Rigel Bomber

Hey you guys! I hope you are doing fine?

I caught a chill and currently am confined to bed... However I can use my time and post about the Rigel Bomber jacket I made this summer.

The first time I saw this jacket (and the various variations of it) I knew I was going to sew it. I decided for a double gauze fabric. As soon as I had the fabric in my hands it was obvious that I needed a lining... So there was ONE big problem: the pattern did not include a lining... 

So, as a sewing beginner I never made a lining before and I did not have any idea how to do it on my own...

The solution: search the World Wide Web! :-)

After little time I landed on the page of Katy & Laney (two really inspiring sewing bloggers). They offer a complete instruction on how to do your own lining for the Rigel Bomber! This tutorial is well structured and explains in easy words how to draft the lining you need!

So there I was, not only sewing my first jacket with my first lining but also daring to sew single welt pockets.... A lot of firsts for me! :-) BUT I love the outcome of  my jacket and I am glad that I committed myself to this project. Otherwise I wouldn't have this cool jacket in my closet now!

Pattern: Rigel Bomber from Papercut Patterns

Fabric: Double gauze from Frau Tulpe online shop

Would I recommend the pattern: YES! The instructions are detailed and easy to follow. If you prefer a lined jacket the tutorial of Katy & Laney is perfect. I would definitely sew it again with a quilted fabric more suitable for cold weather.

By the way, the pictures were captured during our summer holidays in Hamburg --> go check out my post about this vacation!

And as always, I'm glad for any feedback/comment etc.
Simone

Ahoi Hamburg

Hey you guys! I hope you are having a nice weekend?

Today I'm going to write a bit about our summer holidays. This year we were undecided about our destination, until a friend of ours invited us to Hamburg! So there we were, going to Hamburg, the most important and (after our trip I can say) most beautiful port city in Germany!

We decided to spent part of our holiday directly in Hamburg and part of the time in St. Peter-Ording, a little village situated at the northern sea coast.

So let's start with Hamburg:

This city is so colorful and versatile. If you are searching for a city where you can relax at the beach (with direct sight on the port) and a drink on a picnic blanket - Hamburg is perfect. On the first day we explored the city on our own and met our hosts at restaurant/cafe/pub Strandperle on so said beach. It was awesome, relaxing, beautiful and with an extraordinary view on the port. And by the way, you can get there with a water cab! How cool is that?!

City beach vibes

Harbour view

For those of you who enjoy sight seeing and history, the old city (Speicherstadt in german) is perfect for extensive exploration tours. Most of the important buildings are centered within the Speicherstadt, so you can enjoy a nice walk. Furthermore the subway system is excellent!

For us, the ship sightseeing tour was the most impressing/intresting way to explore the harbour and  the Speicherstadt. These tours are offered at any time by numerous operators. However plan this tour during time of high tide, as you are able to explore far more of the Speicherstadt!

Boat sight seeing tour of the harbour

View of Speicherstadt

Going-to-be concert hall "Elbphilharmonie" in the old city

So after a lot of sight seeing you may want to relax and enjoy a bit of the nature in this really green city. At least, we needed something relaxing. So we decided for a canoe trip :-). Ok, it was my wish to do that and my better half was a bit skeptical about a canoe trip in a city... BUT in the end we were both thrilled about it. This trip offered us a very different view on the city - calm and pristine. 

Can you believe that this is in the middle of a vibrant city!

I think the most funny day we had in "St. Pauli". This part of the city is world famous for its' red light district. The sinful mile combines the upper and common standards of entertainment, from musicals and theaters, to bars and clubs. So as we were visiting St. Pauli, we decided to do it the correct way and booked a tour with two drag queens - Lee Jackson and Barbie Stupid. This time it was me who was a bit skeptical, but again we were flashed by the city. This tour was not only funny but also very, very informative. We learned so much about the city history and had so much fun at the same time. By the way, these tours are always in the evening, so afterwards you can just stay and enjoy a good theatre (I would recommend Schmidts Tivoli) or just spend the night in one of the numerous bars! One bar we enjoyed especially, as it was located directly at the harbour: Strand Pauli. In our opinion, this bar represents quite well the philosophy of life in St. Pauli.

Our extraordinary tour guides... :-)

Bar "Strand Pauli" is a good place to be during day and night times!

Okay, now lets just talk a bit about our stay at the northern sea coast... In one word: UNDESCRIBABLE! After a city trip, the northern sea is the perfect place to calm down and enjoy life.
The beach there, you can't compare it to any other... It is silent, untouched and most of all expansive. If you are searching for a place to relax, enjoy nature, meeting unstressed people and simply want to have a good time - go there.

Endless landscapes

Solitude

I hope I was able to give you an idea about Hamburg and the northern sea coast. Anyway if you still have questions, just contact me or leave a comment!

See you soon!

Simone

Traditional jacket

Today I have a knitting project for you!
I don't know how it is with you, but I have to have the right mood to start a knitting project. There are two main reasons:

1. When I want to knit something, it is always a sweater/jacket with an intriguing cable stitch pattern or a lot of color variations... so all the projects take a lot of TIME and
2. I only want to do some knitting in FALL/WINTER season, because it is giving me a cozy and warm kind of feeling... !

So last fall my better half asked me to knit him a traditional jacket, which he could wear with his "Lederhosn". And nice person I'm (and my knitting mood in a good shape ;-) ) I decided to try myself on that project! Although the respective jacket did not have any difficult patterns to knit, it took me FOUR whole months to finish it!!!! However, the result was worth it. :-)

And during the photo shoot, we found that you can wear the jacket also with "normal" jeans :-)

So know that fall has officially arrived and the temperature is decreasing, I'm searching for new projects... but this time I want to knit myself something pretty!

Are you already in knitting mode? Or do you already started your project? Let me know, because I'm very very curious and besides I'm looking for inspiration!

Have a nice evening!

Simone

Ohhh(m) what a sweater!

Hey you guys! I hope you're doing fine?
Do you like colors or do you prefer it black and white with your clothing?
For my part, I LOVE colors and a bit of white. :-) On very rare occasions I dress myself totally in black  and in some way I relate black clothing to uncomfortableness. Of course that is nonsense... However I prefer bright colors. Normally I see that there is one piece of color on me... and if it's only the lipstick :-).
So when I did find this sweatshirt fabric at Frau Tulpe shop, I knew this is going to be the perfect fabric for the sweater by Initiative Handarbeit.

It was a really easy and quick pattern to sew and I totally enjoyed to learn about trapuno technique, which is normally used in quilting. But I think it looks awesome on clothes too! What do you say?

Wearing it the first time, my better half told me that I look like candy and I was totally and absolutely delighted!

Keep smiling and bring some color into your life!
Simone

Oversized wool cardigan

Hey girls! Welcome to my blog! This is my first post, so I'm quite nervous!

I put a lot of thought in my first "blog garment"... You know, I wanted to pick something that's trendy but also easy to sew (I'm still a beginner... :-)  ). I decided for an oversized cardigan from burda style issue 09/2016.

You know the feeling when you THINK you start with an easy and quick project and then end up doing loads of hand sewing?! Well I now know what it is like... Nevertheless I really enjoyed making this cardigan!
It is perfect for fall in Austria! Here one day you can have nice warm and sunny weather,  the next day it is freezing cold and raining non-stop.

Pattern: Burda style 09/2016
Fabric: Stoffe Müller in Innsbruck / Austria
Would I recommend the pattern? YES!!! Despite the hand sewing it is a quick sew and also suitable for beginners! I would make it again with a more fluffy kind of fabric!

Enjoy the rest of your sunday!
Simone