Hi there! My name is Rebekka (@gemeine_wildrebe), I’m Swiss, environmental scientist, 39, mother of two… and a passionate hobby sewist. Maybe "an obsessed hobby sewist" would describe it better. ????
Where does your Instagram name come from?
My Instagram name has very little to do with who I am to be honest, it's a German word play that I thought was funny when I set up my account before I had started sewing. Gemeine Wildrebe sounds like a plant name (common wild vine) but also could mean "mean uncontrolled Rebekka". (I'm neither mean nor uncontrolled, just to be clear). ????
How long have you been sewing? Why did you start sewing?
A lot (a lot!) since 2017... but I've learned the very basics in school and always had a sewing machine for alterations or small projects. As a teenager, I added length and a flare to most of my pants because I’m tall and if you didn’t step on your hem meant the pants were too short.
I started sewing because of an urge to create something with my hands as a contrast to my office job.. and also, boredom, after my son was born and I had given up Volleyball.
What do you like most about sewing with Fibre Mood Patterns?
The patterns are always fresh and trendy! Also, the instructions, the layout of the magazine and the patterns are very accessible and clearly prepared and designed with the home sewist in mind. Finally, after sewing many of your patterns, I know the block pretty well and based on experience and information on size and built-in ease, I'm often very confident making adjustments and then proceeding without a toile.
Where did you find inspiration and how did you go about matching your chosen fabric to this pattern?
Inspiration for my Holly came from different sides: Florence Welch (I adore her!) wearing a Vampires Wife dress, a long green dress I tried on in a not-to-be-named fast fashion store, the Holly dresses from @_kerrylockwood_ on Instagram. When I stumbled over that gorgeous green silk in Paris, I immediately had a long, long-sleeved, high-cut dress in mind - kind of a plain, demure style but with this shiny-green-partially-see-through-totally-glamorous fabric!
What modifications did you make?
Fitwise: A small square and forward shoulder adjustment, added length to the sleeves. Style-wise: Reduced the collar height from 5cm to 3.5cm, added a tier/frill at the bottom (width about twice the circumference of the upper tier), changed the back opening from a zip to a slit with two buttons, instead of button holes I made little loops and self-covered buttons.
Do you make pattern hacks more often? What do you like about this?
Not sure when something's actually called a "hack", I often make small changes to a pattern but I don't often make major style adjustments - I'd rather look for a different pattern that is closer to my "vision" (or: my source of inspiration).
Do you have any golden tips for beginning Sewistas regarding this pattern or other projects?
My ultimate tip for beginners: don’t be afraid of the seam ripper, it’s your friend! I still use it for almost every project, there’s nothing wrong with making mistakes. However, for a Holly from of really thin and fluid silk like mine, I don’t recommend the seam ripper as it could damage the fabric. Silk just needs very slow and careful sewing. My top tip for sewing with silk: I soak the fabric in gelatin water before sewing, which makes it stiffer and much easier to handle. You can see how it’s done here.
Did you also get the urge to get started with the Holly pattern? You buy it here!
