Me Made May 2014: Week 1 Recap

Woo-hoo! I did it! Sure, it was technically only three days but I totally made it through the first week of Me Made May successfully. There was celebration wine.

Anna Dress, City Girl Top, Hemlock Tee

And now, since I'm someone who tends to think about blogging the details of her sewing adventures instead of actually doing so, here are the pertinent details on Week 1's wears, or "unblogged" items, as the kids say.

Day 1 - By Hand London Anna Dress: Polka-dot rayon challis, slash neckline, knee-length (though you'll have to take my word on that one thanks to my headless torso-selfie... my torsie?), and successful invisible zipper insertion on the first try--huzzah! But I flubbed the facing/zipper technique. While it works just fine, I'm acutely aware that I did it wrong. Handmade charm, though, amIright?

Day 2 - See Kate Sew City Girl Top: A lightweight, semi-sheer linen sweater knit with half-sleeve option. (Once again, you'll have to trust me and my torsie.) The pattern suggests a sturdier, stable knit, but I really wanted something soft and drapey. I left the arms and hem unfinished, and I love it.

High on the success of that one--hello, speedy sewing!--I dove into another City Girl Top in an even looser sweater knit. It was, in a word, soterriblewhatwasIthinking. My mistake, though, not the pattern, and I've got another one planned, which you may or may not see here in one of these recaps at some point in the near or distant future

Day 3 - Grainline Studio Hemlock Tee: I think this a poly-blend tissue knit, but I stitched it up so long ago that I honestly don't remember. The shirt and pattern are cute enough (plus, the pattern's FREE!), but the fabric feels strangely stiff. This was actually the first time I'd worn this shirt, grabbing it from the sleep-shirt drawer in the spirit of Me Made May, and I have to say that it kind of grew on me over the course of the day. Maybe I'll bump it up into the workout-shirt drawer. Ha! Like I work out! Good one, Hemlock Tee.

There: I sewed, I wore, I recapped. Hurray for Me Made May! Maybe I'll see you next week.

Me Made May 2014

My parents gifted me my first sewing machine in high school--or was it middle school?--and I immediately set to work making Very Important Things like boxer shorts, constructed with cockeyed plaid, to be layered with my ill-fitting biker shorts in gym class.

On a slightly related note, the class behind us only had to take one year of phys ed, while my class had to take two full years. Injustice! At least I still have the shorts.

Fast forward to me as a mom, several years removed from my crooked boxers and unevenly hemmed dresses. I found myself wanting to sew for my little one, rusty though I was, so I gathered some supplies and tentatively refreshed myself on the ins and outs of sewing. Good news: It's like riding a bike with needles and thread and dangerously sharp scissors. Even better: There's an incredibly vibrant online sewing community to serve as inspiration and a never-ending resource for help and motivation.

My kiddo is four now, and I still make plenty of things for her. (I mean, come on: Kids' clothes are cute!) In the past year or so, though, I've really stepped up my own me-made wardrobe, and I have no intention of stopping. There are a number of reasons to be invested in the process of making your own clothes, but for now let's just go with this: It's fun!

Me Made May 2014: I think I can?

So, without further ado: I, Meagan of howikopp.blogspot.com, sign up (one day late!) as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavor to wear at least four me-made items each week for the duration of May 2014.

Thanks, online sewing world, for making me want to play along!