RTW Tailoring sew-a-long - the muslin (unfinished...)

Back to school! Sherry from the fabulous blog pattern - scissors - cloth is making a sew-a-long that is right up my alley!
As much as I enjoy vintage patterns and the hand-sewing I usually end up with when tackling one, her RTW techniques really interest me. Having just finished the coat for my 10 piece winter travel set, which I will share with you very soon, I didn't really have one lined up on my wish list. Then I remembered how much I love a summer coat that I own, which is torn along the sleeve scythes in the back, so I went hunting for a pattern in my vintage magazines and came up with this one (click on any of the images to enlarge):

Source: Deutsche Moden-Zeitung, Heft 25, 1938

It's a pattern from 1938 and yes, of course I will make the dress, too! Sheesh, the list gets longer instead of shorter... To see my fabric choices and muslin fitting, read on...

Me-Made-Mittwoch #2!

Here it is again, Me-Made-Mittwoch! Mittwoch is German for Wednesday, and I love this idea. While it really is easier than doing a whole month at a time (as in Me-Made-May, Self-Stitched-September, in case you don't know what I'm talking about...), it does give me a good opportunity to incorporate my own stuff into my daily wardrobe. Eventually, I want this to be the case every single day of the year...
I made this blouse, it's a Burda pattern you can find out more about in my BurdaStyle studio. The blazer is from my 1953 travel set, blogged about HERE, and in my BurdaStyle studio HERE.
There is also the tiniest little me-made-detail on my shoe, which you can only see if I sit down. One of the buttons fell off and where are you going to find that exact one? Well, I put on a tiny crochet flower I once made with the tiniest crochet hook I own...
For styling enthusiasts - I am a real beginner myself... - the colour of your socks make a much bigger difference on your outfit than you might think! :-)

How to draw a Fashion Face

Why would I start my fashion illustration "how-to" series with the hardest thing?
Well, I was wondering that myself, but it actually makes perfect sense. Not only is it the one thing I have to concentrate on myself, because it still gives me most trouble, but I believe you can "cheat" the body/pose pretty easily. You can actually download Fashion Croquis - and you have to check out these amazing Sketchbooks from Fashionary !
You can always copy down a pose from an actual magazine (but you shouldn't! We'll get to that part too, I promise!), but when it comes to the face, things get more difficult. Many designers make great sketches, but all too often without faces. I always find that sad. If you draw a good face, it will make a big difference in the mood, the expression of your fashion design.
The most important thing is getting the proportions right. So we have to do a tiny bit of geometry and numbers (click on the image to enlarge):

For the descriptions of each step, read on!

Vintage Pattern Plaid Blouse

Isn't it funny how some outfits just seem to tell you where to take them? For some reason this one makes me want to spend a whole day in the library.

I know I am a bit late to jump on the wagon for the tie-front blouses... I had meant to make this one for so long, but other projects kept interfering. I used a blouse pattern from 1953 that I had made once already for my travel set (you can read about it here).

Very Warm Tweed Pants

May I present to you my first piece for the "10 piece winter travel set"?
It's a pair of warm trousers, made of a tweed that I instantly fell in love with. I LOVE tweed. Even though it's basically brown, it's somehow much more than that, if you know what I mean...

Here I combined it with my Jean Top, which I had planned as part of my 10 piece set too, but it got kicked off the list...

The legs are cut really wide, so that I can wear it with very thick, woolen grandmother tights, which is just not possible under jeans, right? And I lined them, so they slide easily even with those heavy duty tights under it... (click the button to read more!)

Me-Made-Mittwoch!

Cat-und-Kascha came up with the idea of a Me-Made-Mittwoch (Mittwoch=Wednesday) and I think it's a great idea. It's not only a little easier than doing a whole month at a time (I am hoping to take part in a Me-Made-May though - anyone doing it?), but it also gives me a chance to show some older pieces I have sewn on this very new blog of mine.
So this was my outfit for today:

Sorry, the quality of the picture isn't that great - I went to Ikea today, which ALWAYS takes much longer than I think. :-)
This dress got very good reviews on my BurdaStyle account: Burda Wool Dress. You can see more pictures of it there.
Oh, yes, I also made the little hat. I don't think I have taken it off since I made it about a month ago :-)

My 10 Piece Winter Travel Set!

About a year ago, I found a 10 piece travel set in a magazine from 1953. I loved it so much - all the pieces, as well as the idea of having 10 home sewn pieces that can be combined with each other - that I have decided to come up with my very own 2011 version.

Here is the one from 1953 (and yes, I did sew every single piece of it!):

Source: Vorbachs Neue Moden, Heft 5, 1953

And here are my 10 pieces:

My Blog Banner, step by step

As this is my first blog post about my journey into fashion illustration I thought it would make sense to show you how I made my blog banner. I am by no means a pro at this! Maybe it will be even more interesting for you to come along on my journey as I learn, try and err…

The specific requirements of a fashion illustration often leads artists to using mixed techniques. On one hand, you want to show a general mood, you want to leave away unnecessary lines, while on the other hand you need to show very specific details. Sure, every good fashion illustrator has his/her own, personal style and technique. I wish I was at that point already, but until then, I just have to experiment with different styles and media. I used this Blog banner to try my hand at mixing techniques and media... Here are the steps I took to get from this

over this

to this

Make me happy Jean Top!

Isn't it one of the most important things on a rainy day, that your outfit makes you feel good?
I got lucky one day and inherited an old pair of jeans from my man. It had ugly oil stains, so luckily I didn't even get tempted to wear them as boyfriend jeans. There also was a funky piece of jean fabric in my stash (from a skirt I once made considerably shorter):

Add to that the inspiration from an amazing Céline jean top (oh, how I love boat necks! Oh, how I love Céline!) and end up with this little number that has the potential to cheer me up!