Stripy La Trop Facile Jacket-igan

"Is this a jacket, or a cardigan? Jacket? Cardigan? Jacket-igan?"

Well, dare I toot my own horn and say that I'm smashing my #2020makenine plans?! I do dare! In January, the epic leopard ponte became an oh so subtle cardigan. In February, I scratched my boiler suit itch with some gorgeous, rust, sanded twill. In March, I made my Romero trousers (further tweaks may still be made) from the nicest denim I've ever encountered (and I've encountered A LOT of denim). And now I present to you April's creation: some stripy ponte turned into a jacket. Or a cardigan. I'm not sure. Anyways, here it is. 

Fabric:

If you feel you may have seen this fabric before on this blog, then you are both correct and super observant. Fifty points to you. My sweet and lovely mum bought me 2m of this lovely, striped, cotton ponte/doubt knit a couple of years ago from C&H fabrics. Some of it became my Breton toaster sweater, but because the fabric was soooo wide (over 2m!) I was also able to squeeze this jacket pattern out of it as well. It's clearly softer and slightly more fluid than the fabric I used for my first La Trop Facile, so I think it gives this garment a very different look to my first version. 

I added a tiny little anchor patch that Tilly (of TATB fame) bought me back from Japan years ago. I forgot to take a photo, but I also used some anchor print grosgrain ribbon to visibly stabilise the shoulder seams, and to form a hanging loop at the back neck. The devil is in the details, after all. 

Pattern:

My original La Trop Facile jacket is about 2.5 years old now, and it remains one of the garments I enjoy wearing the most. The pattern is by Belgian designer Delphine et Morissette (pattern shop here), and I'm obsessed with her many patterns. All but one or two are only available in French, so Google translate and I are good friends at this point. The La Trop Facile is a genius combination of elements that I didn't know I was looking for until I made my first version: it has volume, but isn't overwhelming, and it looks and functions like a jacket but is feels more like a comfy cardigan. 

For this stripy version, I had to omit the turned-back sleeves detail due to fabric restrictions. The heaviness of the turn-backs might not have worked too well with the knit fabric anyhow. As the name would suggest, this pattern is a very quick make, especially for a jacket. Obviously, I had to pattern-match the hell out of the seams and pocket application, which slowed the construction process down a touch. 

Thoughts:

Generally speaking, I very happy with this garment. I'm not entirely sure that this pattern and this ponte were a match made in heaven though. It's likely that the garment style would be better suited to a fabric with a touch more structure, but I think I've just about got away with it. The stripes also make this garment a little harder to pair with other tops underneath. I'm hoping that Me-Made-May will help me discover a few tried and tested combos so it gets the amount of wear that it deserves.  

My Me-Made-May'18: Week 4

Now that we're down to the business end of the challenge, finding unique garment combos (as per my pledge) is definitely getting trickier. I've tried a few combos that I had to change out of because they weren't working, however I reckon I can still mine some gold out of my wardrobe to take me through to the end of this month. So, in Week 4 I wore...

Day 21: 

Suzon birdy blouse

Self-drafted black (faded to grey) jeggings

Mustard Cabernet cardigan

Vest and pants

Day 22: 

Green Suzon blouse

Self-drafted navy jeggings

La Trop Facile jacket

Vest and pants

Day 23: 

Black Bronte top

Ivy pinafore

La Trop Facile jacket

Pants

Day 24: 

Dolores batwing top

Mila dungarees

La Trop Facile jacket (not shown, when I went outside)

Pants

Day 25: 

Suzon birdy blouse

Stretch faux-denim skirt

Pants

Day 26: 

Dolores batwing top

Cobra corsage Luna pants

Pants

Day 27: 

Black swiss dot Scout tee (unblogged but same mods as this version)

Leopard maxi-dress-to-skirt refashion

Pants

This week's takeaways:

• My stretch faux-denim skirt has got to go. I tried altering the waistline in the hopes that it would sit better, but I've come to accept that it just doesn't work on my shape anymore. 
• I should finally make a bloody backpack, as I've been saying I will for the last three years. 
• Would it hurt to spend more than zero seconds on my hairstyle each morning?

I hope your challenge is going well, if you're participating this year. Don't forget, if you've discovered some holes in your wardrobe and are making plans to fill them, there are a heap of amazing businesses offering discount codes to participants up until 31st May! 

La Trop Facile

This project is a definite departure for me, style-wise, and another pattern by my current sewing-pattern-designer-crush, Delphine et Morissette (designer of La Brune). It took me a couple of weeks after finishing it to actually start to wear it, as the look and the volume feel quite different to the rest of my wardrobe. But now that I've broken the seal, it is the garment I'm most excited to put on at the moment and I wear it every day. 

Pattern:

This is La Trop Facile (the 'Too Easy') pattern by Delphine et Morissette, a casual outerwear garment that can be made in a variety of fabrics. If you google this pattern, you'll find a surprising lack of other people's versions out there compared to some of her other patterns, and I'm not sure why this is. I love the no-frills utility of this garment, and, for me, it hits the sweet spot between 'cardigan' and 'jacket' that I didn't know I was missing. 

To buy any of her patterns, you have to make a request via a contact box; it's not an instant download like most PDFs. That may be frustrating if you want to get cracking immediately, but I found it quite charming to have some direct contact with the pattern designer herself. You can then pay via Paypal or bank transfer. Be warned: the PDFs are pretty basic. The patterns tile together like most PDFs, but the look a bit different as they aren't digitised, and the construction step-by-step page/s are in French with no illustrations or photographs. That said, some of her patterns have additional photographic step-by-step assistance through links on her blog but you need to go find the original blog post about each garment pattern to find them. I think. 

But once all that was dealt with and the pattern was cut out and Pat had been bribed into translating the instructions, it really was very easy to make. I veered away from the instructions a few times: once to add interfacing to the neckband (which, annoyingly, I decided to do after I had already attached it and had to carefully unpick the damn thing), another to attach the neckband slightly differently than instructed, by finishing it by hand to get a neater look with my bulky fabric. I also added rectangles of bias binding to the underarm to strengthen the areas where I had to snip into the seam allowance at the curve (see above), plus, I used some ribbon for a back-neck hanging loop instead of making a self-fabric one which I feared would be too thick (see below)

Fabric:

I bought this navy/black matelasse from Fabric Godmother, but I'm sad to say that they sold out of it some time ago. It's basically a stable knit with a slightly spongy quality, plus it's cosy and doesn't crease. The deep, inky-blue colour seems to work relatively well when worn with both the navy and black items in my wardrobe. The pattern designer suggests that this pattern works in a wide range of fabrics. I'm tempted to try this pattern again in a loosely woven fabric for the warmer months (something like this).

Thoughts:

As I've already said above, I'm super into this garment. It feels to nice to wear, and has upped my daywear game by helping me look a bit more put-together than if I'd chucked on a cardigan to leave the house. It's also incredibly useful for when I'm wearing Frankie in the baby carrier. I'm hoping I can wear it for as possible layered and with scarves as the weather gets chillier.

My Me-Made-May'18: Week 1

So the first week of (Me-Made-) May is under our belts, and I've had no problems so far sticking to my pledge of wearing me-mades in different combinations. But this end of the month was never going to be where the real challenge lay! What has been tricky has been adapting to crazy swings in weather this week. From really chilly with pouring rain, to roasting hot. At least it's giving me a chance to bust out a range of me-mades! Here's what I wore:

Day 1 Me-Mades:

Stripy Breton tunic

Navy Cabernet cardigan

Red jeggings

Vest and pants

Cocoon coat (not worn in photo)

Day 2 Me-Mades:

Anchor Freya top 

Mustard Cabernet cardigan

Navy jeggings

Vest and pants

Cocoon coat (not worn in photo)

Day 3 Me-Mades:

Anchor Freya top

Navy Cabernet cardigan

Stretch denim skirt

Vest and pants

Cocoon coat (not worn in photo)

Day 4 Me-Mades:

Stripy Gable top

Ivy pinafore

Pants

La Trop Facile jacket (not worn in photo)

Day 5 Me-Mades:

Denim Tova top

Navy jeggings

La Trop Facile jacket 

Pants

 Day 6 Me-Mades:

Black Scout tee (never blogged but the same pattern mods as this one)

Cobra corsage Luna pants

Pants

(Extra points because Dolores is wearing mum-made dress, hat and pants, and Frankie is wearing mum-made shorts. And I am wearing Frankie and I made him.)

 Day 7 Me-Mades:

Stripy Scout tee

Sweet shorts

Pants

(Later changed out of the shorts and into my anchor Luna pants, and added a cardi that is as yet unblogged)

Early takeaways:

• I've put on weight round my middle since last year. It is not surprising because I was breastfeeding frequently this time last year, but it's still annoying. I have a few knit pencil skirts (including the denim one I wore on day 3) that really don't look or feel good at the moment. I'm going to give it a couple of months of joggings and laying off the bread and magnums, and if it's still not happening then they're going to get donated. The sweet shorts are also tight, but I'm pretending they're fine because of all the work that went into them. 
• A lined jacket would be useful. I've got nothing in between my cocoon coat and my unlined jacket and cardigans, so I've found myself doing some awkward layering to do with inbetween tempertaures. 

If you are taking part in #MMMay18, I hope you're having a great time! What early lessons have you learnt so far? 

My Me-Made-May'18: Week 2

The second week of Me-Made-May has passed us by, and I must admit that I haven't had to work hard at all to create new outfit combos yet. During week 2, my main challenge was trying to dress suitably for the fluctuating weather. Next week I'll work a bit harder to bring in some of my older garments, and hopefully find renewed potential in them. Anyways, here's what I've been wearing:

Day 8:

Stripy Agnes top

Ivy pinafore

Pants

Day 9:

Denim Tova top

Remade leopard print jersey skirt

(mustard Kinder cardigan also worn when it was chilly)

Pants

Day 10:

Stripy Dolores batwing top

Denim Mila dungarees

Mustard Kinder cardigan (as yet unblogged)

Pants

Day 11:

Breton Gable top

Anchor Cabernet cardigan

Red jeggings

Pants

(La Trop Facile jacket also worn when outside)

Day 12:

Hands Freya top

Denim Mila dungarees

Pants

(Cocoon coat also worn because the weather has gone mental)

Day 13:

Faux-Boden tunic

Mustard Kinder cardigan (as yet unblogged)

Navy jeggings

Woodland stroll cape

Vest and pants

Day 14:

Anchor Bronte top

Denim Mila dungarees

Navy Cabernet cardigan

Pants

(La Trop Facile jacket also worn when outside)

This week's takeaways:

• Still lamenting my lack of lined jacket.
• After altering the length of the straps (again), I've fully embraced my Mila dungarees as the jeans alternative I always hoped they would be.
• My denim Tova top should not be worn outside in public again, it's too ropey and stained now (sniff). It's been put aside for when I eventually get an allotment. 
• I need to sort my hair out.

How are you getting on with your own MMMay challenge?  Is it starting to get tricky to fulfil your pledge? Has your wardrobe surprised you in any way?! 

My Me-Made-May'18: Lessons Learnt

(my favourite looks worn during MMMay'18)

It's surprising to me that, having taken part in nine Me-Made-Mays now, I can come away each year with a whole lot of new knowledge and feelings towards my handmade wardrobe. In my last post I wrote about my feelings towards last month's challenge. Today I want to talk about the specific lessons I learnt about my wardrobe from taking part, and what I've done (or plan to do) about them.


Some things don't fit so well...

My body has definitely changed since I made a lot of my clothing. Growing and breastfeeding two babies, as well as entering my late 30s, means that my silhouette and measurements have changed in a way that cutting back on the magnums for a while probably won't reverse. There's nothing I can do about it, and last month's challenge forced me to notice that some items really weren't working anymore.

(image source: Tilly and the Buttons)

Both my plain black and stretch denim knit skirts were made when my waist was smaller and therefore the curve between my waist and hips was more, umm, curved. I tried altering both by lowering the waistlines, but it only really worked on the black one. The denim one has now gone to my mum to see if she can make use from it, and I've set to work making an updated alternative using Tilly's Bibi skirt pattern (pinafore version!) in this denim knit (pictured below) from Fabric Godmother.

(image source: Fabric Godmother)

Last month's challenge also made me admit that I had stopped feeling great in my 1960's Breton top (pictured below).  I still adore the style of this garment and consider it the best garment I've ever made, but it was starting to look a little snug around the waist in a way that did suit the boxy style. I held my breath as I took my seam ripper to it, and successfully managed to claw back some width from the side seam allowance. Phew! It now looks a lot better and I feel good in it again.

Some garments should no longer be seen in public...

I've had to say goodbye to my grey Tova tunic, and my denim Tova top (pictured below) has set aside for allotment wear when I finally get one. My amazing anchor Luna pants are developing holes on the knees and bum (I think the little anchor have been created using some kind bleach-like colour removal technique rather than by printing, making the anchor shapes thinner and more susceptible to wear) and have been relegated to 'lounging around the flat' wear.

I have loved wearing...

My Ivy pinafore and Mila dungarees. I love the look of them and the extra stomach coverage, AND the garment layering is both stylish and warm on chillier days. My Cleo pinafore only got worn once during May because a) it's a bit tight at the moment (I should have made it in a denim with elastane), and b) it's a bit short for day-to-day small child wrangling (I should have made the longer version). I've been loving these styles of much in fact that I am planning to make the TATB Bibi pinafore (see above), Sew House 7 Burnside bibs AND Helen's Closet York pinafore. That's a lot of sewing...

Close-fitting knit tops. I had started to veer away from my closer fitting jersey tops (like my Bronte tops and Agnes tops) because I've been feeling more self-conscious about my waist (and the previously mentioned lack of non-jeggings trouser styles), but they've been given a new role for layering under the aforementioned pinafore and dunagrees.


There are some holes in my wardrobe...

• A lined jacket. There's a bit of gap between my wool cocoon coat and my unlined La Trop Facile jacket where I wish some kind of lined jacket lived. On those inbetweeny days, I find myself wearing a weird selection of layered items that neither looks good, nor feels very comfortable. I do have my lined Woodland stroll cape, but I find that its colours limit the outfits that it works with, plus it looks a bit wintery for spring/summer wear. I've yet to find the right jacket pattern, but I have 2m of gorgeous off-white/navy striped double knit in my stash that might work for a casual jacket. My eyes are peeled for a pattern to fall in love with. 
• Trousers that aren't jeggings. All my trousers, aside from my one functioning pair of Luna pants, which are really only for very warm weather, are a tight jeggings style. I LOVE my three pairs of jeggings, but I don't like them with my tighter or shorter tops. So I made the most of the Me-Made-May celebratory discount codes and treated myself to the True Bias Lander pants pattern plus fly front extension pack. That pattern has been on my #2018makenine list for months anyway, and last month showed me how useful they will hopefully be. 
• A dress or playsuit. Generally speaking, day-to-day, I prefer wearing separates. But I'm feeling the draw of a nice dress or playsuit for occasions when I want to feel more put together. Aside from my casual pinafores, I only really have my Staple dress, which I don't think suits my style anymore and is probably destined for the charity shop. I have two beautiful lengths of fabric in my stash, one crazy-long length of quilting cotton-weight African wax fabric, and some gorgeous cotton lawn that I chose whilst testing out the Cotton Bee fabric printing service. I'm looking for a dress pattern/s that is cute, but not too short for toddler wrangling, that vaguely shows the shape of my body, but  isn't a fitted bodice-and-full skirt style (those makes me feel like I'm wearing a little girl's party dress). I'm interested in the Chalk and Notch Fringe dress and Republique du Chiffon's Yvonne playsuit, but suggestions of others would be very welcome...
• Sleeveless tops. After an exhaustive online comparison of the Grainline patterns Willow tank, Wiksten tank and Made by Rae's Gemma tank, I bought the Gemma pattern and have begun the surprisingly long journey towards getting a fantastic fit. So far I'm four toiles in and there's still further alterations to be made. It's going to be worth it though, to have near-perfect woven tank pattern to reach for.  
• Shorts. At the end of last summer, I returned to Pattern Runway's Sweet shorts pattern and made a lovely navy pair, having made a denim pair previously that ended up being way too big. Annoyingly, that navy pair DO NOT fit me now, but fortunately (?) the denim ones now do! But I don't think one pair of shorts is enough as it can get pretty warm during the summer in the South of England. I've made an initial (two sizes too big!) toile of the Deer and Doe Chataigne shorts pattern, which I've had in my stash for a number of years. I'm also thinking about making a pair of Lander shorts as a way to test the fit of that pattern before I embark on a full length version. 
• Warm tops. My lack of warm tops wasn't really highlighted during May, but it's a perpetual issue in my wardrobe that I thought I'd chuck on to the list here. After the success of my lovely anchor ponte Freya top, I'd like to make another in black ponte and I'll keep my eye out for other suitable sweater knits. It's a great item for layering with vests underneath and cardigans on top. I've also got plans to draft a great sweatshirt patterns, and I might even try out the Sew House 7 toaster sweater pattern than appears so much on the interwebs. 
• Exercise wear. Recently, I made a commitment to myself to exercise more by going jogging and maybe yoga. I've been out jogging a couple of times of late, but my exercise wear is embarrassingly early 2000's RTW, and it does little for my motivation to get changed into it and get out there and run. I bought some plain black cotton/spandex jersey from Girl Charlee using the recent discount code (which I've used previously and loved the quality) with vague plans to make some leggings. I know that a couple of great-looking books in sewing active wear have recently been published, but I'm not at that level yet!

Phew! Now that I look back at this post, that looks like a lot of lessons I got to take on board! If you took part, what type of garments or specific patterns are now on your to-make list?

Patchwork Denim Coat

This coat. Well, lemme tell you two things about it. 1) it took a bloody age to make, and I loved almost every minute of making it. 2) I don't think I'm going to keep it. 

Ever since the success of my scrap-busting patchwork viscose Scout tee, I had in mind doing something similar with denim. I had masses of scraps and small pieces of denim left over from other projects. Denim scraps just aren't as useful as lighter weight fabric scraps for working into other garments or turning into useful gift-y things like schrunchies. I was inspired by a couple of upcycled denim projects that I'd seen on Instagram, including a haori-style jacket that I can't find now. So I decided to use my beloved La Trop Facile pattern by Delphine et Morissette as the base, but lengthen both the body and the sleeves.  

Next was the fun bit. I got all my denim pieces together, and spent a number of the evenings over a couple of weeks hacking them, matching them and stitching them together. I got to select the pieces I liked the best to feature more prominently, and tried to combine them so the overall effect was varied. I decided to include some of the lovely selvedges to break up the blue a bit, and to (hopefully) create an interesting, graphic effect. 

I started on a few sections, joined some of them together and expanded where necessary until I had panels large enough to fit my pattern pieces on. There was a massive back panel, two front panels, two sizeable sleeve-rectangles and a collar. I stitched the outer together, save for the collar, then made a lining. 

Because I was working very much from the angle of #usewhatyouhave, I used some turquoise silk lining from my stash. In hindsight, I don't think it was the best choice as it's very fine, and probably more suited for use in a dress. Anyways, I made the lining then spent a lot of time head-scratching, trying to work out how to insert it. Have done so, I then attached the collar, hand-stitching the inside seam. 

I soooo wish I was the type of person who would wear this. I love the idea and ethics behind 'making fabric' from fabric scraps, and I wish I could fully embody that by wearing this coat out and about. But I've come to accept that it just really isn't my style. It's just too jarring with the rest of my wardrobe.

Therefore I'm going to ask around my IRL friends to see if any of them would like it. I do not regret making it at all, it was such a fun project to work on. I loved exploring the concept of 'fabric from fabric scraps' further and I'm sure I'll do more in the future. 

Now, a tiny bit of house-keeping. I'm afraid I've had to turn off the comments on this blog, at least for a while. The amount of spam I've been getting is ridiculous, I even had two people actually message me about it via Instagram last week. I've exhausted the options within Blogger to curtail it, so I'm not sure what to do. I'm so sad to have had to take this step though, because I absolutely love reading the genuine comments and having a dialogue with my readers, but those comments usually get completely lost within the spam. Thanks so much if you are someone who has commented on previous posts, please know that I really appreciated them. If you would ever like to get in contact with me, my email address is available on my About Me page, and my IG handle is @sozoblog. 

My Favourite French Sewing Pattern Companies

(image source: Anna Rose Patterns)

Lately I've become obsessed with a lot of French sewing bloggers/Instagrammers and French-speaking sewing pattern companies. Obvs, all French-speaking sewers and pattern companies aren't one amorphous entity, and every sewer and sewing pattern company has their own unique blend of style elements and influences. But that said, I'd say that there are some styles, silhouettes, details, colours and fabrics which I've noticed regularly cropping up in the output of a number of French-speaking sewers and pattern companies, and these are MASSIVELY floating my stylistic boat at the moment.

I'm hoping to absorb some of these elements into my own sewing and wardrobe, and in this post I want to record my favourites from the French-speaking pattern companies I've had a chance to check out so far. If you are a fan of any others I haven't mentioned, please leave a comment so we can go and take a look.

(image source: Aime Comme Marie)

Aime Comme Marie

The Aime Comme Marie site seems to be a magazine and a lifestyle blog, as well as the producers of sewing and knitting patterns patterns for women, children, men and the home. Phew.

Paper or PDF?

I *think* some/most styles are available in both formats.

French only?

From what I can tell, yes. Apologies if I am incorrect.

My favourite:  

This company first drew grabbed my attention with their ruffle-sporting Magellan and Macaroni styles (the latter is pictured above). However, after further research, I now think the Malice dress pattern is the best of the bunch.

(image source: Anna Rose Patterns)

Anna Rose Patterns

This pattern company's style is exactly what I'm talking about: sweet, simple, timeless, wearable, subtly quirky, and loads of other adjectives that I can only hope will one day be applicable to my own style.

Paper or PDF?

PDF

French only?

Yes

My favourite:  

The Blouse Paule (pictured above) is an interesting, unique take on a casual knit top, but it's the Blouse Ortense that has really captured my heart (pictured at the top of this post).

(image source: Anne Kerdilès Couture)

Anne Kerdilès Couture

This collection of patterns neatly straddles the line between vintage/retro and modern in style. Impressive.

Paper or PDF?

Almost all the range is available in both formats, however there are a few that are PDF only.

French only?

Honestly, I don't know. However, the fact that it isn't mentioned, makes me think the patterns are probably French only. Probs worth emailing if French instructions are a deal breaker for you.

My favourite:  

The Bergen cardigan pattern looks a great layer for autumn/winter/spring, and jacket-alternative for summer. However, the stunning scalloped hem of the Cezembre blouse pattern (pictured above) is the one mostly likely to soak up some of my money.

(image source: Atelier Scammit)

Atelier Scammit

If you're into beautiful yet simple, A-line blouses with subtle details, then Atelier Scammit are may well become your favourite sewing pattern company. They do offer a few other styles of pattern, but that type of blouse is clearly their bread and butter.

Paper or PDF?

Both

French only?

Oui

My favourite:  

I adore most of their patterns, but the Artesane (pictured above), which is so beautiful from the front AND the back, might just be my fave.

(image source: Atelier Vicolo N.6)

Atelier Vicolo N.6

Actually this company is Italian, but their site is in Italian, English AND French. Clever peops and cute designs.

Paper or PDF?

Both

French only?

I'm assuming that the patterns themselves are in Italian, French and English, but please check before you buy as I can't see it written explicitly anywhere.

My favourite:  

I'm enjoying the Dharma dress pattern (pictured above) for its spin on the traditional fitted-bodice-and-gathered-skirt dress style, but it's the Jolanda blouse pattern that I'm closest to buying.

(image source: Deer and Doe)

Deer and Doe

Deer and Doe are probably the best known French-speaking pattern company in the UK (if not the wider English-speaking sewing community). They definitely seemed like the first indie French-speaking pattern company to get their patterns translated into English, and then stocked in UK craft shops.

Paper or PDF?

All are available in both formats.

French only?

No! Both French and English!

My favourite: 

I've owned the Chataigne shorts pattern for years, and I *will* get round to making next summer, however the new Opium coat pattern (pictured above) took my breath away when I saw it.

(image source: Delphine et Morissette)

Delphine et Morissette

This French-speaking pattern company/epic-one-woman-band is based in Belgium, not France. And thanks to the relentless prodding of my much-suffering husband (who has a decent grasp of French, especially when he's armed with a translation app!) into translating a lot of her blog posts, I've found out that she's really funny. But back to the patterns. Her shop and the patterns themselves are a bit more lo fi than many (for example, her instructions come in the form of a word document with no step-by-step images or illustrations). But the patterns are all (IMO) very wearable with beautiful proportions and clever details. (You can see my version of the La Trop Facile jacket here, and the La Brune blouse here and more successfully here.) Plus, some adorable children's versions of many of her women's patterns are also available.

Paper or PDF?

PDF all the way.

French only?

French.

My favourite: 

I've had my eye on many, but I keep coming back to the Flamenco and Japon patterns (the latter is pictured above).

(image source: Ikatee)

Ikatee

Until recently, this sewing pattern company only produced children's styles. However, they have recently started to produce a selection of their patterns in women's sizes too. You should also know  that they very generously offer a free PDF sewing pattern of your choice from a small selection in exchange from signing up to their newsletter.

Paper or PDF?

Don't quote me on this, but all their children's patterns seem to be available in both paper and PDF, and the women's patterns only in PDF at this point in time.

French only?

No! Both! Woo hoo for me!

My favourite:  

As I mentioned above, some of their styles are being turned into women's versions which I am thrilled about because I am OBSESSED with their two most recent releases, the Ida and Louise, both of which are the fruits of a collaboration with an amazing sewer Fanny (@petites_choses__). I've also had a lot of fun so far sewing the Corfou dress and Avana trousers for my little girl. 

(image source: Mimoi)

Mimoi

This sweet little company offers a handful of patterns, but currently for me it's really all about the Blouse Leonie and it's expansion pack of wonderful style options. 

Paper or PDF?

PDF

French only?

Yep

My favourite: 

The Blouse Leonie (pictured above) the most perfect collar design in the world, and everyone else can go home. 

(image source: Republique du Chiffon)

Republique du Chiffon

RdC have got a massive range of interesting, edgy-but-very-wearable women's pattern styles. Plus, if you believe that twinning(with your child) is winning, you should know that seven of their styles are available for children.

Paper or PDF?

Both!

French only?

Nope. A few months after it's French release, each pattern is available translated into English.

My favourite:  

Ohmygoodness so many. Having made two garments using their popular Suzon blouse pattern, I still haven't got it out of my system. They also have some fabulous coat/jacket patterns (including the Jose), and some Danielle dungarees WILL be mine...

(image source: Slow Sunday Paris)

Slow Sunday Paris

From what I can tell, Slow Sunday Paris is only a couple of years old, but their whole vibe looks so lovely and they have a great range of patterns already.

Paper or PDF?

Both, but surprisingly most of them seem to be available in paper format only.

French only?

Despite the fact that some parts of their website is written in both French and English, it seems as though the patterns are French only. That said, from the PDF I've bought, the instructions look super clear with great illustrations for each step. So if you don't speak French but are armed with a translation app, you'll probably be fine.

My favourite:  

I just bought the Dorothie blouse pattern (pictured above) because A) I'm a sucker for a sweet little blouse pattern, and B) that sleeve. And if you haven't checked out the back of the Lila top pattern, then make sure you're sitting down because it's amazing.