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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Cabrio-Cambie



Hi peeps,

here it comes, my red Cabrio-Cambie!


I call it Cabrio-Cambie because when I wear it, I feel like I should be driving a Cabrio on a street in Cornwall or maybe in Tuscany, one has to stay flexible ;-)



Ever since I made my first Cambie I wanted to have a red one in Version B, with the wide skirt.
The fabric I had in mind is a batiste cotton with embroidery in the same color from my stash, bought some months ago at my local open-air market here in Berlin.



I made a size 6, just like the first version, including all the adjustments for a small bust I already made. 
Plus I swapped the sweetheart nickline for the straight one, after I read Tasia´s post on this change of style. 




I am really happy with the outcome and will wear it to my nephew´s confirmation next Sunday.



Spring is in full effect here in Berlin at the moment, lilacs are in bloom and everything prospers. The sun starts to get warmer and it is time to let my white legs peep out from under my skirts to get some fresh air and a light tan (although I tend to go red rather than bronze...). 
What is it like in your part of the world?

I finally decided to make a not-so-rock-hard itinerary for my Australia trip in September/October and booked some domestic fligths to meet up with all my friends in the different cities and coasts. There will be some more posts on this topic as there are still 121 days to count down, just wanted to share some of my exitement...

Maybe it is time to think about what clothes I might need in Oz and how I could integrate them into my pledge for the Memademay

There is so much to do, so I´ll get started and will get back to you later.
Have a great day and love what you sew.
:-)
Milan

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Me Made May´14



Hi again,


I´m so excited, I just signed up to be a participant in the MeMadeMay´14, hosted by Zoe from the blog So,Zo, who already hosted this kind of not-competition for the the last few years with an ever growing number of devoted participants.
If I understand it right, the aim is to wear as many self-made garments as possible for the duration of the month of May and to raise awareness of what you are wearing, how it is made and what it means to you.




My pledge is: I Milan of milanmanypinns.blogspot.de, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear a self made garment or piece of accessory as many days as possible (I don´t have as many garments as the days of May) for the duration of May 2014'and love the thought to do so a little more every day :-)


I´m planning on posting pictures on the flickr group as well, just have to figure out, how to do that first... still new to this.


So people, stop by, take part and think about your clothes and motivation.


See you there or here soon.


Cheers,
Milan

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Umbrella-Easter-Cambie



Hi dears,

I´m back to present my latest make to you: my Umbrella-Easter-Cambie.

I found the fabric at my local outdoor market and couldn´t walk away without buying two metres of it. It is a quitlting cotton that is a little crisp, so I chose to make version A of the dress, a fitted bocide with an A-line skirt and pockets.

Since the design of the fabric is so lively, I decided to use babyblue piping at the sweetheart neckline, waist and pockets, to break up the pattern of the fabric and just because I simply love piping :-)



As I seem to be always a little behind the hype, I can take advantage of all the skilled Ladies in the blogworld, who have sewn this pattern before me, and learn good tips and easy finishings from them. As happened with the brilliant tutorial by Tasia from Sewaholic herself, when it was time to attach the lining to the fashion fabric.



But first things first. I made a size 6 after taking a look at the finished garment measurements on the back of the pattern envelope and made a small-bust-adjustment as usual, making the darts smaller and taking in the sideseams to match up the waistline. To ensure everything fitted as it should, I whipped up a toile of the bodice including the zipper. I hate upicking seams and even more when the whole thing doesn´t fit after all the work that has gone into it! As I´m a very impatient person, sewing taught me to take it slow in order to get a good result. One never stops learning....

It came together within a few quick hours and was finished to my astonishment in one evening. 

I wore it during my Easter-visit to my parents and earned many a compliment from my envious sister and my parents´neighbours ;-)




Thanks for stopping by and if you have any comments, tips or ideas for futher makes or anything else, feel free to leave a comment. 

Cheers,
Milan


Tuesday, April 1, 2014

A little Lady in Red :-)



Hi folks,

it´s been a while since my last post, but I haven´t been lazy at all, just a bit more occupied than I thought I would be, but in a good way.

I attended a bloggermeeting in Berlin with lots of lovely Ladies doing a fantastic job in the blogging community and it was so nice to get to see the faces behind those inspiring blogs.

We´ve sewn a lot, too, but unfortunately I didn´t finish my coat (my very first attempt on making something more complicated than a dress), so I cannot present it here now. As soon as it´s wearable, you will be seeing it here of course :-)

In the meantime, I whipped up a Lady Skater dress, as I am probably the last sewer who hasn´t got one in their closet already. I made a first version as a wearable muslin, and it came out so easily and fitting without any alterations that I made another one in my favorite color: red.

please ignore the white legs, it´s still not warm enough to go without tights...


I made the version with a half-sleeve and omitted the cuffs, and I think it is just perfect for the weather we have here at the moment (still chilly in the morning but nice by midday).
 
 
 
So, this is a lovely addition to my wardrobe that will be worn many many times. I´m glad I made it before I´m going to tackle more difficult patterns in the very near future, sometimes a girl just needs something beautiful for herself, even if it wasn´t technically necessary.
 
This one is made from only slightly strechy Viscose-Polyblendjersey from my local market, which was a dream to cut and sew.
 
How do you handle the topic of sewing economically? Do you prefer to only sew what you´re in need of or do you sometimes just make something especially for you without a thought on necessity?
 
I certainly am more aware of the ways of the clothing industry and it´s imfluence on prices and styles since I started sewing; I aim to avoid bying clothes as much as possible and attempt on replacing all the clothes in my wardrobe by handmade stuff.
 
You are invited as usual, to tell me your point of view on this topic.
 
Until next time,
happy sewing
 
cheers, Milan