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DIY MACRAMÉ SHELVES[:]
Happy Wednesday!
Let's start off this week by getting our fingers busy making these DIY macramé shelves! You might have noticed during the Lemonade Shop that we've fallen in love with macramé, thanks to Phildar, who sells this pretty chalk colored cord. We've watched so many DIY videos to get the technique down pat! Macramé is really easy, you'll see. The possibilities are endless once you learn some basic knots! We had some macramé workshops in October but we wanted to go a little bit farther today by making this macramé shelf! I promise that with some patience, you can make an amazing project!
For this DIY you'll need:
- 2 x 10m of ecru colored cord (from Phildar)
- Binder clips, that'll make things easier
- A pair of scissors
- Scotch tape
- Two wood boards, 60 x 20 cm,
- A drill
- Paint
Keep making knots, whatever kind you want, and slide the second shelf on the same way! To finish it off, you can make knots for about 10 cm, then tie them together using a joint knot and cut off the extra thread! And ta-da!
It's easy to make a "joint" knot. Using a small piece of cord, make a loop that you'll put around the strands. Pass the right end of the loop behind the strands and bring it back on top. Do this as many times as you want. To finish it off, put the end through the first loop, take the second end of the loop, and pull!
To make the flat knot: separate the left and right strands. Pass the right strand up around the two central strands and then behind and under, through the loop and tighten. Do this again, using the left strand. There you have it, a flat knot. Just alternate left and right!
The "twisted" knot is the easiest one: Pass the right (or left, whichever you want) strand up and over the three others, then behind, through the loop and tighten. Keep doing this with the same strand and same knot. It'll go around and around on it's own, like magic!
I hope you have a wonderful week, see you soon with other new projects! Thank you, Phildarfor helping us with our macramé adventures!
Music: Santoré - "THAT BALL
Translated by Whitney Bolin[:]
DIY GRANITE EARRINGS[:]
Hello kittens!
It may be gloomy outside, but at least it's warm! Apparently this week is supposed to set the example for the upcoming year. Maï told me this, wishing me a Happy New Year of the rooster. Since I think it's a good sign and since I haven't told you about it yet this week, I wanted to share this with you. I think it's neat and I'll try to avoid procrastinating this week so that it doesn't rub off on the rest of the year!
I'm back with a really easy, cool DIY today: granite earrings! My lovely friend, Alexandra Bruel started her wallpaper company, Paper Minta few months ago and one of the bestsellers is the Granite pattern! We wanted to use bright colors of course, but this was inspired by my wonderful friend!
I think this project is like going back in time. When I was a teenager, I made a whole tribe of little women out of Fimo clay. This DIY is a more artsy way to work with Fimo clay.
A bit of advice: I suggest baking your work on sulphurised paper, for 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 110°C (this is based on experience).
We've got lots of different things going on at the studio. We're working on our next collection that'll be released February 14th and we're also working on our customer service: new boxes for the collection afterwards. Anyways, we're planning ahead which is great, lots of changes to come! I was wondering what you think of DIY's as videos; we really want to make more, what do you think?
Hugs and kisses!
Translated by Whitney Bolin[:]
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF THE SELF-EMPLOYED PERSON[:]
Hello all!
Everyone here at the studio is super happy to collaborate again with Etsy Resolution! Last year, we made the 'abc's of the motivated entrepreneur', remember? This time, I wanted to illustrate my 10 commandments of the self-employed person. We've done our best to illustrate them!
Ah! This article comes at an important time in our lives here at the Lemonade Studio. Right now, we're learning to deal with stubborn suppliers... Anyways, we've made illustrations to show the 10 commandments of the self-employed person in 2017 while really trying to keep number 8 in mind: be flexible and adapt!
Etsy is starting their resolutions program this year to help new entrepreneurs open their boutiques online. It's a free 4 week training program full of good advice and tips from people that have already been down that road! Enrollment will be closed soon! Sign up here before January 27th to join the 2017 Etsy Resolution team!
First of all, I'd like to share a great exercise (and my two cents)! Not too long ago, I tried writing down the history of my business and it's manifesto. I tried to figure out what exactly is Wear Lemonade's 'identity', kind of like a brand guide, but focusing on the business aspect. This should be read, re-read, and shared with everyone so that your history is known and understood. You should always go back to it if you're having a hard time making a decision!
Plus, it's a great communication tool for your website or can be slipped into a powerpoint presentation about your brand.
It's really been a great exercise since I recently learned ideas might be clear in my head, but it's another thing to communicate them to others... to help clarify, I write them down or draw them... I'll share this with you soon for Wear Lemonade, I promise!
Here are 10 pieces of advice from the Lemonade Studio to survive being your own boss!
1# Learn
It's important to never stop learning. It's one of the keys to success. Never give up! Always keep learning so you can reinvent yourself!
2# Take risks
Be careful not to take foolish risks. However, there are times in your life as a self-employed person when you have to make choices. In order to grow, you must make bold choices if you want to move on to the next step!
3# Be Unique
Don't try to copy another successful business; make your own way! It can be paralysing to compare yourself to others all the time. Free yourself from this competition, you won't question yourself as much and you'll move ahead more quickly!
4# Surround yourself with good people
You'll realise very quickly that it's a huge asset to the success of your business. Together is better! Whether you partner up or delegate tasks, it will help you focus on your job!
5#Try again
Every day won't be perfect, I'm not going to lie to you! When you're self-employed, perseverance and patience will be your best friends. Keep your head up and try again tomorrow!
6# Perfect your visuals
Whether you're offering a service or selling something on the internet, in time of need, don't forget that the process is often as important as the substance. Be precise and a perfectionist!
7# Share
Whether it's to get the word out or gather opinions, have a social media presence. It's a great means of communication, but after a certain hour, be sure to sign off!
8# Adapt
Whether you're part of a multi-personality team or working with suppliers who have their head in the clouds, you have to be flexible and always ready to work calmly.
9# Take care of yourself
It's important to know when to take a break from time to time! Slow down and allow yourself to take real breaks in order to free your mind. Most important of all, don't feel guilty!
10# Celebrate
Celebrate every little triumph! You'll be busy taking care of problems every day, so it's easy to forget the happy little things and great news. Calls for some champagne!
Photos Olitax <3
Translated by Whitney Bolin
[:]HOW TO SEW A SIMONA BLOUSE[:]
Hello friends!
Today's all about sewing! This is the very first sewing project of the year; I hope there will be many more! One of my New Year's resolutions is to stop buying fast fashion and to sew at least one thing (that isn't for a tutorial!) a month. To be continued! I'll keep you posted and share what I make on social media!
So, let's get back to the lavalliere blouse: Simona! I really like this top because at first glance, it looks really complicated, but it's actually really easy. I tried not to say "it's so easy" every minute in the video, even if it is true! I was surprised to see that you often choose the Bianca blouse or Lola dress as your first sewing pattern, which are collared shirts! Collars always look more difficult than they actually are... so the only thing that might be tricky about this blouse are the tear-proof tabs on the cuffs. But that's it, and that's not impossible.
I really wanted to make the Simona blouse out of a silky, mustard colored polyester fabric. So I did, but what a hassle! I think that we could have spent less time making the video if I had picked poplin, viscose, or cotton veil fabric instead. But the truth is that I really like a flowy, loose fit with puckered cuffs that can look kind of 70s-ish if you wear the removable lavalliere... I'll leave it up to you to decide on the difficulty level.
- To sew this blouse, you'll need 2m20 of fabric from a bolt 1m40 wide for the biggest size, or 2m60 if it's 1m10 wide. I suggest using viscose because it's very soft, or polyester that isn't too flowy works too. For those who prefer a more 'matte' look, you can use natural or synthetic crepe fabric,
- The pattern is available on paper by clicking here or via subscription by clicking here. Don't forget that the seam allowances are included. We've indicated if they're French seams!
- 9 buttons 8 or 10 mm wide,
- Some interfacing (50cm, pick something thin and knitted, if possible)!
Remember to share pictures of what you make on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with the #DIYWearLemonade hashtag or on our community page! For the next collection, we're going to modify our pdf subscriptions but don't worry, we'll give you all the details beforehand, I promise! I'd also like to let you know that we're finishing off our upcoming collections... so if there's something you'd like to sew and wear, let us know. The Carlotta shorts, Julietta pants, and Pierrot pyjamas are all thanks to you!
Hugs and kisses!
Translated by Whitney Bolin[:]
VEUVE CLICQUOT X LEMONADE STUDIO
Hello everyone!
Sending you a bit of color to brighten this gloomy day! I've been going through my blog archives over the past few weeks and I realised how much I missed posting colorful, pretty pictures, some kind of inspiration focused on a brand or for "Love". You have no idea how much good it feels to come up with colorful stories. When I was younger and feeling down, no, I didn't drown my sorrows in champagne... I would tell myself that I needed to create something lovely: embroidery, illustrations, or paint a wall some crazy color, etc... it was my inspiration... Transforming negative energy into something positive!
The more the end product was what I had imagined, the better I felt and it made me proud. Today, things are a little different, because every day brings new challenges. I've often told you about them here. The stakes are different when you work as a team. You have to know how to communicate your ideas and get everyone excited about a group project!
I really want to do more projects like this this year. It's refreshing (no pun intended). From the colorful mood board to figuring out how to layout colors, the different ways to cover the bottles, etc.... So even if opportunities like this don't come up that often, I'd like to make them myself: colorful photoshoots, bubbling with creativity!
Charlotte, our "pinata queen", worked hard on making all the little pieces - have you seen the little paper bits? Amazing! With Charlotte, the sky's the limit... she's not afraid of anything and is always ready for the wildest of paper challenges...
We've created 6 gifs for this Veuve Clicquot project, showing the bottles as they're covered with the cute paper 'outfits'. We don't have a lot of photography equipment here at the office, not even a proper studio... so in order to make a nice gif that doesn't have the lighting change all the time with varying daylight, we had to blackout the office and use a flash. If we had blackout curtains or black partitions, that would be great, but we have neither... so one December evening, we waited for everyone to leave the office and Simoné, Charlotte, and I worked together for the nocturnal photoshoot. It took a long, long time, but we had fun and I think that in all Lemonade hisory, we've never made gifs as neat and pretty as these!
Side note: this brand of Champagne, 'Veuve Clicquot', has a lovely story since it's about a 'self-employed' woman: Madame Clicquot, maiden name Ponsardin, in 1805. At the time, champagne was a sweet drink to go with dessert, but Madame Clicquot thought that champagne should be an alcohol that you can drink at any time of the meal and decreased the amount of sugar in her champagne, revolutionising how we consume and market the drink at the same time! Champagne as we know it today is all thanks to her... she became the first woman to direct a "house of champagne" and was one of the first modern business women... we love it!
Hugs and kisses, see you tomorrow for some sewing! Thank you, Charlotte, for your nimble fingers and to Simoné for the gifs <3.
Translated by Whitney Bolin
HAIR UPDATE[:]
Happy Monday, everyone!
I'm here to give you a hair update, kind of like a weather update. I've already told you about my hairy adventuresfrom platinum blond to a Louise Brooks bob, from black tresses to boycutsto Freja layers, to plaits of hair to make a bun, to Sean Paul braids etc etc... I think that I can say that I have a hard time making up my mind when it comes to my hair. I've been looking for my 'look' for a long time, like the holy grail. I often look back and think "that cut wasn't so bad", and then I relapse, I cut my hair again. Instead of thinking about what looked good in pictures, I should think about how it looked in day-to-day life.
I wasn't very good at hair tutorials until recently. It's kind of weird since I know how to use my ten fingers pretty well, but braiding my hair is another story. It's really quite difficult. A few months ago, in September to be exact, I wanted to get my hair back to the length it was when I got married. I looked high and low for a hair salon in Paris where they can grow your hair out faster than your shadow: Vip Extensions. Here's the secret: you've been wondering about my hair for a while now, but the truth is that they aren't mine... crazy, right?
I thought that it was a lovely and impressive experience, overall. Impressive because I went to the hair salon that morning with a bob and I left with my hair straight as a baguette down to my back that afternoon. It took 5 hours, 180 locks, to add 40 cm of hair to my head, added one by one with keratin, (it's like a little shiny, stiff rectangle at my roots). I have a lot of hair to start with, so a lot had to be used in order for it to look as natural as possible! Some call the pieces of keratin "grains of rice", but I thought they were more like "jumbo-sized" grains of rice. I'd rather call them small, stiff 1.5 by 0.5 cm rectangles.
Marina did my hair. She gave me lots of advice on how to take care of it and did a good job explaining. She must have sensed that I was kind of lost and didn't quite know what I was getting myself into.
You can't get your hair wet for the following 48 hours and since you can't help but play with your hair, I promise that dry shampoo will be your best friend.
The first two nights after getting them were awful. I questioned why I did it, I had been warned that sleeping on keratin pieces is super painful. I therefore slept on my face, which is not easy.
48 hours later, I washed my hair and hallelujah! It was like magic! When I got out of the shower, I put a towel on my head like turban, did my makeup, then moved on to do my hair and then: I realised I had curly hair (okay, they're not mine, but still, kinda). I hadn't seen them like that since I was 17. You know that our hair goes through different cycles during our life. When I was little and a teen, I had amazingly curly hair. Then they changed when I was an adult but if I dry them with a diffuser and then use salt water spray, my hair is wavy, thanks Cut by Fred for all your advice, since my hair is pretty flexible. But this, my friends, was like going back in time. I was 17 again!
I'm telling you this so that you know that when you have extensions, you can't do everything with them. To start, you must detangle them morning and night using a brush with two different lengths of bristles so you don't pull on your hair. This may not be news to some of you but it was to me. I found this lovely brand, Bachca. Then, you have to forget about Garnier Fructis and all that other grocery store garbage full of silicone that smothers your hair that's already been a little shaken up with the heat from the keratin. I left with Extensions Vip shampoo and conditioner. The smell is amazing and it lasts a long time... and then I do hair masks at home that I apply to the ends.
Between washing my hair, I use my new best friend, dry shampoo. L'Oréals is great since it doesn't leave white Karl Lagerfeld-like streaks in my hair. I also started using Bumble & Bumble's dry spray kind of like hair spray. It doesn't make your hair stiff but rather calms the frizziness.
And now, if I want a more 'sophisticated' look, I use my new magic tool... Fred had actually already used it on my hair for my wedding but now I have my own. I think it's like a curling iron for dummies. Big or small pieces, you just have to wrap your hair around it, wait a few seconds, and BAM you look like Maria Carey (90's era). Okay, yeah it does kind of look like an adult toy but it really is like a magic wand if you want to be the Harry Potter of hair, you need the Ghd creativ curl wand...
And to be honest, I've become so confident that I now color my hair and extensions too, I'm just careful to use the treatment product only on the ends.
There you have it. One of the problems was that I got my 'teen' hair back, but I didn't really want that look. If I don't try to put myself together, wearing jeans, tennis shoes, a hoodie and tote bag, my man'll ask me where I left my skateboard... so I do try. But strange enough, I feel like the length and layers make me want to be more feminine. My hair is often down which rarely happened before, I used to always have ideas for how to put it up in a bun. I hope that this crazy hair experience has taught me to take care of my hair and accept the femininity of letting my hair down. My own hair has really grown, I think that it might touch my shoulders now. I wonder how it'll be when I go back, I'll let you know once the extensions are out. One thing is sure: I haven't had as much fun with my hair as these last few months... so now the question is, what will my next look be...?
Thank you to the lovely Kihou to have encouraged me to make the change, to Sardjan for their trust and to Marina and her professionalism and expertise. They're opening a new salon in Geneva too!
FYI, each extension itself costs between 3.50 and 7 euros depending on where it comes from, the quality, and the length. There's no precise number of needed extensions, it depends on how much hair you have to start with. It's easy to ask for a quote. You can send a picture via social media, by mail, or even by text. Of course, extensions do have a price. You may make several payments, which is good news. Depending on how you care for your hair, the quality of the hair you choose and how fast it grows, you may keep your hair looking nice up to 7 months.
Anyways, besides the first difficult 48 hours, I don't regret these last four months at all and I think I might even wait another month before taking them out.
Translated by Whitney Bolin
HAPPY FRIDAY #97[:]
Happy Friday everyone!
Here's some cold weather outfit inspiration for you today. I've decided that I absolutely must take care of myself this year. I really mean to keep this resolution because it's important. These last six months have been so busy that I've let myself become overwhelmed with emotions and long term work projects. It was great, it was really intense, but my little frame has suffered. Everything hurt, even if it was just walking around.
Between the pop up store and the Creation and Savoir Faire fair, we've all been moving things all over the place. I had forgotten that I'm a little out of shape. Since I was little, I've had double scoliosis and spondylolisthesis! What's that? It means that my back is a train wreak. My spine is dancing the salsa, in a S shape, and my intervertebral disks are painful. I was lucky that my parents realized this early on and I wore a corset for ten years or so: a plaster one at night and then a resin one during the day until I stopped growing. I'm telling you this now since these last ten years have been like everything is normal since I stand up straight. But I bet that if I hadn't told you, you would have never noticed, besides one shoulder being a little bit higher than the other and when I bend over you can see a big bump on my back (touch my bump!) Since you can't see it, you don't think about it until it hurts like heck...
I'm not saying this to complain, just to explain that the end of this year was the opportunity to make some big decisions for myself and to stick to them so that I wouldn't be in denial a few days later. In November I was waddling like a duck, so I went back to my spine care specialist that I hadn't seen in years. Looking back, I admit that I was terrified it was bad news, that I'd need serious surgery or something like that... but it made me realise how urgently I needed to take care of myself and listen to my body. Today, I wear a lumbar support belt and anti-inflammatory drugs fit for a horse when Tylenol doesn't work. And I have lots of physiotherapy treatments. I have to go multiple times a week and do exercises for six months before seeing if it gets better... I thought this was torture, going to therapy, doing intense ab workouts 2 to 3 times a week, HELP. I was fed up, but it worked out. Now I look at it like a gift. These moments are time for me. They let me slow down, and I hope they'll give me a six pack in 6 months.
This is kind of personal, but I think this story may speak to everyone. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean that there isn't a problem. In 2017, more than ever, I'd like to learn to listen to the signs and alerts my body sends me. I'd like to take the reigns and stop hiding my pain in a corner of my mind with other problems like it, just hoping that they'll go away...
Thank you to Pauline Darley for these pictures. It's been awhile since we've had a shoot together! Thanks to Simonethe app I told you about and Anissa for the makeup and pretty hair. Until the end of January, you can have your makeup done with Yves Saint Laurent products. This isn't a sponsored post, these are just friends that I think offer quality services that deserve to be talked about! I'm wearing a sailor dress by & Other Stories, a Wear Lemonade cape, a Tammy & Benjamin bag and a pair of vintage boots.
Translated by Whitney Bolin
COME ON, LET'S WORK TOGETHER[:]
Hello everyone!
We need help! We're growing slowly but surely and we therefore need help! So if you're a student, you freelance, you're unemployed, or unhappy at your current job, these three job descriptions are for you! We need someone really energetic and motivated that is ready to take on the world! For each of these posts, please send us your CV and cover letter. If you apply for the graphic design position or for the stylist internship, please send us your portfolio, website, or pictures of your projects! Can't wait to see your responses, and to meet you! Hugs and kisses!
Edit: Thank you for all your applications! We've ended our search for the moment, but the Make My Lemonade adventure doesn't stop here. We'll keep growing, so stay tuned for future job offers.
Lisa
FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER 5 MONTH POSITION
We're looking for an amazing graphic designer to work with us for 5 months starting now until mid-June! It's a multitasking job that'll get you involved in lots of different creative domains!
LayoutIndesign and Illustrator are your best friends and you're a perfectionist. A neat and tidy layout is one of signature styles:
- PDF and sewing pattern layouts for the Wear Lemonade brand patterns
- Lemonade Daily layouts for each collection launch
- Sewing gazette (coming soon) to create for PDF subscribers
- Create paper décors for photo shoots
- Create patterns for the collection and graphic elements for Make My Lemonade and Wear Lemonade
- Lettering and research for stationary and other means of communication!
- Precision and creativity
- Motivation and autonomy
- Resourcefulness and responsiveness
- Curiosity and willingness to propose new things
FASHION DESIGN/ MODELING AND PRODUCTION INTERN:
We're looking for an intern to help with the creative and production aspects of the Wear Lemonade brand starting right away for a minimum of three months. This position requires motivation and a strong desire to learn how a ready-to-wear brand works and help it function:
Fashion Designyou'll help create a new collection and set it's creative universe in place:
- Prepare technical elements: drawing creations and technical sheets for suppliers, research different materials, collection planning.
ModelingYou'll help finish up the models that will be sold on Wear Lemonade, as a finished product or as a pattern:
- Follow prototype fittings: understand and follow model development with measuring process
- Pattern making: reproduce manually brand patterns for suppliers. Illustrator layout of patterns for sale.
- After-sales service management concerning patterns: reply, help others, and reassure readers of the brand's patterns.
- Resourcefulness and responsiveness
- Knowledge of graphic design software mandatory: Illustrator, InDesign
- Good knowledge of modeling
- Capable of giving instructions and being concise
- English: written and spoken
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND E-SHOP OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT, PART TIME
We're looking for the future customer service and e-shop operations manager! This job is very important on three key points to the brand's operations:
Customer service and after-sales service, you'll be clients' contact person for the Lemonade Studio! You'll be in contact with them by email on a daily basis and by phone, always working closely with the brand, with the following goals:
- Ensure kind, efficient customer service: listen to customers, find solutions, and help them through the different steps of purchases.
- Inform customers of the products and talk about the brand: respond to questions, highlighting product expertise and the Wear Lemonade concept
- Connect clients and the rest of the team: relay suggestions, glitches, recurring requests and other information that will help us improve!
- Manage orders: make sure shipping goes smoothly and ensure that click & collect orders are available.
- Follow inventory: organize transfers between the Lemonade Studio and the logistics specialist, check and update stocks
- Ensure clients' returns: create credit notes in back office, send back pieces and restock
- Master the scheduling and shipping of gifts: develop the follow up file for subscriptions and organise shipping at the end of subscriptions.
- Ensure customer service for subscriptions: cancellations, renewals, changes to methods of payment, etc.
- Help perfect the tool: you propose improvements
- Patience, sense of humor, sympathy
- Desire to be in contact with customers
- Good knowledge of products and interested in the domain
- Resourcefulness and responsiveness
HELLO 2017[:]
Happy New Year!
I wish you a wonderful, fabulous 2017, full of love, laughter, friendship, happiness, creativity, genius ideas, success, and most of all, good health!
I'd like to take this fresh start as a chance to thank you for always being there for us, for me. Make My Lemonade will celebrate it's 5th birthday this March. I can't believe it... it wouldn't have been possible without you! So thank you for another year of fun and adventure!
I can't believe that 2016 went by so quickly yet towards the end, slowly. I just wanted to start a new year, a new start! As you know, I love January and September. New beginnings, full of promise and hope! This year, I'm not going to make a long list of resolutions. I'd rather be realistic so that I won't be disappointed after a couple of weeks.
While going over some old blog posts recently, I realised how much I miss the creative side of my career! I need to get back to the drawing board and use my brain! For a little while now, I've gotten back into sewing, not for a tutorial, just for the fun of it... and it was amazing!
By the way, this brings me back to a 2017 challenge/resolution: no more fast fashion for me. I wantto buy differently and better. With Wear Lemonade by my side, it's easier than you would think, but as a fashion lover, it's hard to stay away from Zara. I watched "The True Cost on Netflix, which got my priorities straight. Since then, I scan every label to know where my clothes come from.
Speaking of awakenings and realisations, I listened to my first podcast: "powder, a feminist podcast where Lauren Bastide give women the opportunity to speak up. It's lovely, inspiring, universal. I can't get enough! I highly recommend it. Plus, it's free!
2017 is going to be a big year for Wear Lemonade too, with lots of collaborations and crazy projects, bigger and bigger collections! I can't wait to show you what life's got in store for us and to read your comments and see how you like it! I'd also like to share more behind-the-scenes information on how the business is run. Your feedback on the business articles reinforces my idea that sharing is everything! Speaking of businesses, I'm working with Etsy again this year on the idea of resolutions! If you want to participate but don't know how to start, join us and enroll in their program that starts at the end of the month here!
To sum it up, in 2017, I'm going to:
- Vote
- Practice my calligraphy (really!)
- Find the time to draw more.
- Create more!
- Be a more conscientious consumer.
- Read more!
- Open a store...
- Trying to do my best
- Race against the clock
- Pretend to go to the gym two times a year
- Make lists...
- Be madly in love!
Oh and the guest star of these pictures is our 2017 Wear Lemonade agenda! It's full of surprises, motifs for the upcoming collections, lists to keep track of your goals, flowers to color, and places to get organized! At the Lemonade Studio, we all have our own!
Translated by Whitney Bolin
[:]HOW TO SEW PYJAMA PANTS?[:]
My darlings,
As promised, here are the step-by-step instructions to make these lovely pyjama bottoms! I'm very proud to have been able to put it together since the team worked like crazy in order to be able to get this last pattern to you on time...
I'm also happy to share this article with you today since, to tell you the truth, this year's many activities are slowing us down right now, but we wanted to post the pyjamas just before Christmas!
I admit that we were all a little afraid of the difficulty level of the set when we got the pattern, especially for the belt. In order to avoid any nervous breakdowns over the holidays, we made it a little easier and the finished product is still the same, except that you won't go crazy! Promise!
We changed the pyjama belt, mostly because there were a lot of pieces before. I love the elastic back. The first time I saw it and realised that we were going to make it ourselves, I kind of freaked out since it looks so complicated. But after making a few changes, it's now super simple!
Here's what you need to know for this Julio bottoms tutorial :
- You'll need 1m50 of fabric (we decided to make it out of our viscose fabric since it's really comfy)
- An elastic band 0.75 cm wide (plan on using 99 cm to make a size 36 EU, 105 cm for size 38 EU, 111 cm for size 40 EU, and 117 cm for size 42 EU, to be cut each time in three's),
- Grosgrain ribbon (approx. 130 cm, to be cut in two),
- And the free pattern you can download here or in your personal space if you've subscribed to the pdf
Hugs and kisses, happy holidays!
Translated by Whitney Bolin
[:]HOW TO SEW A PYJAMA TOP?[:]
Hello darlings!
Moving right along with the lovely Princesse Tam Tam x Wear Lemonade collection, here I have a fantastic Christmas present for you: the pyjama pattern! You may already know that our business revolves around offering ready-to-wear or ready-to-make fashion using our sewing patterns. When we started to work with Princesse Tam Tam, I thought that they would never share the secret of how they make it!
When started my blog, my father said to me: "But are you really going to give your ideas to everyone?" (I've already told you this). But in the end, SHARING with you was the best idea ever and keeping my ten fingers busy and telling you stories is what keeps me going. Over the course of multiple meetings while designing this collection, I submitted my slightly crazy request to Princesse: "Could we have the pattern of the main piece, the pyjamas?". I was afraid of getting the same reaction as from my father, "We can't give away our secrets!"'. But after several discussions, it was decided. Princesse Tam Tam also likes to spoil sewing fans! Hallelujah!
Today it's all about the pyjama top! We'll share the bottom's tutorial later on, since it would have been overwhelming to explain it all in one video. The collar is still a bit tricky to sew... We plan on sharing the bottoms December 22nd: that way once you've finished the top, the pants will be online. You can take a sick day in order to finish it all by the 23rd, if you want to give it as a gift! Just kidding! The free pattern is available to download here and also in the pdf section if you're a subscriber. Speaking of pdf's, the pyjama tops and bottoms are your patterns for the month of December, and in January you'll be able to get the Simona blouse and Ada, the lovely pencil skirt...
We made this pyjama top out of our lipstick viscose fabricavailable on Wear Lemonade! We found the raspberry red bias at Fil 2000 and the buttons at Prym, also available at Fil 2000.
- To sew this pyjama top, you'll need 1m50 of fabric to make the biggest size. I suggest using viscose since it's soft but a nice poplin fabric works too. If you don't plan on sleeping in it, you may also use stiffer fabrics!
- The PDF pattern, available here
- 5 buttons, to be covered 12mm
- 2m of matching piping, but you can also make a handle and trim it, as well as a chest pocket!
- a little bit of patience for the suit collar and piping!
Sending you lots of warm hugs and kisses, can't wait to see you in your pyjamas! Send us your pictures of you wearing your pyjamas during the day! The tutorial might seem difficult at first, especially the elastic back. But to tell you the truth, we made it in two and a half hours (not counting cutting out the pdf and fabric which, let's be honest, is the most annoying part!).
PRINCESSE TAM TAM X WEAR LEMONADE[:]
Moving on from legal statuses to me in my underwear... to be honest, I'm a little bit freaked out to be sharing these pictures. But sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone, even if it's just for a second! You probably already know, if you follow us on social media or if you live in a big city, or if you're a big lingerie fan: we launched a collaboration for a collection with Princess Tam Tam! The news was out November 23.
For me, collaborating with someone else is so much fun! Working with Jonak last year was like a breath of fresh air, and this year it's Birchbox's and Princesse Tam-Tam's turn. It's always fun when two brands get together. Besides the two styles coming together, it's the moment for me to try something new. Different contributions, know-how, corporate culture and backgrounds! Besides all the new people we'll be able to reach together, I see it as a creative chance to explore different product domains that I wouldn't normally think about! I'm really proud of this collaboration, I feel like our brand identities are pretty close and related!
Over a year ago, Princesse Tam-Tam got in touch with us to create a Christmas collection together. I think that in all Lemonade history, I've never been more excited. To tell you the truth, I went crazy, dancing all over the place, Larusso blaring in the office. When I started the blog, almost five years ago, I didn't really know what I was getting into... a few months after starting, I saw bloggers that had been around for a while, a lot longer than me, collaborating with big brands. Crazy as I am, I started to make lists, lists of brands that I wanted to collaborate with, to design products with them. I'm talking about true creation from the technical manual to the product! I'll tell you more about this indescribable feeling of when you get your first prototype.
Anyways, French ladies' favorite little brand, Princesse Tam Tam, was on that dream list. I think that my breasts came in (very late) when I was about 15 years old. I would ask for lingerie on my birthday and for Christmas. I think that my mother was waiting for me to get through my training bra stage before investing in an underwear set. When I was 18, it was so embarrassing... let me set the stage: during the 2000s, it was all about the butt- thongs were all the rage in the lingerie business. Well, I got my lingerie set for Christmas. My mom, so cute, so happy, wanted to be nice and pick out a matching thong to go with the set. I'll let you imagine everyone's reaction: my father, my grandmother...
Moving right along, for as long as I can remember, in locker rooms or with roommates, my friends and I went crazy every time someone was wearing Princesse Tam Tam lingerie. My best friend even gave me a Princesse Tam Tam set to celebrate one year of friendship. All this goes to say that I feel like we all have a connection to this brand.
So imagine how happy I was when it sank that this was really happening. I had the opportunity to work with such a cool team... we had so much fun! It was only supposed to be four products in the beginning. But in the end, it was impossible to decide so we designed a true Christmas collection! Oh yeah, we were originally supposed to come up with a holiday print... but for me, trees and other Christmas sweaters were a no go. Quickly, our polka dots, mixed with other prints (mixing patterns is my thing) seemed to be the best idea. They're not especially Christmas-y, but it's more universal, everyone likes black and white. I hope this collaboration will finally cure me of my addiction to polka dots!
It was such a great experience to work with an amazing brand like this one!
I still can't believe it that Princesse Tam Tam worked with us: a little brand, barely a year and a half old! Well yeah, we've been sharing stories and building our brand for a little longer than that, but still. I'm writing you from Cloud Nine today. I only have good memories of this collection! I met marvelous people and I hope that our adventure together will continue!
To make the fun last longer and since it's Christmas time, I wanted to spoil everyone. I'd like for you to win the collection:
- The pyjama top
- The polka-dotted pyjama bottom
- The plaid pyjama bottom
- The polka-dotted triangle bra
- The plaid panties
- The polka-dotted sweatshirt
- And the jacket with pins!
Thank you to Raphaelle and Laurence! Thanks to Julia for everything! Thank you to Audrey and Norah for their support! Thank you to France and Anthony for their patience! Thank you to all the other people behind this lovely brand! Photos by Olitax at the darling Hotel Panache!
*EDIT*
- Congratulations to Caroline M for winning the contest! Write us at hello@makemylemonade so that we can give you further instructions!
Translated by Whitney Bolin
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