Me Made May 2016 - The rest of the month

I'm not even going to apologize for posting this so late in June or rewriting what I started when Me Made May was actually still going on.  We all get busy at times and for me the end of the school year is definitely one of those times.  So in case you're going through a bit of Me Made May withdrawal this is for you!

Me Made May is continuing to go pretty smoothly and while there are some repeats I feel like I’m not struggling too much to keep things interesting.  At times it can be a bit of a pain switching from a dog park outfit to a teaching outfit but that’s just a bit of laziness on my part.  Plus most of my dresses don’t have pockets in them and leaves me without a place to stash my phone, keys and more importantly dog treats and poop bags when walking Toohey.

Day 8

·         Deer & Doe Plantain

After a beautiful and unusually warm late April/very early May the weather has cooled down enough that longer sleeves are necessary. This knit doesn’t have much stretch and the fit is a lot closer than my rayon tee.

Day 9

·         Megan Nielsen Briar tee

One great thing about working with kids is that you can get away with wearing more whimsical prints on the job.  Which is great because this tee is super cozy and I’m glad it doesn’t have to be relegated to the weekend only.

Day 10
·         Deer & Doe Arielle blouse

For some crazy reason this blouse sat on my “almost done” rack for way too long – we’re talking since the end of last summer.  All that it needed was to have the shoulders brought in a bit and the armholes finished.  Like I said crazy!  So it was on the top of my list of things to do to prepare for Me Made May and I’m glad it’s finally in my closet.

Day 11
·         Jamie Christina Mission Maxi tank
·         Deer & Doe Bleuet

A warm day at the dog park calls for a Mission Maxi tank.  A warm day hauling 11 sewing machines around calls for a sleeveless Bleuet.  Unfortunately the lack of pockets means I need to carry a purse while walking the puppy to carry treats and poop bags in.

Day 12
·         Deer & Doe Datura

I wear this Datura a lot year round – sometimes on its own and sometimes with a cardigan – and it’s starting to show it.  A bit of slightly too aggressive seam grading has led to a bit of a hole along the neckline.  Good thing I’ve got long hair because that way nobody else knows and I can keep wearing it.

Day 13
·         Jamie Christina Mission Maxi tank
·         Megan Nielsen Tania culottes

This is a favorite summertime outfit.  These were my first Tania culottes and wearing them reminds me I need to make another pair or two.  At least one more fun print and maybe a solid go with everything one as well.

Day 14
·         Deer & Doe Datura

I wore this with a navy sweater most of the day, really just took that off after mowing my parents’ yard. This fabric was doublefaced which made it super easy to mix and match.  I need some more of these in my closet.

Day 15
·         Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono tee
·         Central Park Hoodie

Two days ago I was comfortable with bare legs and a jean jacket late at night and now here I am wearing a wool sweater… Despite the extreme weather shift I was happy to wear my Central Park Hoodie (which according to Ravelry is almost a requirement on the site) knit in equally popular Cascade yarn.  This is the Lake Chelan Heathers colorway and always reminds me of family vacations spent there as a little kid.  The white tee is a basic goes with everything piece.

Day 16
·         Megan Nielsen Briar

Continuing the wool theme is this aquarium colored merino blend jersey.  Lightweight but warm I was thinking I had put this away until fall but am glad to have gotten at least one more wear out of it until then.

Day 17
·         Sewaholic Renfrew tee

I was excited to discover the turquoise stripes match my sneakers almost perfectly.  Not pictured but I made a matching pair of undies out of the scraps and wore those as well.  Because that’s not weird, right?

Day 18
·         Sew House Seven Mississippi Ave dress

I wore this at the end of April and tried hard not to wear it again right away.  I almost did the previous Friday but quickly remembered that the last time I wore it was a Friday and that class is quite observant.  The double gauze is super comfy and I need more of it in my life.

Day 19
·         Megan Nielsen Briar tee

Yet another Briar… clearly I like my me made tees.  I might need a little more diversity in which patterns I use.  Regardless it was very comfortable to wear on a day spent running around doing errands.

Day 20
·         Sewaholic Alma blouse

I don’t wear a lot of yellow but I always make a mental note to do so more often after pulling this top out.  The sunny color contrasts nicely with denim but this time I opted not to wear my floral statement necklace I usually wear with it to avoid any clanking when I’m constantly bending over while teaching.

Day 21
·         Deer & Doe Bruyere

I still think the white background makes this a very spring appropriate flannel shirt.  This time I wore it with leggings and boots to mix things up but in all honestly I will probably stick to jeans in the future.  A slightly sad day in that my parents are back in town and came over to pick up Toohey.  I’ll miss the cuddly little photobomber.

Day 22
·         Tilly & the Buttons Bettine top

I finished this up the night before and couldn’t wait to wear it.  Unfortunantely I couldn’t find the perfect pink little flower buttons I picked out.  So I quickly added some basic black buttons and called it a (temporary) day.  The Gertie floral and strawberry print rayon seemed perfect for a day spend picking out plants at Flower World.  As much as it seemed like a good idea to bring the puppy he was pretty distracted trying to greet everyone and it made deciding on plants a bit more difficult.  Still T was super excited to see me again.

Day 23
·         Deer & Doe Sureau

Just like last year I didn’t think and wore this super lightweight lawn dress to windiest school I teach at which also happens to be on top of a hill.  Luckily the wind wasn’t so bad and I only had to yank my skirt down once.  Other than that this continues to be one of my favorite spring dresses.

Day 24
·         Deer & Doe Plantain

Not much else to say about this that wasn’t said on day one.

Day 25

·         Deer & Doe Bleuet

I could probably fill my closet with various Bleuets and most of them would also include pearl snaps. In fact I’m already working on dress  #4 and a shirt version.

Day 26
·         Tilly & the Buttons Bettine top

After searching all over I eventually found the intended pink buttons at the bottom of my purse.  I immideately took off the uninspired black buttons and set to work adding buttonholes and attaching the pink buttons.  Which naturally meant I couldn’t wait any longer to wear it again.

Day 27
·         Kitschy Coo Lady Skater

I’ve made a few Lady Skaters and this one continues to be my favorite.  It works great in the spring and is easy to layer in the fall. In my after school classes we're doing a charity project making Snuggles (think animal blankies) for the local animal shelter through the Snuggles Project.  Shouldn't surprise anyone what I decided to make the sample with...

Day 28
·         Megan Nielsen Briar

Toohey is always super excited when I visit and that involves a lot of jumping, wiggling and licking. That doesn’t always translate into nice clothes.  Hence another Briar repeat.

Day 29

·         Sewaholic Renfrew mini dress

This was a me-made that I misplaced and couldn’t find it at all last fall but recently unearthed it when I was going through a box of summer clothes.  It’s just a Renfrew chopped off a bit below the waist and a gathered rectangle attached as a skirt.  FYI if you’re thinking of doing the same don’t just add a skirt to the tee instead of a hem band, the proportions are off and it just looks weird.

Day 30

·         Papercut SJ tee

This is my second SJ tee and I didn’t stretch the neckband enough before attaching it.  I’ve since ripped it out (of course I serged it) and redid it.  I imagine I’ll be making more of these in the future.

Day 31

·         Sewaholic Cambie

To me seersucker screams summer and warm weather.  I’m glad the weather warmed up again so I could wear this dress all day this month and not just change into it after the dog park.  Plus it always impresses kids when you tell them that you made it.

Every year I think I need more separates in my closet and especially when puppy sitting this is even more apparent.  This month I’ve been making more of an effort to sew more tops and trying out different patterns.  But when Toohey is around my productivity is lower as he frequently thinks that time would be better spent playing and/or cuddling with him and it can be hard to disagree with him.  After he went back to my parents I suddenly had a lot more free time to spend sewing guilt free.  Naturally at that point May was almost over… I’m sure I’m not the only one with furry little distractions out there.

Overall it was another successful Me-Made-May!  I made some new tops to wear with jeans and have more planned.  There’s a few things I didn’t pull out that I tend to only wear during this challenge which was nice.  I hate wearing something because I feel like I should but don’t really care for.  I tend to wear clothes I made a lot but love talking about the challenge when I’m teaching since it gives the kids an idea of what they can do with the skills I’m teaching them.  Plus kids are always impressed when you tell them that you made what you’re wearing.  No big new revelations this time around, I could still do with some more separates although I’m doing better at using a larger variety of patterns so it doesn’t look like I’m wearing the same thing all the time just in different colors.  I’d say my wardrobe goes together reasonably well as a whole.  I'm fond of the blue/green spectrum and snag nice fabrics in those colors when I see them knowing I will eventually get around to sewing them up.

Oh, and Toohey managed to show up in 20 photos.  Next year I really need to make him pose more.  He likes being in photos and is really good at "sit and wait" while I set everything up. 

Me Made May 15 Week 2

Just past the half way mark for the month and I’m still having fun.  Here’s the latest play by play:



Day 12

·         Sewaholic Renfrew

Despite being my least favorite Renfrew to photograph (tiny stripes make the camera’s eye twitch), this is my favorite to wear. One thing I do need to remember is that the shirt is way more sheer than it appears so I really need to pay attention what I wear underneath.

 

Day 13

·         Megan Nielsen Briar

·         Sewaholic Minoru

What can I say?  I’m a sucker for stripes and these were pretty easy to match up.  It’s nice being able to wear it without a bulky cardigan again.

 

Day 14

·         Sewaholic Renfrew

These green jeans are one of the main reasons I could never go Me-Mades only in May.  I love them way too much and have never found comparable stretch denim in a similar weight and hue intensity.  But they go perfectly with a basic navy tee.

 





Day 15

·         Deer & Doe Sureau

This was a favorite dress last year from the second I finished it.  Light and floaty, it’s super comfy on a warm day although it is a little risky when a breeze kicks up.  So naturally that’s what tried to happen while loading sewing machines in my car in front of an elementary school.  The rest of the day it was perfect.
 

 Day 16

·         Victory Patterns Lola

This is one of those garments that when I pull it out I wonder why I don’t wear it more.  Then I remember that the thickness of the knit means it’s more of a cold weather dress.

 



Day 17

·         Kitschy Coo Lady Skater

·         Infinity Scarf

·         Sewaholic Minoru

Not every girl is obsessed with the LBD, some of us prefer navy as our “goes with everything” neutral.  This navy cotton jersey Lady Skater is mine.  It was a great addition to my Blue Thunder Friday and game day wardrobe during football season and works equally well during post season.  Its works equally well for running errands and mowing the lawn.  I started the day with the scarf but when the day refused to warm up quick enough I ditched it for the jacket.

 

I hope everyone else is still going strong during this Me Made May!

Me Made May 15 Week 1.5

I’m back!  There’s nothing like Me Made May to get back in gear blogging.  Sure, there hasn’t been much any writing going on but there has been sewing.  And if I ever have to make a decision on time, that’s the way it’s going to go.

I hemmed and hawed for quite a while trying to figure out my pledge this year.  During the warmer months I rely pretty heavily on dresses but despite spring coming early to Seattle this year I haven’t been wearing them as much.  While I have a number of tops I’ve made, a lot of them would fall under the T-shirt category.  And let’s be honest: that can get pretty boring to look at.  The main reason for this shift is that I’ve starting teaching afterschool sewing classes at local elementary schools five days a week.  That means hauling 10-13 sewing machines plus supplies back and forth, and in one instance up and down stairs.  Much easier to do in pants – so I should probably make some.  But I’ve got some RTW pants that fit pretty well so I haven’t been too inspired on that front.  Needless to say when I do make jeans I’m definitely using one of the student machines to make construction easier without having to constantly switch thread.

Ultimately, this was my pledge:

                “I, Erin of fisforflamingo.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’15.  I endeavor to wear at least 1 item of clothing I’ve made each day and PJs every night for the duration of May 2015.  In addition I’ll avoid any complete outfit duplicates and strive to make at least 1 pair of jeans and shorts before month end.”

Yeah, so how have I done so far?  Let’s check out the game tape… er, photos.  FYI, my hair is the same in the first several photos because I waited to take them after getting a haircut!

Day 1



·         Deer & Doe Datura.

This was my first version of this blouse and really like it.  It’s gotten a lot of wear year round with a sweater over it when it’s colder.  I like how the rayon challis drapes and is easy to wear.

Day 2



·         Jamie Christina Mission “Maxi

·         Megan Nielsen Briar

So I’ve made a couple Mission Maxis, and while one is actually a maxi I get more wear out of the minis.  This was a sort of a last minute St. Patrick’s Day make since I knew it would get more than just a once a year wearing.  The Kelly green ponte can be worn in Seattle almost year round and doesn’t ride up if worn with tights.  The burnout floral jersey was my first Briar.  Its pure coincidence that the greens in the dress and shirt match, but will allow me to wear this Briar more out in public if I’m not in a crop top mood.  Is there an age limit on how old you can be to wear one?

Day 3



·         Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono Tee

·         McCall’s M6173 leggings

Right off the bat I just want to put it out there that I don’t believe leggings are pants nor do I wear them as such in public.  Of course in the privacy of my own home all bets are off!  I spent the day doing boring housework and some cross stitch and I like to sit cross-legged on the couch – which is way more comfortable in leggings than jeans.

 



Day 4

·         Kitschy Coo Lady Skater

This dress gets a lot of wear spring through fall.  I doubled up the lightweight burnout floral jersey and never worry about it being see thru.

 



Day 5

·         Megan Nielsen Briar

This is fabric I threw in my Girl Charlee cart late last year on a whim… and it ended up being my favorite of the bunch.  It’s a soft, cotton blend thin sweater knit type fabric with black horses printed on it.  I added black ribbing at the neckline and as sleeve bands.

 



Day 6

·         Sewaholic Alma

·         Megan Nielsen Tania

This Alma made it’s MMM debut last year and came about when my serger cut a hole in the bust of a Bleuet.  It couldn’t be fixed so I had to go out and buy more fabric which allowed me to cut this shirt out of the substantial remainder.  I’m wearing it with a navy silk noile pair of Tania culottes, with this pair being cut at the L or XL length. (I can’t quite remember.)  I plan on going into more detail on them in a future post if only to share my adventure in hemming.

 

 

 Day 7

·         Megan Nielsen Briar

This might be my favorite Briar from 2014 – it has parrots, nonprecious flowers, and bright accents of aqua and pink.  I wear this a lot in the spring/summer and let it sneak into winter too to remind me that warm weather will return at some point.

 



Day 8

·         Sewaholic Alma

My first Alma, this goes all the way back to MMM13.  Last year I wore almost this exact same outfit, subbing in capris for jeans.  I almost wore the same big, floral necklace too before I realized the jangling would drive me insane while leaning over while teaching.

 



Day 9

·         Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono Tee

·         Megan Nielsen Tania Culottes

This kimono tee was made specifically with these culottes in mind.  I wanted something that didn’t have to be tucked in or be too long if I didn’t.  These Tanias are way up on my all-time favorite makes list.  It contains a lot of my faves: blue/green in color, polka dots and a short length.  Plus I actually graded the pattern properly in order for it to fit my waist.  These are a favorite to wear in warm weather as the rayon challis stays nice and cool and the swishyness of the legs create mini breezes as I walk.  (TMI?)

 



Day 10

·         Jamie Christina Mission Maxi Tank

·         Kwik-Sew K3892

Another laid back day at home.  This was my test version of the Mission Maxi and despite being over a year old; I still have yet to properly hem it.  The edge is simply serged, honestly at this point I seriously doubt I’ll ever go back and twin hem it.  The weather temperature inside went back and forth between chilly and warm so I was constantly putting on/taking off this sweatshirt.  I was originally drawn to the wider neckline than what is usually offered but after making it I think it’s too wide.  I really should rip the ribbing off and replace it with a wider band.  I got the polka dot ponte in the same order as the purple horses but am disappointed in it.  The ponte looks a little too polyestery for me and is pretty thin. The black sweatshirt fleece on the contrast sleeves was so much thicker and warmer that I ended up buying some in white and interlining the ponte with it.  So now it’s nice and cozy and the polka dots help take my mind off the appearance of the ponte.

 



Day 11

·         Deer & Doe Plantain

Having made a couple of Plantains now I definitely prefer when it’s made from a knit with a lot of drape.  Despite having to cut this slightly off-grain in order to keep the print straight it’s held up well and hasn’t gotten too twisty.

 

In general, MMM15 has gone well so far, but it’s still early.  I’ve worn a skirt a couple times during the week – some schools make it easier than others – and kept a good mix of shirt patterns going on.  I even mowed the lawn in my Mission Mini/Briar combo!  I was smarter last weekend and had a change of clothes (Striped Kirsten Kimono Tee included) so I didn’t get my Tanias sweaty.  Spring in Seattle is still pretty chilly in the mornings and evenings and clearly my #1 way survive is to add boots.

 

As an added bonus I’m introducing the next generation of sewers to Me Made May.  Most of my students have already caught on that I wear a lot of the clothes they see me wear and often ask questions about them.  I even had questions about how could they participate if the only clothing they’ve made is an apron.  Completely adorable!  Regardless I’m seeing a huge interest in sewing at the elementary level which can only be a good sign for the future.

Me Made May Week 2 & 3

Over half way done and I’m still going strong!  In this group I have my first repeat although it easily could be more.  One of the downsides of Me Made May is tracking what you wore each day when you have some new favorites freshly completed.  I know I’m not the only one who after finishing something feels the need to wear it all the time and figures if different people see you wear it than its ok to wear it a couple days in a row.  However taking daily photos makes this glaringly obvious and probably a bit boring for viewers who aren’t me.  I’m attempting to exercise some restraint until June when I won’t have the evidence staring back at me.  It does help that I’m on a huge sewing kick (I even gleefully had a couple marathon tracing sessions which I normally avoid like the plague) with days getting both longer and warmer so I’ve had a number of new options.  I’ve always preferred my warm weather wardrobe and find so much more inspiration to sew all of the things.  Things would be a bit harder if we were all doing Me Made March like Zo originally did.

Day 5

Sewaholic Renfrew

This is my all-time favorite Renfrew.  It’s my favorite color (turquoise) and the rayon knit is super comfy.  Too bad the teeny, tiny 1/8” stripes photograph so terribly.

Day 6

Deer & Doe Plantain

In my quest for all things Deer & Doe I could hardly overlook Plantain, a free t-shirt pattern.  I bought this fabric specifically for the pattern and almost wish I hadn’t.  It’s printed slightly off grain so who knows what will happen after I wash it.  Regardless there will be more Plantains in my future.  Plus I wore this will sewing yet another D&D pattern: Chardon.

Day 7

Sewaholic Renfrew & Crescent

A Sewaholic twofer today!  Warm weather in Seattle means I got to bring out a favorite skirt from last summer.  In my mind few fabrics say summer quite like seersucker.  While I wore it with a Renfrew it might look better with a Nettie to better show off the pieced yoke.  And yet another project is added to the list…

Day 8

Deer & Doe Sureau

It was cold and rainy today and seemed very fall like so this plaid flannel 90’s throwback felt appropriate.  During my wardrobe rotation this was in my “needs to be cleaned before being put away for the season & yet not too dirty to wear” pile.  I can’t be the only one who has one of those, right?

Day 9

Built by Wendy: Rock the Boatneck

This was my first make from Built by Wendy’s book Sew U: Home Stretch and I’m not super in love with it.  There’s plenty of things I’d change for next time but am really fond of the navy & cream striped cotton knit.  One day I may finally get around to tweaking it a bit more (I seriously took the side seams in a ton!) but for now it works when I’m cleaning & moving stuff around.  Plus it worked for the Friday theme of blue.

Day 10

Sewaholic Renfrew & Colette Chantilly

Two makes to show today.  My school was having an open house in the evening so most of the day was spent rearranging rooms and setting everything up.  I just barely had time to go home, bake brownies & change into my Chantilly before heading back to school.  While setting up, everyone was trying to figure out what to wear and thinking it should probably be something we made.  A lot of people defaulted to black but I figured this was a great chance to rock some polka dots.  Plus I have shoes the perfectly match those dots!

Day 11

Kitschy Coo Lady Skater

Yet another to be blogged make!  Needless to say this pattern makes a perfect casual yet 100% pulled together dress that is easy to wear.  It worked out great for Mother’s Day when there were no set plans; I knew I was ready for anything wearing this.

 Day 12

Simplicity Leanne Marshall 1877

I made this dress last year in the early fall and only managed to wear it once before it got too cold.  So I was excited to wear it again after thinking about it all winter long.  It’s mostly orange ditzy floral printed linen and my favorite part just might be the origami like flounces on the shoulders.  I’m so glad I didn’t decide to toss them.

Day 13

Sewaholic Alma & Thurlow

Another all Sewaholic day.  This was a favorite combo last summer and was thrilled to finally wear it again.  The shorts went together pretty quickly and only took a little taking in to fit properly.  I think a few more pairs are needed this summer with front running ideas being grey chambray and polka dotted challis.  This is probably my perfect shorts pattern and four Almas may not be enough.

Day 14

Simplicity Cynthia Rowley OOP #?

This is actually the very first thing I used my serger on.  I wore it once, decided it might be a bit sheer in direct sunlight and it didn’t fit the best and has been taking up closet space ever since.  I wish the sleeves were a bit shorter and that I had a better belt to wear with it.  I like the contrast of the brown leather but it’s a little too big and there’s no way to make it smaller.  This may become a “just at home” dress.

 Day 15

Deer & Doe Chardon

This is my first try at the Chardon skirt and once again am pleased with the results of a Deer & Doe pattern.  Once again I can’t help but think a Nettie would be perfect for a skirt like this to really show off the waist.  I picked this shirt mainly based on footwear and don’t think it’s the best pairing but also not too bad either.  I seem to be lacking in tops to wear with skirts that hit at or just above the waist.  Everything I have just seems too bunchy after tucking in but when not seems to cover up the skirt design features.  I plan on making another version with the back bow and would hate to cover up that added cuteness.

Day 16

Deer & Doe Sureau

This Friday’s theme was: Too Pretty to Wear Pants, and it was the perfect time to debut my latest dress.  After a few minor alterations I think I have my perfect dress and yet another Deer & Doe win.  Something must be in the sewing air as I was making this the same time Oona was making her voile flyaway pants since we both brazenly chose not line them.  And I smile every time I think about it.

 Day 17

Project Runway

Some days you just have to ignore the sewing & other assorted crafting and clean.  And I’m talking real cleaning, not checking for stray threads or lint in your serger, but actual here’s my scrub brush & that is a toilet.  They type of thing I never enjoy the process of but always feel better about the results.  And this always seems like a good time to wear those makes that you just don’t wear for whatever reason.  With this dress I tried a new silhouette but don’t think it’s the most flattering for me.  I like photo #2 where I pulled it in at the waist creating some waist definition so much better but will likely keep this as a cleaning dress rather than go back and try and alter it.

 Day 18

Deer & Doe Plantain

My 1^st repeat & I fully admit I had to quick check out my previous photo to make sure I styled it differently.  This time I went more casual with straight leg jeans and Converse.  Wearing it again simply reminded me that I need to whip out a couple more versions.

I hope everyone is enjoying Me Made May and not feeling too stressed about keeping to their pledges!