Nicolas is back / Le retour de Nicolas

Remember Nicolas? 

I made Simplicity 7082 for him last year.

He came over in January with a new storyline, an overall green color scheme, a picture of The Joker for inspiration and absolutely no budget! I have agreed to help him out, his company is almost brand new, they need support and costuming is so much fun!

It took me a while to find a cheap and chic solution, but I finally worked it out. 

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Vous vous rappelez de Nicolas?

Je lui ai fait Simplicity 7082 l'année dernière.

Il est venu en janvier avec son nouveau scénario, vert olive comme couleur principale, une photo du Joker comme inspiration et pas de budget! J'ai accepté de l'aider, parce sa compagnie est toute nouvelle et qu'il a besoin d'encouragement puis faire des costumes, c'est très chouette!

J'ai mis du temps à trouver une solution beau, bon, pas cher, mais j'y suis arrivée.

I am in the process of refashioning a Loden overcoat, it is the right shade of green and is was €15, major bonus points there! I also drafted and made 2 waistcoats this week. One of them will be distressed to show the main character's decrepitude. Spending a day making a brand new garment and then destroying it seems pointless, but getting my hands dirty should be interesting. I have never sanded clothing before!

If you live in Brittany and need some swashbuckling in your life they are young, motivated and for hire. They came over for JrC's b'day last year, they showed the kids how to stage fight, it was a total hoot!

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Je rafistole un Loden que j'ai trouvé Au Bon Coin pour €15, c'est vert et c'est pas cher! J'ai dessiné et fabriqué 2 gilets cette semaine. Je vais devoir en maquiller un pour montrer la décrépitude du personnage. Passer une journée à fabriquer un vêtement tout neuf pour le détruire ensuite est étrange mais intéressant. Je n'ai jamais poncé de vêtement avant!

Si vous vivez en Bretagne et que vous avez besoin d'un combat de cap et d'épée, ils sont jeunes, motivés et prêts à être embauchés. Ils sont venus pour l'anniversaire de JrC l'année dernière, ils ont montré aux enfants comment on se bat dans les films et on a rigolé comme des malades.

A Petite Giveaway Part 1 / Un Petit Don Episode 1

I have won my fair share of wonderful giveaways recently (Thanks Molly, Karen and Shannon) and I would love to spread some of that generosity that make sewing bloggers so awesome. 

If you are petite and sewing or, if you feel like grading and sewing you are welcome to leave a comment below and I'll send these 5 patterns to the winner. You have until June 12th to enter.

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J'ai gagné pas mal de jolis trucs récemment (Merci Molly, Karen et Shannon) et j'aimerais rendre la pareille. Les blogueuses couturières sont vraiment généreuses et géniales. 

Si vous êtes de petite taille et que vous cousez ou si vous voulez agrandir un de ces patrons et le coudre, veuillez svp me laisser un commentaire, je vous enverrai ces 5 patrons. Le tirage au sort aura lieu le 12 juin.

The Secret Stash / La Cachette Secrète

Guys will keep and wear garments forever. 

When my neighbor came over the other day with his favorite pair of pants, lets call them "cargo-harem pants", I was quite surprised that he still had them and that his girlfriend hadn't thrown them out already, well worn is an understatement. But I felt for him, I sure am guilty of hoarding old favorites, so I agreed to copy them. 

While I go looking for the right fabric, I thought you might want to see this little construction detail that had me howling with laughter : the fly has a secret pocket for stashing stuff. What?

Yes good folks, there is an invisible zipper in the fly shield. I don't want to know what it's for, but it sure is a couture detail I have never seen before.

He said he has never used it and I don't have to put one in, but I might just for fun.

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Les gars, ça gardent et portent leur vêtements très longtemps.

Mais quand mon voisin est venu me voir avec son pantalon favori, on va appeler ça un "sarouel-cargo", j'ai quand même été surprise que sa copine ne l'a pas déjà jeté, ce pantalon est très très usé. Je suis moi-même coupable d'accumulation de vieux trucs et je peux m'identifier alors j'ai accepté de les copier.

Pendant que je vais à la recherche d'un tissu idéal, vous pouvez examiner ce petit détail qui m'a fait hurler de rire : il y a une poche secrète dans la sous patte de la braguette pour y cacher des choses. Quoi?

Oui bonnes gens, il y a une fermeture éclair invisible dans la sous-patte. Je ne veux pas savoir ce qu'on y met, mais je n'avais jamais vu ça avant!

Mon voisin dit qu'il ne l'a jamais utilisé et qu'il n'en veut pas, mais je pense que je vais en mettre une quand même juste pour rigoler.

Machine Stitched Bound Buttonholes

I'm making a housecoat with bound buttonholes. 

My current one, made three years ago is my most worn me-made item of all time. I need some change. 

The pattern is Simplicity 3592, which I won in Molly's March giveaway (Thanks!). I think it's the perfect shape for that humongous Ikea print I bought a long time ago and never used. 

I usually am less finicky on finishing garments that won't see the light of day, so why bother making bound buttonholes instead of machine ones you ask?

One : it was in the pattern instructions. I am quite an obedient seamstress, I do have a tendency to make dresses in the same colour as the pattern envelope!

Two: obviously I need practice! I tried to make them according to Fashion Incubator's method for welts with the paper jig, but there is something in the calculation of the lips and turn of cloth that I can't get quite right on such a small area. 

Three : I wanted to try a finish I saw in a coat I bought at H&M some years ago which I have never seen in any blog posts about bound buttonholes, the openings in the facings are machine sewn. I don't know how to do that and I winged it.
This is not a total success so I am not going to write up a tutorial about this, but I thought you might like the idea and try it yourself. 

The gist of it is you open up the facing a tad smaller than the buttonhole opening and you stitch the buttonhole in the ditch. Am I making sense? 

Had I made the lips in white instead of a contrasting colour, it would be nearly invisible from the outside. Also, I made the opening with a little square of cotton voile which I pushed through but I don't think this method needs it, a square of very small stitches would be fine and less bulky.

I don't like them. They are so sloppy, I might get the seam ripper out, and sew the facings by hand but as this garment will stay house bound, I might just leave them. 

Sleepwear is a wonderful place to experiment, all the pressure of making things absolutely perfect is off so you can just enjoy the process. In fact, when I give advice to a beginner, I tell them to make a nightgown first or make the Tofino pyjama pants with Karen. There is no pressure there,  your learning mistakes will remain private.

Jr C told me I looked like a pregnant cleaning lady when I tried it on and then I realized it is a pattern for a pregnant person. I might send it to Zoe when I'm finished. (Zoe do you want it? Give me your address.)