This post is also available in:
Français
From now on, I will do a small Sewing recap every month to keep myself motivated and force myself to be a bit more disciplined. Since the IKEA furniture arrived in mid-February, I have no excuse not to sew.
Purchasing Supplies
In Lille, I have access to Toto Tissus for small supplies and accessories.
However, since I am interested in tailoring, I was able to get supplies from:
- Lafayette Saltier Drapier in Paris
- Mercerie de l’Atelier (online purchases only)
At Lafayette Saltier Drapier, where I went in person, I bought materials to make tailored trousers, a waistcoat, and two shirts. Since I already have wool fabric, I only bought the remaining supplies (lining, interfacings, etc.).
I really appreciate having shirt collars assembled with different interfacings, which allows me to choose a soft interfacing for my projects.
I’m so happy to find mother-of-pearl and horn buttons. The texture is amazing.
I bought silk buttonhole thread, polyester thread, and Milanese buttonhole thread. Altogether, it cost me around 100 euros.
Mercerie de l’Atelier
At Mercerie de l’Atelier, I bought a sample kit of interfacings. Since I’m not very familiar with the different types yet, I found this kit super useful for learning.
Then, I bought the interfacing package for making Artesane’s traditional tailored jacket. Having the samples next to me is really helpful since the package does not specify the nature of each item.
Books
I buy sewing books, mainly from Eyrolles, as I find them educational and well-illustrated. I really like the books by Artesane instructors. Since I take online courses with them, I might as well buy Artesane’s books and gradually get used to their assembly techniques.
Practice Samples
My top priority is the wool tailored trousers, but I’m really afraid of messing up the fly, so I’m practicing it as a study piece. It’s a good thing I did because despite the video tutorial, I made mistakes every five minutes, and my hand stitches are awful.
Besides this study piece, I have worked on some from the French book “56 Pièces d’étude de Couture,” including darts, pintucks, and a tower placket. I see mistakes everywhere, and I feel so embarrassed, but I hope it will get better soon. I make sure to note the name of each piece, the mistakes I notice, and how to avoid them in the future (in case I need to refer to them for upcoming projects).
The one I’m quite proud of is this hankerchief, embroided with the Japanese sashiko techniques. I started it years ago during my trip in Japan.
If someone asked me about my current skill level, I’d say -10 ahaha! I feel like I’ve forgotten everything I learned in Vietnam during my training 15 years ago. But I hope to improve quickly because it’s a bit worrying at the moment. 😀
This post is also available in:
Français
