OMFG! I won a thing! Celebrations! Potential free stuff to be gotten here!

I entered my Albion coat in the sewalong contest Colette was having and I actually won one of the second place prizes!

I did not film my reaction when I got Sarai's lovely e-mail, and I don't really feel I can recreate it. But let me give you an idea of how it went using a different medium:

... That's roughly how it went. I did do a little dance and called my boyfriend.

Since this glorious happening calls for a celebration, I thought it was a good reason to have a giveaway! I recently got incredibly lucky at the thrift store and got 22 metres of striped cotton for an amazing price. I'll definitely use some of it but it's way too nice to use the rest for muslins... And I don't see myself wearing nothing but stripes from now on. Here is the fabric, modelled by my friend Darth Vader:

It's a lighter weight fabric, probably pure cotton or a cotton-linen blend (I burnt a piece and don't think there's anything synthetic in there). It has a slight texture and would make a nice summer dress!

I'm giving away three pieces of fabric to three lucky winners! Each piece will be three meters, enough for a dress or something else. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by next Friday, and I'll pick the winners by Monday! You can earn extra entries by tweeting about this giveaway, or mentioning it on your own blog. Just make sure to leave a separate comment on the post linking to your post or tweet! This giveaway is open for international readers as well, I'll ship anywhere!

I'm off to do some more dancing work. Thank you for the support, everyone!

Anyway here's Wonderwall.

So... It's been a bit quiet around here. I was both busy doing things that aren't sewing and working on a long-term project, The Albion coat by Colette Patterns! I've always had a bit of a soft spot for duffle coats, but sewing one myself seemed a bit daunting. However, Colette launched a sewalong with some very clear instructions (and a contest!) so I managed to get the thing together without too many hiccups along the way.

Look at that face. That's a smug face.

I had this bright red coating in my stash for a while, and thought it would be perfect for a casual coat like this. It's a beautiful colour but a pain to photograph! In real life it's a deep cardinal red, and absolutely lovely. I only used about half of the yardage so I can make another jacket sometime. One can never have enough bright red outerwear, right?

The Albion is a unisex jacket, but I do like my coats to be a little more feminine, so I made a few pattern adjustments. I started from a size small and nipped in the waist by quite a bit. The sleeves were fine (they are even quite narrow, especially at the wrists!) But I did take a bit of width out of the shoulder. I could have taken our a wee bit more but it doesn't really bother me all that much.

Gratuitous butt shot. Oh yeah.

I saved the biggest surprise for the back! Ages ago I saw a red duffle coat somewhere with a pleated bit in the back to give the silhouette a tad more femininity and something inside me yelped 'want!'. This alteration was incredibly easy: I cut the back pattern piece in half at the waistline and slashed and spread the bottom half to create three pleats. I basted them together and pressed the hell out of the wool, and anchored the pleats at the hem with a few small stitches.

Another adjustment I made was a simple one: instead of making all the corners on the pockets, flaps and tabs square I used a coin to make them rounded. Topstitching them was a bit of a bitch (even though my blind hem foot proved to be an unexpected substitute for an edgestitching foot!) but I do like how they look. The first time I sewed the flaps they ended up a tiny bit too small and it looked messy with the corners of the pockets poking out, so I did them again. I also lined the patch pockets in flannel, slip-stitched them on and then topstitched them in place.

The coat is lined in a cotton flannel, nothing interesting. It's way too warm for the weather we're having so unless it suddenly gets cold again I'll have to wait a while before I can wear it!

Apart from the pocket flaps, the entire construction went along without any problems. Until I got to the toggles. The post about toggles in the sewalong provides tons of information on how to mark and place them, and this went fine, but when it came to actually stitching them down I encountered a small problem: there was no way the bulk of the coat was able to move around underneath the machine well enough to stitch the leather tabs down in a satisfactory way. Even my boyfriend noticed the stitching was uneven! I ended up ripping the ruined (holes in the leather!) toggles off my coat and went to bed in a truly foul mood.

 The next day I gathered my wits and went out to find a solution. I bought toggle buttons, cording and two leather elbow patches. These three things were actually cheaper than buying premade toggles, so that's sort of a win, right? I used the tabs on my ruined toggles as a pattern piece and cut new ones, which I then handsewed onto the coat. This took ages, I became bffs with my thimble and leather needles and still managed to hurt all my fingers but it turned out pretty well. At least they look like something crafted by fairies who aren't very good at sewing did a pretty decent job.

Ruined fingers and all, I'm still very happy with the coat I won't wear until the next winter. It was a definite challenge that dragged me out of my comfort zone, and I'm really proud of the result. It looks like a rtw coat (if you don't look too closely) and it feels like something way more expensive. I'll just imagine myself strolling around in it for now! Here's a final thing the boyfriend and me threw together, just to show how happy I was:

This forest is old. Very old. Old as balls.

I just returned from a lovely (and exhausting) weekend getaway with my mother's family, and even found the time to photograph my most recent make! We went for a long walk in the woods and I snuck away between the trees for a very quick photoshoot.

This Liberty fabric is actually Iceland themed (with a print depicting mountains and glaciers) but I had it in my stash even before I knew I was going to Iceland. Talk about foreshadowing!

The pattern is the Colette Hawthorn, and for once it fit me perfectly without any adjustments! It seems Colette Patterns are drafted for someone with a much wider back and shoulders than me, and I always end up removing loads of width from the back... Not this time!

I briefly considered making this for my Iceland trip but thought a cotton lawn shirtdress wouldn't really be suitable for that type of weather. I wore it with a cardigan and was fine all day long. Hooray for way too warm winters!

My family was passing by when this picture was taken. Photoshoots are awkward.

I didn't really change anything about the pattern, except for omitting the topstitching and shortening the skirt a bit. I felt like the print was busy enough without this extra detail and just understitched as much of the facing as I could. I also handstitched the inside of the cuffs closed.

I got the wooden buttons at the previous Blogger Meet in Brussels, thanks to Stephanie. I also added the (slightly too big) belt to break up the mass of print a bit. Up close you can really see what it is, it looks like birch bark or marble from a distance!

Look Ma, I can sew a cuff!

Sewing the entire thing went without any hiccups until I reached the sleeves, and even then the hiccup was entirely my fault. I had a nice piece left after cutting the dress out and gave it to Jo at the next blogger meet, only to find out that I had cut the cuffs two sizes too small. I didn't have a scrap left so I had to ask Jo for some extra... She was very sweet about it, and even added some extras! (thanks Jo!)

I wasn't entirely convinced by the Hawthorn when it came out, but it definitely won me over. The small collar and sleeve length give the dress a bit of understated femininity, and I feel very put together when I wear it. Taking these pictures at the start of the walk turned out to be a brilliant idea, since it was raining the entire time and after ten kilometres of walking up and down muddy hills I looked like a very dirty and red hobbit.

Apart from walking and stuffing my face I actually managed to get some more work done on That Big Thing I was talking about before. Here's my uncle giving me a hand!

This might be entirely TMI but I actually interrupted writing this blog post to go throw up after feeling sick all night, and came back to finish it before getting into bed! That's dedication. I'm going to sleep now.

(Cue the Tension-building Music)

Something's going to happen.

Dun dun duunnnnn!

Sewing Fine Silk on a Deadline is Genius

... Or maybe not.

I went to a wedding some time ago. It had been a while since I had been to a real fancy event so I thought a new dress was in order. I had this lovely light silk in my stash that I meant to use for the Nicola dress by Victory Patterns, and thought the best time to make a new pattern in a fabric you've never worked with before was a week before the event. Duh!

It turned out ok! I was slightly terrified to cut into this fabric, it's not super shifty but very fine. I got it at a Dries Van Noten stock sale about a year ago, and it had been sitting in my stash until I found the perfect pattern.

I made a bodice toile and found I had to take out some length. The neckline is super deep on me but I opted to wear a cami underneath instead of more complicated wrap dress alteration shenanigans. There are some weird drag lines but it doesn't really bother me.

I lined the entire dress in another silk from my stash, instead of just lining the skirt and using facings on the body, like the pattern suggested. This made it possible to cut the entire thing from two metres, and the lining gave the bodice some, uh, body and opacity. I didn't line the sleeves and they are as fluttery as ever.

Hah! My boyfriend found this Pinocchio head near his parents' place and called me because we just had to take pictures there, so I got my ass over there as soon as I could. This is just to explain the unwashed, messy hair.

Applying the binding to the sleeves was fiddly, and I chose to handstitch it down with an invisible hem instead of topstitching. It's not entirely invisible, but nice enough! The sleeves are very floaty and sort of make me feel like a fairy.

Yes  Sherlock, thank you for your input.

The pattern fit me slightly loosely around the waist, but I didn't want to make it too tight since the silk is so fine I didn't want to risk straining it too much. Instead I made sure I had one long strip of fabric left and made a tie belt.

Were you guys waiting for a silly face? Because here is one. I have another one where my face looks like it's melting but I'll save it for Halloween.

Sewing this was pretty straightforward, it was the first Victory pattern I tried and the instructions were clear enough. I got a bit stressed about the omg silk thing but it helped that this wasn't the hardest silk ever. My machine handled it really well, no sudden chewing of fabric!

Aah scary thing to pose next to!

I'm still not entirely sure if this dress is flattering on me, so I don't know if I'd make it again. Maybe in a lightly less drapey fabric?

We should totally meet up for texting and scones.

Wow, I'm probably one of the last people to write about this! On Saturday we had our second Belgian Blogger Meet, in Antwerp this time! Loads of people turned up, and I was a bit scared at the prospect of gathering twenty sewists and getting them around the city on a schedule, but Lieke did an amazing job...

As usual I only took like three pictures. I was too busy chatting and having fun to look through a lens! We started the day with coffee (and cake in my case) at Viggo's, followed by some fabric shopping. I managed not to buy anything (!!) but I did score a few bits and bobs at the swap!

I also got rid of most of the fabrics I brought, so I guess that was justified. We then rushed off to Aahaar for an amazing lunch (vegetarian all-you-can-eat buffet? Count me in baby! This is one of my favourite eating spots in Antwerp). After this we decided to split up: part of the group wanted moar fabrics, and me and some others went to the fashion museum to see the current exhibition. It was incredibly inspiring to see loads of garments made by fashion students up close, and I picked up loads of details to use in my own sewing...

We took one group shot, but our camera guy wasn't the most talented and the background was a bit disappointing as well. Thank god I have a master's degree in graphic design:

Look at all those happy faces! Even the mayor stopped by to show off his new skirt.

I'll leave you with something that still makes me smile and a list of everyone who came along. I had loads of fun, even though it was a truly exhausting day. On to the next one!

Heh heh heh! Misdurk!

(Sadly, this is one for the Dutch speakers...)

Here are all the lovely ladies (and the one gentleman)! Let me know if I forgot someone...

Lieke: http://bouquetofbuttons.be

Hanne: http://eennieuwejurk.wordpress.com

Ilse: http://ettepet.blogspot.com/

Heidi - http://patatenkroket.blogspot.be/

Karolien - http://karootje.blogspot.be/
Ivy - http://www.neven-jansen.be/mama
Annie – http://moekehandmade.blogspot.be/
Sofie - http://dewereldvansofiew.blogspot.be/
Lieselot - http://liesellove.blogspot.be/
Lieve - http://piekewieke.blogspot.be/

Lindsy - http://stannel.blogspot.be/

Regina - http://tweeemmerkeswater.blogspot.be/
Lindy: http://stannel.blogspot.be/
Caroline: http://www.carolinedelaere.com/#sthash.AIUoJ7NP.dpbs
Emily: http://belgianseams.blogspot.be/
Eline: http://plutomeisje.be
Louize: http://grtescp.wordpress.com/
Jo: http://jo-sews-etc.blogspot.be/
Joost: http://joost.decock.org/

Laura: www.behind-the-hedgerow.com 
Kim: http://revesmecanique.blogspot.com

It's not easy being green. People tend to think you're in Slytherin.

Here's what I was wearing on New Year's Eve! I wanted a dress that was pretty enough by itself, but also warm and comfortable enough to walk around outside in Reykjavik for a long time without getting too cold. Enter the Esja dress!

(I'll give you a minute to take in the view)

I ordered a green textured cotton online a few months ago, and was slightly disappointed by the colour when it arrived. It had looked a nice emerald in the picture, but was a lot brighter in real life, and didn't really suit my skin tone. At first I considered giving it away, but then I realised I could dye it to a nicer shade... So the entire piece got tossed into the washing machine with some forest green dye and I crossed my fingers. The end result was exactly the colour I was looking for, even if it came out a lottle mottled and splotchy (due to me not being able to get the whole piece damp enough I think, but it adds character! I actually like it).

The colour doesn't really show well in these pictures (it was around 11 in the morning and the sun had not been up for long, haha!), it's a bit lighter and greener in real life. I used Simplicity 2444, a great basic pattern I've used before to make my Space Oddity dress. I used the same changes I made to the bodice before (scooping out the neckline in the front and back), added the long sleeves and omitted the sashes.

I think it turned out pretty well! The four darts in the front bodice give it a lovely shape, and the entire dress feels relaxed and comfortable. I wore a thermal undershirt with it, cut down so it wouldn't show with the scoop back (and thereby defeating the entire purpose of a thermal undershirt). During the day I was fine with just wearing my coat over it, but at night I layered it up a notch with a woolen cardigan.

Here you can see the colour differences in the fabric pretty well. I really like the full skirt that comes with this pattern, it has a nice shape but not too much fulness around the waistline. I fully lined the dress and hemmed it using a bias tape facing, quite possibly my favourite hemming method!

So, what did me and my dress get up to?

Not much, really.

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Oh, and just a public service announcement: this weekend (Saturday the 18th) is the time for the second Belgian Blogger Meet! The fun is happening in Antwerp this time, and it looks like loads of people are going to be there. We meet at Viggo's coffee bar at 10 to prepare for a day of fabric shopping, swapping, museum visits and fun. If you want to join us, drop me a line at annekecaramin(at)hotmail(dot)com and I'll send out more details!