started pinning. The seams matched up perfectly. I still don’t know what happened, but I was super happy, that much I can tell you! I still stick to the theory that there is a Tim Gunn living somewhere in my closet, who comes out when I sleep and secretly fixes my sewing mistakes. I so hope that this is true.

cropped blouse Burda Easy by thisblogisnotforyou.com I was so happy that before sewing the collar closed, I had the idea of adding some embellishment. I remembered that I had some studs lying around somewhere and then just gave it a go.

I interfaced the corners of the collar before adding the studs. Not my best work, as the fabrics wobbles a bit where the studs are, but I am quite happy with the result. cropped blouse Burda Easy by thisblogisnotforyou.com I am still ot sure whether I like the studs and white buttons together, but darker buttons looked even worse and I had none that would match the studs. Should I ever find some that are the perfect match, I can simply change them.The Fit:

I absolutely love the fit of the blouse. I did not make any alterations this time and the pattern came together easily. The blouse is super comfy and quite flattering when you wear it with a tight skirt. I might have to make some pencil skirts now in some plan colours, so I can wear this baby to work.

cropped blouse Burda Easy by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Will I make it again? Yes, I think so. I already have fabric and plans for another one. But first I want to make some more fitted, high-waisted skirts to wear with the blouse. I am really really happy with the result. It’s a fantastic pattern and the collar is perfect for embellishing. I’m thinking about contrast-colour, sequing or beads next time!

Happy sewing!
♥

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