Free Pattern Month at Grosgrain

Are you following the free pattern month at Grosgrain? Now we are on day 4, and I already can't wait to try out their tutorials!

Day 1 featured the Sunny Resort Blouse pattern by the Sew Convert, one of my favorite sewing blogs! 
Day 4 featured knot shorts pattern by Elsie Marley, and although the tutorial is for kid's shorts, I think it would be great for adult as well for the Summer.

I'm happy to be invited as one of the contributors for the project! I'm sharing a free pattern on May 18th. I'm working on the patterns and tutorial now, and I'm learning a lot through this, from pattern grading to writing up a clear instruction.

Check out other contributors for the free pattern month here:)

Mommy's diary 1

Good morning all!
So week one of motherhood has been completed, only 50 more years to go :)  A lot has been going on in that area of my life.  Most of what goes on with newborns is interesting only for the parents so I won't bore you all with it.  But there are a couple things which I just have to talk about. 

The first night we brought her home was both exciting and really scary.  We had her at the house and she was sleeping well but the thought kept coming to mind "What if there is a problem"?  I could not sleep at all the first night.  I was constantly listening for her every breath.  Any of you have the same experience?  Thankfully over the next few days that thought subsided so now I can relax and if it weren't for another problem I would be sleeping quite peacefully.

That "other problem" I mentioned is breastfeeding.  I don't know how many of you have experience in this area but I can tell you that it is much more complicated than I thought.  I thought you just put babys mouth in the right place and that was that!  But apparently there are right and wrong ways to feed.  For example the baby must have their mouth not solely on the nipple but around the whole areola or else, like what happened to me, the nipple gets injured.  Because I was "doing it wrong" the first day or 2, I beat my nipples up so bad that I couldn't properly feed for a few days after that.  Another breastfeeding challenge I have encountered is my milk production is too high.  This is not a problem for the baby but for me.  My breasts fill up so quickly that they hurt.  It got so bad I couldn't sleep or eat or anything. I sent Andy on a mission to figure out what was going on, because it did not seem normal for it to hurt that much.  Andy is no doctor but he is a good google monkey and was able to figure out what the problem was.  Apparently because I produce an over abundance of milk I have to breastfeed a little differently.  I have to use one breast at a time so that the baby drains one entirely, gets the proper nutrition and can get my body to respond to the needs of the baby.  When I first started I was alternating between breasts for each feeding.  From what Andy was able to find out, that "normal" way of feeding won't work for me.  I need to have the baby on one breast for a full 15-20 minutes then on the next feeding use the the other side.  Breastfeeding is really complicated.  I had a really easy pregnancy but the delivery and week following is where I have been getting my mothering pains!

Outside of baby stuff, I have a couple photo shoots coming up.  I will start putting together my Carnival line soon and hopefully will be able to start with some new projects.  I wasn't sure how working with the baby would go but so far, it hasn't been too bad. How about you? How do you manage to do things while raising a newborn? Any suggestions?

All for now....time to feed, sew and feed some more!

Made more re-usable nursing pads. I need a lot of those! Tutorial is here. 

Inspiration: snidel

All images via snidel

I found this Japanese label, snidel from my favorite Japanese magazine, "Sweet". I barely buy magazines, and my inspirations mostly come from online sources. But my little sister was kind enough to buy me the magazine while I was bored at the hospital last week. I love the dreamy images above from their collection! It reminds me of fairy tales.

1940's Swing Dress sew-along - progress 1

Hello! I'm back! I hope everyone enjoyed Sophia's (aka iro iro) crochet color tutorial. As I've written before, I'm not terribly good at crocheting or knitting, but I definitely want to try her collar pattern. I'm in awe of all her petite crochet animals, such as this tiny owl and elephant... so cute!

I'm slowly getting back to normal self again. The delivery was tougher than I thought, and I've been experiencing massive hormonal changes, which are quite overwhelming. But I will save the thought for another time.

While I experience the change in my life, I think it is crucial for me to spend some time, even if it is five minutes, to do things for myself, something that I really enjoy. As for me, it's sewing! So I've been finally working on Casey's 1940's Swing Dress sew-along. I know I'm way behind this sew-along, but better late than never, right?!

I print out the pattern, and instead of cutting my size from the glued pattern sheet, I decided to trace my size as the instruction recommended. By the way, it was a bit frustrating to glue these pattern pieces together, since there was no grid line:(

I traced size 10,  which was my pre-pregnancy size...I'm hoping that this dress will motivate me to go back to my pre-pregnancy size..lol.

After tracing the pattern, I made some adjustments:

One of the adjustments was to shorten the skirt length by 9". It was pretty easy, I just needed to take 9" at "shorten or lengthen here" line.

I also decided to go without the sleeves. Although the sleeves on this dress are lovely, I think I would wear the dress more often without sleeves, for nursing purpose, so I can slip on and off the shoulder easily. I also like to wear a cardigan with a dress, so sleeves can be bothersome with a cardigan on. Next time I make this dress, I would like to modify the sleeves to butterfly sleeves or bat sleeves..what do you think?

As recommended at Casey's sew-along post, I used infusible interface for the midsection belt and then underline it to give more structure and stabilization. The fabric I used for the dress is very light chiffon like polyester fabric.

I was terribly confused by the instructions on how to sew shoulder part! Did anyone else have the same experience? I feel like the patterns and instructions can be much simpler somehow. I tried the shoulder part three times, sewing and de-stitching the mistakes over and over. I finally made it (pic above), but if you'd ask me to do it again, I probably won't be able to repeat the same...This will be another adjustment to the patterns I will make for the future.

I was also confused by the instruction 1, about a dart in bodice back. I just could not get it. I wasn't sure where the dart was supposed to start and end. So I completely ignored the instruction.
And guess what happened?! The bodice back and skirt back did not match up. The bodice back was longer than skit back where they were supposed to meet.

 So I used a short-cut, and gathered the bodice back so the line matches with skirt back. I kind of like the end result, since the front bodice has a gathered detail, I think back can use one as well:)

Here it is..almost done! I still need to instal a zipper on the side and hem the dress. I think mine looks more like a Grecian dress than a 1940's swing dress. I really can't wait to wear this!

Guest blogger: Detachable crochet collar pattern by iro iro

Hello! I'm Sophia from 'iro iro' and I'm really happy to be writing a guest post for Chie today, whilst she looks after her own little Sophia. This is my first guest post and to be writing it here is wonderful, thank you Chie!

If any of you have stumbled across my blog before, you may have noticed a recurring theme: collars. I love 'em. Sweet peter pan collars..long bow-tie collars..vintage lace collars. They can completely change the look of an outfit. So let me not disappoint, here is a little tutorial to make your very own collar.

  This is a simple crochet detachable collar I made the other day. It is made with standard DK yarn for a more chunky look than those delicate lace ones found stashed away in vintage shops. And don't worry, it takes a lot less time to make too. You will only need scraps of yarn: it didn't even dent my 100g ball. Mine is made with acrylic (it was on hand..) but I think a cotton yarn would make a good alternative.

Ok, you will need:
- Yarn (see above)
- 4mm crochet hook
- Small popper (for back closure)

Abbreviations: ch - chain, sc - single crochet, dc - double crochet, sl st - slip stitch, tog - together.

Let's begin: ch 72  (72 chs)

Row 1: ch1, sc in every st  (72 sts)

Row 2: ch2, *dc in st, 2dc in st* repeat to end  (108 sts)

Row 3: ch2, dc in every st  (108 sts)

Row 4: ch2, *dc in 3 sts, 2dc in next st* repeat to end  (135 sts)

Row 5: sl st 1 st, *5sc in st, sl st 3 sts tog* repeat until 2 sts remaining, sl st 2sts. Pull yarn through loop to finish off.

To complete your detachable collar, sew a popper at the back and enjoy wearing it!

This is not only my first time guest blogging, but also writing out a pattern like this, so please bear with me. Hopefully it will all make sense, if there are any problems please leave a comment below or send me an email (iroirocrafts@yahoo.com).

 If you have never tried crochet before, I recommend taking a look at these easy instructions or popping onto youtube. It's a really fun hobby to have that you can pick up anywhere - I often crochet on the bus to college! Thanks for reading ^.^


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Be sure to check out her etsy shop full of cute crochet goodies! 

VV girls

Hi! Thank you for your comments on my yesterday's 40 weeks post:)

Just a quick update today - I wanted to share some images of the girls wearing Vivat Veritas clothes.

❤ Right: Rachael from oriental fifty wearing Kimono cardigan
❤ Left: Kate wearing baby doll dress for her baby shower

If you had purchased from me and want to get featured on the blog, please send me a photo of you wearing Vivat Veritas clothes to chieduncan@gmail.com!

40 weeks - baby is here!

Hello everyone! I'm happy to announce that my baby is here! She was born on April 17th morning, all healthy. It was a day before the due date, and the delivery took 12 hours...I will share the birth story sometime when I'm more settled down. We stayed at the hospital for 3 nights after she was born, and I decided to leave one day early. I felt like I had enough of hospital life, and I'm much happier to be back home, with my husband:) Thank you all for prayers and thoughts!

Thank you for those of you who gave me advice on what to bring to the hospital - it was really really helpful! Lots of drinks, lip balm, and socks were my friends while I was suffering with contraction pain.

Now I feel a bit sentimental that my pregnancy is over (you can read my week-by-week journey here), but I'm thinking of continuing the series as mama series on Thursdays perhaps? Any suggestions?


P.S. Hope you enjoyed the guest posts by Anna and Nette! More guest posts coming in the next few weeks...:)

Inspiration: Theme desert

All images via Liebemarlene Vintage

When I am making clothes for a photo shoot, I like to come up with a certain "theme". In February, a photographer Amelia and I worked on a shoot with a theme "Secret Garden". My next upcoming photo shoot's theme is "After the carnival", where I want to capture some images with bright sky, and Ferris wheel in the background with bright solid color clothes, such as juicy orange, bright yellow, or sky blue. At dusk, I want to have some photos taken with some melancholy feel, with a bit of sadness that the carnival is over. As props, I would love to incorporate balloons, big lollipops or cotton candy... 

I just read at Riannon's blog that she was planning a shoot with a theme "Heroines in the desert", and I thought the theme is so cute! I love the inspirational images she collected.

Guest blogger: Free PDF downloadable bag pattern by Nette

Hi everyone. My name is Nette and I am from Germany. It is so nice to meet you! Usually, I write a blog over at nettevivante all about my sewing projects and other creative output. Anyway, you might wonder why you do not get to read anything by lovely Chie?! That is because she asked me to write a little guest post for her readers, while she is taking a break welcoming her little baby girl! 

Having been inspired by Chie’s beautiful dresses for a long time already, I was really flattered to be able to jump in for her! Thank you Chie! ❤

This is a double premiere for me. Not only because this is my very first guest post, but also because I intent to keep you busy during Chie’s absence with my very first self drafted epattern and how-to.

So today I am presenting you a pattern for a simple, yet, highly versatile tote bag. I made several versions of it for ‘Pay it forward’ and am so glad that Chie is going to use hers for the baby! ;)

As you can see, this bag is just full of endless possible variations and I hope you are going to enjoy letting your mind wander and making one!

If there are any questions, leave them as comments here or on my blog, I would love to help you out then. AND if you really are making a bag, I would love to see your versions! Have a lovely day everybody!

❤Download PDF Eva bag instruction here.

❤Download PDF Eva bag pattern here.

Guest blogger: Freehand machine embroidery by Paunnet

Hello, everyone! I’m Paunnet (but you can call me Anna) and I’m very happy to be here while Chie takes care of lovely little Sophia.

Today I’d like to talk to you about a technique I was introduced to about two years ago and that has been inspiring me a lot, lately. It is called freehand machine embroidery (if you’re a quilter you probably know it already) and it allows you to put your designs on anything you want without an expensive embroidery machine.

This is what you’re gonna need:

1.      A darning foot (sometimes called quilting foot): mine didn’t come with my machine, but I bought one for a few euros at my machine dealer. This allows you to move the fabric while you sew and to stitch in any direction you want.

2.      Water soluble stabilizer: it’s a plastic-y film on which you can draw you design. When you are done, you just wash it and will dissolve. I used Madeira’s Avalon, which comes in a roll of 5m x 25cm.

3.      A permanent marker: make sure it’s water resistant or the ink will bleed on to your fabric when you wash it.

4.      Tape: to tape the stabilizer on the fabric, so that it doesn’t move around.

5.      (Optional) Embroidery thread: I had some in my sewing box, but regular thread works great too.

Now you can choose your design and transfer it or drawing it on the stabilizer. I chose this sketch of three little girl dresses that I found a long time ago on the Internet.

The next step is to prepare your machine: put on the darning foot, set a low thread tension and lower the feed dogs (my machine has a button on the back, check your machine’s instructions if you don’t know how to do it).

Now start following the lines of your design. You’ll need some practice to adjust the movement of the fabric and the speed of the pedal, but it’s not too hard to get a good result. If you really can’t figure it out, there are a lot of Youtube videos in which you can see the machine in action, which might be more useful than my written explanation.

In the picture you can see I finished the the first part and I left a long tail before cutting the thread and moving to the next little dress.

Once you have finished, turn your fabric, with the help of a seam ripper, pull the threads on the wrong side and knot them, so your design won’t unravel.

Now you’re almost done! Rip the stabilizer and wash away the remaining.

I used my little dresses to make a zippered pouch (and I made a matching pencil case with an ice-cream design that I found here).

Aren’t they cute? They are for sale in my Etsy shop.

I also decorated a plain t-shirt with some butterflies going from the front to the back.

                                                            

I hope this little tutorial will inspire you to create something beautiful. If you try it, I’d be delighted to see your results!

Scrap heap project: Completed 1

So I finished three dresses using my scraps - as you can see, these are not really scraps at all, since the fabrics were big enough for me to make dresses for an adult:p Sorry the design of the dresses are nothing new, but I wanted to make something easy and fun to sew for the time being. More new designs are coming up soon...:)

I love the white flower buttons I used for Project 1 and 2. I found them on etsy, a shop named "Forsythe Company Store".  The shop has a good selection of vintage buttons and other cute stuff, and I found the prices to be very reasonable.

Navy blue floral back cut out dress

Pale pink and daisy back cut out dress

Gingham check back cut out dress

I listed these items for sale on my etsy shop - and for my lovely blog readers, I set up a coupon code "SCRAPHEAP" for 20% off of all items listed in my shop:) The deal will last until I finish the scrap heap project!

39 weeks

Hello All!
Week 39, oh boy!  Its a strange feeling to look at my bump and think that soon it will be gone.  Some days I waddle downstairs and think that I can't wait for this thing to be gone and other days like today I think that I am really going to miss this big watermelon.

In the first picture I wanted to see how many items I could get to balance on Kiko.  It was harder than I thought and I only was able to balance 2. 

Below is the stuff that I have packed and ready to go for the hospital.  In the States they recommend having a "Go Bag" but in Japan you dont have to bring anything because it is all provided, even the toothbrush.  But, because I like my own stuff I am bringing my own bag.  This seems particularly important because here in Japan I will be in the Hospital for 4 or 5 days.  I can't  imagine wearing hospital pj's for 4 days.  I packed some clothes for the baby, some clothes for myself, reading material and makeup.  What did you guys have packed in your bag? Any recommendations for things to do with my 4 days in the hospital?

xo

Inspiration: Art & fashion

Erdem / Olle Olsson-Hagalund – Flowers in vase

House of Holland / Lennart Jirlow – Still life with flowers

Jonathan Saunders / Sigrid Hjertén – Flower still life

 Missoni / Karl Isakson – Still life with geranium and pitcher

 Vivienne Westwood Red Label / Ivan Ivarson – Höstblommor

 Erdem Pre-Fall / Leander Engström – Still life in blue vase

 All images via Miss Moss: Fall vs Spring

I thought how Miss Moss compared the art still images and her favorite collections was so interesting. She made great matches! I'm not really a big museum goer, but her post inspired me to look into art as a source of inspirations for clothes designing.

Braided hair tutorial

I've been doing different hair arrangement using braids lately. I like this one since its easy yet looks like I spent more time on it than I actually did :p I hope you like the tutorial!

1. You need two elastic bands and a couple of hair pins.
2. I like to start by curling my hair slightly with a curling iron, but this step  is totally up to you! I think this braided hair is great with straight hair, wavy or curled, as long as your hair has enough length to wrap a braided piece around the back of your head :)
3. First part your hair in the center. Then take a strand of hair right above your ear, leaving your bang, if you have it.
4. Then braid tightly.
5. Braid till the end, and tie it with the elastic band.
6. The side will look like this.
7-8. Do the same for the other side.
9. Take the braid, and wrap it around the back of your head and pin it right behind your ear. Make sure to hide the end under your non-braided hair.
10. Do the same for the other side.

And tada! It's so easy and takes less than 3 minutes:)

Scrap heap project: Progress 1

I wrote about the scrap heap project that I will be working on during my maternity leave. Actually, before I start my leave I already jump started the project:p It's coming rather slow, since I'm trying to experiment different techniques that I usually avoid when I'm busy, such as pin tucks, and lace insertion.
I got the idea for the lace insertion from this Colette Pattern post. I made a lace insertion on the skirt hem, just like Sarai did for her dress. I think it turned out lovely, but was disappointed after I completed the skirt, because the zipper I used was too short and there was no way for any skinny person to put her butt in! This is what happens when you are pregnant and can't test the project as you sew.. So I asked Andy to take out the zipper for me (He is great at doing it! I hate de-stitching seams), and tried again with a longer zipper. And guess what happened? The zipper broke while I tried to put the skirt on my dress form. Ha. So I gave up! The skirt is still incomplete:( 

Anyway, going back to more positive side - I love Colette Patterns blog! I am always inspired by their ideas and introduction to different techniques. I think Sarai's post on surface cording, piping, bias binding and layers of lace is so pretty!

What did you guys work on this weekend?

Have a great weekend!

Hello! I could not squeeze in the time for Friday blog post yesterday, and I know I usually do the inspiration posts on Wednesdays. However, I thought this pretty Nadinoo SS11 Lookbook will complete the week and I could not wait until next Wednesday to share these lovely images!  I'm always so excited to see what this UK designer comes up with!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend:) xo