Hello lemons! Today I'd like to tell you about Maria, and her step-by-step instructions!

She's very, very cool MariaUnderneath her faux-girl-next-door looks, she's awfully fun and can be downright funny, depending on the fabric you choose for the exterior and lining! I even read that a reader on Instagram was planning to customize it with gold brandebourgs to make an officer's jacket! I love you when you get creative like that! For my part, I totally fell in love with this Maria jacket, which I put together in a palm tree fabric with a striped lining; yes, why make it simple when you can make it complicated? And you know me, mixing patterns is still my passion! I bought a pair of H&M home curtains in a palm tree pattern to cut out my pattern. It's a good, cheap idea when you think about it, because to cut Maria, I only used one curtain out of the two in the pair, so I can use them to make a second one for my best mate, or to dress up a door, or make cushions... Multitudes of opportunities open up for me with this linen option! And then, I think I really want to do a tropical pattern for a future collection, it makes me travel...

To tell you the truth, this Maria jacket is a bit like Laure's Sistine Chapel. She worked the pattern so that it looks crazy and is a breeze to make! To be honest, I'm always a little apprehensive when it comes to assembling a jacket, and the idea of the lining makes me shudder, but after assembling Rosa, last year's teddy I'm no longer afraid! Especially as fitting Maria's lining went off without a hitch (no pun intended)! It's so easy! By the way, if you're not interested in sewing, you can play a drinking game with this tutorial. Start the video and drink a shot of any kind of alcohol every time I say "it's really not complicated", "it's very easy"... guaranteed success! In short, I can assure you that Maria is a real jack-of-all-trades, and if you want to show off, add some shoulder pads, it's really not complicated, just watch the video... And a big surprise in Maria's patterns is a golden ticket, or lemon ticket, to win a Singer machine, the Simple 3223, available in 3 colors: turquoise, yellow and raspberry... Good luck!


A few things to know about Maria:

  • to make her, you'll need 2m of fabric, whether 1m45 or 1m10,
  • count the same quantity for the lining,
  • to choose your material, we recommend you choose a slightly heavy fabric, or else iron it on completely. Gabardine, denim, twill, canvas, brocade and velvet will be your best allies. Don't hesitate to look at upholstery and curtain fabrics for crazy prints!
  • you can choose to close the jacket with hooks or a zip down the middle front.
  • if you like more structured shoulders, don't hesitate to add thin, padded shoulder pads.
  • Paper pattern available here or in pdf via 3, 6 or 12-month subscription. Little bonus: the template to transfer to cardboard to make the pocket corners is here.

The pattern is available on wearlemonade.com here and in the first edition is hidden this famous golden ticket, to win a Singer Simple 3223 sewing machine worth 259€ ideal for beginners, its official release is scheduled for October! I love it in yellow, but the green one is just as hot! I think it's even dethroned my glitter machine, that's for sure!

September 15, 2016