New Colette patterns!

Read more about this brand new Colette pattern 'Lily' here!

The finished Macaron dress

Pattern: 'Macaron dress' from Colette patterns

Fabric: soft corduroy
I made just a few adjustments, after making several muslins version 1 here, version 2 here and version 3 here I decided to cut size 4 except for the top part of the bodice, the grey parts which are size 2. Plus, I lengthened the skirt by 7 cm (approx. 3 inches)
The fit turned out great. The shoulder darts make the fit of the top much better. (Why don't use modern patterns shoulder darts anymore?...) Love the shape of the skirt! It is slightly smaller at the hem and the stiffness of the corduroy is ideal to accentuate that. The instruction booklet is clear (as always with Colette patterns). The pockets are inserted in the outer folds in a really interesting way. When you are sewing the instructions are easy to follow though. I used a bright pink bias band to finish the seams and the hem on the inside and a leftover from my grey Jasmine blouse for the facings and the pockets.

The colors are in reality like this:

Macaron dress in progress

Started making the Macaron dress! I always cut single layers because I find it a more precise way of cutting the pieces. (At the same time this is the part of sewing I hate most...) The two fabrics looks great together and the instruction booklet is clear. I decided to use bias band to finish the sleeves rather than to cut two layers. It worked great! Catchstitched it on the wrong side. The construction of the pocket is interesting, I have to read everything twice to make sure it turns out okay...

Seam finishing of sleeves:











My sewing assistant - not disturbed by the sound of the sewing machine and the radio:

Macaron muslin part 1.

As for my Ceylon dress I used a size 2 pattern, and for the Jasmineblouse even the size 0 pattern I thought it would be the same with the Macaron. Strangely, this size 2 muslin is just too tight and too short everywhere!

- I can get my head through the opening which seems rather small, so that's good.
- I really like the back darts, they make the fit so much better! You usually see them on vintage patterns, but not on modern patterns. I wonder why...
- The fit around the shoulders and the upper part of the bodice is just right, from the side it seems to have enough just ease for me
- Even less ease on the lower parts...
 I looove the fit of the upper yoke around the above the bust area! As you can see here the bust dart is way too high, needs to be lowered by +/- 2 cm

Alterations:
- I'm going to make a size 4 muslin to see whether the bust dart gets lower and the fit of the midriff part gets better.
- I think the upper yoke of the bodice is just right, it shouldn't be too roomy. (Size 4 might be just a tad better though I'm not sure)
- Probably, at the end I just need to use size 4 (or even 6) for the lower part and size 2 for the upper part of the bodice
- As usually I didn't make a skirt muslin, I just assume the fit of that will be OK. As I look at Macaron dresses on the internet I think I definitely need to lengthen the skirt to have that 'just above the knee' length I prefer.

I really like the fit of this Macaron dress! She lenghtened the midriff band by 1 inch and the skirt by 3.5 inches.

At last I decided to get a remote shutter for my camera, Making pictures of myself is so much easier now! I can't wait to finish this dress and make great pics which are not blurry.



      

Next up...

Next up is a fall version of the Colette Macaron dress! I've bought a grey and a plum-pink colored ribcord fabric. First up to the muslin, of course!

Jasmine blouse muslin perfected!

At last, I've made the second muslin for the Jasmine blouse.
To start I've cut it just a size smaller - and the difference is impressive! Soooo pretty!
The only thing I've changed is to make the cuff a little smaller - I took out about 1.5 cm
That's it! Even the length is just right.
The fabric I choose is really slippery. I fell in love with it in the store, but now I'm freaking out, how am I going to cut it?!

     


The fabrics I choose are synthetic (don't feel like synthetic though...) with a beautiful drape to accentuate the shape of the blouse. I'm going to make a grey blouse and I've got fabric for a dark blue blouse with a cream colored collar:




     

Jasmine blouse muslin

I couldn't resist the Jasmine blouse pattern, I had to make a quick muslin...

Things to change:
- I can pull the blouse on easily, so I'm going to cut a size smaller, but keep the bust darts at the same height
- I make the cuff tighter by 2 cm and gather the remaining width of the sleeve at the cuffs
- Instead of using the loop I've just tied the ties and it worked perfect! (this is version 2 with the long ties)
- I might even lengthen the ties like in my inspirational picture here
- As the neckline is quite wide I might add loops for my bra-straps on the inside or make the neckline less wide (about 1,5 cm on each side)

    

    

Goodies

My new Colette patterns have arrived yesterday! I think I quickly need to make a Jasmine blouse...

 

Fall sewing plans

    

    
Clover pants, Jasmine blouse, Macaron dress and Ceylon dress from Colette Patterns a bow blouse and dress from the october 2011 Burda magazine 

I've ordered the Clover pants and Jasmine blouse from the new collection. I'm totally in love with the bow blouse, I'm going to make both versions. How about a stretch corduroy fabric for the pants? I'd like to make a Ceylon dress with 3/4 sleeves, in a darker color. For the Macaron dress I'm thinking of using a crocheted insert for the upper bodice part. This would make the dress more delicate, I think it would look lovely! The another bow blouse is from the new Burda magazine has simple lines - I might add a few darts to make it more fitted.

As for the colors, I've tried to put together some kind of fall palette here. I'd like to use dark green, brown, plum, grey and dark indigo blue. For an accent color I might choose soft pink:

 
            

    

Fall palette idea 
Dark blue bow blouse: Modcloth, Plum bow blouse: Banana republic, Plaid dress: Louis Vuitton, Grey heels: Steve Madden

Inspirational

- Linen and lace... A lot of ideas and inspiration. Beautiful creations and a lots of pics!Check out this link!

- And how about the new Colette patterns? I definitely have to buy the Clover pants and Jasmine blouse patterns!

The finished Ceylon dress!

Fabric: linen-cotton mix
Pattern: Colette patterns Ceylon dress
Time to complete: well, quite a few hours, mainly due to making the fabric covered buttons, the bound buttonholes and the seam finishing.

I love the vintage feel of this dress!
It goes together really easy, even if there are quite a few pattern pieces. I've cut size 2. The fit is great, the dropped waist is really flattering. I shortened the hem by 2.5 cm and finished it with lace and added an invisible zipper to the side seam.