Tag Archives: Me Made May 15

A Belated Me Made May Round Up

How did you find Me Made May this year, if you took part?

This was my second time taking part and I definitely felt the difference in the amount of garments I had to choose from! I didn’t even get a chance to wear everything I have made. I decided to wear me-mades on 5 days of each week, basically at work as I am still working towards having a good casual wardrobe for weekends and I am still yet to try sewing with jersey! Maybe I should sign up to Tilly’s new online class?

Sorry if you follow me on instagram – you’ll have seen these all before, but in case you haven’t…..(sorry for the crappy, blurry selfies – I hate taking selfies!)

Day 1: Tilly and the Buttons Mimi Blouse + Black By Hand London Victoria Blazer.

Day 4: Refashioned High-Necked top and Refashioned Coat to BHL Victoria Blazer

Day 5: Grainline Scout Tee with self-drafted collar.

Day 6: Blue and White Striped Colette Laurel Dress.

Day 7: Colette Violet Blouse.

Day 8: Pink Stripey Banksia + Blue Simplicity 2451 Skirt.

Day 11: Refashioned Shirt Dress.

Day 12: Refashioned Peter Pan Collar Dress.

Day 13: Refashioned High-Necked top + Black Simplicity 2451 Skirt.

Day 14: Refashioned Parrot Shirt.

Day 15: Flowery Grainline Scout Tee.
Day 16: Refashioned Ugly Skirt into Grainline Scout Tee.

Day 19: GBSB Boyfriend Shirt.

Day 20: Tilly and the Buttons Francoise Dress.

Day 22: Pink Spotty Grainline Scout Tee + Black Victoria Blazer

Day 26: Emery Dress by Christine Haynes.

Day 27: Refashioned Mustard Corduroy Shorts.

Day 29: Refashioned Ugly Skirt into Grainline Scout Tee + Bright Yellow Butterick Skirt (worn to a ceilidh!)

I think I must have forgotten to take pictures on some days because I’m sure I wore my other Banksia top and there don’t seem to be enough pictures, but I definitely wore me-mades on 5 days of each week! I definitely forgot to take a picture on the last day, when I wore my Orla Kiely-esque Laurel and my black Victoria Blazer (again).

The things I learnt from Me Made May were:

1. I hate taking selfies – I took about 20 each time, just to get one I liked! Documenting the month is definitely the least fun part for me!

2. There are still some me-mades that I have never worn/ don’t like wearing, but wear because I made them (my 2 Elisalex Dresses [1 + 2], my Miette cardigan, Gertie Bow Tied Blouse and my first dress, New Look 6000). These tend to be the things I made earlier on in my sewing, so hopefully this means I’m getting more of a handle on my style and what I like wearing and not being seduced by patterns which look great on other people but aren’t really me.

3. I definitely need to make some skinny jeans/ trousers, probably from the Ginger Jeans pattern.

4. I definitely need to conquer knits, so I have more comfortable, casual clothes for weekends and days when I don’t fancy dressing up.

5. It felt like a lot of effort to wear a dress as I cycle to work now. But when I actually put on the dresses, it was fine, so I think I can afford to wear them more often, especially as the weather warms up!

I did enjoy taking part in Me Made May as it does force me to look at what I have in my wardrobe and to not just put on shop-bought skinny trousers and tee shirts. Did you enjoy taking part? What did you learn?

Refashioned ugly skirt

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Do you remember this skirt? (and the crap photo!?)

I got it from the Fara Workshop before it sadly closed down.

This is a close up of the shiny, shiny lining and you can see the lovely check fabric – I bought the skirt because I loved the fabric.

When I buy something to refashion I generally sit in front of the tele and unpick all the seams I think I need to unpick, so that the bits are all ready to go when I get around to refashioning it. I unpicked the pleats and the waistband and then I went to unpick the side seams, but there was only one seam, at the back. Yes, folks, this is a one-seamed skirt! I’d never heard of this before I read Handmade Jane’s post on the one-seamed skirt a month ago, and then I had one on my hands!

And this is the lovely lining – not sure why I didn’t iron this before I took the picture! I have plans for this lining – basically as the lining for a new skirt, ooh, imaginative! I have also kept the zip to see if I can use that elsewhere.

I decided to make yet another Grainline Scout Tee. This is I think my 6th! (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) And I think it’s my favourite (I probably said that about all of them!).

I made the effort to centre the big check on the front. I slightly wish I’d centered the electric blue strip instead, but at least the pattern placement looks deliberate – I’ve learnt so much since making my boyfriend shirt. The same pattern placement is on the back.

I’ve decided I really like boxy tees, worn with tighter trousers/ jeans. I wish I had made the sleeves a bit longer – I’d forgotten they’re quite short. Next time! Because I’m sure there will be a next time!

In none of the pictures, including the more close up, can you see the tiny gold stripes shot through the fabric, but that’s one of the things I particularly love. I’ve worn this with a mustard yellow cardigan and I think it could look nice with my bright yellow skirt, which I never wear because I don’t have much to wear it with! I used all french seams on the inside to make it look all pretty. This fabric is fairly thick, but it isn’t too bulky with the french seams. It’s also a little scratchy, but when I’m wearing it, it doesn’t feel too bad.

On the first day of Me Made May 2015, this is one of about 2 things I’ve managed to finish to augment my homemade wardrobe ready for a month of wearing as much of it as possible. This is significantly less than I hoped I would make when I wrote my pledge! I always have such huge plans and I had a week off work, but wasn’t feeling the joy so didn’t get much finish. I also always think ‘oh, I can make a skirt (or whatever) in about 2 hours’ but it always takes me a lot longer – does anyone else do that? I am going to try to finish and make a couple of things during this coming long weekend, so that I have some new things near the beginning of Me Made May.

Me Made May 2015

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Last year was my first year taking part in Me Made May (you can see my weekly round-up posts here: 1, 2, 3, 4) as it was the firs time since I started making my own clothes 2 years ago that I felt I had enough to make a pledge. I’m not sure I’ve massively added to my wardrobe since then as I had a big chunk of last year without really making much. I think I could improve on my pledge from last year, so here it is:

“I, Amelia, of sewingmachinations.wordpress.com pledge to wear at least one item of me-made clothing on at least 5 days of each week.”

I’m just going to document my progress on Instagram, so you can follow me there if you’re interested in how I get on. I’ll do a round-up post here at the end of the month.

I have the next week off work and am planning a real sewing binge, so hopefully I’ll add some basics that I really need. I’m planning to make a couple of pencil skirts, probably using the pattern from the second Great British Sewing Bee Book:

I’m also going to try sewing with knits for the first time – and I’m predicting I’ll discover I had no reason to be so scared! I’ve downloaded a couple of the free patterns available from the indies, The Hemlock Tee from Grainline Studio

and the Plantain Tee from Deer and Doe:

I’ve also had Tilly and the Buttons’ Coco pattern in my stash for a while, so hopefully I’ll manage to make that up.

I’ve also got her Francoise Dress and have almost finished one version, with possible others to follow (though not for Me Made May!).

I’ve also got Colette Patterns’ Mabel skirt and Moneta Dress for when I’ve conquered knits – I’m thinking a couple of each would be really good wardrobe staples.

I’m hoping to finish refashioning one or two of the things I have sitting on my refashion pile, especially the things I bought from the Fara Workshop.

I suspect I won’t get everything made in time for Me Made May! My eyes are bigger than my….sewing stomach (?). Definitely on my ‘very soon to make’ list is the amazing Ginger Jeans pattern from Closet Case Files. I have to add trousers/ jeans to my repertoire to have a really me made wardrobe as it is what I wear 90% of the time.

I’m also planning to make a Holly jumpsuit or two – it seems like a good alternative to the Summer dress, especially given I cycle to work. I also have the Hazel pattern, to make some Summer dresses from, and I reckon I could pattern hack them and use the top of Hazel with the bottom of Holly.