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.

Touchdown leggings

All ready to watch the big game

All over the Internet people have been making leggings and offering up their discoveries to furthering the science of sewing.  Here’s my contribution about Kwik-Sew K3455 and McCall’s M6173.

Just imagine I'm wearing leggings

I experimented with OOP Kwik-Sew K3455 first which includes both leggings and a cute top with a wraparound contrast.  I made the top out of navy and teal “active wicking jersey mesh” and the leggings out of a black, high performance knit.  The leggings pattern included a crotch gusset – basically a tiny square that gets sewn between the legs.  In theory this sounds like a great idea and for some it must work out well.

 

I am not one of those people.

 

Let’s just say the only thing worse than camel toe is faux toe.  I’m fairly petite and it’s not unusual to have some extra fabric down there making perfectly nice pants/swimsuits/newly sewn leggings look horrible.  This is disappointing since otherwise they seemed to fit pretty well.  I couldn’t even bother to add elastic to the waist.  They might be salvageable if I rip out all the seams and try sewing them back up without the gusset.  However black on black serged seams?  I’ve found better ways of spending my time.

Wraparound contrast

Understandably there is no photographic evidence of the leggings, hence the photos of the top.  I really like how the contrast wraps around to the back.  I imagine when the weather warms up some it’ll be nice for running in.

The rear view is very important!

Next up was McCall’s M6173 and I have made a total of three pairs now.  I prefer my leggings to sit below my waist so I petited the pattern at the line above the crotch.  I kept the length as is so I could try them on before deciding how much length I needed.

 

Not too low rise

Pair #1 was made out of the same navy jersey mesh as the above top.  I used 1 ¼” sportswear elastic and attached it by serging it as a band to the leggings before flipping it to the inside and finishing it with my twin needle.  I finished the leg hems by twin needle as well.  By comparison to my previous failure this pair fitted great.  Maybe a teeny bit extra fabric but nothing noticeable unless you’re staring at my crotch.  And those who sew are far too polite to do that for anything beyond purely construction and fit curiosity!  These will probably end up used as house pants the most.

 

No faux toe this time!

This lead to me immediately cutting out Pairs #2 and #3.  #2 is made out of purple jegging material from Jo-Ann’s and is a nice firm and warm knit.  This time around I shaved off just under ½” from the inner thigh and that seemed to do the trick.  I attached the elastic the same way but probably should’ve used more narrow elastic instead.  These tend to ride a bit low – not to the point of looking scandalous, just enough to feel so. 

 

How low will I go?

If there’s one thing I learned during the extreme low rise jeans heyday is that I could never pass as a plumber.  Good news is no matter how low I dared to go (and living in Miami “too low” really didn’t exist) I could always bend over like a lady.  Still, I don’t see much reason to tempt fate in that regard.  I will probably go back and fix the waist on this pair.

 

Neutrals galore!

My most recent pair is made out of camel colored ponte.  Keeping in mind that third time’s the charm I remembered to both shave off that extra bit of fabric and used ¾” elastic on the waistband.  I don’t wear camel often (I prefer more color) but always thought it a nice basic to have in my closet.

From the "Two Broke Girls" wardrobe dept

Of course when worn with my latest Renfrew I’m a string of pearls and heels from being Caroline from “Two Broke Girls.”  When it comes to TV characters I think she has the most restrictive wardrobe when it comes to color – just white, cream and camel.  But there’s nothing more comfy than wearing head to toe ponte.  It’s like wearing PJ’s out in the world minus the strange looks.  Never mind my Dad’s comment that it looked like I wasn’t wearing pants.  I’m much paler than camel, especially during the winter.

 

I have plans for at least one more pair in navy ponte.  This time I will adjust the pattern piece to allow for a bit of extra fabric in back.  I do prefer the 1 ¼” sportswear elastic but will need that extra bit to accommodate.

Sewing Touchdown!

This fall/winter I've probably worn this outfit the most - jeans or navy leggings, navy Renfrew and Twelfth Man jersey.  I'm a huge football fan and love that I can wear some Me-Mades while cheering them on to the NFC West Championship and #1 seeding.

 

Overall I deem my experiment a success.  I’m glad I found a nice, basic leggings pattern that fits.  Beforehand I seemed to only see so-so reviews for the McCall’s but just because something doesn’t work for other people doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.  Now I just need more tunic length tops to wear with them.

 

Go Hawks!