Chambray Miette

This is my second Miette by Tilly and the Buttons.  It is a simple wrap skirt that is great for beginners. If I remember correctly, the first version was my first PDF pattern.  I upcycled the first one out of a green recycled tablecloth.  Green in two ways--color, and it was made with recycled bottles. I wore it during the fourth week of Me Made May, but in general I don't wear it very often because it is so distinctive.  One great thing is that it doesn't matter when i spill on it!

Patio Chair Cushions

Word of my sewing abilities has started to spread around my office.  It's not rare for a coworker to ask if I've made something I'm wearing.  I enjoy talking about sewing, so it's nice that people notice.  It's even nicer when they ask if I've made one of my favorite RTW pieces. I've also started to receive a different sort of attention for my sewing. 

Blue Belcarra Blouse

Me Made May helped me realize that I need some more versatile shirts in my wardrobe.  Shirts that are appropriate to wear to work now, but will also be appropriate to wear to grad school in the fall.  I think this fits the bill. It is the latest pattern from Sewaholic Patterns, the Belcarra Blouse.  It's a loose fitting shirt, with just enough shape. 

Banana Republic Look-Alike Shorts

One of my goals during Me Made May was to not buy any RTW clothes.  I was successful in this endeavor, but that didn't stop me from window shopping a few times. The photo below was taken outside of Banana Republic. 

When I saw these shorts in the window, I couldn't believe how much they looked like the pair of pink shorts with white circles I had just finished making using McCall's 6930. Here's the front view. They have the same front pockets, but no front fly.

Instead, they close in the back with a zipper and and overlapping waistband with, in this case, snaps. The patterned called for a bar and hook, but I didn't have one on hand. There are two patch pockets on the back of the shorts.  If you look close enough, you can see them. 

I'm pretty proud of some of the details on these shorts, like the front slash pockets.  I made this pair with a remnant of quilting cotton from the clearance rack.  Unfortunately, this means that they are also see-through and not wearable.  Hence, no pics of me wearing them. 

After using these as a muslin, the shorts fit reasonably well.  I'm not sure if I'll make another pair, though.  The design with a rear zipper is pretty bizarre.  I've never seen a RTW pair like this.  

It was a great learning experience, though.  These are my first pair of pants/shorts without an elastic waist (cough, pajama pants, cough). They came together quickly, and were finished in one weekend sewing day. 

Abstract

Pattern: McCall's 6930

Fabric: Quilting cotton from Joann's remnant bin

Cost: <1 yard of fabric @ $3/yard = $2 + zipper and interfacing from stash =  $2 ($3.40 if you count the cost of the pattern)

Time: Approximately 4 hours

Summer Baby

A few months ago,  I was able to go fabric shopping with my boyfriend's mom.  It's so much fun going fabric shopping with other people.  At that time I bought the fabric that made the failed dress shown here (it ended up being far too big and I haven't finished it).  She, on the other hand, picked out some adorable fabric to make some spring/summer clothes for her 18 month-old grand-daughter.

Some things came up and she wasn't able to finish the clothes; so, she handed the pieces off to me to finish up.  I couldn't have been happier with this task. When I got the pieces, the fabric had been cut out for a top, pants, and a dress.  There was an additional piece of fabric as well, which I turned into another dress.

I finished up the items in a few evenings after work.  Baby clothes are so gratifying to make because they are so quick, and adorable.  It can be tricky to work around such little curves (armholes are so small!), so I tried out a few different techniques to get the finishes as clean as possible.   On the purple dress I used bias tape to finish the neckline and arm openings.  On the blue top I used a tiny hem around the openings.  On the green dress I lined the bodice so there were no edges to finish.  I also played around with french seams on the skirt panels for some of the pieces. 

Despite being made out of different fabrics from different patterns, all three pieces have the same blue buttons.  Does this make them a "collection"!?

Babies grow fast, and Emilie is no exception.  Hopefully these dresses will fit by the time they arrive for her!

Abstract

Pattern: NewLook 0156 and Butterick 5017

Fabric: Floral seersucker, green polka dot quilting cotton, purple shirting, all from Joann's

Cost:unknown

Time: Approximately 8 hours

Me Made May 2014: The End

Happy June! Me Made May is officially over. I managed to wear a me-made item every day this month.  Here are the pics from the final week.

Monday, May 26: Memorial Day visit to Fort Washington

Shirt: Banana Republic
Skirt: NewLook 0116 (pre-blog)
Shoes: Keds

Tuesday, May 27: Work

Shirt: Sewaholic Belcarra (to be blogged soon!)
Pants: Target
Belt: Target

Wednesday, May 28: Work

Shirt: McCall's6604 (pre-blog)
Cardigan: JCrew
Skirt: The Limited

Thursday, May 29: Work

Dress: Sewaholic Cambie

Friday, May 30: Work

Sweater: Gap
Cardigan: Old Navy
Skirt: Blue Simplicity 2226 (pre-blog)

Saturday, May 31: BBQ

Shirt: Floral teal Plantain by Doe and Deer
Shorts: Banana Republic

I made it through the entire month without repeating an entire outfit.  Towards the end, this was a very conscious effort, but it made for some creative outfits that I wouldn't have come up with otherwise.

My most worn item this month was my blue striped plantain by Doe and Deer, worn four times.  Three other items were worn three times: my floral teal Plantain by Doe and Deer, my black and white cowl neck shirt, and my pink skirt. Interestingly, these most-worn items include most of the me-made shirts in my wardrobe.  Speaking of patterns...

This month I wore me-made shirts more often than skirts or dresses.  I never would have predicted that, as I have far more dresses and skirts in my me-made arsenal.

I wore about 55% woven me-mades this make, and 45% knits.  Seeing how frequently I wear them, I should probably make more knit garments, as they currently make up a pretty small amount of my makes.

Another revelation was how many patterns I wear.  84% of the me-made items I wore this month were patterned.  Since I still wear a considerable amount of RTW clothes, this isn't an issue.  If I wanted to wear a completely me-made wardrobe, though, I'd need to switch this balance.

I'll leave you with my favorite outfit of the month, as chosen by me and popular vote on Instagram.