Me-Made-May 13 Week Three & Four Round Up

So far I’ve made it through three weeks and don’t feel like I’m in a slump yet. Although clearly I’m addicted to Sewaholic patterns – as much as Tasia loves her frosting she designs some seriously awesome cake. When in doubt I reach for a Renfrew and never feel sloppy, which is what I reach for when I want a quick, satisfying project as well. I’m hoping the rest of May warms up so I can pull out more of my summer dresses but until then I’m a jeans girl.

Day 13

• Sewaholic Renfrew in lilac cotton interlock
• I wore this on the ride home from Portland and shucking some corn for dinner. Due to a lack of on-grain fabric I had piece the neckband in the back, omit the sleeve bands and use my twin needle to hem it instead. It behaved and I didn’t have to adjust anything at all – I love it when that happens.



Day 14

• Sewaholic Pendrell in navy polka dot poly
• I try and avoid sewing with poly but couldn’t help myself when I saw this print. The fabric has a nice drape to it that worked out well for the ruffles. Plus I love the combination of green, white and navy. Today I picked up a copy of the Robson to make the trench of my dreams. 

Day 15

• Sewaholic Renfrew in red cotton interlock
• Another of my many Renfrews – these are great everyday casual wardrobe staples.  Lately I've focused on making more separates and I could make a million of these. 

Day 16

• Sewaholic Alma in yellow cotton eyelet
• The first Alma I’ve made and my first time sewing yellow fabric. Like a lot of people I’m hesitant about yellow but love this fabric and think it works. It was a little see through so I lined it in yellow cotton as well. I love the clean edge of the lined sleeve hem especially since the arm seam is finished with bias binding.

 

Day 17

• Simplicity Project Runway 2724 dress OOP in teal plaid
• This is a fall dress I made a few years ago and pre serger. This fabric wanted to fray like crazy and I zigzagged the edges but would’ve been more satisfied with a serged edge. Not that I would ever go back and add that. I always think of this as more of a fall/winter dress but while switching out my clothes I thought I’d give it another wear before packing it away. It helped that the weather was overcast and threatened to rain. I only wore this half the day as I needed to recaulk my bathtub and this doesn’t exactly say home repair.

Day 18

• Sewaholic Renfrew in banana cotton interlock
• I was so pleased with my first foray into yellow sewing that when I saw this fabric I knew it was time for a repeat performance. I like the contrast with the light blue jacket and need to find more ways to work this color combo into my wardrobe.

Day 19

• Simplicity Built By Wendy 2863 in jade jersey
• This was one of my first makes made with my serger.  I loved this jade jersey and immediately thought of a dress.  I like this dress but think it looks best with a belt rather than just the elastic waist.  If I make this again I will probably change the neckline, it's not my favorite style and doesn't always lie flat.  It's comfy in that I'm wearing "going outside" clothes but feel like I'm wearing PJs type of style.  Plus it looks great with my rainbow polka dot wedges which are some of my favorite shoes!

 

Day 20

• Simplicity Project Runway 2359 in cotton lawn
• I first made the maxi dress version of this pattern but prefer this length on this second try.  Nothing against maxis, but despite being short I must have a long stride because there's not quite enough fabric in the skirt for me to walk normally.  (It's not a problem when I walk with somebody else and also walk slower.)  At this length I don't have that problem.  I love how a cardigan can make a sundress more wearable.

Day 21

• Sewaholic Renfrew in navy cotton interlock
• Colette Clover in biking red stretch sateen
• A completely me-made outfit!  The skies were grey and rainy so I dressed like it was already fall.  These Clovers were my first pair of pants and I got lucky with the fit, having to only make minimal adjustments.  I should probably make a warmer weather version of these for summer.  They're made out of a stretch sateen and don't get too saggy by the end of the day which is always a bonus.

 

Day 22

• Sewaholic Alma in yellow eyelet
• Yesterday I dressed for fall so today I was determined to dress for spring.  I dug this grey skirt out of the back of my closet and initially intended to wear my pink seersucker Alma with it.  Then I remembered I had shoes with yellow polka dots on them and went with this yellow version.  I really liked this outfit until I started to walk around and remembered why this skirt is in the back of my closet - I can barely walk in it!  There's no slit or kickpleat so it's baby steps only and no rushing anywhere.  I think I see myself making a grey skirt in the future...

 

Day 23

• Simplicity Project Runway 2403 in blue seersucker
• This was my seersucker gateway make and one of the first things I used my serger on.  I loved using the rolled hem on the front ruffles and sleeves.  I was really not looking forward to sewing a teeny, tiny hem on those bias cut ruffles.  The skirt seemed roomy enough so I omitted the side slit and can still walk normally.  Looking at this photo I wonder if I should shorten the skirt just a smidge.

 

Day 24

• Sewaholic Alma in white Swiss dot
• Sewaholic Minoru in hunter green twill & lined in plaid flannel
• Today's MMM13 theme is your hometown so I headed to Kerry Park, one of the most used photo op spots in the city.  This outfit is pretty classic Seattle with a hooded jacket, jeans and Converse sneakers - if only I was wearing Levi 501s and a flannel... And yes, our love of flannel is still going strong in a completely non ironic/hipster kind of way!  The Minoru lining does satisfy my plaid flannel fix.  The Peter Pan collared Alma keeps it firmly out of the 90's and makes the outfit that much cuter.  I added flannel inseam pockets which are nice and cozy when it's chilly and used snaps on the inside pockets.  I also went a little OCD and matched the plaid on those pockets so they blend into the lining.



 

Bonus photo!  In addition to wearing me-mades each day I've been wearing them at night as well.

• Butterick B5653 in blue seersucker
• Colette Madeleine Mini Bloomers in seersucker (not seen)
• I made version C which is a top with ruffle hem but since I'm short it's more like a nightie. It turned out a bit big and being PJs I couldn't be bothered to make proper changes I didn't want to make it too fitted since there's no type of closure. The top is lined and I used the hem allowance to make a casing to add elastic to the waist. This makes it much more wearable since without the elastic it was pretty big and shapeless. I also made a pair of Colette Madeleine Mini Bloomers to wear underneath.

Crafting ADD

This week I’ve been suffering from crafting ADD and worked on several projects simultaneously.  Most things are almost done but nothing is actually completed.  Soon, they’ll be done soon… or at least I hope so.  I’m better prepared after doing some zipper shopping so at least the clothes shouldn't take much longer.

 

 

Flamingo Cross stitch

• Because what I really needed was to start yet another project!  I make no apologies for my love of all things flamingo and can't wait for this to be done.   I tried not to start this one but couldn't help myself.  I spent several hours last night on just the blue but the pattern does say it should take 90+ hours to complete.

 

Colette Chantilly

• I really like this blue lawn with circles – not quite polka dots but the fabric is super smooth.  I’m excited to wear this when the weather warms up again and am hoping it will transition into autumn later on with a sweater, tights and boots.  Hopefully I’ll finish it up this weekend now that I have a matching invisible zipper.

 

Denim skirt

• I’m trying not to overthink the topstitching on what should become a nice wardrobe staple.

 

Central Park Hoodie

• I got distracted by spring sewing and this was set aside.  Luckily Seattle summers usually provide plenty of hoodie weather so I won’t have to wait for the fall to wear this.  I'm knitting the sleeves at the same time to make sure they match exactly.  My stitches on this project are turning out a bit... unusual but consistent so I'm calling it part of the design.

 

 The good news is I did complete the most pressing project: recaulking my bathtub.  Not very exciting but necessary, I probably scraped 20+ years of shoddy caulk touchups off.  I made the effort to do it properly and hope it will hold up for some time.  I wish I could say I acted maturely during the entire process but couldn't help but giggle at times.  I mean really, who wouldn't?

Me-Made-May 13 Week 2 Round Up

Week 2 is over and I’m still going strong.  Of course the warm weather the Pacific Northwest has been experiencing has helped a lot.  I find it a lot more fun to sew and wear my warm weather clothes.  On top of that I went down to Portland for the weekend so had to take that into consideration as well. 

 

Day 6

• Simplicity 2444 dress in floral cotton sateen
• I’m not really much of a floral girl in but there was something about the slightly abstract print and colors that I found intriguing and figured I should try something new.  I haven’t worn this dress for a while because I feel weird wearing a dress with a white background and tights but can see it coming out of the closet more often now that the weather is nice.

 

Day 7

• Sewaholic Crescent skirt in blue seer sucker with added lining
• This is the skirt I spied in one of Tasia’s Minoru sewalong posts and had to have one of my own.  The weather has finally warmed up I’m excited I can finally wear it.  It also looked good with the grey hoodie I wore half the day which is always a plus for a casual skirt.



Day 8

• Sewaholic Alma in pink seersucker with a white cotton Peter Pan collar
• I really like pink but haven’t made too much with it – maybe because I find it hard to find pink fabric I like that isn’t polyester.  At home I was wearing it with army green cargo shorts but changed into this skirt when I ran some errands.  I like both casual looks and think it will be easy to dress it up too.

 

Day 9

• Sewaholic Crescent skirt in blue seersucker with added lining
• I can’t find the photo I took today of this outfit, but I wore the exact same thing as I did when I wrote my Crescents post.  I really like how this turned out which is kinda obvious since I’ve worn in twice this week.

Day 10

• Sewaholic Renfrew in turquoise stripe jersey
• Sewaholic Crescent skirt in white seersucker with added lining
• I headed down to Portland to visit my sister and spend Mother’s day with family.  This was comfortable to wear while sitting in the car for a few hours and also walking around.  Plus this outfit seemed puppy approved. (Although I may have bribed him with a walk...) 

Day 11

• Sewaholic Thurlow shorts in plaid seersucker
• At this point I think I’m ready to join the seersucker mafia or move to the South.  This is the fifth day in a row I’ve worn some version of that fabric!  So far May in the Pacific Northwest  has been perfect seersucker weather which in my mind requires a warm weather.  This outfit was perfect for the Beaverton farmers market and the dog park.



 

Day 12

• Sewaholic Renfrew in turquoise stripe jersey
• I can't believe this is only the 2nd day I've worn pants this month and the first I needed a (light) jacket.  That hardly ever happens!  The weather cooled down a lot today but this tee was great for yummy Mother's Day brunch and checking out the Portland rose gardens.  Packing for this weekend was a bit of a challenge knowing about the temperature change but not wanting to pack too much and on top of that trying to avoid any exact repeats.

 

 

Plaid Madness Thurlows

 



First off let me just say I wish I didn’t love plaid so much.  When it’s done well, plaid looks awesome.  But when it’s not, few things can look worse.  It’s right up there with truly unfortunate print placement.  This is when sewing OCD can be really good or really bad and you usually don’t know until after you’ve finished.  Of course checking out plaid RTW will usually make you feel better.

That said I really wanted a pair of plaid shorts!  So I went out and found some plaid seersucker that I thought would be super cute.  To up the ante I dug my Sewaholic Thurlow pattern out and decided it was time to try it out.  If I wanted to be easy on myself, I would’ve picked a solid fabric for my first try.  So much for that.

 

When dealing with plaid the cutting stage takes forever but it pays off.  While making these shorts I cut every piece in a single layer and kept the leg hems on the same stripe within the pattern.  I figured as long as the horizontal lines matched up I’d be better off since the vertical lines are broken up by the pockets.  In addition the fabric was a bit thin so I underlined everything as well.  I cut the welts and waistband on the bias to keep things interesting and to avoid having to match even more.  As a bonus the on grain underlining for these pieces will keep them from stretching out.
 



 

When you attach the pockets to the front legs they don’t lie completely flat to help you get your hands in them. I could drive myself insane trying to get them to match up but they never will.  So I just accepted close enough.

 



 

I’m pretty happy with my first attempt at welt pockets.  I basically went step by step, taking my time and when in doubt pressing everything with my iron.  Lladybird has a great post on how to do this as part of her Thurlow sewalong last year.

 

I really wanted to wear these on Sunday since it was the first true shorts weather of the season so I quickly finished the waistband and wore them all day without a button or pants hook and eye.  They stayed up just fine and were so comfortable!  Later I did finish them properly by ripping out waistband and switching out my bobbin thread to match the lining.
 



 

I ended up attaching and ripping out my beltloops multiple times.  The first time they were a bit crooked and the second I realized I forgot to switch out my bobbin thread again.  I thought about just leaving them but knew I’d keep thinking about them.  The perfectionist in me says I should've done the same with my serger thread but oh well,  I was feeling too lazy to do that much.

 

 



I wanted to make these a bit more casual so went with a visible jeans button instead.  Plus it meant I got to use a hammer which is always fun!  When turning up the cuffs and tacking them down I did make sure to align the plaid.



 

I see myself wearing these shorts a lot this summer – I’ve already gone through my closet to see how many shirts I have that go with them.  I see more pairs of Thurlows in my future!

Seersucker Crescent

This is the Sewaholic Crescent in Blue seersucker. I’ll admit at first I wasn’t super taken with this pattern and was unsure if it was “me.”  Fast forward to last winter when I was skimming through the Minoru sewalong posts while making my jacket.  In the final couple posts Tasia was wearing a gathered seersucker skirt.  You can’t see much of it but I was guessing it must be a Crescent and that I needed to have one of my own.  Of course winter isn’t really seersucker skirt weather.

But woo-hoo - it is now!  In fact I was so excited I decided to make two versions one in blue and one in white.  Making them at the same time was quicker since I never needed to change thread color.

 

 

I made version B which has a highly gathered skirt in a shorter length.  The only alteration I made was to take in the side seams on the yoke by half an inch each.  I didn’t do this on my corduroy trial version and it was a bit loose.  I didn’t alter my pattern piece because this is an easy change to make while sewing.  Plus I won’t have to resort to having to try and cut out four extra side yoke pieces with my scraps in case there’s a change in me or fabric and it’s too small.  This is especially important if you’re like me and try to squeeze my cutting out of the smallest piece of fabric possible.

 

 I decided to add a lining just in case and simply used the version A less gathered skirt pieces – minus the pockets and took some length off.

 

 

The pockets are both under and topstitched.  I chose not to topstitch the yoke pieces because I figured with the stripe they wouldn’t really show up.  That said I really didn’t try and match them up at all.

 

 After hemming both skirt and lining, the lining was sticking out a bit.  So after a major seam-ripping session I cut off more length and hemmed it again.  This time the lining behaved and didn’t try and make an appearance.

 

 

Now I hope the warm weather sticks around so I can wear them!

Me-Made-May 13 Week 1 Round Up

The first week of Me-Made-May is done and so far so good.  Of course it’s been a short week so I’d hope I’d be able to keep to my pledge of wearing at least 1 Me-Made item each day.  If I hadn’t, the rest of the month wouldn’t bode so well.  Luckily I haven’t had too much trouble picking out what to wear and had the bonus of dressing for Seattle sunshine and warm temperatures.  I can only hope it sticks around!

 Here’s a recap of what I’ve worn so far:

 

Day 1

• White Swiss dot Sewaholic  Alma with Peter Pan collar & cap sleeves
• I’ve been wanting a blouse like this for a while and figured this would be a good day for it’s first wear.

 

Day 2

• Simplicity 2846 view B in blue ikat printed sateen
• For some reason I don’t wear this too often, probably because I keep thinking it needs a belt but don’t have one that works too well.

 



Day 3

• Royal blue Sewaholic Renfrew with scoop neck & short sleeves
• The Renfrew is the ultimate basic t-shirt that is great when you’re looking for a quick sewing fix.

 

 Day 4

• Lime seersucker Sewaholic Cambie with gathered skirt
• My jewelry isn’t Me-Made but is handmade
• This was a favorite dress last summer and I was excited the temperatures warmed up enough I could pull it out and start wearing it again.

 

 

Day 5

• White Swiss dot Sewaholic  Alma with Peter Pan collar & cap sleeves
• Plaid seersucker Sewaholic Thurlow shorts
• I stayed up late and got up early to “finish” these shorts.  It was supposed to get up in the 80’s today and I felt I had to make the most of potential short weather.  (Actually I still need to add belt loops and a button but they stayed up all day no problem!)

I'm looking forward to the rest of the month and seeing what everyone else is wearing over in the flickr group!

Springtime Almas

 

This is the Alma blouse from Sewaholic Patterns.  First of all I have to say how much I love this pattern.  Like this is actually my third version and I’m almost done with #4 as well.  The Alma is really that awesome!  I’m really not a fan of button downs so I was thrilled to find a super cute alternative last summer.

Tasia, the genius behind Sewaholic designs patterns with the pear shape in mind with a small waist and larger hips and thighs.  Don’t let that stop you however because they work for other body types too.  I guess I’m a petite hourglass in that I’m short and my bust and hips aren’t particularly va-va-voomy but I have a pretty tiny waist.

 

I made a combo of version A and B with the cap sleeves and Peter Pan collar in a straight size 0.  I used a white Swiss dot underlined with white cotton.  I didn’t want it to be so sheer I’d worry about what I was wearing under it. The cap sleeves are lined as well to keep things consistant.

The only alterations I made were to take a bit of volume out of the cap sleeves and adjust the neckline.  As is the sleeves seemed to be a little too puffy, but that might also be the double thickness.  I lowered the neckline half an inch so I could wear my favorite necklace without it hitting the edge.  I also added half an inch to bottom of the collar so it wasn’t super skinny.

 

Alma #4 is version B in pink seersucker and a contrast white Peter Pan collar.  I shortened the sleeves by 3.5” and debated adding a white contrast cuff/band.  I shortened the sleeves last fall on Alma #2 and prefer this length on me.

 

I see myself wearing my Almas a lot this spring and summer.

 

 

 Also I figured I should do this now while I'm setting everything up.

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