There is no better than Mother's Day to introduce our new official collaborator: Mélanie, the mother behind the lovely Filles à Maman patterns (which translates to "mommy's girls"). You might have already read the Reversible Charlie Tutorial and How to color block a leotard on her blog. Here is her first post on the Jalie blog:
First off, I would like to share some info about me :) My name is Mélanie but people in the online world know me as Mel Henry. There is one man and three girls (5, 5 and 12) in my life. My family is my everything, but sewing has been a great part of my life, since I am very young. I am super happy and grateful that Jeanne and Émilie, the talented "Ja" and "Lie", gave me the chance to share my creative world, ideas and creations with you. Yay!
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| For Mother's Day, we are treating a new mom and her little girl to a cute Jalie gift |
Gift for Mom
The starting point for this project was the Jalie 3132 top with nursing option. This pattern is a versatile nursing top that includes different neckline, length and style variations:- Cap or 3/4 sleeve
- Hood or V neck
- Optional kangaroo pocket
- T-shirt or tunique length
Karine, the new mom we are making this for, is a modern young lady who likes classic, modern and comfortable pieces. We had the perfect off-white jersey with thin stripes in our fabric stash for the top!
The Joys of Learning Flat Lay Photography
Picture me holding the tripod with the camera attached to it, standing on a wobbly chair, with my 5 year-olds taking turns at pushing the button on the remote control when I say "GO"! Quite a setup! The lengths we go to so we have beautiful photos for Jalie fans! It's funny how it looks so quiet and simple on the photo. In real life it's a little... hmmm... complicated and hectic :) An epic moment for mommy and her little ones!
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| Nursing Top Jalie 3132 with matching bodysuit Jalie 3133 |
Gifts for the Baby
Of course, we had to include something for the cute little Romy! She was born three weeks ago, but since new moms are usually well-stashed in newborn size items, we decided to go with the super-useful 6-month size.- Tank style
- Short sleeve (regular or puff)
- Long sleeve (regular or puff)
- Round or boat neck
- Appliqués (frill or tie)
For a short sleeve bodysuit (view A), I picked a darker floral print cotton spandex with nice stretch and recovery that caught my eye, and used the striped jersey for the the bindings. Modern, comfortable pieces for mademoiselle.
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| Jalie 3133 tank bodysuit - (View C) |
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| Baby Onesie Pattern Jalie 3133 - Tank Style (C) Short-Sleeved Crew Neck (A) |
I would have loved to have these two patterns when I gave birth to my daughters! At 5' 10'', everything that was available in stores back then was too short and I was never happy with the fabrics or the styles. With the 3132 pattern, my closet would have been packed with stylish nursing tops with a perfect fit!Same thing for bodysuits. They require so little fabric and sew up so quickly that I would have made tons with fabric scraps.
Émilie told me that these two patterns were drafted when Éléonore was born. She also disliked the styles off the rack with the too-many-layers or the maze-like designs.
Éléonore was tiny and most available bodysuits in stores were ill-fitting. They were also often pastel coloured, which washed her out. Jeanne made this pattern for her so she could have custom-made onesies in fabrics that made her dark eyes pop.
With this pattern you can make great baby shower gifts for years to come!
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Now, it's time for my gift to you. When picking gifts, I often go for things that I would love to receive myself and, what I would love for Mother's Day, is some sewing time. Here are printable coupons you can use for well-deserved Jalie time. Your loved ones will be grateful for this last-minute gift idea :)
Happy sewing,
Mel xoxo