Me Made May 2016 Week 1

This year I knew Me Made May was going to be a bit more challenging since my usual cute spring dresses aren’t super great at the dog park.  I mean, odds are a dog (perhaps mine perhaps not) will jump up on me.  Naturally a huge golden retriever did this on the day I wore a white tank top… Regardless I wanted to try and not dress like I’m pre or post dog park all times.
 

Day 1

·         Deer & Doe Plantain tee
·         Deer & Doe Chardon skirt

Stuck to capris with my tee at the dog park – Toohey loves to go in the water and I always end up getting splashed.  The Chardon has good sized pockets on it which made it easier to carry all the extra stuff I need when walking the dog around the neighborhood later in the day.

Day 2

·         Sewaholic Thurlow shorts
·         Jamie Christina Mission Maxi tank
·         Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono tee

Naturally this is what I wore when a gigantic dog jumped up on me.  Luckily its’ been dry at the dog park so he only left a small dirty spot by the neckline of the tank.  I was going to change my top anyways to teach.

Day 3

·         Megan Nielsen Briar Tee

The day started off warm at the dog park, hence the shorts but started cooling down in the afternoon. Oh well, the shorts are a bit too short for an elementary school so the pants were going to come out regardless.

Day 4

·         Deer & Doe Bruyere

Today was chilly so I pulled out my plaid flannel Bruyere.  Very appropriate for a fickle Seattle day in May.

Day 5

·         Hey June Lane Raglan

This is my first Lane Raglan and the rayon jersey was just warm enough that in the afternoon I could ditch the jacket. Although it's not the best with the belt I'm wearing - the buckle is just big enough that it sticks out in an unattractive bump but I couldn't be bothered to switch belts half way through the day. As a bonus it doesn't look that bad in photos or possibly real life but I know it's there.

Day 6

·         Sewaholic Renfrew
·         Tilly & the Buttons Bettine dress

A total wardrobe change today between the dog park and teaching.  Later on I had to change out of the dress to walk the dog due to a lack of pockets.

Day 7

·         Jamie Christina Mission Maxi tank

I had intended to change after 2+ hours at the dog park but it ended up being an all about the puppy day.  Toohey and I went to a total of three different parks and he didn’t end up as tired as I hoped he would be.  This was my first Mission Maxi tank and I’ve never gotten around to hemming it.  At this point I doubt I ever will.

It's just week one but so far I think Me Made May is going well.  Yes, I wear the same shoes every day to the dog park but they’re made out of Gore-Tex so my feet stay nice and dry down on the beach. Some days I enjoy the wardrobe changes but obviously there are other days I can’t be bothered.  Also I've been busy sewing another pair of shorts since I seem to be wearing them most days for at least part of the time.  I hope everyone else is starting the month off strong!

Me Made May 15 wrap up & final days

I hope everyone participating in Me Made May ended strong and enjoyed their challenges and everyone else isn’t bored by all updates.  Just remember: inspiration can be anywhere, I know I’ve found it checking out other people’s makes.  The second half of the month is typically the time when repeats start cropping up and I won’t disappoint on that aspect.  Also there’s Memorial Day weekend in the US and that’s provided a bonus challenge.  I went down to Berkeley for a family wedding which meant I wanted to bring out my favorite makes but also not bring my entire closet along.





Day 18

·         Sewaholic Renfrew

I think today was mostly about the shoes – which is also the #1 reason I bought this fabric.  I was especially thrilled to hold them up to each other and see just how closely they matched.  You take a basic t-shirt and jeans outfit, add in matching shoes and it goes up a notch.

Day 19

·         Simplicity 2863 (Built by Wendy)

One thing I like about Me Made May is giving the garments in the back of your closet some love.  I almost always wear lower necklines so I have a tendency to fuss with this dress despite it otherwise being super comfy.  Which is probably why I rarely wear it out – today it pulled the inside cleaning shift after spending the morning deep cleaning my deck.

Day 20

·         Deer & Doe Datura

I knew I wouldn’t be able to wear this just once this month. It’s been warmer than expected this week so a sleeveless top is a must for looking presentable after hauling a dozen sewing machines in and out of the car twice and picking my parents (plus 3 large, heavy bags) up from the airport.

Day 21

·         Sewaholic Alma

This is my heavy lifting day of teaching – 13 sewing machines carried two by two up 2 sets of stairs and down the hall to a classroom – and according to my phone it was 79 degrees.  Even completely underlined, this Swiss dot blouse is still lightweight enough to help keep me cool and not sloppy looking by evening when this photo was taken.  Another warm weather top, I hate wearing it with a sweater or cardigan due to the collar.

 Day 22

·         Tilly & the Buttons Coco

I spent a good part of the day traveling from Seattle down to Berkeley for my cousin’s wedding reception so comfort was key.  Enter Tilly & the Button’s Coco dress made out of navy and white striped French terry.  I made this just before the trip and looking back at these photos I need to redo the hem – it’s drooping down a bit at the sides.

 Day 23

·         Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono Tee

·         Biscayne Orca Dress

Weather in Berkeley was much cooler than Seattle so I had to rethink my options, meaning the shorts had to stay in the suitcase.  This top ended coming out sooner and I spent most of the day with my jacket on so it didn’t really matter what I was wearing underneath.  Surprisingly late in the afternoon it warmed up enough while wandering through the Berkeley Botanical Gardens where the reception was taking place.  I’ll be doing a separate post on the dress but it’s my first design project at fashion school.  I was super excited to have it finished in time to wear to the reception, knowing I would be getting questions about what I’ve been up to.  It turned out to be perfect for dancing with the skirt being made for twirling shaking it.

Day 24

·         Grainline Hemlock Tee

I had been hesitating on Grainline’s Hemlock tee for a while due to the lack of sizing options, but after picking up this tissue weight jersey featuring a massive print I thought I would give it a try.  I’m so glad I did because the oversized shape didn’t break up the print too much and was super quick to put together.  The only thing I would change is the sleeve length, it’s at that awkward length where instead of being 3/4 length it looks like I ran out of fabric and cut them too short.  But that’s an easy fix.  Regardless it was comfy for a chilly post wedding picnic, hanging out with family and driving up to Sacramento.

Day 25

·         Megan Nielsen Briar

Bonus puppy photo – everyone’s favorite cute and furry accessory.  This was another travel day which also included picking up my parents’ new little puppy.  This is probably my favorite t-shirt due to the print so I knew it was going to make more than one appearance this month.  But back to the puppy: his name is Toohey, a mini Australian Shepard, total sweetheart and a wonderful little traveler.  He went through airport security like a champ and slept through the entire flight – including take-off and landing.  Expect to see more of him in future photos!

Day 26

·         Megan Nielsen Briar

Another puppy photo and another Briar.  At the last moment I threw this in my suitcase in case I decided to spend the night at my parent’s house and get in some more puppy time.  Naturally I decided that was necessary and spent the morning playing with the little guy before leaving to go teach.  Despite all the changes Toohey went through during the past 24 hours, he bounced back and seemed to enjoy getting to know his new family and home.  I will say I was surprised this was the first time in May I wore this shirt, the perils of being stuck in the dirty laundry pile…

Day 27

·         Deer & Doe Bleuet

This was my second Bleuet and I decided to stick with my love of pearl snaps.  Because why unbutton a shirt dress when you can rip it open and feel like the Hulk.  (With the added bonus of not having to sew any buttons on later to wear it again!)  This dress is super comfy to wear and makes it very quick to get dressed in the morning and still feel put together.

Day 28

·         Jamie Christina Mission Maxi Tank

·         Colette Madeline Mini Bloomers

I was feeling under the weather today so put the minimal amount into what I wore.  The main difference between my me made pjs and my “outfit” is the tank top.  Despite having made this over a year ago I still haven’t gotten around to properly hemming it.  Needless to say, it was the perfect thing to wear on a hot day when it seemed like effort just to move to the couch.

Day 29

·         Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono Tee

·         Sewaholic Thurlow shorts

This was the outfit I had planned to wear last weekend if only the weather had played along.  I love, love these shorts!  They’re a plaid seersucker that I wish I could wear ALL YEAR LONG.  I miss them during winter and really should make a couple more tops to wear with them.  Speaking of making more, I should whip up a few more pairs of shorts as well.  I struggled to get the trousers to fit right, but didn’t have many issues with making these.  I think the pattern is worth it just for the shorts.

 

Day 30

·         Sewaholic Renfrew

·         Jamie Christina Mission Maxi mini dress

This is one of my ideal warm weather outfits and I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this fabric.  Despite being stiff as all get out when it arrived, it has softened up in the wash and is thick enough not to show what I’m wearing underneath.  The weather was a bit cooler than expected so I was glad for the matching tee.  Regardless even in a dress I got plenty of puppy play in.

Day 31

·         Deer & Doe Plantain

Woo-hoo! Last time taking a daily photo!  Rather than go out with a bang with a fun sundress I decided to go dog friendly as I had a puppy and two big dogs to play with.  I really need to make a couple more Plantains in rayon knits as they’re so easy to wear.

 

Once again I enjoyed a successful Me Made May.  I didn’t have too many problems figuring out what to wear, although I do need some more separates.  This is basically the same conclusion I came to last year but made minimal progress on – although now it’s more necessary with my more physical job.  I had hoped to make a pair of shorts and jeans but life got busy and that didn’t happen.  Plus my parents’ new puppy, Toohey, was an adorable fluffy distraction towards the end of the month.  But I can’t complain or blame the little guy, not much beats a puppy when deciding how to spend free time and the look on his face while bounding over to me when I come to visit tells me I made the right decision.  That said those shorts will get made!  The jeans may have to wait until it gets closer to fall.  I do want to make some more tops for the summer and maybe a few dresses as well.  Although I do have a school fashion show coming up in September and need that to be my main focus.

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 Week 5 & Wrap Up

Whew!  Another Me-Made-May is over and done with.  I hope everyone had as enjoyable a month as I have.  Seattle had some great weather which allowed me to wear more of my summer clothes which I definitely prefer in both my me-mades and RTW.  First up is my final week of outfits.

 Day 26

Sewaholic Crescent

It’s Memorial Day and I was feeling patriotic so my seersucker Crescent seemed appropriate.  It was a little too warm for my red ¾ sleeved Renfrew so I went with an old red tee I’ve had forever.  As a bonus it was a lot easier to tuck in and show off the shaped waist of the skirt.

Day 27

Sewaholic Alma

Last summer on the Anthropologie website I saw a yellow top paired with jean shorts & a floral statement necklace.  It immediately reminded me of my yellow eyelet Alma and this similar necklace I really liked but didn’t wear too often.  This is also the top that started me wearing yellow again.  (I was so glad I took this picture in front of this rhododendron bush because just a few days later about half the flowers had fallen off)

Day 28

Sewaholic Renfrew

Today was another cool day that caused me to dip into my cold weather wardrobe.  Despite really liking this top I hope this will be the last time I wear it until fall.  This is one of those fabrics that made me ignore fiber content – I loved the navy & green wide stripes with silver threads separating them so much that I ignored that it’s 98% poly.

Day 29

Deer & Doe Chardon

I normally don’t wear a lot of black and sew even less but I really like this skirt.  I think it’s because despite being a black chambray, the white cross-threads makes it appear grey.  I have a couple of Andi Satterlund’s cropped sweaters planned that will be perfect to pair with this skirt come fall.  Assuming of course, that they’re done in time!

Day 30

Deer & Doe Sureau

This was one of those makes that after wearing it I immediately wanted to wear it again.  Always a good sign for my closet, but not so great for my pledge this year.  I managed to restrain myself until today and see this getting a lot of wear this summer.

Day 31

Sewaholic Renfrew & Jamie Christina Mission Maxi

Finally the weather warmed up enough to wear my latest dress!  In my mind a bright orange print requires lots of sunshine and high temperatures, or at least Seattle high, to be worn.  But when headed off to class in the morning I wasn’t sure how the day would turn out so I threw a Renfrew over it.  Briefly during the afternoon the dress was perfect on its own but I was glad to have the tee for most of the day.

Overall I’d call Me-Made-May 2014 a success.  In fact during the first few days of June I automatically went for me mades while getting dressed.  Sure, I had to check photos a couple times to check I didn’t wear the exact same thing twice but there were also some past favorites that didn’t get to come out and play.  Sometimes it just comes down to what’s newest and shiniest.  As for my hope to finish a couple pairs of jeans… that’s what Jeans June & July is for.  I did get work done on my Jamie’s but got ahead of myself and topstitched when I should have basted to check for fit. I debated including a photo but I fear there’s too much excess fabric in the crotch for the internet.

Separates & Jeans

Last year I felt I needed more non-Renfrew tops and I think over the last year I improved that.  I would like to continue in this direction.  That said when wearing separates they were usually paired with RTW.  Despite being pretty satisfied with my RTW jeans, I want to make finish some of my own.  Some of the pairs I have are pretty old and those styles stopped being made years ago. During my last duplication class at school I copied a pair but I’m not sure if I’ll get around to making/finishing three pairs in June and July!

 

Deer & Doe & Indies

Last year I wore lots of Sewaholic so it made sense that those were the patterns I wore most this year - 13 times.  The #2 pattern company did surprise me as I only tried a Deer & Doe pattern last fall and yet wore one 10 times this month.  Clearly I’ve found another favorite!  In general I seem to wear more indie patterns than the Big 4, partially because I find those are the patterns I tend to make (or plan to make) multiples of.  I guess it’s my way of justifying the higher cost compared to the 99¢ sales at the big box stores. 

In general I’m happy to see that I wear a high percentage of what I make which when it all boils down spells out success.  I didn’t include any me-made PJs this year because they’d be my most worn garments and would totally skew any results.  It’s been a long time since I’ve bought any RTW and haven’t felt like I’m missing out.  (The only exception was my much loved Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Championship locker room tee.  Not exactly something I could make on my own or as a proud member of the 12^th Man miss out on!)  That’s not to say I don’t wear RTW anymore, I just have really high standards and often run in to problems with things fitting correctly.  All reasons why I started sewing my own clothes in the first place!  I hope everyone achieved their goals for the month and got tons of inspiration for future makes, I know I did!

 

Me Made May Week 4

Wow!  I can't believe the month is almost over and we’re heading into the home stretch!  I have yet to feel the stress of figuring out what to wear that’s new and somewhat exciting.  In fact I’ve still got a few new makes I’m hoping to bust out for the first time this month.  Here’s what I’ve been wearing this week.

Day 19

Deer & Doe Bleuet

My two favorite things about this dress are all the topstitching and being able to rip it off thanks to the pearl snaps.  This is also the make that introduced me to the awesomeness that is Deer & Doe.  A denim dress is a great basic and because it’s lightweight denim it can be worn year round.

Day 20

Simplicity 2863 (Built by Wendy)

Looking back this is the exact same outfit I wore last year on MMM13 Day 19!  And being completely honest I’m not sure how many (or how few) times I wore this dress in between but it was most likely exactly like this.  I firmly believe that when you can wear polka dot shoes, then you find an outfit that goes with polka dot shoes.

Day 21

Sewaholic Pendrell

Looks like Friday’s polka dot parade has started early between yesterday’s shoes and today’s Pendrell.  If only this top wasn’t polyester but at the time I made it my area seemed to be going through a natural fibers polka dot drought.  Luckily that has since ended.  Every time I wear this I wonder why I don’t war it more and then remember about the poly.  I really should get around to making another in a fabric I actually like wearing.

Day 22

Jamie Christina Mission Maxi Tank

I made this tank to test out the fit of Jamie Christina’s Mission Maxi pattern.  Feeling lazy, I didn’t hem it although I did serge the bottom edge.  Sometimes taking out that twin needle seems like so much effort.  It’s wicking fabric so I can see wearing this on runs.  Everything seemed good so during the evening I whipped up a dress version.  And yes, I did properly hem the dress.

Day 23

Megan Nielsen Tania culottes

It’s polka dot parade day!  Naturally my Tania culottes were the obvious choice although I went back and forth on what to wear with them.  The weather was iffy on temperature so I tried them with tights and discovered that I’ll be able to rock these babies into the fall!  But I decided to be optimistic and went with lilac & hot pink cowboy boots.  Like you do.  And I figured this slightly cropped t-shirt would be the perfect length for the Tanias.

Day 24

Sewaholic Renfrew

The easy way to make jeans and a t-shirt into a proper “outfit” is to add matching shoes.  This was the perfect outfit to wear while running a few errands and wondering if it was going to rain.

Day 25

Deer & Doe Datura

Clearly this is the weekend of purple.  While very similar to how I styled this Datura earlier in the month, my jeans and flats are different

As for the hope of working on pants this month… they’ve been put on the back burner.  As the days get longer I tend to wear dresses more so they’ve been at the front of my mind.  That and polka dots.  Add the fact that I feel the RTW jeans I have fit pretty well, even if some of them are getting kinda old.  I actually spent Sunday working on Named Jamie jeans but they need more work to get rid of some majorly unsightly excess fabric.  And more topstitching thread.

A Rainbow of Renfrews

Or an Ode to Renfrew

Stripes work great with this pattern

Like many people out there I’m a bit obsessed with Sewaholic’s Renfrew pattern.  It’s your basic knit t-shirt with neck and sleeve options. Whenever I feel in a bit of a rut or want a quick fix I make a Renfrew.  They’re really that easy and satisfying.  This is my latest version.

Check out that side seam!

Let's just take a moment to appreciate my stripe matching on the side.  I carefully cut out everything in a single layer and used my walking foot.  For the bands I followed the stripe width more than the pattern piece and made sure the design would continue uninterrupted.  Instead of a 5/8" seam allowance I used a stripe which made it easy to pin and baste before serging it for good.

 Then I made this discovery:

Gillian of Crafting a Rainbow would be so proud

Yep, almost a complete rainbow.  All I’m missing is orange which I’m ok with because it’s not necessarily the best color on me and I haven’t found any orange knits out there that weren’t Halloween themed.

Why must tiny stripes photograph so poorly?

This is one of my favorites.  Turquoise is one of my all-time favorite colors so I was thrilled to find this striped rayon/spandex jersey at my local Pacific Fabrics.  So much so I ended up going back to buy more.  I successfully suppressed my sewing OCD with stripe matching and threw caution to the wind.  When dealing with 1/8” stripes it’s better not to try and match everything up.  I did pay attention to the neckband since I figured this would be the most obvious miss.

 

Getting over my aversion of yellow

I used to never wear yellow and yet this is probably my other favorite version.  I made it in the spring but have worn it a lot during fall because of the long sleeves.

Short sleeves are perfect for layering

This pattern is a great introduction for anyone wanting to learn to sew with knits or use their serger/overlocker.  The instructions tell you how to sew it using a sewing machine however you can also construct it almost entirely on a serger with the exception of some topstitching.  I prefer to sew the neck/arm/hem band seams on the machine for less bulk before using the serger to attach them.

After washing, those neckbands lay so much flatter

Looking at my still growing collection I realized just how much I love a v neck -  most of my Renfrews have one.  Like to the point where I had to make a conscious effort to make a few scoop necks.  My hot pink one totally was supposed to be a scoop neck too.

3/4 Sleeves

 

Long sleeves

With the cold weather here to stay I might need to make a few more with 3/4 or long sleeves.  I've never been a fan of turtlenecks (I spend half the day fussing with them) so I love the looser cowl neck option.  I have fabric for about 3 that fit in this category.

 

The best thing is that with most knits coming in 60” widths it doesn’t take up much fabric.  I can get a short or ¾ sleeve version and v or round neckline out of a single yard of solid knit.  I got both the green cowl neck and yellow long sleeved out of 1.25 yards and managed to stay on grain for both.  With the Lilac version I tried to eek it out of ¾ yard but at the store it was cut way off grain. I ended up piecing the neckband in the back, left off the armbands and used a twin needle to hem them instead.  Keep in mind with solids there’s nothing to match and I was cutting a size 0 but playing around with the cutting layout can do wonders.
 

My top 4 most worn

In general the Renfrew fits as is and I only shortened the long sleeves a bit.  Recently I started taking 2" of length off the body and I like a the fit a bit better - I'm short and the original length was a bit long.  

Makes a cute dress too

Hack it off at your waist and add a simple gathered knit panel and you instantly have a flirty dress.  Just make sure you determine how long you want the bodice to be before cutting and hemming your skirt or you'll end up with a mini dress like me.  Simply adding the skirt panels in place of the hem band just ends up with an awkward looking dropped waist dress.

Or add length to the bottom (I added 3.5") and you've got a tunic to wear with your leggings.  Made out of ponte it makes a cozy, classy winter outfit with the feel of PJs.

Yes, I might have a Renfrew addiction

If you haven’t tried out the Renfrew yet, I and the majority of the online sewing community highly recommend it.  It’s a great basic that has filled a lot of holes in my wardrobe.  In the past few years I've started to think I need more plain "grownup" tees  to replace my college collection of printed novelty tees. I frequently use it as a palette cleanser between more involved projects or when I can't sleep at night.  Yes, I've gotten out of bed in the middle of the night and whipped up a Renfrew.  (I try to keep one laying around that's already cut out exactly for this reason.) I still have other versions on my never ending to do list with some more alterations planned.  Next year I plan on trying out some of Maria Denmark's patterns (they're just at the taped together stage) but I know I'll come back to my precious Renfrew.