Me Made - Days 3, 4 and 5

I actually exceeded my goal for the first week and wore THREE me made items.
The third was my Anna Maria Horner voile circle scarf that I wore while we traveled for 13 hours by car to our week-long vacation in St. Simon's Island, GA.



This scarf is HUGE! I got precut strips of fabric in a kit for $20 and, my goodness, there is not way you could buy a scarf this beautiful, soft or massive for $20. It's so nice to be able to sew, isn't it? :)
I plan to make another with AMH's new Loulouthi voiles and maybe one with velveteen on one side for winter. mmmmmm! yummy! I can tell you one thing for sure, I will not be making my fabric cuts quite as long or quite as wide as these were. This is a lot of scarf for a little person.

I started off the second week with some me made lounge pants.
I was introduced to Matilda Jane clothing by my cousin and have admired the little girls' clothing for a while, but didn't know until fairly recently that they also made ladies clothing. I thought their big ruffle pants for "big girls" were so neat, but I didn't care for the one fabric available in their fall line. Enter the "I can just do it myself" attitude and off I went to Hancock's to find some material I liked. I found this soft grey sweatshirt fleece on the remnant table, drafted a pattern from my fave Gap lounge pants (+ an 8" ruffle) and just did it! The waistband needs some work. It's a little wavy in the back and the center seam in the back isn't totally centered after some fitting adjustments, but I do love them so and I always feel cute and unique in them. I mostly wear them for sleeping and lounging, and then in the winter, under a long sweater or dress. I want to try again for another pair I could wear as regular slacks, but I haven't found the right material yet.

My second me made for week 2 is my Sis Boom Jamie Dress. This dress is becoming more and more of a favorite. It's just one of those dresses that I'm not worried about how it's laying or fitting or what it's showing or hiding while I'm wearing it. It just works for me and my body. I already have some cotton fabrics washed and ready to make another whenever I decide to fit it into my sewing queue.



That's all for today!

Socialite Dress

ven though I still have patterns coming out my ears and I HAVE been making some of them into actual garments, I find I'm having a hard time committing.  I have fabric to make at least three more garments, but I'm just not totally sure which fabric should make which garment.

So, instead of using the fabric and patterns you have, you should just buy another pattern and more fabric to make it with, right?  That's my logic.

Above All Fabric had a sale today - BOGO half-off patterns.  I went right for the Oliver + S.  I've had some of Leisl Gibson's lovely City Weekend knit in a soft pink just waiting for the Hopscotch pattern to be made into a cute shirt for my 3 year old.  It's been waiting and waiting because the Oliver + S patterns don't go on sale and I can't just use my Hancocks 40% off coupon.
$16 is a bit hard to swallow, since I could buy a couple or three items of clothing for her with that amount.  So, as I mentioned, Above All Fabric was having a sale that essentially made this pattern half off, but I couldn't find a second pattern I wanted... until.... the Anna Maria Horner patterns were added to the sale later in the day.
A Ha!  here's my chance to get something for my girl and a little something else for me on the side.  I picked up the Socialite Dress pattern for myself and, in it, saw the chance to purchase and use some of my favorite Amy Butler fabric.  I've been salivating over Trumpet Flowers for some time.  I have toyed with the idea of making a pillow cover or floor cushion or SOMETHING with this fabric, but, alas, the colors just don't go anywhere in my house.

So I'll just WEAR them, doggonit!

I wouldn't normally pick a home dec. weight fabric for a dress, but Anna Maria herself seems to suggest that it would be ok by using her own home dec. fabric in pictures of the dress. 

I actually wasn't a big fan of this dress until I started looking at examples from the Anna Maria Sewing Pattern group on Flickr.  Unbelted, I think it looks like a sack.  Belted, it's easy elegance.  Not something that describes my wardrobe, but definitely a direction I'd like to be headed.

I've got to start a queue for my sewing patterns.... all I can say right now is that I'm so excited about finally getting the chance to use this fabric that this pattern I don't even have in my possession yet has jumped to the top of the list.

Probably before I make this, I'll make another Jamie Dress in some fabric I picked up at Jo-Ann's while I was in Atlanta some weeks ago.  I'm so enjoying wearing the first one I made!

Update: dress photos and full review here.

Me Made - Day 2

I was planning on making a scarf out of this fabric. Boy am I glad just about now that I changed my mind. :D

I finished this skirt up this morning. I've been such a good girl with following patterns lately, but I fell off the wagon with this skirt. I went back to my old ways of thinking "That's not that hard, I can just cut something out, sew it together and it'll be fine."
Well... that might be ok for me when I'm cutting $1 a yard clearance fabric, but not lovely Anna Maria Horner voile.

In the spirit of my blog. I did get myself into a bit of a pickle. I started out with the vision of an A-line maxi skirt with an elasticized waist. Easy enough. Did that. Hated it. Too plain, too poofy and looked home made, which is NOT my goal.
Shirring to the rescue. I just crossed my fingers and shirred row after row hoping that would kill the poof. And it did.

I liked the way it looked on my hips after shirring the waist, but I didn't like the plain a-line going down to a plain hem. I used the REST (as in ALL, NONE LEFT, no room for mistakes) of my fabric to create a ruffle at the bottom. I didnd't want to cut off any of the beautiful fabric to make it shorter before adding the ruffle, so by default, it became a high-waisted skirt.

(sorry for the fuzzy pics.  I've learned to use my timer on my camera, but not how to make it focus on me...)
I think, worn over the tank top of my choice, it will just look like a dress, which is perfect. I could not be happier with how it looks and the comfort level in the heat is phenomenal.
This will be packed in my suitcase for vacation next week.

Me Made - Day 1

I don't plan to do extensive posts with each day I wear a Me Made in June, especially since there will be some repeats, but I do want to document my observations. This challenge is to keep my efforts to sew meaningful by keeping me accountable to actually wear the things I put my time and effort into. It's also to make me think about how much I enjoy or don't enjoy wearing a certain piece of clothing so that I can make better choices in the future and know which patterns would be good ones to reuse.

Observations about this McCalls 6112 dress:
I've only worn this dress one other time and I didn't have the elastic for the waist. I hacked it by using a drawstring from another dress and totally forgot until I put it on again today. The drawstring is working fine, but I'm very aware that there is a purple drawstring inside my skirt, even if others don't know.

The neck is too big to wear without slipping to the side and revealing a bra strap. It would be ok layered with a bra-strap concealing tank, but it's way too hot to layer in the summer in Jackson, MS.

I didn't hem the skirt because knit doesn't fray. Well, this knit is all ragged looking at the bottom now, so I need to hem it.

I'm always concerned about a panty line in knits, but after really staring hard at my butt in the mirror, walking around, coming back to a mirror and staring hard again.... I don't see one. This knit is pretty thick, so I think I needn't worry. I was still nervous wearing it out. I hate panty lines.

I remember this dress being quick and easy to put together and I think it would be a great idea for me to make view A to add another comfy dress to my closet.

Me Made June '11

s you may or may not have noticed, I have added a new button to my side bar.
I have admired the hand made and hand sewn wearables of others through blogs and Flickr for some time now, but have only recently begun to make a real effort to create some of my own (complete with blog posts and Flickr pictures).
I just happened to stumble upon a blog hosting a month long celebration/challenge of wearing things you yourself have made.  This challenge can truly be tailored to fit your own desires and I have made my own little commitment.  It's small, but still a stretch for me because my handmade wardrobe is so small right now.

My commitment for Me Made June '11 is to wear something made by me, whether it be clothing, accessory or bag at least twice a week for the duration of the month of June.  I also want to make at least two more items of clothing for myself this month.

I'm going on vacation starting this coming weekend for a week and not bringing along the sewing machine.  So, while I will be able to hold myself to my two items a week, the creating of two more wearables this month may be challenging with a full week gone.
I am really excited to get inspired by everybody else's pics and to have the chance to possibly discover some new patterns, specifically for shirts, pants or shorts.  (I've got dress patterns out my ears.)

Good luck to me!  and everyone else participating.

Lisette Traveler Dress - View C

My adoration of Michael Miller's script fabric from his Antiquity line is now all sewn up in this dress.
This is the second time I have used this pattern (Simplicity 2246).  My first attempt was for View B and this dress is View C and my definite favorite.

There's so much to gush about when it comes to this dress.  Are you ready for the love fest?  Here goes.
I love the little puffed sleeves, just enough gathering to make the cutest little puff you've ever seen.
I love how the darts fit me.  I was so concerned I'd have to make some sort of adjustment for my small bust,  an adjustment which I really didn't have the slightest idea how to make, but I didn't need one at all!
I love the tips on how to make the darts lay flat.  I was really concerned about the possibility of a pucker at the end of them, especially in the back, but there's no pucker.  yay!
I love the skirt.  It's flat in the front on either side of the button placket and then gathered the rest of the way around.  Easy to attach and flattering.

I would probably love the collar if I hadn't sewn it on upside-down (one and a half hours of botched work!!), but I think only you and me will know about that.  I'm pretty sure no one else will really notice.

PS.  My original post about my plans for this dress is here.  I still want to make one in bold colors like I originally intended... maybe with some simple bias tape around the collar.  :)

Lisette Traveler Dress Review

Pattern Description:  From the Lisette web page - A trio of contemporary takes on the classic shirtwaist dress. All three versions offer interesting styling options and are seasonless when worn with tights and boots in cooler weather or belted in warmer weather.

Pattern Sizing: 6 - 22
If you've never sewn Simplicity before and you are a 2 or 4, do not be afraid to go ahead and try it.  A 6 in this dress is like 2/4 in stores.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it did with the exception of my own alterations. 

Were the instructions easy to follow? Excellent instructions! This dress is the most involved I've tried and there were several things I'd never attempted before, but the "Lisette tips" and just clear overall instructions made me feel like Leisl was there guiding me through it.  I really felt, as I got to about the halfway point, that there would be nothing but success waiting for me at the end.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? To be honest, a shirt dress is really not my style, but the photo on the envelope of a belted View A totally inspired me.  I don't have anything like this in my closet, so it seemed the perfect candidate.

I love the curved hem on View B. the one I made, and I really like the dainty gathers at the shoulders for all three Views.  Thank you soooo much Leisl for allowing me to not be nervous as to whether or not my sewn sleeve piece was going to be exactly the same as the armhole on the body. The gathers are forgiving and cute.  What more could you ask for? 

Fabric Used: I got some light blue chambray from Fabric.com for $5 a yard.



Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I graded from a size 6 on the top to a size 10 at the waist and below.  I hate it when buttons pull, so I wanted plenty of ease around my derierre.  I can sit in it without anything pulling and that's exactly what I wanted.  I think I lucked out with the sizing and the cutting of the pattern because I really wasn't very scientific about it.
I don't care for banded collars, so I made a substitution by using the Flour Pleated Collar Tutorial found at Sew Mama Sew, recommended by Made by Rae.  The instructions for this were few and assumptive.  I made it work, but I had lots of questions.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes! I already have the dress partially sewn in View C and can't wait to post the finished product here and on Flickr.  I could also see a cute flannel plaid in view B for winter.  Can't you see it?  with leggings, boots and a chunky scarf?

Conclusion:  Versatile, classic wardrobe builder, advanced beginner level with professional looking results if done carefully.  I had a really great experience with this dress and I am so thankful to have a pattern that teaches while you sew and creates a feeling of success for me.  That's what keeps me motivated to learn more and sew more!