Me-Made-May 2015 final week

My second year of participating in Me-Made-May hosted by the lovely Zoe was so much easier because I had a wider range of me-made clothing to choose from.
I pledged to wear me-made clothing and accessories from Monday to Friday again as I am still finishing the renovation of my house and knew I would be wearing the same painted DIY clothes most weekends. Having said that I did manage to squeeze in a few me-made outfits on the odd weekend when popping out of the house.

Before I conclude my 'findings', this is what I wore for the final week of May.

Day 23

Top: American Apparel

Skirt: Marilla Walker Ilsley skirt - me-made 2015

Scarf: Marimekko

Jacket: Levis

Shoes: Vans

Day 24

Top: American Apparel

Skirt: Warhol Dolores Pocket skirt - me-made 2015

Shoes: Birkenstock

Day 26

Top: Gap

Dress: Simplicity 9620 - me-made 2014

Leggings: Abercrombie and Fitch

Shoes: Vans

Day 27

Dress: Blue vintage dress - me-mended 2014

Shoes: Vans

Day 28

Top: Uniqlo t-shirt (Jonathan Adler collaboration)

Skirt: Colette Ginger skirt - me-made 2013

Leggings: Warehouse

Necklace: Marimekko

Shoes: Paul Smith purple Dante brogues

Day 29

Dress: Dixie DIY Bonnell - me-made 2015

Day 30

Top: 1970's vintage

Skirt: Marilla Walker Ilsley skirt - me-made 2015

Shoes: Birkenstock

My colourful final Me-Made-May 2015 collage.

Observations

I don't think it needs spelling out but I will anyway; I love separates!

As you can see from the above collage I have a wide range of black and white OR solid colour separates interspersed with a generous sprinkling of colourful abstract prints.

Seven new makes

I managed to make lots of new items in April and May that broadened my selection of me-made choices this year; Liberty Simplicity 1634 top, self-drafted tree skirt, Colette Laurel top, Colette Spotty Sorbetto top, Liesl & Co Everyday skirt, Warhol Dolores Pocket skirt and Dixie DIY Bonnell dress.

Conclusions and challenges

I enjoyed it much more this year as I have been honing my me-made wardrobe since MMM 2014, but there is still work to be done. I mentioned in my concluding comments last year that I needed to make some trousers - looks like this will be something I need to address before next MMM! I would also like to bust more of my fabric stash, actually make some of the dresses from my embarrassingly extensive collection of patterns , make a button up shirt and maybe some shorts. 

Favourite thing

My favourite aspect of taking part in MMM is the sense of camaraderie and friendship from other sewing bloggers. I loved the daily scroll through the Flcker group and instagram photos as well as discovering some awesome new blogs to read.

I have now added the following amazing sewers to my ever-expanding blog roll:

• Kathrina from Frobelina
• This is Moonlight
• Jo Sews
• Just Sew Jenna
• Sew Amy Sew

I am already looking forward to Me-Made-May 2016 and I hope that I will have met some of my sewing ambitions during the rest of the year.

Pin-tuck Sorbetto

This is my third Colette Sorbetto top (first here and second here) and on this ocassion I decided to slightly deviate from the simple pleat at the front and add pin-tucks to the centre. I franken-patterned the Colette Sorbetto with the pin-tuck section of Tilly's Mathilde blouse.

I added a section of pin-tucking from Tilly's Mathilde blouse onto the centre fold of the Sorbetto

I wanted to make the top in a white cotton polka dot so I could wear it for work with a range of skirts and trousers. Here are the results.

Summery Sorbetto

I dug out my old faithful Bernina today because I fancied whipping up something simple and speedy. I decided on the Colette Sorbetto (free pattern) and focused on improving the fit and length of the top from the previous version (black and white stripy Sorbetto).

First thing I had to do was adjust the pattern by adding 3cm just below the armhole and above the bust darts to not only lengthen the top but to lower the darts too. On a previous attempt I tried to lower the darts using an online tutorial but it really didn't work so I went with a simpler option.

I then also added 3cm in roughly the same place at the back so the notches would still line up (which they surprisingly did!). I also altered the hemline by curving and dropping it by about 6cm at the back so it is a comfier fit (and will tuck into skirts and trousers better too).

I chose a beautiful cotton voile (Wish by Valori Wells Designs) that I purchased at Guthrie and Ghani a month ago. The fabric has a complex paisley-like design with 16 colours in the repeat pattern!

Here is the finished Sorbetto with purple bias-biding on the neck and armholes. I chose not to apply bias-binding to the hemline because it is quite stiff (I'm hoping it will soften in the wash) and wanted the hem to be more pliable for tucking into skirts and trousers. For a neater finish on the inside I used French seams for the side and shoulder seams. Overall I am quite happy with my new summery top - I just hope we continue to have this lovely weather so I can enjoy wearing it now rather than having to wait until next year!