Dior inspired dress

Hi there!

So it seems that I finally found a bit of time and courage to put up a new blog post. I have been so busy at work, that I usually don't have the courage anymore in the evening to sit in front of my computer and draft a new post. I do miss it, however. I also have a backlog of sewing projects that I want to show you, and my personal photographer aka my amazing sister is back from abroad, so I hope to get this going again.

It's May already! Which means finally better weather (hopefully)! It's also the start of MeMadeMay, in which many sewists make an effort to wear there me-mades more often and show them to the world. It brought me a lot of joy last year, but I've decided not to participate this year. I gained some weight since I've started working and a lot of my me-mades either don't fit anymore or are not very appropriate to wear to the office. But I hope to get my sewing mojo back this month, I don't think I've sewn since I made my dress for New Year's Eve...

That being said, I wanted to share one of my favourite makes with you. I made this dress 2.5 years ago already, for that New Year's Eve. I was celebrating with a bunch of friends and we had decided to have a fancy dress code. It didn't take long for me to figure out what I wanted to make. I had scooped up some fabric on a fair two months before that, and this Dior dress immediately came to mind: 

Image via Harper's Bazaar

This is my version inspired by it:

For the bodice, I used the bodice pattern of this Burda vintage Capri sunsuit. I didn't have enough fabric to create a full skirt like the Dior dress has, so I drafted the skirt myself by just putting together two rectangles and creating some sort of overlapping box pleat to create the fullness of the skirt. The dress is fully lined as the fabric is a bit see-through between the ruffles, and I added some ruffled mesh strips to the skirt lining, to help the fullness of the skirt. Even though the dress fits really nicely (yay!) and it does keep in place pretty well, I felt more comfortable if I knew there was at least a bit of support in the dress. So I added boning in the side seams to keep those straight up, especially around the zipper. I also sewed in a waist stay, and boy, does that make a difference! The fabric is a bit on the heavy side, and so the waist stay prevents the heavy skirt from pulling the dress down.

Big thanks to my sister for taking these lovely pictures!

In the last picture, you can see the underlining with the mesh ruffles. It's a bit blurry, but I thought it was a funny picture and I didn't want to keep it from you.
 

Have a nice week!

La Maison Victor Emma Dress

Hi there!

Last week I was talking to a friend about a new dress I was making, and he asked if it would be my dress for New Year's Eve - which it wasn't, but that is another story. It made me think of the dress I made last year, and how I hadn't blogged it yet (same goes for the dress I made the year before, oops).

So here it is: my New Year's Eve version of the Emma dress by La Maison Victor.

The dress is made from a black cotton and the silver fabric comes from a thrifted dress that I cut up. I did not make any modifications to the pattern, but later on realised I should have done an FBA and a modification in the back.
The reason I did not do the FBA, is because it fitted wonderfully as long as I was putting the dress together, and it wasn't until it was finished that the armholes were gaping. Oh well. I didn't have time to adjust it, because of course I made it pretty last minute. 

Another thing I noticed once it was finished, is that the open back was also gaping. I fixed it by stitching it down onto the waist band, and I actually liked the effect of the back panels pointing down on the skirt.

This dress came together rather quickly, which was a good thing, seen my timing. It is pretty straightforward to sew, only the fitting in the back might be a bit of a challenge, and an extra pair of hands comes in handy (thanks mom). I'm not sure if I will wear this dress again, because although I really like it, it feels a little bit short. I don't think I will ever get to attaching another skirt to this one, but I might make this dress again in the future.

Big thanks to my awesome sister for taking the pictures! To finish this post, let me share the obligatory twirl foto with you:

Red bodysuit

Hi, guys!

How are you doing? I had a blast this summer. I spent a large part of the summer in Italy and the South of France and had an amazing time. Before I left, I had the time to finish some sewing projects I had been working on, so I could take them with me. You've already seen one of them, the Leila top, and today I'm showing you another one.

Much on trend, I decided to make a bodysuit out of red jersey I had left from making a dress (unblogged). I love wearing high-waisted skirts, and a bodysuit would eliminate the 'problem' of tops that keep riding up. I immediately thought of the Knipmode pattern of the Badgley Mischka bathing suit. I had made it before as a top, and I loved the fit and the design of the straps. I eliminated the crossing panels on the front, and instead of sewing the crotch together, I sewed on some snaps for closure. As the fabric is stretchy and tends to keep its shape very well, I omitted any elastics you might normally sew.

I love my bodysuit, it is so comfortable yet dressed up. I feel very feminine when wearing it with a skirt. Bonus: I also made the skirt in the pictures! It's a very simple mini circle skirt. I think the fabric is some kind of poly, but I'm not sure as it came from a remnants' bin and I didn't ask... I made the skirt three years ago, it was a quick sew. I think it took me an hour all in all - from drawing the circle to cutting and sewing it. Of course, if you say circle skirt...

...obligatory twirl picture!

 

Scallop shorts

Hi everyone!

How are you all doing? I'm currently away on vacation in Italy and I'm having a great time. It has been so hot at times that you couldn't bribe me into touching my computer, so this post has taken longer than I intended. Better late than never, right? And that certainly counts for this pair of shorts I'm sharing today!
I actually made those two years ago already... I'm still loving them, though, and I have worn them so many times already, I thought they deserved a little spotlight.

The pattern I used is Burdastyle 04/2013 #102. I adapted the pattern slightly to create the scalloped hem, but that really is all I changed. The shorts are lined, fully french-seamed (I was so proud of that) and have pockets. I did make a slight mistake while sewing in the pockets, so they tend to turn inside out from time to time, something I need to pay extra attention to next time I'm giving them a go. The fabric was actually a thrifted skirt that I bought at Think Twice (my favourite Belgian thrift store) and I scored it for 1 or 2 euros. I still have some fabric left over, and I think it might even be enough to make a top.

More posts are on their way!

 

Leila

Hi!

 

As promised, the first one of a number of makes. I finally got around to taking some pictures with the help of my fantastic sister - hopefully, I'll get to take more this week.

 

 

This top is a very simple pattern, but I really like it. It is the Leila top from La Maison Victor (from the May-June 2015 issue). The only thing I would adjust next time is to make it a bit wider at the hem, so it falls smoothly over my hips. But other than that, I'm happy with the fit, I didn't even need to do a full bust adjustment. I might be making more of these in the future! The only difference in my version of the pattern are the straps. I made double straps and let the middle ones come together at the back.

 

I bought the fabric at Stoffenspektakel, but I don't remember which merchant I bought it from... I think it is a polyester fabric, but it feels nice to the skin and it doesn't wrinkle much, so that is a huge plus! I've already worn it a couple of times and it is on its way to becoming a staple item. I might actually need to make more, haha.

Me Made May 2016 - Week 3 & 4

Hi there!

This post is way overdue but as I was having exams and I really want to graduate at the end of June, I decided to postpone this post. The weather here has also been aweful and there wasn't a spot in the house with enough daylight to take decent pictures. As I didn't feel like changing 4 times (I took the pictures afterwards) I tried a different setup this time.

 First outfit: Shorts from a Burda pattern (unblogged) and top from Pimkie.

Second outfit: LMV Martini dress - I feel like I cheated a little bit with this one, as I wore it three times over these two weeks. It is just soooo comfortable to wear, so it is kind of my go-to dress when I don't need to leave the house but don't feel like wearing sweatpants either.

Third outfit: Knipmode top that I also wore in the first half of may and a blazer from Oltre. I wore this with black skinny jeans, that I am currently altering (they have a bit of gaping in the back - ah, the perks of being able to sew).

Last outfit: The very last thing I wore for MMMay this year is my floral burda dress, worn as a top, with this amazing pleated skirt that I thrifted for two euro (!). This outfit is a favourite, it has a bit of a Dolce & Gabbana feel to it and I feel ultra feminine and summery while wearing it.

What I learnt from MMMay '16:
I don't sew enough clothes for in between seasons or bad weather and normal occasions. I have three gowns and a dress that only suit a special occasion (I made those for my student gala) and one dress that is appropriate for events like new year's eve. Hence, I can't really get away with wearing them during Me Made May, haha. I should also look into separates that I would be able to layer, so I can wear them when the belgian weather behaves like it currently does - lots of wind and rain. I am very happy I took part in MMMay, as I have not only renewed my love for some pieces, but I also tend to wear my me-mades more now. And yay, I stuck to my challenge! Now, onto my next project and pile of UFOs*!

Have a great week!



* For my non-sewing friends: UFO = Un-Finished Object, meaning my pile of clothing pieces I once started to sew and then abandoned half way because of a newer, shinier project. Yes, I am guilty of that.

 

Me Made May 2016 - week 1 & 2

Hi everyone!

May is already halfway, so it is about time I share my outfits for the challenge. So far I have kept up with it and have worn 3 me-mades or refashioned items per week. It made me realise I have mostly sewn things for warm-weather and special occasions. Luckily, we've had some good days lately, so I have been able to wear some items without the trouble of adding layers.

Meanwhile, I've started to sew a new dress, and I have some more thrifted clothes that are waiting for me to refashion. Hopefully I'll be able to share some of those as well in May!

Week 1

First outfit: me-made top, hacked from a Knipmode pattern for a Badgley Mischka bathing suit 

Second outfit: skirt, thrifted from Think Twice and refashioned

Third outfit: same skirt (I wear this one a lot) with me-made crop top from a Burda pattern (here, which is actually the bodice from this dress) 

 

Week 2

First outfit: that day was a bit colder, so I paired this self-drafted camisole top with a sparkly woolen vest for a party at a friend's

Second outfit: refashioned floral blazer that brought some sunshine to my otherwise black outfit

Third outfit: the same camisole as earlier that week, with a long cardigan and sneakers for a more casual look

  

 

Me Made May 2016

Picture via 'So, zo...'

Hi guys!

I have finally found a little bit of time and courage to think of this blog again. The last couple of months have been insanely busy, but now exams are coming up, and that is usually the time my sewing mojo peaks.

The last years, I have been looking at the many wondrous pieces of clothing that fellow sewists have been showing during Me Made May, and this year, I finally decided to join in. So here is my pledge:

I, Birgit (pumpsandneedles.blogspot.com, @birgitvg on instagram), sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '16. I endeavour to wear at least 3 me-made or refashioned items per week for the duration of May 2016.

I will be documenting my outfits through Instagram, and rounding them up here on the blog. This way, I hope to get more wear out of the things I made and identify the gaps in my wardrobe I might be experiencing.

Have a happy week everyone!

A Pintastic Week - 20.09.2015

Expansion by Paige Bradley

Hi!

How are you all? I hope you had a splendid week. I have some little gems again for you! I'm also planning my autumn/winter wardrobe, so stay tuned for a post on that.

- To my fellow Belgians (or people who plan on visiting), I came across an article about a new hotspot in Gent called Used Book Café. It went straight on my list of places to visit in my own little country. (The article is in Dutch by the way)

- Hanne wrote a book in which sewing-related terms are translated in three languages: Dutch, French and English. No more frustration because you don't know how to say 'understitching' in Dutch!

- These new lipsticks by KIKO have great colours, I particularly like number six, Melodious Wine. 

- I recently came across The Iron You, a blog filled with healthy recipes that look absolutely delicious, like this cauliflower casserole.

- I think I might give this DIY Helmut Lang skirt a go. 

- I just discovered The Long & Winding Bobbin, and although it is not a recent project, I really love this dress she made.

- How pretty is the cocktail dress that Sheryll from Pattern Scissors Cloth made? And how hard is it not to want to sew this kind of dresses all the time?

 

A Pintastic Week - 13.09.2015

 "Inked by the Beast" via Madhat Company

Hi there!

How are you all doing? I thought it was about time to do one of these posts again! The blogging world has created some beauties yet again, so take a look and enjoy!

- About the picture above: I came across this artist today, who made pinup versions of a few Disney princesses. I hope he will do some more in the future!

- Chelsea King created beautiful nail art inspired by a pair of Valentino booties. 

- When I saw the pattern in Burdastyle, it originally didn't do me that much - I neither liked nor disliked it. But now that I've seen the version that Sallie Oh made, I might have to reconsider... I think she looks stunning! 

- Trine made a Nettie dress for her daughter and I think she looks both tough and feminine in it. I especially like the graphic print of the fabric. 

- Although I liked the dress she made at first, I think the refashion that Debbie did on it is a great success! 

- This DIY skirt by Geneva Vanderzeil is on my list.

- This nightstand makeover on A Beautiful Mess is both chic and bright.

Floral dress

Hi there!

Remember this post? That dress finally happened... About time I'd say!
But, better late than never, and I have worn it many times already.

This skirt was thrifted a few years ago, and once I unpicked the waistband, it became clear just how much fabric I had to work with. Enough for a dress, it turned out.

The pattern I used for the top is Burdastyle 04/2013 #116, like I planned back in 2013. I drafted the skirt myself, because I wanted it to flare a bit, instead of having a pencil skirt. Next time I'll probably use the skirt from the pattern, because I really do like how it looks. I also did a full bust adjustment on the top to make it fit properly. I am really happy with how it fits and how it looks on me, so a repeat will definitely happen.

Big thanks to my friend Sarah, who was so kind to take these pictures while we were in Warsaw!

- Birgit

  

Starring Magnolia

Hi guys!

A short post today, I just wanted to show you the card I made this afternoon for my mom's birthday. I used one of my Magnolia stamps, and made the rest of the card around it. I coloured the stamped figure with my Rembrandt colouring pencils, the stars and the lettering were done by hand with a silver pen. I traced some of the stars to make them pop, as I felt it was a bit flat before.

Happy weekend!

 

A Pintastic Week - 26.07.2015

Because everybody loves flamingos. Watercolour painting via OlechkaDesign on Etsy.

Hi there!

How was your week? I met with friends a couple of times to do some much needed catching up and had great times. I also finally decided on a pattern for a maxi dress after lots and lots of research, inspiration photos and looking through all my sewing magazines. I plan on getting started with it today and hopefully it won't take me too long to sew. Not spilling the beans yet, though! You will have to wait until it is done ;)

I've also read about and seen great things again this week and below are a couple of personal highlights. Happy Sunday!

First up is a Burda pattern mash-up by So from On Sunday Mornings. I adore the playsuit she made by combining a shorts pattern and a bodice from a dress. 

I also liked the dress Szilvia made for the Burda Member Model Challenge. It is such a simple silhouette, but I think the colour makes it look so chic. 

This braid is insane. That is all I can say about it.

These cacti pincushions are cute, useful, and I can't help but smile at the thought of a pincushion shaped like a cactus. Plus, A Beautiful Mess makes great tutorials, every time.

This Boursin bruschetta bar featured on The Londoner seems like the perfect food set-up for an evening of entertaining friends. No such thing as missing all the fun because you are in the kitchen getting everything ready.

Mom's tie dress

Hi guys!

Today I wanted to show you a dress I made for my mom, as proof of my non-selfish sewing. She once went fabric shopping with me, and I promised her that if she found fabric she liked, I'd make her something. That finally happened (I have two more I promised her, still working on that). She let me take photos to share here, as long as her face wouldn't be in them, hence the headless pictures ;)

She wanted something she could throw on easily when it is warm outside, and that she could wear on vacation. So we decided to go for Knipmode May 2015, dress 20. The only real alteration - besides grading between different sizes for bust and hips - is that I considerably shortened the skirt part, as my mom doesn't like to wear maxi dresses. Unfortunately, my sewing machine broke down, so I hemmed it by hand. (I notice the front panels look uneven in the picture, but they aren't in real life.) Most of the sewing on this dress was straightforward and not so hard, except for the shoulderbands. It was kind of a pain to sew those in a knit fabric and the instructions were also confusing, so I ended up figuring out on my own how I could do them. It was probably not the way I was supposed to sew them, and probably also not the easiest way, but I managed in the end. And my mom is happy, so that is the most important thing.
Anyway, this is the result:

 

Martini dress

Hi guys!

I just got back from two relaxing weeks in Italy, hence the lack of posts. The weather was so good - sometimes a little too hot for me even, but I don't complain! With the beautiful scenery around, I thought it was a good opportunity to finally take some pictures from a dress I made. Out of all the things I already sewed, this is the first one that makes it to the blog. I should definitely get around to taking pictures of everything...

The pattern I used is the Martini dress by La Maison Victor. The pattern calls for a bit heavier, wool-type fabric, but I had a coupon of tricot in my stash that I managed to squeeze it out of. The result is slightly more fitted, but soooo comfy, I could live in this dress! Because of my choice of fabric, the neckline will not stay up, but I also like it when it folds over like this.
Big thanks to my lovely sister for taking the pictures!

 

A Pintastic Week - 21.06.2015

Paper sculpture by Belinda Rodriguez via Design Crush

Hi guys!

How has your week been? Mine was great! I had my last exam on Wednesday, and spent the rest of the day hanging out with friends, which was awesome. I also went out for dinner a couple of times to catch up with some that I hadn't seen for too long. And now I am sewing my butt off to get everything on my to do list done in time for my vacation. On that list: two dresses I promised my mom for way too long already, a pair of shorts, a top and a maxi dress for me. I don't know how I'll get that done in a week, but we'll see.

Let's get on to the roundup!

- I have fallen in love with Reformation. I didn't know the brand until recently, but I want to have a lot of their dresses. It seems like I am not alone in that, as their Marion dress - which is one of my favourites - is already sold out... I also really like the Jasper jumpsuit.

- I also like these H&M shorts a lot. They might become my inspiration for the pair I am about to make.

- I'm trying to eat healthier, and I've been eating Monica's refrigerator oatmeal with cherries and chocolate for a few mornings. It is the perfect breakfast and I don't get hungry until noon.

- Rachael's flamingo jumpsuit just screams Summer to me, I want to go and steal it from her closet.

- Aimee made this very cute dress with a giant bow, that also really wants to hang in my closet. Luckily, she was so kind to share the pattern she used for it!

That's it for today, back to my sewing machine!

- Birgit

 

A Pintastic Week - 14.06.2015

Picture via From Paris to London

Happy Sunday!

One more exam to go and I can start on my summer sewing plans, I'm looking forward to that. I'm taking a little time off studying today (not the whole day though!) as our village's annual flea market takes place. It is a rather festive day here, with food stands and a large bar and seeing people you know every 10 metres of the way. So, I'm hoping to find some little treasures!

I came across a few gems again while surfing the web this week:

- Brit+Co shared this genius father's day gift idea: a tool box with tools made of chocolate! As my father is very handy, but also has a sweet tooth, that would be perfect! In Belgium, father's day is today already, so this year it is not an option anymore, but perhaps the next one?
- Through Hanne's post, I discovered Ann Shen's illustrations, and I just love them.
- Perfect for your next party: tassle wine charms, so you know which glass is yours. And it just looks very pretty, don't you think?
- I've been following This Blog Is Not For You for a while, but somehow I missed her playsuit inspired by The Notebook.

What are you up to today?

 

 

A Pintastic Week - 07.06.2015

Picture via Fashion Edit

Hi everyone!

My busiest week during the exams is behind me, luckily, I'm having a bit of free time again. I plan on spending that spare time on looking for the perfect patterns for a summer wardrobe and sewing them up. Top priority: shorts! You will be reading about that somewhere in the next couple of weeks.

I have a few pins I would like to share this week:

- First off, I'm actually really jealous of Honigdesign's perfect denim summer dress. Did I say it is perfect yet?

- I also love Petit Main Sauvage's retro party dress.

- I have been trying to eat healthier, and these veggie nori rolls look delicious. I also know I can't keep that up without a treat from time to time, so I'm dying to try out this healthy ice-cream recipe based on bananas.

Have a great week!

-Birgit

 

A Pintastic Week - 31.05.2015

Eugenia Kim Toyo Hat via Shoptiques

Happy Sunday!

I hope you are all having a great weekend - for those of you that have to study, like me, I hope it is going well and good luck!
Yesterday evening, I found a thrifted skirt in my fabric stash out of which I originally planned on making a pair of shorts, but I discovered that it actually fits me quite perfectly, so I shortened it and now I have a new skirt to wear, yay! I also have a bit leftover fabric, since I needed to shorten it quite a bit, so hopefully it will turn out to be just enough to squeeze a crop top out of it. Once I am done with that, and I find a person willing to take pictures, I will post it here.

In the mean time, let me share some of my recent favourite pins.

- I love Burda patterns, and I already loved this pattern when I saw it in the magazine, but Tea's version made me swoon!
- Another beautiful take on a Burda dress pattern from the Polish blog Poczwarka Prezentuje that I discovered recently.
- Anna made this 70's inspired denim skirt, a style I have been seeing a lot recently on streetstyle pictures, and I love it.
- I discovered that the Lindy Petal skirt by Itch to Stitch is actually a free pattern, hurray!
- I actually quite like this hair accessory from Free People, it gives you that something extra... (Click through to the gold coloured one too, as the shape is also different!)
- I love Coewless Nail Polish, and I tried my hand at this tutorial last week.
- This outfit on Ohh Couture is so chic, I couldn't believe the pants are H&M!
- And can I please swap wardrobes with Atlantic Pacific? Her skirts are to die for... 

Now, back to studying... See you soon!
- Birgit

Pearl anniversary card

Hi guys!

Last time I posted, we were still January, so let me give you an update on what I have been doing in the mean time! 
First of all, I went to New York - and I got to celebrate my birthday there! Needless to say, it was an experience I will not quickly forget! I also went to Berlin in the Easter break, which was an amazing trip as well and I got to know some great people. Besides traveling - I did not spend four months constantly on holiday, rest assured - I mostly worked very hard on my master's thesis, which is handed in and already defended, hurray!

I did a bit of sewing too, and I'm hoping the weather will get better so I can take decent pictures to share here...
Now, let me show you a card I made recently for a couple's 30 year anniversary. As the symbol for 30 years is pearl, I wanted to include that in the design. The 'mr & mrs' is a free Silhouette file from a while ago, not free anymore now, but still available in the store. The scalloped background was painted with watercolours, and I splattered it as well, though it is hard to see in the picture. The giant heart was cut from some sheer polyester fabric I have laying around.

Have a great weekend!
- Birgit