Me Made May 2018 Week One

I can't believe that Me-Made-May, the month-long challenge for crafty folks who make their own clothes has come around again so fast! It was the fab brain-child of Zoe of 'So Zo' blog who started it in 2009. This year there are over 1,177 people taking part!

This will be my fifth year participating and I am trying to up the challenge with a focus on assessing the wearability of my me-made wardrobe.

Here is my pledge:

Let's get to the outfits......

Day One

Top: Deer and Doe Melilot Shirt. Fabric: H&M tablecloth. Made: 2018 

Trousers: Gap

Watch: Olive green G Shock

Socks: Paul Smith

Shoes: Paul Smith Green Loafers

I really like this shirt. The only niggle is the twisted collar and off centre button band which I must avoid if I make a second version.

Day Two

Top: Marilla Walker Ilsley Skirt. Fabric: Robert Kauffman Essex linen. Made 2015 

Shirt: Gap

Watch: White G Shock

Necklace: Tatty Devine scissors

Shoes: Paul Smith purple Miller Brogues

A simple and easy to wear skirt. I may change the front elastic section to a flat panel for a more flattering shape.

Day Three

Top: Merino wool turtleneck Uniqlo

Necklace: Dad-made wooden pendant!

Skirt: Ready Ruthie Dolores Pocket Skirt. Fabric: Vintage. Made: 2016

Watch: Olive green G Shock

Shoes: Paul Smith Green Loafers

I love this skirt. The colours in the vintage fabric are gorgeous and give you the opportunity to pair it with so many tops. I also lined it in a beautiful olive green silk! The wooden pendant necklace is very special to me as it was hand-made by my dad as a present for my mum in the 1970's.

Day Four

Top: Top shop shirt with a re-fashioned collar. Mended: 2018
Skirt: Dolores Pocket Skirt. Fabric: Cotton. Made 2014.

Brooch: Tatty Devine Typewriter necklace A/W 2017

Watch: White G Shock 

Shoes: Paul Smith blue suede Miller brogues 

You may know about my recent re-fashion of my favourite shirt (changed the collar) which has extended the life of the garment, always a bonus! The skirt is another Dolores Pocket Skirt which is made of cotton and stuck to my tights all day!

Day Five

Top: Merchant and Mills Camber Set Top. Fabric: Viscose, Samuel Taylors. Made: 2016 

Trousers: Abercrombie and Fitch

Watch: Black G Shock

Trainers: Nike

This Merchant and Mills Camber Set Top has been such a hard-working garment in my spring and summer wardrobe. It coordinates with lots of my coloured trousers and skirts. This awesome backdrop was outside the Fashion and Textiles musuem in Bermondsey.

Day Six

Top: Merchant and Mills Camber Set Top. Fabric: Cotton seersucker. Made: 2017 

Trousers: Lululemon

Necklace: Marimekko

Watch: White G Shock

Trainers: Nike

Another Camber Set top in a more structured white cotton seersucker that my lovely friend Sophie sent me from Hong Kong. The stiffer cotton compared to the viscose version from day five creates a more dramatic silhouette. I am almost blending into the background of an art installation at the Tate Britain here. It was a very happy coincidence that I appear to co-ordinate into the exhibit!

Week one in collage form below already highlights my love for the versatility of separates!

Maybe the warmer weather may encourage some dress-wearing next week?

Are you participating in Me-Made-May this year? How are you getting on?

Me-Made-May 2017 Week Three

Week three of Me-Made-May felt like a loooong week due to a lot of work related things which I won't go into here. Needless to say it was such a crazy week I had to plan my outfits and lay them out the night before so I had less to think about with many early morning starts.

The weather featured quite heavily in garment decision making this week as it started on Monday quite warm and sunny only to turn cold - this was particularly annoying as I had decided to unleash my milky white legs to the world and I ended up feeling a little under-dressed and chilly.

The remainder of the week was all about layering and I showcased my Liberty Laurel shift dress on Thursday which was a very comfortable wear.

Day Fifteen

Top: Merchant & Mills Camber Set top. Cotton seersucker. Made 2017
Skirt: Dolores Pocket Skirt. Made 2014.

Cardigan: Gap

Necklace: Tatty Devine Atomic Necklace A/W 2015

Watch: White G Shock 

Shoes: Paul Smith blue suede Miller brogues

Day Sixteen

Top: Sew Over It Ultimate shirt in Liberty Plastic Fantastic print. Made 2015

Trousers: Gap

Watch: Black G Shock

Socks: Paul Smith

Shoes: Paul Smith purple Marcello loafers

Day Seventeen

Top: Sew Over It Ultimate Shift Dress in SOI linen. Made 2015

Watch: Olive G Shock

Jacket: Benetton

Corsage: Me-made with black felt and beads. Made 2004

Shoes: Paul Smith purple Marcello loafers

This is fast becoming one of my favourite me-made dresses as I just love the fit and the fabric. I also made the corsage from felt and some beads back when corsages were the rage after Sex and the City. I really should do a tutorial on how to make them!

Day Eighteen

Top: Colette Laurel Shift Dress in Liberty Tana Lawn. Made 2017

Watch: Black G Shock

Cardigan: Gap

Belt: Top Shop

Necklace: Tatty Devine Telephone Wire Necklace S/S 2015

Shoes: Paul Smith grey Dante Brogues

Day Nineteen

Top: Merchant and Mills Camber Set Top made in Samuel Taylors Ikat Viscose. Made 2016 

Trousers: Gap

Leather Jacket: Gap 

Watch: Black G Shock

Necklace: Tatty Devine Frida Kahlo

Trainers: Blue Nike Air Pegasus

How was your third week of Me-Made-May?

Me-Made-May 2017 Week One

May is that time of year that fellow sewists, knitters, bloggers and crafters alike sign a pledge to wear their hand-made / up-cycled clothes for the month.

This fabulous idea was set up eight years ago by Zo from So Zo What Do You Know?  blog a pattern designer, sewer, teacher and super mum. It gets you thinking about your relationship with your hand-made wardrobe to identify any strengths and areas for development. Also a good time to cull any unworn items or fall in love with some long-forgotten makes that have not seen the light of day since last summer.

This is my fourth year participating and I am looking forward to analysing my hand-made wardrobe to see how I can refine and improve it further. My pledge went a little something like this....

Day Two

Top: Merchant and Mills Camber Set Top made in John Lewis Splodge Viscose. Made 2016 

Trousers: Gap

Cardigan: Gap 

Watch: White G Shock

Socks: Gap

Shoes: Paul Smith Black Patent Loafers

Day Three

Top: Oliver Bonas

Skirt: Dolores Pocket Skirt in Lucienne Day reproduction print from John Lewis, London. Made 2015
Cardigan: Gap

Brooch: Tatty Devine Atomic necklace A/W 2015

Shoes: Paul Smith blue suede Miller brogues

Day Four

Top: Merchant and Mills Camber Set Top made in Ikat Viscose, Samuel Taylors. Made 2016 

Trousers: Gap

Cardigan: Gap

Necklace: Oliver Bonas

Watch: White G Shock

Socks: Paul Smith

Shoes: Paul Smith Purple Loafers

Day Five

Top: Merchant and Mills Camber Set Dress made in Viscose, Guthrie & Ghani. Made 2017

Leggings: Gap

Cardigan: Gap

Scarf: V&A Revolution scarf

Watch: Black G Shock

Belt:Top Shop

Shoes: Paul Smith Chelsea Boots

Day Six

Top: Grainline Linden in Liberty. Made 2016

Leggings: Abercrombie & Fitch

Socks: Gap

Shoes: Birkenstocks

I've been a bit of a Merchant and Mills fan-girl during the first week of Me-Made-May. The Camber Set Top may replace my love for the Grainline Scout Tee and is fast approaching my TNT top pattern!!

I missed photographing my outfit on Bank Holiday Monday but it was just a Linden sweatshirt and joggers to help facilitate serious sofa time.

How are you getting on with Me-Made-May?

Check out lots of other cool crafty blogs at #handmademonday organised by Julia of Sum of their Stories.

Vintage Dolores Pocket Skirt

I dusted off my sewing machine to finish a project that has been hanging around for a while. I really enjoyed making my sixth Dolores Pocket skirt using a vintage fabric I have had in my stash for over ten years. I only had about a metre of fabric but luckily this pattern fitted *almost* all the pieces I needed. I used more stash fabric for sections of the skirt that didn't need to be in the main fabric; natural organic cotton for the pocket linings and hem-band with a beautiful olive green 100% silk for the lining.

Considering I have made this skirt a few times before (here, here, here, here and here) and I only needed to refer to the instructions once to check about the order of the waistband construction. It was the first time I have added a lining to this skirt and as the skirt has a hem-band I gave the lining a little ease and hand-stitched the hem-band to the lining. I did a second round of hand-stitching after attaching the lining but this time I stitched right through to the outer fabric to secure the hem-band in position.

Here is the finished skirt:

Pattern: Ready Ruthie Dolores Pocket Skirt = From stash

Fabric: 1 metre of vintage cotton = From stash

Zip: 12" green concealed zip = From stash

Interfacing: From stash

Gutterman Thread: Dark green & brown from stash

Total: Free!

Out of Control

Help! My WIP (work-in-progress) or UFO (unfinished object) pile has got a little out of hand. As is the case with many sewing enthusiasts, we optimistically cut out projects thinking that we will find an hour here or there to sew them together. This summer I got waylaid with my house renovation. Instead of sewing my WIP's I was re-painting the garage floor or sanding and painting balcony railings... the list of DIY jobs I had was endless (and I still need to finish a few before Christmas).

The mad thing is that I now have a huge pile of seasonally inappropriate garments cut out.

First up is my 'summer' dressing gown...

The Buchanan pattern was gifted to me by my friend Sophie. I imported the blue Paul Frank fabric from Hong Kong a couple of years ago and the red cotton contrast collar and cuff also comes from my stash. I don't think it will take too long to sew up, but I won't really wear it until the spring.

Next up is a summer dress. The Dixie DIY Bonnell dress was enthusiastically cut out in July. I had high hopes of sauntering around London in this lovely red viscose beauty but alas it didn't happen. The fabric was a bargain £2.00 a metre from a stall on Chapel Street Market in Islington.

Onto a fun summery seperate, the Liesl & Co Everyday Skirt. This is my second version and I am really looking forward to wearing this black and white one (whenever that will be!). The viscose fabric was from the spring sale at John Lewis at £7 per metre.

This next garment is about 90% completed. It is the Colette Laurel shift dress. Despite the beautiful Liberty Tana Lawn fabric called Kinetic, I lost my sew-jo with the back fastening and the neckline. I am sure I could finish this in about half an hour but as its a lightweight cotton dress, it won't really be worn until the spring!

My last WIP is something that I could wear this season. I cut it out at the end of the summer after rediscovering this awesome vintage fabric I've had for about ten years. I strongly suspect it was probably some curtains in its previous life but with just over a metre I was limited to what garment I could make with this crazy print.

The added complication of the missing corner restricted the choice of garment even more. As luck would have it the Ready Ruthie Dolores Pocket Skirt fitted quite well!

Not enough fabric for perfect pattern matching. Instead I chose selection of the main motifs found on the skirt to balance out the pattern. What pockets? 

Some organic cotton from my stash worked perfectly for the pocket linings and hem facing. I didn't stop there. The darker autumnal colours matched perfectly with a metre of olive green silk I have had in my stash since my Textiles Degree (over 20 years ago) so I splashed out and cut the lining in silk!

That makes five part completed works in progress. I hope to get some of these sewn up soon, especially the vintage fabric Dolores Pocket Skirt as I can see myself wearing this for work.

Have you got any WIP's or UFO's that are hanging around too long?

Me-Made Rejects #2

I try to regularly edit my wardrobe. I have noticed the more confident I have become at sewing the easier it is to pass on any home-made garments to the charity shop. My first few hand-made garments, despite their imperfections were saved from the charity shop bag on several occasions for sentimental reasons.

As I am getting better at fitting clothes for my body shape I feel happy to pass on my hand-made garments for somebody else to enjoy or at the very least get re-cycled. Also, having a blog means I have an electronic record of my achievements / learnings / disasters which makes the process much easier.

Here are the hand-made garments that hit the Cancer Research Charity shop last week:

Free-style Circle Skirt

Previously un-blogged on account of the fact I never wore it. I made it in a splurge of industrious sewing in April 2016 before this years Me-Made-May. I pretty much just free-styled the cutting of the circle skirt by folding the fabric down the centre and re-folding from the corner and cut out a circle. I then guestimated the waist-line cut too and attached to an elastic waistband.

The elastic waistband was re-claimed from a circle skirt I made in 2007 for a school pantomime performance and the fabric was a stash-bust polyester affair I bought from Goldhawk Road. The remainder of the fabric (about 1.2 metres) made it to the fabric swap on the 4th June and was picked up by Tamsin from Pimp my Curtains so watch that space for another make from this abstract fabric.

Hand-sewing the full-circle hem was a nightmare, even though I left it for two days to drop. It's a bit wonky in places! Hopefully somebody will find it and have a bit of fun wearing it this summer.

Black & White Scout Tee

As you know I LOVE the Grainline Scout Woven Tee but this version was made without really thinking about the weight of the cotton I was using. I think when you first start making your own clothes some of the most obvious things (like comfort) get over-looked when we fall hard for an amazing printed fabric. I adore this abstract monochrome print but as mentioned earlier it is much too stiff (even after lots of washes) and restrictive as a comfortable top. I had to say adieu.

Matisse Dolores Pocket Skirt

This was lovingly made as part of my art-work for a course at the Tate Modern during the Matisse: Cutting into Colour exhibition. I was inspired by his bold lines, architectural shapes and colour. I wore this on the final evening of the course when we had a group exhibition showcasing our art-work inspired by Matisse. 

You can read more about the construction here. The pattern was machine appliquéd with hand embroidered elements to pick out delicate details. It was such fun to make but I have not worn it for two years so it was time to share the love!

Tilly and the Buttons Mathilde Blouse

My Tilly and the Buttons Mathilde was a hard one to give away. This blouse was a result of a weekend workshop at Ray Stitch taught by Tilly herself not long after her debut on the BBC's Great British Sewing Bee in May 2013. It symbolises my renewed interest into garment sewing after a 20-year hiatus after art college.

Last year I re-fashioned the sleeves to make it more versatile as I did't wear it with the original blouson sleeves. Even that didn't help!

The main reason this lovely little top didn't get worn was again, due to poor fabric selection. The rather heavy-weight cotton just didn't drape and was too heavy for a blouse. A lesson learnt! I really should re-make this top in some lovely light voile or viscose.

I have passed on my me-made garments to the Charity Shop with a hope they may be re-worn or re-cycled into something more useful. Previous me-made rejects blogged about here. To date I have passed on or refashioned 16 me-made garments.

Have you given away or re-fashioned any of your me-made clothes?