Sunday 31 May 2015

Me Made May - Days 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31

I am not going to miss the daily photo session, but it is nice to wear some things I haven't worn in a while.  Below is a Coco that I actually had to make twice.  Originally it was not colour-blocked, but the fabric shrunk quote dramatically, so I took it apart and added a black yoke.  The skirt was made a couple of years ago from a charity shop find and I must have lost weight since I made it as it now site on my hips.


I do love this fabric, walking dogs, it is one of the few items my boss asked me if I made.


Wewent up to Scarborough on the 20th to see Fluffrick's Mum.  I'm wearing my jeans, my navy stripe Coco and my new colour blocked (from remnants) Jenna cardigan.  I need to tweek the fit of the cardigan, as it is too big at my hips and I would be happier if the sholder was a little higher, but a very wearable muslin.


Here is Fluffrick with his lovely Mum, wearing his new Finlayson Jumper and his Jedediah Jeans.  I love me a good Thread Theory pattern.


One of my many Amy Butler Lotus tops, this was the first one I made from a refashioned shirt and a refashioned Boden Skirt.  Another charity shop find, that was several sizes too small, but also too long, which resulted in me separating the front and back, using the top two thirds of the front, the bottom two thirds of the back and re-attaching the two together.  Although it has my sewing fingerprints over the whole skirt, it doesn't quite feel me made.


My 70's denim skirt with my Gray All Day Sandpoint top.  This is the first time I have worn this top since I pattern tested, but I really don't think it's my style, so I don't know how much longer it will be taking up space in my wardrobe.


My Simmons dress again, it is a really comfortable dress, if it wasn't so black I would wear it more.  I have no idea what we're all looking at! 

My raspberry chambray New Look skirt, with my stripe Bronte t-shirt and a shrug I made about 20 years ago.  It was really cold today.


It finally go warn enough to wear my Tour de France skirt, paired with a new Amy Butler Lotus top.  I think I could maybe do with shortening the top just a little, but it is nice to have a plain top to pair with things.


My jeans again, this time with a Mimi blouse.  I made this last September and this is the first time I have worn it and I just don't like it as much as I feel I should.  It's a lovely fabric, a good fit, but It just doesn't feel me.  Maybe it will grow on me?


My new Onyx top with my other denim skirt.  The onyx top does not come with a button band, not raglan sleeves, these as just quirks of this iteration as I was using a mans shirt as my fabric.  More versions of theis top are in my future, made in a fabri though that doesn't make it look like scrubs.


You may not see why, but this is one of my favourite dresses and one I have actually blogged about, maybe it could have used an iron. 


And finally the 31st.  My jeans again (this month has just been too damn cold) here with a top I copied from a favourite White Stuff top.  I had a hell of a job finding a light enough material, this is actually the lining from a Per Una skirt that is awaiting refashioning.

And why do I have this face... 


... because I am about to get a Hagrid Hug.


A couple of days as missing here.  I worn the same outfit on the 19th and 29th.  And there is no photo for the 25th and I can't remember what I wore.

So another me made may done and dusted, I can't help but think this would have been easier if I had already blogged about the things I had made. 


Tuesday 19 May 2015

Me Made May - Days 8, 9, 10, 11,12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18

I'm going to be brief and to the point today, as I have over a week's clothes to catch up on.
Here is my purple plantain t-shirt again, teamed with one of the 11 versions of Newlook 6106. 
This iteration didn't get an outing last September in One Week One Pattern, as it was too warm (not so much this day).  I refashioned it from a charity shop find that said dry clean only, which I have very much ignored, to no ill effects.


This is a t-shirt I made a couple of years ago, by refashioning 2 t-shirts.  I think the pattern is now out of print.  Originally it had more of a cowl neck, but just recently I reduced the cowl and I like it a whole lot more now.  I'm wearing it with my lovely jeans.


My first Bronte t-shirt, which is nice in person but looks rather blah in these pictures.  I made it by refashioning an large striped grey man's t-shirt.  This is such a quick t-shirt to make, I made it as a last minute sew to take on holiday last year and sewed it together in one evening.  It's teamed with a Raspberry Chambray Newlook 6106.


 Here is my entry for the Simplicity Star Sewist, which I detailed here, teamed with my denim skirt and a lovely puppy.


My lucky dress, I wore it went I went for the interview for my current job last year.  It's New Look 6069,now out of print.  I am insanely proud of my pattern matching on this dress.  
Note to self - stand up straight when you are having your photo taken.

One of my many Amy Butler "Lotus" tops, this one refashioned from a man's shirt (that way you can cheat and use the buttons and buttonholes that are already there).  The colour hasn't come out well in these photos, it is a little more subtle in person.  It is paired with Simplicity 2061 trousers, that I made last week using some linen/cotton fabric that has been in my stash for years.  They are so comfortable it is like wearing PJs.

Another "Bronte", again refashioned from a charity shop find (it always helps to look in the plus size section, more fabric for your money) and teamed with a remnant skirt, squeezed out of fabric I had left over from making the trousers that appear on day 18. Yes, I am shivering in this picture, it was bloody cold!!!


My first Coco (subsequently altered as it was far to loose) and my first attempt at jeans, now wearable since I replaced the recycled zip.  This is not the best photo of the outfit, but it does show that we do in fact have two dogs.  Bonnie rarely stays still long enough to have her picture taken.


Repeats today, my Turquoise plantain and my 70's demin skirt, it's madness to still have to be wearing my winter tights in the middle of May.


My stripey brown Coco, the only one that isn't colour blocked in some way.  But I didn't completely stay true to the pattern, as the sleeves are only elbow length with a little cuff with the stripe going on the oposite direction.  Teamed with my hoody and the Simplicity 2061 trousers of comfort.


And finally, another refashioned Coco, this time navy and white and my grey linen/cotton trousers, made using the same pattern as I used for my jeans.  They did look much better when I put them on a 7am, but they are linen after all.  The denim jacket is RTW, bought at least ten years ago.


Wednesday 13 May 2015

Simplicity Star Sewist - A Boden Inspired 1364



The best laid plans...the garment I have made, is not the one I had planned.  My plans were to use some lovely stretch purple cotton I have had in my stash for ages and use the pattern (Simplicity 1364) to make a shift dress, rather than a top, with funky pockets and a 60's vibe.  But that isn't what we have here.

Just after this lovely complimentary pattern landed on my doormat, so did a Boden catalogue and the Ursula Top jumped out a me.  
 Then a lucky find of some beautiful vintage fabric at the British Heart Foundation shop in Chesterfield, turned my plans on their head.The simple lines of the vintage pattern and the easy style of the Ursula Top, just seem the perfect combination to me.

The construction was relatively stress-free.  I simplified the construction slightly by setting the sleeve on the flat, before sewing the side seams.  I did my usual pattern adjustment, by adding an inch to the length and droping the bust drats a little.  I ended up adding side vents, as it was a little snug around my hips, which I found surprising as I am decidedly not pear-shaped.

So the top was all finished and the facing slip stiched at the shoulders and tried it on...and oh no.  The neck line was just too high.  It looked nice, but was not going to be comfortable to wear.  So the slip stitches we unpicked and the understitching of the front half of the facing undone  and I droped the front neckline by an inch at the front, tapering up to the shoulders.  The result of this, was a very narrow facing (about half the normal width) at the front, so to make sure the facing didn't pop out I did a row of topstitching about 1cm from the edge.


And it met the ultimate test of wearability, it's good for walking the dogs.  

The purple dress it still on my list of plans and I'm sure some other tops from this pattern.


Tuesday 12 May 2015

Me Made May - Days 5, 6 and 7

The weather is still reeking havoc with my Me Made May plans.  It can be sunny in the morning, raining by lunchtime and perrising in the afternoon.  This is an everyday problem, but it has been excentuated by a lack of me made layers, this is certainly something that needs rectifying.  Anyway, that's enough complaining, on to the outfits and the doggy photo-bombing.

I made this dress on holiday in February (doesn't everyone take their sewing machine on holiday with them?).  Again it was for a challenge from The Monthly Stitch, but never posted.  This is the same Coco - Plantain pattern mash up that I used for my Simmons dress, but this the collar omitted and contrast neck and cuffs applied.  The green body of the dress is a heavy polyester jersey, I don't have very many man made fibers in my wardrobe, I do prefer natural fibers, but I had been wearing this dress all day and no wrinkles.  I'm wearing this with my favourite boots, something of an inpulse buy when on holiday in Scotland.  These are the most expensive shoes I have ever bought (and they were in the sale), but as I have worn then more days then not, since I bought them, they are going to end up really good value for money.  It's a pity I can't make my own shoes, as I pretty much spent my annual shoe budget on these.


Here is the first appearance of my Bronte tops (I now have 3 and I'm sure I will make more).  This is such a quick pattern to sew and the binding at the neckline gives it a very prefessional looking finish.  It's hard to see the jersey fabric here, but it's a marl cream with two tone blue flowers, so I accented it with navy bindings.  I seldon pre-wash my fabric (I like to live dangerously) and I do think this has got a little shorter and a tad wider, but it's still very wearable.  I'm wearing my jeans again, I've now done a little research and the pattern I used was Knipmode May '07 10b, so it won't be that long now before that pattern is vintage.


I have made quite a few t-shirts this past year.  The outfit below is a refashioned Coco and another skirt made using Simplicity 9825, this time the A-line rather than straight version.  The pocket is from NewLook 6345 and definately gives the skirt a 70's look.  The pockets were cut on different grains, which probably only I notice, but I was using left over fabric from making Fluffrick a pair of jeans and didn't have a lot to work with.  The t-shirt was refashioned from a mans large purple t-shirt and a too small striped purple womens t-shirt.  


Using repurposed material does require some creative thinking at times.  None of the striped t-shirt I used was wide enough to cut the top bodice piece.  So I matched the stripes, made a faux placket and added some buttons to make it look like an intentional design feature, not a mattern of necessity.  If I'm using repurposed material, I do like to try and re-use the hems (especially with jersey)  so the sleeve of this t-shirt were cut from the original t-shirt bodice, reusing the original bottom hem.


I seem to be going on a bit, as you maybe can tell I haven't previously posted about these clothes and as I now have to go and pick Fluffrick up from work I'll leave it there for today.




Monday 4 May 2015

Me Made May - Days 2, 3 and 4

The weather decided not to cooperate with what I wanted to wear this weekend.  Yorkshire has been hosting the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire this weekend and I thought it a wonderful time to wear my Tour de France skirt, but a cotton summer skirt was not suitable for freezing cold and heavy rain, hopefully I will get a warmer day later  in the month when I can wear it.

So here are the more weather appropriate clothes I worn this weekend...


The Jeans I made early last year, using a pattern from Knipmode magazine that I bought in the Netherlands when we were on holiday there in 2008.  It's a stretch denim with quite a bit of lycra, so they are really comfortable.  One thing this picture does not show the mile of topstitching I did, they look like real Jeans.  The Hoody I must have made at least 15 year ago, I have no idea what the pattern was.  Up until about a month ago I rarely wore it, as it was baggy and buckled around the zip.  So I took in the side and sleeve seams by a couple of inchs, added some pockets (a must when you have dogs to walk), removed the zip, put a little interfacing down the front and re-inserted the zip.  Now I have worn it more times in the last month and I had in the preceding 15 years.


The T-shirt is made with Tilly and the Buttons Coco pattern, using some stripe fabric I had left over from making another Coco (hate to waste fabric) and half a metre of plain brown jersey.  I slimmed the pattern down at the hips, grading from size 5 down to between size 2 and 3.  I also added a cuff to lengthen the sleeves a little, I was working with very little fabric.


So on Sunday we went to see Avengers:Age of Ultron and as I'd already worn my Simmons Dress on Friday, this is my other Marvel appropriate outfit.  The skirt is made using the Be My Goth Sibylle pattern, which I pattern tested last year.  Parnuuna the designer was inspired my Loki when designing the skirt, I don't think the pattern is currently available, but hopefully will be at some point.  Here is a close up of the inset and pleat detail of the skirt.


The t-shirt I made on Saturday using Deer and Doe Plantain, with fabric I bought at the Yorkshire Spoolettes meet up in Dewsbury last month.  I knew I was going to need a plain purple t-shirt if I wanted to only wear me made clothes this month, I have a lot of purple skirts, doesn't everyone.


And then the sun came out.  I made the denim skirt last year, just after I'd made my jeans, in fact using the material I had left over.  I used Simplicity 9825, which is now out of print.  It's just a simple yoked skirt with a zip at the back, I changed the pattern to add pockets and put in a fly front and then went crazy with the topstitching.  This skirt has been worn a lot over the winter with my myriad of coloured tights.  


The T-shirt I made a couple of weeks ago, using Deer and Doe Plantain as the basis and refashioning a couple of t-shirt I bought at a charity shop.  The front and sleeves are from one t-shirt and the back and neck ribbing from another.  The neckline is a little wider than I would have liked, but that's what you get when using recycled materials.

We couldn't walk the dogs in there usual park this morning, as it was being used for a Highland Fling  so we took the walk to Meersbrook Park.  This park is no where near as big as Graves Park, but it does have a great vista of the city.  Maybe I could make my Me Made May photos more interesting by visiting different park in Sheffield?

Friday 1 May 2015

Me Made May '15 - Day One

 
So Me Made May is here once more and I am determined to actually document my participation this year, so that I actually feel like I am participating.  It will also be the first year I will be having my photo taken wearing my glasses, maybe I can hide behind them?
 
So here is the first offering...
 
The Simmons Dress
 
This is the Simmons Dress, which I made in December, for The Monthly Stitch challenge but never got around to posting (this will probably be a recurring theme in the coming month).  The fabric I actually bought especially for this project from Backstitch, because I didn't have anything suitable in my stash, they are both really stable Ponte Roma knits, which were a pleasure to sew up.  This is a picture of the inspiration garment... 

The inspiration garment
When this challenge cam up, I just had to pick Jemma Simmons as my inspiration because firstly I am a huge Joss Whedon fan and secondly the actress who plays Jemma is from Sheffield (when I live).  As we were taking these photos, Fluffrick commented that I should have saved this dress to wear on Sunday, as that is when we plan to go to Avengers: Age of Ultron.  I'll have to see If I have anything else Marvel appropriate.

The pattern is a mash up between Tilly and the Buttons Coco and Deer and Doe free t-shirt pattern Plantain.  The body is from Coco and the yoke and sleeves from Plantain, with the neckline raised several inches and the addition of a self drafted collar.  I am not quite sure about the length of the sleeves (I am my own worst critic), because I am cost conscious I only bought 1/2 metre of the spot fabric, so the sleeves are a tad short for my liking, but I can live with it.

This is only the second time I have worn this dress even though I really like it.  One of the main reasons for this is below...

Why I don't wear black
I don't expect to get through the day without being covered in cream fur.  I know it is a staple in many wardrobes but, I very rarely wear black, I would much rather wear colour.
 
So one day down, 30 more outfits to be worn and enjoyed.