What I Wore in France: My Handmade French Capsule Wardrobe

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It has been my dream to visit France since I was 11 years old. Little did I know back then, but not only would my dream come true, but I would also get to make my wardrobe for the trip! 

France was amazing, and I have so many stories to tell. But this post will be about my handmade capsule, and what I wore to survive the blistering heat wave of June/July 2025.

Our trip was supposed to be 10 days. We ended up losing a day due to storms, so I wore my travel clothes for two straight days. The weather dramatically impacted my plan vs what I actually wore, because a heat wave followed us through our whole trip.

I'm not a light packer. I definitely had more clothing than I needed. My husband had bought me a giant suitcase so I had plenty of space in my bag. 

Air France flight, Detroit to Paris

Travel outfit:

Old Navy tank top

Brown linen Seaforth Pants

Terra cotta rayon French terry Heather Sweater (this is from NH Patterns but I can't find it anymore? It was a free pattern and now it seems to be gone...)

Ibex wool bra+Ibex wool underwear

Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers

Since I ended up wearing this outfit two days in a row, it was an important one! Going into a heat wave, I didn't want to bring a lot of long pants. I only brought a brown linen pair and some jeans. The linen plus a lightweight sweatshirt was just right on the plane in terms of temperature, and was also comfortable. Unfortunately, I sat in something gross while wearing these pants and didn't wear them again.

After 30+ hours of travel, we landed in hot, hot Paris, and I couldn't wait to get out of all this clothing. Next up:

Jardin du Luxembourg

Crinkle rayon Saltwater Slip

Rayon Petula Blouse

Denim Linda Bag

Amazon Hat

Ibex wool bra+Ibex wool underwear

Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers

The first thing we did was walk to Notre Dame. We didn't have tickets, but just in case the line was manageable (it wasn't) I brought a shirt that covered my shoulders. You are not allowed in to Notre Dame unless you cover your shoulders (and it's true, I saw them removing people from line). I was still wearing my Petula by the time we got to the Luxembourg Gardens, because it did a good job keeping off the sun. My Linda Bag was CLUTCH here since the Saltwater Slip does not have pockets.

Eiffel Tower

By the time we got to the Eiffel Tower that night (it was  nearly 10pm in this photo!) I had ditched the Petula. And the bra! All the Parisian women were going without bras and I have never felt so liberated.

Monet's Gardens

Giverny

Linen Darla Jumpsuit

Ibex wool underwear

Linda Bag

Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers

Amazon Hat

The next day we were up early for a tour to Monet's gardens and home in Giverny. It promised to be another hot day (mid-90s F, 32+ C). I went with a True Bias Darla Jumpsuit. Mine is the long pants version, with pockets. I still took my Linda Bag because I had crammed in my Petula just in case. It was okay to start the day in long pants because it was a touch cooler.

Digression: I absolutely loved wearing my Darla this day until it was time for a bathroom break. The restrooms were few and far between in Giverny. We managed to find one, but the door did not lock. I had to hold the door closed with one hand and unlace my Darla with the other. I was not wearing a bra, so basically I was getting mostly naked with one hand. No fewer than two people yanked on the door while I was in there, nearly getting it all the way open while I yelled "OCCUPE!" as loudly as possible. Then I had to re-dress myself and re-tie the back, all with one hand. Total disaster.

After Giverny, I switched to an Ibex tank top and Target athletic shorts. It was time for the most surreal sewist experience of my life.

Le Cinemathique Francaise

A week before our trip, I found out via Reddit (shoutout to r/ParisTravelGuide) that there was a Wes Anderson exhibit in Paris. I completely freaked out when I realized they had THE SUZY COAT on display. The coat that I agonized over copying. Yes, I traveled in a heat wave with a wool coat just to take this photograph, and it was completely worth it.

I swear to you, the fabric looked identical. I cried a little bit. It was amazing.

After the museum visit we changed to go out to dinner. In case you didn't notice, that's my third outfit of the day. We were getting so sweaty every time we went somewhere, we constantly had to change our clothes. I was grateful that I overpacked underwear.

Navy cupro Max Tee

Brown crinkle Caprice Skirt

Palais Garnier

Saltwater Slip

Linda Bag

Ibex wool underwear

Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers

Amazon Hat

Noticing a theme here? The black Saltwater Slip ended up in heavy rotation. We did have a washing machine in our AirBnb. As soon as it was clean it went right back onto my body. France apparently does not believe in air conditioning. Even if a museum had A/C, it was only in the galleries and not the hallways or elevators. I was taking cold showers 2-3x per day.

Le Bon Marche

Old Navy tank top

Navy tencel Genet Shorts

Wool Rothy's

This was my "fancy but I'm still hot" outfit for visiting Le Bon Marche. I tried to look like I belonged in a department store that sold dresses for a thousand Euros. Convincing?

The next day we took a short plane ride to Nice. I traveled in the Ibex tank top and athletic shorts. Boring.

Beach in Nice

Marley swimsuit (hacked)

Amazon water shoes

But we had finally landed at the beach! And by beach, I mean Nice's beaches which are pebbles instead of sand. Didn't matter. That Mediterranean water felt SO GOOD.

Apartment in Nice

Cotton jersey Jesse Tee

Linen Saguaro Shorts

Linda Bag

Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers

Out to dinner that night and it turns out, it would be our favorite meal. We found a breezy patio with tapas and ate so much food. My stretchy Saguaro Shorts were a good choice.

Balcony in Nice

Dallas Bikini Top

Linen Lola Pants

Red fakey Birks that I had to buy in Nice

Another day of plans gone sideways, but at least I snapped this photo first. 

View from Castle Hill, Nice

Darla Jumpsuit

Different hat (Poshmark)

Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers

One thing I did plan to do in Nice was go to the top of Castle Hill. The photo speaks for itself. Darla was again a wonderful choice...I just knew to be careful about bathrooms this time!

Dallas Bikini Top

Presley Bottoms

We could see the Mediterranean from our AirBnb, so yes, we walked down there for even 30 minutes of cooling off.

Hey look. Saltwater Slip again.

I'm so sad that it was too hot to wear my Suvi Caftan.

Ibex tank top

Target athletic shorts

Rayon Petula Blouse

Linda Bag

Le Bandana

Another travel day, back to Paris. At this point, I was tired of thinking about what to wear.

Jardin du Luxembourg again

Staple Linen Top

Navy cupro Genet Shorts

Le Bandana

Amazon belt

Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers

This was just before heading to knit night with La Bien Aimee, Joji, and Jonna. I made both these knitwear pieces for Paris (as well as others that didn't even come!).

Rue Cremieux

Old Navy jeans

Pylos Li-Knit Cheyenne Shirt

Wool Union St. Tee

Vintage scarf

Smartwool socks+Suavs Sneakers

Our last full day in Paris, the heat wave broke. It was raining on and off all day and I finally pulled out my jeans and layers.

Bastille

By the end of the day, I ditched the Cheyenne but kept the scarf. I noticed on this rainy day that most Parisian women were indeed wearing scarves, just like Pinterest promised me.

The next day, we went home. This time we had a daytime flight, so I wore jeans and my wool Union St. Tee. I was awake for 20+ hours fighting the jet lag, but it worked.

And that's my Paris wardrobe! My husband, you may or may not have noticed, brought only black tees. I promise he did not wear the same one every day. Boring, but he did fit right in with Parisians and their basic colors. Most of the information I read turned out to be true: nobody wore athleisure or pajamas like they do in the states. Neutral colors and cuts ruled. Not a lot of prints. Nothing baggy. A sensible pair of sneakers was important. I was happy with what I brought, I just wish it had been a little cooler so I didn't have to rely on the same black slip dress the whole time.

Until next time Paris!

True Bias Darla Jumpsuit Review

Do you ever see a sneak peek of an upcoming pattern and start drooling? That's what happened to me when I saw the True Bias Darla Jumpsuit and Dress on Instagram. That back! So strappy and fun!

This garment took me forever to sew. The pattern came out right before we had to temporarily move into an AirBnb due to a tree fall on our home. I decided it would be a good project to take with me, so I started sewing it there. But then I needed my serger too. And then my dog died. And then a general depression took over my life and I stopped sewing. 

It took me a month to get back to Darla. Per usual, an upcoming event pushed me to finish it. Nothing crazy, just a planned date night. And once she was done, oh my...I LOVE it!

The fabric I used is making me scratch my head. I THINK that it's the black version of the pink Lyocell/rayon/linen/cotton I used for this Willamette Top. I distinctly remember making a special trip to a different Jo-Ann's to get it. I have the receipt. But the receipt does NOT say that's what it is. It's a similar weight and it does have a slight shine with pressing, so it's unlikely that it's 100% linen or cotton. Anyway, it's very soft, slightly drapey, and lightweight. I like it a lot and it gathered well. The bodice is fully lined (as well as interfaced at the top) and I think that my fabric needed that extra support.

I made a size 2 top and a size 8 bottoms. It is extremely easy to mix sizes top and bottom, because the back is gathered with elastic (or just gathered into the back bodice if you use the zip up view) and the front pant (or skirt) is gathered into the bodice as well. I ended up shortening the back elastic quite a bit but that could be personal preference.

The instructions are excellent and there is a sew along if you need more help. The only part that confused me was the back elastic casing. Sometimes you fold the casing completely inside and sometimes it's visible from the outside...I couldn't tell which I was supposed to do. I checked the sew along and noticed that the print for the casing was different than the back pant/skirt and therefore was visible from outside.

If you make the strappy back view, everything lines up super neatly and is nicely enclosed. There is stitching in the ditch, which I hate, but you could also secure the bodice lining by hand if you weren't in the hurry that I was.

The pockets are in-seam but are constructed so that they sit inside the pant better than regular inseam pockets. They are also secured at the waistline so they do not sag.

I did feel like my pants were too short when it came time to hem. I probably cut them wonky because I'm not that tall (5'4") but maybe double check the inseam. I ended up adding a wide 2" cuff to each pant hem. It gives them a bit more weight and swish and I'm not mad at it. Especially in black because you can barely tell.

I can't believe this pattern isn't more popular. I have to believe that the back discourages regular bra-wearing and that throws people off. I tried it without a bra and if the bodice fits well (mine did) it gave a decent enough amount of lift. Again, mine being black hides a lot. In these photos, I'm wearing a stick on bra from Amazon, which worked fine as long as I also kept the straps pretty tight.

I definitely want to make the dress version of this pattern, probably in a rayon woven.

HIGHLY recommend you pick up Darla and make yourself some swishy goodness!

Handmade Three Piece Linen Suit

Some projects stay in your brain for a long time, and I have a feeling this one will. So, let's give it a blog post shall we?

The inspiration for this project started with the fabric. I have been wanting to make a linen blazer for a while, but the right fabric hasn't come along. Then I started working with Karleen at Sewing Studio (you may know them as PDX Sewing Studio, but they have since moved out of Portland, therefore dropping the PDX). I placed an order and asked her to throw in anything she'd like me to promote.

She sent me an absolutely stunning spring green cotton/linen blend woven. I was a little wary due to my last project with cotton/linen (these Arthur pants, which attract so much lint and just aren't nice to wear) but this fabric was SO different. Soft, good drape, but also a thick weight. I immediately knew it had to be the linen blazer of my dreams.

When I started cutting out the Heather Blazer (previously made here) I began to wonder if I could get a pair of shorts from my leftovers. Fabric Tetris netted me a pair of Deer & Doe Genet Shorts. I did have to use a scrap of linen for one waistband facing and piece a bit of the pockets, but I made it work.

The lining I used for both the shorts and blazer was a poly crepe from Jo-Ann's. I had bought it to test the Pleats and Thank You Jumpsuit, but they had to give me the yardage in two pieces and I couldn't make it work. So, I was VERY happy to find a purpose for a portion of three yards of poly crepe.

I'm a pretty advanced sewist but jackets are complicated, and I appreciate good directions. The Heather directions are fantastic, and matching the lining and turning it all out is easy to follow.

I also enjoyed making the Genet Shorts! It's been some time since I made a Deer & Doe pattern (maybe I've only made the free Plantain Tee) but their directions were good as well. I did end up cutting a size slightly smaller than the chart and letting it out over the hips. I would rather do that than end up with too-big pleated pants.

After I finished my two pieces, I realized that Pattern Review was running a Matchy Matchy contest. Well, isn't that just convenient! However, the rules stipulated that you could not photograph a suit jacket in a way that you could see a different fabric underneath. Okay. My choices were to either button it up and pretend I didn't have a shirt on, to actually not have a shirt on, or to make some sort of top from the same fabric.

I got the wild idea to see what I could do with my scraps. I had literally thrown them into the trash because there was so little fabric left. Most of what I pulled out were long strips straight down the grain. I started piecing them together and realized I could make a Jasmine Bra. 

Things got wild after that, I made it work whatever way I could. I lined it with cut and sew bra foam and then bound the upper edges. I made straps and an underband. 

I have never made a quilt before, and piecing strips to create a final piece was new to me. I get it now. It's so rewarding! Of course, I was using something that would otherwise be trash, so I'm sure that had something to do with my satisfaction.

My three piece set has been entered into the Pattern Review contest. Voting runs April 18th-27th. If you are a member over there, I would love it if you would vote for me!

I received the linen fabric for free in exchange for review. I am a freelancer for Sewing Studio. All opinions are my own.

Content Creation for Sewing Brands

A bit of a change in this post, with some sewing-adjacent news! If you are a content creator, fabric shop, or pattern company, it can be a hamster wheel to bring new STUFF to the world all the time. I work with clients to take the burden off, but not everyone has that kind of budget to put into their business. So, I wrote my newest e-book!

1 Garment, 10 Pieces of Content gives you ideas for turning 1 garment into 10 posts/videos/emails/etc. It includes a shot list (so you know exactly which photos to take WHILE sewing, not after!) and a checklist. These techniques are exactly the ones I use when I plan content and marketing with clients

• No working backwards after a project is done
• Content creation will be much faster
• See the creative aspect of making content, removing all the dread

Grab the e-book today in my shop. If you're interested in chatting about my marketing services, you can find out about my no-commitment Discovery Call here.

Pin for later!

And if you struggle with other marketing tasks, leave a comment and let me know. There could be another low-cost e-book in the future!

How to Chainstitch with a Coverstich Sewing Machine

Mind. Blown.

That's how I felt when I FINALLY got around to trying this sewing technique. I'm not joking when I say I've had this Safari window open on my phone for at least six months (anyone else a serial non-window-closer?). And what window was that, you ask?

The pdf manual for my Brother 2340CV. Wowwwww exciting right. I don't remember why, but I was looking in the manual for something one day and saw, right there, instructions for chainstitching. What? Are you serious? I thought chainstitching required a special machine?

Special machines DO exist, but it turns out that I can replicate it on my coverstitch. And it's super easy. If you don't have the exact machine that I do, check your manual!

The Brother 2340CV is a three-needle coverstitch, with the fourth needle being the lower looper. To make the chainstitch, you remove the left and right needles and use only the center needle and lower looper. Set the tension settings to 0 for the two needles you removed. Set the needle tension to 2 and the lower looper tension to 5.

Then sew.

That's it! I was blown away when I saw how easy it was. No fiddling at all. I grabbed a piece of stretch denim, folded it over to mimic a hem, and it worked perfectly.

Then I grabbed a four month old pair of unhemmed jeans and hemmed them. Also worked perfectly!

Supposedly a chainstitch can also make a great basting stitch, as it is meant to unravel when it becomes unsecured. I didn't try it because I didn't want to pull any of my pretty stitches out.

Are you going to try this trick? Or, are you on the fence about a coverstitch and need just one more reason to get one (dooooo it)? 

If you'd like to see this technique in action, check out my Reel on Instagram!

Cupro Scuba Double Knit Top

There is no better feeling than a successful RTW hack. I LOVE being inspired by things I see online and using my pattern knowledge to come up with a copy. 

I used this Spanx Air Essentials turtleneck tunic as inspiration for my top. Why was I browsing at Spanx do you ask? Well, I've recently started freelancing with Kayla at Surge Fabric Shop. She was bringing in a new fabric that was meant to duplicate the Spanx Air Essentials line. Tessa, at Love Notions, had asked all the fabric shops she knew to find her a similar fabric, and after more than a year of searching, Kayla delivered. 

Kayla sent me two yards to make a sample garment. Out of all the Air Essentials items I loved the turtleneck the most. To create my duplicate, I used the Hey June Halifax Hoodie as a base, because it has that boxy shape with a dropped shoulder. I laid the bodice pattern pieces on top of the bodice for the Nikko Top (True Bias) and blended them together at the neckline. Luckily, both patterns have the same seam allowance so it wasn't too difficult.

I omitted the sleeve cuff and instead extended the length of the sleeve. I cut 2 1/2" off the bodice and then added the tunic panels at the bottom. They are roughly 7" tall and the same width as the bodice.

This was a quick sew, except that I had to cut the turtleneck part three times because I kept messing up. The first time I sewed it wrong sides together, and the second time I cut the stretch the wrong way. This fabric does have only minimal stretch in the length so you have to pay attention.

I wore this all day last week and it was SO soft and comfy. It resisted wrinkles like a champ, and dare I say it would make a great travel outfit. There is a matte and shiny side (I used the matte). You could use the shinier side for your own lovely cupro double knit dress (like Tessa's).

For more info on this fabric, you can read Kayla's blog post or watch Tessa's YouTube video. Make sure to grab some of this fabric for yourself over at Surge.

I received this fabric for free and am paid as a digital marketer for Surge Fabric Shop. I was not asked to write this blog post but I received the fabric for free. Both patterns were purchased by myself. All opinions are my own!