Learning How To "Farbenmix It"

A sewing friend of mine and I are both crazy for Farbenmix...  and Euro patterns in general.  I wrote about my new love of Farbenmix here, set the idea aside for a while and now have come back around.
My friend and I, we are crazy for the Euro style, as in, we ogle the gorgeous creations of others and sigh and talk about how we want to sew that way too.
I, for one, have no idea really where to even start... except with a Farbenmix pattern.  That's a good place to start, eh?  But you can't really get the full Farbenmix effect without embellishments and that's the part I'm not really confident in yet.
I have 4 Farbenmix patterns: Amelie, Kim, Yelena and Isabelle
I have made Amelie three times with no embellishment.
I have Kim cut out, but not sewn.
I have made Isabelle with a bit of crochet trim on the hem of the pants. (impressive, right?)
I am working up the courage to try Yelena.

But guess what?  I used a McCall's pattern and Farbenmixed it!
This is McCall's 6643, which is actually a pj pattern, but I liked the swingy knit top.
I took out the gathers on the front and back and put a couple pleats in the sleeve a la Cynthia Rowley's design in a now out-of-print Simplicity pattern.
The Huups embroidery really helps, but even the ribbons on the sleeves, the buttons and bows and the velvet ric rac are important elements.

And, of course, I think the Lillestoff fabrics probably don't hurt.
I could have added more embroidery and more trim, but I'm happy with this... and so is the little girl wearing it.

I want to get more and more adventurous in the very near future with embroidery and trims because I think there is a limited number of years that my girls will be able to pull it off.  No time like the present!


FYI, the friend I mention at the top of this post is beginning a sew-along for the Yelena pants!  You'd better believe I'll be joining in!  Get all the deets HERE.