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.

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!