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Monday, May 12, 2014

Sew it up week 1, dreaming of Tokyo..



Hi guys! 

For the first challenge we were given a pattern that we had to work with. The pattern was for a Chanel style jacket. It was as if Caroline and Hanne (the organisers) had read my summer to-sew list.. 
But since it’s impossible to finish a proper Chanel style little black jacket in two weeks (for me at least as I wanted to use couture techniques) I decided to take a completely different approach for this weeks challenge.

I’ve been inspired by Japanese sewing and embroidery techniques for a while now. I think I made about 4 Drape Drape projects in the last 2 months.. So I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to combine a couple of them.

My jacket is made out of a lightweight linen and I chose to add embellishments in the form of Sashiko embroidery. Sashiko means little stabs in Japanese and it is a form of embroidery that uses the running stitch to create geometric patterns. I stitched them onto the linen after sewing the shoulder seams together. For a clean inside I added an extra layer to disguise all the stitches.
Stitches? Which stitches?
For the pants I used my own drafted pleated pants pattern. It’s quite a simple pattern but I think that the pleats just give it that something special. I also added pockets, just because you never know when you might need them. The pants are made out of a very soft stretch cotton and they are so comfy that I don’t want to take them off anymore!
To complete my outfit I knew I had the perfect shirt. I’ve made this shirt from the silk fabric I dyed in the Itajime dye class while I was in New York last year. I really like the pop of colour that it adds to the outfit.

I hope you like my creations for this challenge and I can’t wait to show you what I’ve been planning for the other ones..  I do have some pretty cool ideas, can't wait! 

If you've got an extra minute (or seconds maybe even) please vote for me! Here's the link:

21 comments:

  1. Very pretty! I love how everyone made such different things!

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  2. Ah I love the embroidery! I really must get around to trying some myself.

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  3. Thanks Annette! Really like your jacket too :)

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  4. Thanks Sophie-Lee! It was a lot of fun to think of the design and embroider it.. Really relaxing :)

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  5. That looks awesome! I love the embroidery, and those pants are perfect. On trend and high-end while still totally wearable and casual. Maybe you would share your self-drafted pattern? I would totally make those immediately!

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  6. Just voted. It's a great earthy look, I really really like it. Best of luck.

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  7. Renee //nearestthepinMay 13, 2014 at 5:14 AM

    You've got my vote too Kim - fantastic outfit!!

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  8. Love it! I just finished a sashiko pillow. Totally hooked.

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  9. Beautiful! Voted. Good luck. Can't wait to see your other makes :)

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  10. LOVE your jacket! The embroidery touch is perfect

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  11. I love what you did with this challenge! I feel inspired to try sashiko embroidery some time, it just adds that little touch of originality.

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  12. Thanks! I'd love to share the pattern, but it is just a bit of paper right now, so quite difficult to share easily.. And unfortunately I have absolutely no idea how to transfer that to a pdf file or something similar..

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  13. Yay thanks Amy! I made it to the next round so your vote worked ;)

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  14. Ooh I would love to see your pillow! it is quite a nice way to spend an evening on the couch indeed..

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  15. I always love it when other sewists embroider something on a garment, so I thought, why not give it a try myself? I really like it too!

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