Me-Made-May16 week 3

Well, half way through week 4 here is my recap of week 3:

Top row: unblogged Minoru jacket and Cowl top; Magpie Kirsten Kimono T; Newlook 6230 sweatshirt; Minoru jacket and peasant blouse

Second row: Simplicity 2451 skirt, Newlook 6230 sweatshirt and Minoru jacket; peasant blouse; Simplicity 2451 skirt and Sewaholic Renfrew top; Ginger Jeans, unblogged Burda top and Minoru jacket

This week I have only put in links to items that I haven't linked to in previous MMMay16 posts.

I seem to be coping well with the challenge and some days have even managed double or triple me-mades in one outfit. One day I even managed 5 pieces as I went to a party and had a complete change of clothes.

I notice that many people have commented about wearing repeat outfits - I am not in the least bothered about whether I wear something or a whole outfit more than once in the month. I personally feel that if I have enough clothes to wear something different every day of the month, then I have too many clothes.

The weather continues to be better than some of the previous MMM's that I have taken part in, which means that there are several items that I haven't worn yet - not long to go 'til the end of the month

Me Made May16 week 2

 
Top Row: The oldest make that I still wear - made when I was around 15, updated with an exposed zip in the back a few years ago; Hudson pants v; same Hudsons as yesterday and Stripey short sleeved burda raglan top;

Bottom row: Linen self drafted skirt and poly chiffon Newlook 6895; Friday theme colour block Kristen Kimono tee; copy of rtw top under cardi, Ginger jeans and new unblogged Sewaholic Minoru jacket

In previous years I have struggled to keep warm during MMMay and most of my makes have been hidden from view under other warmer layers.  This year I have managed to wear some of my warmer weather clothes earlier in the month than previous years. I have quite a few me-made items that I haven't worn yet, but the forecast is a bit dodgey for the next few days so I'm sure they will make it out of the wardrobe at some point! 

Last year I noted that I needed more bottom halves for outfits to even out the number of tops I have made.  I have manged to do this without trying too hard - I made a linen skirt using my pattern drafting skills, another pair of Hudsons and most pleasingly, a pair of Ginger Jeans.  The jeans aren't perfect, but they are now my 'nice jeans' and all others have been relegated to everyday or working (gardening/painting etc). I have already got more denim to make some more, but I am not sure whether to stick to the Ginger skinnys or try a different style with  the new Morgan jeans by the same pattern maker, Closet Case Files.

I have been wearing myself out in the garden over the last week so have been recovering with some selfless sewing - a pair of Hudsons for Eldest and a skirt for a friend that I drafted using the info from my pattern cutting class.

Warm weather wardrobe for Youngest

I took my two older daughters shopping a couple of weeks before the Easter break to buy bikinis and other warmer weather items for a trip to Lanzarote. Youngest opted not to come - she's not a great shopper and the thought of the other two trying on bikinis was too much!

However, since she has grown so much since last summer, almost nothing fits her any more. She ended up with some hand me downs after the shopping trip, but that still left her with not much and no time to take her shopping separately. I suggested that I make her a few things and got her to look through my patterns and the selection of fabric I had pulled out of the stash.  She took this very seriously and was soon jotting down which pattern, which view, and which fabric! Needless to say she noted down much more than I could possibly sew in the time frame, but it gave me something to work from.  In a week I made:

2 pairs of shorts: One pair used up the last of the coral sweatshirting that I was struggling with in my previous post and the other pair I used an old t-shirt of Husbands that she liked the colour of.

For the t-shirt pair I cheated a little and used the hem of the shirt for the hem of the sorts. I used the True Bias Hudson pant pattern for both and just cut them shorter.  

Mum-made combo!

I got Youngest to try on my original pair of Hudsons and much to my horror they fitted her pretty well, just a bit long in the leg - She is 10! To reduce bulk, particularly in the coral pair I used a pocket tutorial from Meg from Cookin' & Craftin'.

A shirred Sundress: This is the exact copy of a dress that I made for my friends daughter a couple of years ago, same fabric, same tutorial used, just bigger

 A flutter sleeved top: using Simplicity 4589 view B cut in a size 8 and shortened a fraction. The square yoke was tricky to get neat at the corners but nothing a good steam press couldn't fix. I think the interfacing that I used was a bit firm for the style and fabric, but she didn't notice and that's just me being picky.

and lastly, a little Colette Sorbetto top. I cut a size 8? , took the front pleat out due to fabric restrictions, didn't sew the dart in the front and shirred a panel in the back to make it fit a bit better.  I had just enough small pieces to make bias tape of the the same fabric for the neckline and armholes. This was the only one that she didn't wear on the holiday, although she said she did like it.. I am a bit concerned that it will shrink in the wash as I bought the fabric years ago on a whim and was not, at that stage, in the habit of washing any fabric I bought straight away.

So, a nice little selection of things for her to wear!

Me-Made-May16 week one

Week One:
top row:
Burdastyle Raglan top with True Bias Hudson pants v2; MyImage cowl top with self drafted corduroy skirt; Newlook 6230 sweatshirt, rtw tshirt and Hudson pants v1; same outfit (my 2 days where I excercise!)

Bottom row:
shirt Simplicity 2255; Burdastyle raglan dress rtw leggings and charity shop cardi; Sleeveless MyImage cowl with self drafted linen skirt


I don't seem to have weeded out my rtw clothes as I said in my pledge... I forgot and find that I don't want to wear my handmade clothes when doing things like gardening hence the jeans and today's shorts!

Unusually, I haven't done any sewing this week because.... the sun came out! I have been distracted by gardening, but having not done much in the way of garden maintenance for the last couple of years, I kind of want to make the most of it. Apparently it is going rain for the rest of the week, which I hope will make the weeding easier!

FO: Burda 109-10-2015 and Newlook 6230

Or the top that didn't want to be made....

Top stitiching and zip

So not everything that is made is a success. This top was a disaster almost straight away. The fabric is a lovely coral coloured cosy fleece backed sweatshirting material, bought from Geoff Rosenberg. It would have been ideal for a hoody or zipped hoody or tracky bottoms, but definately not this top.

It is a Burdastyle slouchy raglan top which looked great in the magazine. Catherine Daze had made it and it looked good on a real person, so I thought I would give it a go.

I downloaded the pattern and cut a size 38 (I think). I basted it together, and honestly it looked like the top was wearing me! I looked like I had an oversized spacesuit on.

Quite short

I took a massive vertical dart from both the front and back yoke pieces to try and bring the shoulders of the top somewhere near my own.

massive dart taken out of yoke

I also decided that I wanted the top to be longer so added a band at the bottom. This was foolish in the extreme given the shape of the hem and I somehow managed to mess up the all the seams on the band.

The insert where I got the drafting of the hem bands wrong

The mess on the inside of the back hem band

I have worn the finished result, but it is not drapey relaxed top I had envisaged. Having gone through all these pictures and not having any of it on me in the completed state, I might have to give it another chance before I give up on it completely.
 
To try and redeem my sewing I went to the next Geoff Rosemberg sale and managed to get the last of the bolt of the same fabric.  This time I was planning a reasonably straight forward raglan sweatshirt using a pattern that came with a sewing magazine - Newlook 6230.

Having checked the finished garment measurements and taking into account the thickness of the fabric I made a size 14. When I tried it on I realised that the neckline was far too wide. Had I done any sort of internet reasearch I would have come across this problem and dealt with it before cutting into the fabric. It would have been too wide as a t-shirt let alone a warm sweatshirt. I managed to add on extra fabric at the neckline and improve the fit of the neckband, but all in all this was pretty much a disaster as well.

creases from being folded up in a drawer...

I haven't worn this top much either, although it was a vast improvment on the Burda one. I think I have just had enough with that fabric!

These two just show that even though I have been sewing for years now, it is still possible to make mistakes and that, 9 times out of 10 the choice of fabric is key to the success of the project.  What have you learnt from recent sewing?