melle_chantilly

Out and about

On a whim I posted something on Facebook about having a drink at a bar in Paris and so on Wednesday night I met with Clémentine and other friends, a few I hadn't seen in years. It was very nice (and I got pretty hammered) and we definitely need to do this again soon.

Clémentine and I met today and we went together to a consultation with a tattoo artist for our matching tattoo projects. (I am quite anti-matching tattoos when it comes to couples, but not as much when it comes to family and friends, go figure.) The tattoo artist was nice, on board with our project and we booked an appointment on Nov 15 to get tattooed together. :D

Then we walked around Paris and ended up near the new tattoo parlour of a friend so we popped by for a visit and... I'm seeing him next week to discuss another project I had in mind before C & I decided to get our tattoo together. Oops. He might have openings during the summer and I'm really itching to get tattooed again...

Music

These days, lots of Absolute Body Control and Fixmer/McCarthy. 



Crafting

I'm back to sewing and I'm on a roll. Since last week I made myself a black racerback dress, a rectangle top with open sides and a crop top. All personal patterns that I've adjusted a little.



I've also dyed a white silk satin remnant I had. I got a lovely muted, petrol blue. I've made tap pants out of it and plan to make a matching bralette.

Today we went to Toto rue Réaumur and I bought lovely wool (and wool mesh and red viscose lining) so I can make this:

I've remade for anatsuno  the jacket I made myself after the holidays using the pattern for a cardigan in a Japanese book. It feels so good to have finished a sewing project! :)







The main fabric is a thick wool/synthetic blend (quite similar to the one I used myself) and the sleeves are cut from a woolly jersey (two layers since it was a little thin).

 I re-used this cardigan pattern using a thick boiled wool (of an unknown composition, including some synthetic fiber). I wanted the back shape to stick out instead of draping.



Success! It protrudes nicely, and the garment has a nice avant-garde feel. Edit: and the cool thing is I can sit on it, it pops back out when I stand. :D



I made the sleeves with another, more flexible, fabric (some wool jersey leftovers from my first drop crotch pants and the Brume skirt). I was super duper lucky as the pattern I drafted for the sleeves (original cardigan is short sleeves) fit exactly in the remnants I have. I was ready to narrow and shorten the pattern if needed but no! Ha!



There is a small issue I didn't foresee when using the original pattern, which was meant for knits, with woven fabric: the buttonband is straight, while the body has a round edge, so the garment puckers a bit along the edges. In retrospect I should also have lengthened the buttonband as it is meant to stretch slightly but it doesn't really work with woven fabrics and doesn't help the whole thing to stay flat. I don't really mind, except the buttonband tends to roll out, and the inside of the garment isn't super neat.



Well, it isn't bad, but I'd rather have a neat finished inside (lining, bias, what have you). Standard cotton bias is out, because it will only stiffen the seams more. Maybe I can sew some stretchy ribbon over the zigzaged edge? I don't know. If you have an idea, please let me know.
I am in love with those brushed metal buttons the haberdasher picked for me.



I also took a photo of my altered Haujobb tee. It was the only one they had at the merch booth in Leipzig, a men's XL. I normally wear men's S or women's M, so it was really huge for me. I cut the neckline open and finished it with a jersey bias, I removed all the sleeve length, leaving just a sort of cap sleeve, and narrowed the hips so it fits more snuggly, drapes nicely and has a sort of batwing shape. Neat! I'm very happy with it (although I could have tightened the bias a little, because that neckline is a tad too SEXAY.)

I have so sewing projects planned: make a woven fabric sloper from the Pattern Magic method and then tackle one of the weird ass neck tops from one of the first two books, remake my defunct favourite trousers, with a nice wool I bought, make a bloomers pattern, make a cotton jersey drapey cardigan, eventually try to make a lined jacket... :D

Concert

We went to see IAMX, Math and I! It was fantastic. Such a powerful sound! It really rocked, hard. The whole band is amazing, interacting tons with the public (Chris's French is perfect btw). The whole thing ended with Chris encouraging people to dance and eventually come up on stage for a bit of a party. The look of sheer panic on the faces of the security team was priceless.

Health

I was quite tired throughout the whole weekend, though. I only danced for a few songs and then listened to the show seated at a table (I love venues where you can sit, so, so much).

Crafting

NL came on Saturday night to pick up the skirt I made her (from Drape Drape 2). She seemed very pleased with it. We looked together at the books I already had and she found many things she loved. I am also expecting Drape Drape 1and there are many gorgeous things inside.


(it badly needs a press but you get the idea)

Watching

I watched The Affair on Saturday night (while Math was at the Garbage concert) and wow, the character of Alison's mom is such a carbon copy of mine. I really took me aback because we rarely see such realistic depictions of narcissist behaviour in fiction. She act the same, talks the same, the circumstances are strikingly similar. Really uncanny.

It was quite liberating and validating to watch. It gives me just enough detachment to quash any remaining self-doubt when it comes to my own situation.

Health

I'm slowly getting back to my normal self (well, I'm still depressed but it's more background noise). It's unlikely the ADs are kicking in already, but just speaking to my GP and getting heard and validated regarding my issues with my mother certainly helped a great deal. It's so difficult not to feel like a cold hearted bitch when dealing with a narcissistic mother.

Music

I'm in Lyon! I'm writing from the Starbucks in the Part Dieu train station. Tonight is the Kirlian Camera concert! Whee! Right now, I have a comfy armchair and a power outlet so I could stay here forever. LOL[Bad username or unknown identity: snakeling ]is getting off work in about half an hour. I've started working on a mixtape in the train and I'm finishing it as we speak (giving it a last listen to make sure everything is level).

Crafting


Leben Heißt Leben

I finally finished my sarouel pants from the "Féminin Masculin/She has a mannish style" book. I'm very happy with them! And surprised too because I tried them on before putting the waistband on and they looked awful.

I've learned how to sew a zipper, make a fly, belt loops and slanted pockets (although the instruction for those were a bit messy and there was a mistake in the pattern so they didn't turn out great, but they're nothing to be ashamed of).



They have a mid-season feel to them but I still wore them with tights underneath (how long ago did I wear tights?? And I tucked my shirt in to show off, obv).

I also never took the time to take photos and write about the cardigan from the same book. It has a very interesting shape that I immediately fell in love with. The back has a sort of pointy, hunched shape. The button bands are actually just one band that rounds around the bottom of the garment.



I made it out of silk jersey. The colour is beautiful, although difficult to capture. Something like bronze and verdigris, the sheen of the silk giving it a slightly metallic look.

I'm contemplating remaking them in a thick boiled wool I bought just because, so that the back doesn't drape but rather make a stiff angle (more like it did in the book pictures), with long sleeves. Hmmm.



The women at my haberdashery are very encouraging of my craft. I mentioned that i bought beautiful thick wool that would be suitable for a coat or a jacket but that I was really not experimented enough to tackle one. The haberdasher looked at my cardigan and said: "you've done all the tricky part on this already, so go for it." Eep. I had already been browsing jacket patterns (because of course) and I have a few that I really love pinned on a Pinterest board. Burda has some really classic timeless pieces (a few dated ones too of course) but also some really innovative designs.

I also made a skirt from Drape Drape 2 for NL. It was very nice sewing for a friend! :) I hope it fits her. The pattern was a bit mind boggling, which is half the fun with DD.

And this is my next project: the Guise pants, in fine costume wool. Black, yes. I'm on the fence about lining them. I'd have to improvise a lining, since the pattern doesn't include one. I don't know how I feel about that. But I want to be warm!

Watching

I've just started watching The Affair (after finishing both Kimmy Schmidt and Aquarius) and as far as the first few episodes go, it is really really good. Beautiful writing and acting. How could I say no to a show gathering Joshua Jackson, Dominic West and Ruth Wilson (Alice from Luther). It is pretty heavy though, a lot focusing on dealing with the death of a child, some self-mutilation and of course the whole extra-marital business.

I used the 2m silk remnants I bought at Tissumarket for 10€ to make this dress. I expected the silk to be slippery and difficult but it was in fact very easy to sew (cutting not so much, I had to cut the front facing twice because my shears slipped).



My pleating, however, was a mess. I am not very precise nor careful when sewing (using a lot of jersey didn't help, because it's so forgiving). I had to unpick the seams of a few pleats (unpicking silk, yeahhh) that weren't quite straight. I ended up winging it, recutting the neckline and fudging with the facing until it matched more or less. I was pretty mad with myself because I really wanted to do everything properly and I felt like I messed up remarkably. But! The finished garment is in fact very neat.

The neckline is a bit too wide (yeah, I need to do something about that. I went down one size for the neck width but it wasn't enough). but other than that, it's a nice dress!

I made a shirt! Yes, it's another potato sack-like thing. :D It's got a gathered back, dropped shoulders and an overall loose shape. I saw a few projects from online people in addition to the photos from the book so I knew what to expect. I found a heavy enough fabric (thin/medium wool with a good body) so that the back gathers would drop and not float diagonally like a tent.

I am overall pleased with my finishings and seaming, although it's far from perfect. I had issues around the tips of the  sleeves edging, and also assembling the collar stand (in general I am really not good yet at assembling pieces in a bias fold. My stitches will look good on one side and be very uneven on the other side. I suspect my ironing, pinning and stitching all lack accuracy).

I finished the tips of the collar stand by hand. My machine was jamming quite a bit (in retrospect, I should probably have changed the needle). I also probably sewed each buttonhole at least twice, unpicking them fastidiously each time they were crooked. I also wasn't very careful pressing my facing and didn't clean my iron afterwards so a bit of glue transferred onto the pockets and collar. Oops. It'll come off eventually.

I thought a round collar would be easier to tackle than a classic pointed one but I don't think that's true! Making a nice even curve is really hard!

Anyway, I'm pretty chuffed. It took me a couple of days and managed to keep my back in good health, which is a first while sewing! I'm contemplating making this with the black silk crepe I bought. I'm also very tempted to go back later to Tissumarket to see if the beautiful red silk remnants I had spotted are still there, and also buy some jersey other than black. :) I want to make things from Drape Drape 2 but I'm a bit fed up of sewing black. :)

 

So, these jersey pants from I Love Pants/J'Adore Les Pantalons. The sewing itself was rather straightforward, except the pleating part which left me scratching my head for a long half an hour. I think there's a mistake in the pattern? Anyway, I'm happy with the way I did my pleats.

The finishings aren't too great, especially the overstitching of the side seam. This is when jersey truly becomes fiddly and annoying (and I probably didn't swatch enough to find the perfect tension). But that seam ends up under a big fat pleat! So WHO CARES. :D

The issue is that the pants ended up HUGE. I trusted the size chart and so I graded the pattern to a size over the largest in the book but they're very big! I had an inkling I could get away with a too small size for a pleated stretchy pair of pants but I wanted to try grading and see. Well.

They're also too long, which I could have foreseen (since the tunic by the same designer is a knee length dress for me! at least it's consistent). I'd rather have them it me right under the knee. I still like them!

The waist is elasticated, the fabric bunches up a lot, and I'm not fond of the look (it screams lazy tailoring to me. The pleats could have been a wee deeper and the waist reduced by a good 20 cm imho). But I never tuck my tops into my pants, and it is fairly smooth under a t-shirt.

(Yep, there's a horizontal line on the front, it's... dirt. ><)

I'm a bit nervous now because I'd like to make more complicated pants from the same book and it might end up a disaster. Time to measure my inseam and do some calculations? They're carrot pants and the fabric is slightly stretchy so I think I can get away with a less than perfect fit. I'd like to try a non-stretchy project beforehand, with a basic and easy fabric, just to practice some more. *thinking*

I did buy some cheap sheets though and I will... make a toile! 

 

I haven't been writing in a little while but I have something to show. :)

New sewing project completed! This is the Vogue by Mizono dress pattern and I love it! I haven’t altered anything, so the neckline is too wide (I have a very narrow frame and a G-cup rack, always great to fit!). But I don’t think I really mind, since it’s all drapey anyway.

I now have a reference of a non-stretch pattern and will be able to alter my next tops for a better fit. It is a bit wide around the bust and waist too, but if I take the dress in, it will only accentuate the issue with the neckline. So, I might just let it be. I’m learning, so, step by step!

I used a cotton fabric, a bit thicker than batiste. The dress is fully finished with French seams (which we call “coutures anglaises” in French, so nobody want to claim ownership of these apparently). I used some spare clips Norwegian Wood sent me once to replace a broken one on one of their harnesses.

The fun part is that you can wear it as a long dress, or shorten it to different lengths with a clever system of buttons on the inside.

 

I took a photo of the trousers I finished sewing yesterday! They are so comfy. I didn’t have any clean tight sleeveless tops, which is what I’d prefer wearing with such loose bottoms, but whatever.

I felt like sewing today too but I am to tired to start a big project, so I just took in my Architect t-shirt (it was a mens small, so I've shortened the sleeves and taken the waist in). It fits great now!