Me Made May 2014: Week 4 Recap

You guys. Ugh.

I love wearing things I've made--I mean, come on, that's why I made this stuff in the first place--but I'm pretty much done with the part where I try to pose in a fashion that shows off the... well... fashions. My hands. Where do I put my hands?! On my hips apparently. That said, here's another week on the books!

Day 18 - Sewbon Running Belt: So I've been taking our very deserving dog on some longer walks lately, and while I enjoy the exercise and fresh air as much as he does, he's just not much of a conversationalist. Probably because he's too busy sniffing EVERY BLADE OF GRASS we pass. No matter, though. I've got my phone to keep me company with music, or even better, audio books. Look, I found time to read-ish! Anyway, add the phone to the poop bag (let's call a spade a spade here), hand wipes (again: poop), my keys, the leash, etc., and I found myself longing for -- gulp -- a fanny pack. The Internet met my plea with something so much better though, and from a sewing blogger I adore, no less! Have you seen the Running Belt tutorial from Sewbon? (Link above.) I'm as in love with something that has "running" in the title as I'm ever going to be*. I might go back in a stitch a couple of vertical lines to create a more defined pouch since I've found my stuff sort of slipping out of convenient reach in the belt's tube, but it's still awesome. Two thumbs up, which I totally have now that all of my items are safely tucked away in my Running Belt.

*The Running Man. I also love the Running Man.

Day 18, part 2 - Wiksten Tank: I've made at least half a dozen Wiksten Tanks, so it's pretty shocking that we're this far in without a sighting. I think it's because I've been so focused on trying to dress the Me-Made-May part that I haven't wanted to reach for my basics, opting instead for peacock feather dresses and elephant skirts.

But! I've got a few, they're perfect with jeans, and of course they layer under a cardigan effortlessly. If you sew you likely already knew that and probably have a closet full of them yourself. This one is a cotton gauze with no adjustments to the pattern. Score.

  

Day 19 - Made by Rae Ruby Top: I've already waxed poetic about Ruby this month, but what's a wordy-recap from me without the words to make it happen? For this one I used a shot cotton for the yoke and an Anna Maria Horner voile for the body. When I started sewing again after many years away, it was Rae's blog that introduced me to AMH voile. I don't know if it's a first love thing, but now I hold her fabrics as my gold standard. I loooove them. All voile, all for me, please.

Oh, and this top got a slight hemline alteration, using the Wiksten Tank as a guide.

Day 20 - Colette Patterns Moneta Dress: Another one I've covered, but this was actually my first version. I found the fabric on super sale at Joann, originally intended for a dress for my daughter. She got her dress, but I also made a swing back to the store for some dots of my own. I only wish that I'd taken the time to sew mine with as much care as I did hers. Thanks to my serged seams, I just don't feel like this one is going to hold up as well as its peacock couterpart. Oh well! I played with my double needle, and I'm sure to get my money's worth out of it thanks to the aforementioned discount on the cotton jersey. And of course I love the pattern.

Day 21 - Made by Rae Josephine Top: OK, as I glance back at my Me Made May gallery, I appear to be a bit of a Made by Rae fangirl, which just begs the question: Where's my Washi Dress? The answer is that it's awaiting a full bust adjustment on the pattern, and that it will come eventually, BUT IN THE MEANTIME(!) there's Rae's Josephine which comes with two cup size options. What?! Fan-damn-tastic. All the work was done for me, and I just had to focus on what fabric to use. This one is a lightweight chambray, and I've got voile and rayon versions in the queue. The pleats (pintucks?) are surprisingly easy to sew, but high impact. Huzzah!

Day 22 - Salme Patterns Gathered Top: So. This shirt. It seemed like a great idea at the time, which was well over a year ago, but after wearing it once and seeing the photos (Mother's Day last year... don't ask to see 'em), I decided that I'd be better off scrapping it and using the fabric to make something else entirely. But then Water Day at my kiddo's preschool rolled around, I was able to take the day off, and I wanted to wear something light and breezy. I figured a bunch of three and four-year-olds wouldn't be too critical so I dug it out. You know, it kind of grew on me. It may still end up with another life, but at least we had Water Day. What do you guys think?

Day 23 - Colette Patterns Mabel Skirt: Unlike my love at first sight with the Moneta, I was a little, "Meh," when I first saw the Mabel Skirt pattern. After seeing a few versions pop up online, though, I was suddenly convinced that my handmade life wouldn't be complete without a simple knit pencil skirt. This is another muslin (I need to tweak the waistband a bit), but it's so, so comfortable. My styling here could use a little nudge one way or the other (am I preppy? am I Bohemian?), but the ease of wearing this skirt trumps it all. I've got fabric ready to go for another, and if I can get over my "Does this make me look like Kelly Bundy?" feeling, I'll be all set!

Day 24 - Wiksten Tova Dress: Not only have I covered this pattern, but I covered this very version of this very dress. So instead, let's talk about my shoes. They're leopard print Dr. Scholl's classic sandals that I bought about 18 years ago. They may be my oldest shoes, and I think that they were my very first leopard print item. I'm fond of them and sentimental as can be, so imagine how pissed I was when they nearly came flying off of my feet thanks to TWO rogue screws that spontaneously gave up on me as I was walking through the grocery store. Of course I'll fix them (sentimental shoes and all), but man did they almost ruin my weekend mojo.


And that's it! One more week to go in this whole Me Made May thing. Whew. I've also got a little "Frozen" Elsa magic up my sleeve for those of you who are tired of seeing my mug, but would like to see my little blonde muse take a turn. (I'm looking at you, Mom and Mother-in-Law!)

Me Made May 2014: Week 3 Recap

The upside of Me Made May: Holy crap, the online sewing community is full of talented, supportive, inspiring ladies! (Gentlemen, are you out there? If so, who's your favorite indie designer? Colette Patterns? Megan Nielsen? Hmmm!?) Instagram, Flickr, blogs... I've gone down the rabbit hole, and I DON'T WANT TO COME OUT.

The downside of Me Made May: I suddenly expect the people in my "real life" to want to talk about French seams and voile and jersey versus interlock and full bust adjustments and bias binding. At length. And with sincere interest.

Check it out: A sewing recap in which I show my face!

Day 11 - Colette Patterns Moneta Dress: My first repeat of the month because it was Mother's Day and nothing says MOM! like a peacock feather dress, amIright? I already gave a little rundown on this one here, but to summarize: I love it. A lot. Oh, and Mother's Day was lovely. Perfect spring weather, time with my family, and my gifts included a bottle of wine that I had totally forgotten about until right now, but now plan to enjoy tonight. That's a win!

Day 12 - Made by Rae Ruby Dress: It's kind of surprising that I haven't worn one of my Rubies already this month since this is my third me-make with the pattern. This is my first dress version, though, so maybe it's more a matter of pants and my disinterest in wearing them this month? Yes. That's it: No pants in May! Unless you made them yourself, in which case, have at it.

Bonus Ruby: I also made a top for my own sweet mom. How cute is she? Hers is a linen blend/voile combo; mine is a cotton-tencel chambray/voile combo. (The latter three are from Hawthorne Threads, in case you're just itching to whip up one of your own.) In terms of construction, these are straight from Rae's pattern, finished with bias binding. Will anyone talk bias binding with me now? Anyone...?

Day 13 - Deer & Doe Plantain T-Shirt: I lurve Deer & Doe's Plantain. I've made this guy at least half a dozen times (again, once for my mom, although she's perfectly capable of whipping one up and likely will now that she sees how awesome it is), and I would have happily paid good money for the pattern. But it's free, and you should all download it if you haven't already, though I suspect that if you've managed to find your way here that you already know all about Deer & Doe, and that you could likely point me to many other super cool free patterns. In which case, do! Please! But I digress. This top is lovely, and it's the perfect mix of fitted and flattering without being lump-and-bump-highlighting clingy. Yes. 

Construction notes: I've tried this shirt in two sizes since I was right on the cusp, but I think I prefer the larger, looser of the two. Maybe it's my fondness for tunic styles and swing tops with skinny jeans, or maybe it's my fondness for cupcakes and extra room for lunch, but either way you can't go wrong. Oh, and I just realized that I actually wore a Plantain last week with my elephant mini, but didn't even mention it in the round-up. Oops! (That one had a slight high-low hem thing going on; this one is right off the pattern.)

In the photo at the top, my blonde mini-me is wearing another Made by Rae pattern, the Flashback Skinny-Tee, turned dress. I feel like I should say something about the fact that we match, but in my defense, that fabric from Heather Ross’ Briar Rose collection is just fantastic. We should all match! Plus, it was a strawberry picking field trip for her school, so come on. My husband is lucky I didn’t insist that he wear berries, too.

Day 14 - Colette Patterns Laurel Dress: Now this one was my first Laurel, and seeing it here, it's my favorite. Blame my years of working at the Gap in the late '90s, but I'm firmly of the belief that you can't go wrong with a denim dress. (Full disclosure: I'm also in love with perfectly folded stacks of clothes, and I mean PERFECTLY.) This dress is actually a denim-chambray, and thanks to my hefty hem (I added length, but changed my mind), it has a perfect built-in weight to keep it from creeping up my legs when I walk, which I do a lot of since my horse-drawn carriage is in the shop.

Construction notes: I dutifully cut out my size as dictated by the pattern, but I ended up going back in and sewing the side seams with a more generous 1-inch allowance. I also fiddled with the invisible zipper for a bit (it was a poor-quality zip and didn't want to have anything to do with the thicker fabric) before realizing that I didn't even need it. I added another 1-inch seam allowance in the back, and this baby can pull on and off without any contortions. I suspect it will be in heavy rotation this summer, with or without the necklace.  

Day 15 - Grainline Studio Scout Tee: Again, it's amazing that I made this far into May without a Scout sighting. I've made this shirt a number of times, with varying lengths and adjustment, but this one is from a rayon challis remnant I found at Joann Fabric, with a couple of extra inches added, and the swing back adjustment Jen describes here. My photographer had already gone to preschool for the day, so I was on my own for these pics, but just as well since this pattern is so thoroughly reviewed online. Anything I could say would be a repeat of a repeat of a repeat... Grainline Studio 4EVA. 

Day 16 - Wiksten Tova Dress: I was in love with the Wiksten Tank pattern the moment I saw it, but it took me a little while to come around on the Tova. As all too often happens, though, I stumbled across someone's version somewhere in my web surfing and decided that I not only loved the Tova, but that I had to make many, many of my own. This is my second take on the pattern (the first is an un-blogged three-quarter sleeve flannel shirt), and it's going to be a summer staple for sure. The fabric is the same cotton-tencel chambray that I used for the top of my Ruby Dress above, and though it might lean a tiny bit toward the sheer side, the weight will be lovely in the dead heat of a North Carolina July. Plus I can always wear a slip. Or interesting underwear.

Construction notes: The Tova directions are thorough, which is great, but the pattern is labeled Intermediate for a reason. During that yoke insertion, I actually felt my shoulders knotting up. I managed my plaid version in the fall just fine, and one side of the yoke for this dress went in without a hitch. But the other side. Oh, the other side! I think I stitched the same few inches three tedious times before it was in somewhat properly. Not a record, but with my thinner fabric, I got antsy each time I had to pull out my seam-ripper. We survived, though, and now I have an easy-to-wear dress. High five! The arm holes are finished with--you guessed it--bias binding. 

Day 17 - Sew Liberated Paloma Top: Another day, another Paloma. There's something to be said for nice fabric: It sews better, it wears better, it lasts longer. This is not nice fabric. But I wanted to work with stripes to show off the features of the top, so mission accomplished? One thing I didn't mention in my Paloma notes last week is Meg's use of Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 in the construction. SO COOL. I highly recommend picking some up before you dive in. It would obviously come in handy with your other knits-sewing, too, so add it to your toolbox. Or don't. That would just mean more for me.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And that does it for this week! The good news is that I'm almost out of items that I've made but haven't written about. The bad news is that that won't stop me.

Bias binding time?

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!