Me Made May - Just one more day

Well, I haven't kept up with my pictures, but I've made it wearing something I've made every day this month.  Sunday was Day 27, and I wore this skirt.

Monday I wore this blouse made from a cotton lawn and Silhouette Patterns basic blouse.  Earlier in the day, I wore my favorite red linen dress that I have worn just about to death.













Tuesday I was in Los Angeles and the weather was beautiful!  I wore this self drafted skirt.  I had to ask a stranger on the street to take my picture, and she didn't get the bottom of my skirt.  The hem has an orange band with a green print that is the same color as my sweater.  It was funny, because when I was in the restroom at one of the restaurants, and woman came in and commented, "I like your attire."  I resisted saying, "Thanks, I made this skirt." hahaha




Wednesday it was back to work.  I love this brown rayon tank from Pamela's Patterns Twinset.  The skirt is Christine Johnson's Aline skirt made in a double layer of knit mesh.


















I am really on a roll with skirts this week it seems.  Today I wore this skirt from the same draft as the Tuesday skirt and I also made the little shrug.




Tomorrow is "dress your favorite era" day.  I have a perfect dress to wear that I made over 10 years ago.  It is a 50's reproduction pattern.  I hope it still fits!

Me Made May Days 22-25

Oops!  I haven't been posting!  Well, let's see if I can catch up.  :-)
Today has been a great day so far.  I had a brunch and some ladies over for a JewelKade party this morning.  Having a "party" right now is the last thing I need to be doing, but a good friend of mine just started selling JK (Which I love) so I did it to help her out.  I love having friends over, but everyone is so busy all the time it's hard to get people to come.  I invited over 50 people, and 7 came.  It was a great group and we had a nice time.  Here was the menu:

Cinnamon Flax Seed Scones










Spinach and Ortega Chili Quiche
























Fruit Salad (apples, mango, peaches, nectarines, strawberries & blueberries with a touch of Greek yogurt.) Crud.  I just realized that I forgot to put in the grapes LOL!!

And this:






















This morning I wore this top, which I adore.  It is New Look 6891 with pants.  It's wrinkled now because I have been wearing it all day.





















Yesterday was "break the rules" day at school.  I wore my ever-famous black knit pants, and this black embroidered tunic Butterick 4684.  In looking at this picture, I realize that my legs are too short to be wearing this length top.




Thusday I did not get a picture, but it was "twin day" at school.  The other three fourth grade teachers and I wore jeans, black shoes, black shirts and the ladies in the group wore our hair in pony tails.  I wore a black sleeveless rayon knit turtleneck top from the Christine Johnson Basewear 2 pattern.  I love this top pattern and need to make more.  It fits well and is super comfortable.  I have made it several times with different necklines.  I will need to try it with the sleeves.












Wednesday was Western Wear day, and I have nothing "Western."  I used to have a couple of western cut shirts, but I just don't wear anything like that very often.  My western wear consisted of putting a bandana around my neck and wearing my rodeo hat.  (Andy and I like to go to the rodeo, so we wear our western hats when we do.)  The top is Textile Studios Marseilles top.

Me Made May Days 17-21

Yikes!!!  I've been so busy, I haven't been posting.  But I have been keeping up with MMM.  Day 17 was a Friday and it was Water Day at our school.  It was also Hawaiian Day.  I did not get my picture taken, but I wore a Hawaiian shirt that I made years ago, and I love.  I actually bought the fabric in Maui and it is cotton, but looks and feels like linen.  I love this shirt, so after I wash it, I will take a picture and post it.

Day 18 was Saturday.  It's been crazy here because Andy and I decided to put an offer on the house that I posted early.  This means that every minute of our spare time is taken up with either getting things ready to sell this house, or other appointments related to the move.  I also have a lot of other appts, (meetings, doctors, etc) scheduled for the next two weeks.  Also, it is the last few weeks of school and there is lots of data to be entered and things to be done to finish up the year.  I feel a bit overwhelmed right now.  I had a migraine Friday night through Monday morning, so I didn't get much done.  Saturday was a work around the house day, so I wore this old (but another favorite) shirt that I made probably in 2006.  It is from the book Built By Wendy and the fabric is a wonderful Japanese cotton lawn that I got from Fabricmart.  I wish I would have bought more of that fabric because it is so nice.

Sunday we spend most of our day at church or on church related things.  This is theTextile Studios Madison Avenue Dress.  I've made it a few times.  It is super fast and easy to make from a knit.  The fabric was purchased back when Textile Studios used to sell fabric.  (Yeah, I've also had this one for a long time!!)







Yesterday was Day 20 of the MMM challenge.  I wore black ponte knit pants from Vogue 1197.  The shirt is the boatneck shell from CJ Patterns








Today was supposed to be our last day of 90+ degree weather for awhile.  My skirt is made from Loes Hinse's Swing Skirt pattern in a textured rayon.  I originally put the ruffle on it, but ended up taking it off and making the skirt shorter.  The top is an embroidered cotton lawn and Simplicity 1806
Most of the time, I find that the pictures on Loes Hinse patterns make the clothes look really dowdy.  When you see them in person, however, they are usually very classic and current looking.  Her little shop in Carmel is fairly upscale (pants around $100+ per pair and Ts for $60 or more) and everything always looks very nice.  You can buy the same fabrics that she uses from Casual Elegance.

MMM - Days 15 & 16

Yesterday it was super hot - today, not so much.  Of course not.  Why is it that every year when we have water day, it happens to be the coolest day of the month?  Go figure.

Anyway, yesterday I wore this knit dress.  I first saw this dress on Melissa at Pattern Review weekend in Portland (Several  years ago.)  I loved it, so I went right out and bought the pattern.  It is NL6802.  The thing I really like about it (besides the flattering cut) is that the bodice is 2 layers in the front.  The under-layer keeps the front twist modest and work appropriate.  Since I made this dress in 2009, it has seen better days.  I did notice that the knit is showing (or should I say "I can feel") signs of wear.  Also, I was a bit heavier when I made this, so the under-layer on the bodice front is a little bit too loose.  I think I will make this dress again because it is super comfortable. Also, I have found that I can wear polyester   knits if they are sleeveless and they won't bother me.  Put some sleeves on that poly and I'm sweating like a you-know-what!

Today it was much cooler, and in fact, I wore a sweater most of the day.  Today was "wear purple" day, and since I wore my purple dress last Thursday, I  didn't want to wear it again.  This purple blouse is from Banana Republic.  It is one of my favorites, but I think I am wearing it out!  Today when I put it on, it had 2 places where the fabric had pulled away from the binding strip at the center-front.  I spent about 20 minutes mending it by hand before I could wear it!  So, although it is not me-made, it is me-fixed!

The skirt is the Loes Hinse Swing skirt.  Just your basic straight skirt with an elastic waist, but the added element of a flounce at the bottom.  This fabric is a fairly heavy rayon that looks like linen.  It also has a matching top that I will probably wear with it later this month.

Tomorrow is "Hawaiian Day"  (We always have a lot of spirit days at the end of the year.)  I wonder what I will come up with to wear for that!

Me Made May Day 14

Today was another hot day.  This is what I wore:


Skirt Simplicity 3841 from a thousand years ago!  I don't know what the fabric is.  It looks and feels like cotton, but has some kind of slubs in it.  Also, it does not wrinkle.  The color has held up really well too, and I made this in 2007.
The top was recently made from New Look 6569.  I really like this top, but I need to make some major adjustments to the armscye to get rid of gaping at the armhole.  Just a cotton knit.

by the way, my students are loving getting to take my picture every day and ask me what I made :-)

Me Made May Day 13

Monday.  Only a few weeks left of school.  Usually I am counting the days til the end, but not this year.  It's been a long, tough year, but I really appreciate the class I have.  Today, one of my girls brought me flowers.  She is probably one of the lowest income families in my class, but she is the sweetest, hardest working, and helpful students I have ever had.  I think her dad sells fruit and flowers from a cart.  I'm sure these were left over from Mother's day, but I am so thankful that she brought them to me and they look lovely in my room.  Today was a good day.

And, I managed to wear another "me-made" today.  These pants are from the book Simple Modern Sewing.  I made them last summer. I used a mid-weight linen in the color "Aluminum" from Fabrics-Store.   They are very comfortable, and surprisingly flattering for such baggy pants.
The blouse is an old favorite from Banana Republic.  I think I've worn this thing to death. I need to copy it and make some more of these!!

Me Made May Day 8

Pants

:  Silhouette Patterns Sally pant in a wool blend.  Blouse:  Loes Hinse cap sleeve top in a poly charmeuse.

Today was a crazy day.  The kids must be ready to explode because of all the testing.  I couldn't get my class to be quiet today and they are usually pretty good.  Then, at bus duty I broke up a fist fight between a third and fourth grader, and then caught another boy climbing over the fence, stealing a ball, and then hiding it in his friends back pack.  Fortunately, the two boys came over when I called them.  If they had run away, I would not have known who they were.  Good thing they don't know how bad my vision is LOL!!

MMM13 day 12 - Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's day.  It was also my turn to sing at church (Our worship teams rotate out every 4 weeks.)  Unfortunately, I've had a headache all day, so now I'm getting ready to rest a bit and see if I can't get rid of it!
Wore one of my favorite knit dresses today, Vogue 8553.  I was surprised when I looked it up that I made it over 2 years ago.  I was thinking that I made it last year!  I guess it really is time to make some new clothes.  I will have to make this one again, because it is super comfortable, easy to wear, and flattering I think.
I've made it almost half the month wearing something Me-Made every day!

Me Made May 13 Days 10 & 11

I did't get my picture taken yesterday, but I wore this shirt with jeans.  It was a field trip day and we were outside most of the afternoon and had to walk back to school about a mile in 90 degree weather.  After that, a couple of teachers and I drove back over to the other school and cleaned everything up.  So, it was a hot and messy day, but fun and worth it.













Today was also a fun day.  Andy and I have been wanting to move to Three Rivers.  We have property there, but the amount of work involved in cleaning up, tearing down, and rebuilding may not be worth the effort or money.  We actually already have house plans drawn up (but not blueprints) but now we are wondering if we might be better off buying another property.  The location is great, but the house is not even livable right now.  Our property is on the river, so we would definitely want something that had river access.  Today we went up there and looked at a couple of possibilities.  Of course, we'll have to dicker the price a bit, but we're saying a lot of prayers right now do know what the right move would be.  Also, the house we live in now (in town) is pretty nice, so we're a bit spoiled and don't want to move into a hovel.  There are a lot of things to consider, and it is a lot more work to live out in the country, but I think it would be so worth it.  Since Andy is blind, a lot of that work will fall on me, so we want to be realistic about what we take on.  Here are a couple of things we looked at today.

Our favorite place is gorgeous - you can see more pix here:  Our favorite so far   It is right on the river, and you can see the river from the kitchen, living room, dining room, master bedroom, and all the upstairs rooms (which are 2 tiny bedrooms and another even tinier room)  But, the downstairs is perfect.

We also looked at another place on the South Fork.  It needed more work (i.e. small closets, some of the wood work was crappy) but over all, it was pretty good and the location was gorgeous.  About 4 miles off the main road, but a couple of other houses within walking distance so you're not completely isolated.  This location was more "forest-like" and probably has better river access (the other location's river was running too swiftly to be safe to get in I think) and has lots of drip irrigation already set up and a number of gardens.  The main fork location was a little drier and more of a "scrub" climate, but right ON the river.  The south fork home was much smaller, but the price was also much better.  The property would require more upkeep, and again the inside would require some work.  I think it also needs a new heating system.  This is the South Fork location.

Oh, and I just wore shorts and a linen top today.  Both me-
made.  I'll have to look up pattern numbers later.

Me Made May Day 9

This is a terrible picture, but the dress is V8319.  There is also a matching jacket, but I chose to wear a RTW cardigan today.  The dress is OK, but it has princess seams and I think I need to lower the curve of the bust dart.  The fabric is a rayon/ linen blend, but since the lining is poly, it gets a little warm  Poly always makes me perspire.  Other than that, the fit of the dress is fine, but this picture is taken from a weird angle.

Me Made May day 7

This morning I took the dog for a walk.  Now that's a feat in itself, but that's another story.  Anyway, it was raining by the time I got back.  We desperately need rain here.  So, I wore my "rain boots" today.  I had one of my students snap my picture since I didn't have time before I left the house.  This is my "me-made" for today.

The sweater is crocheted.  The Galena top from Every Day Crochet by Doris Chan.  The pants are my favorite knit pull ons from Sandra Betzina - Vogue 1197.  I'm sure you'll be seeing these black pants many times over in this challenge!

Me Made May day 6 - and some new patterns

Me Made May Day 6

Today it is cooling down a little bit, so I got to wear a sweater.  It is day 6 in the Me Made May Challenge.  I'm wearing the Colette Clover pants and the shirt is from the Built By Wendy book.  I really do like this shirt.  It was made back in 2007, which seems to have been a good year for sewing since I have so many things still from that year.  I remember that I bought this Japanese cotton lawn from Fabric-mart fabrics.  I should have bought it in every print and color because it is super fabulous.  It has held up well over years of washing and abuse.  I have worn this shirt many many times and the fabric shows little signs of wear.  The interfacing, on the other hand, has shrunk some, so the collar is a little wrinkly.  Also, I think my sewing skills are better now, so I'm a little more picky about how things look.  I should probably pull that pattern out and make it again.
The pants are from Colette and they are the Clovers.  I actually just bought some fabric at PR weekend to make another pair, and I found a great red stretch cotton sateeen with sort of an animal "print" jacquard on it at JoAnn's today that I just couldn't resist.

























I got a great package in the mail today with patterns that I had ordered through the Club BMV sale.  Here they are:
V8881  
I like the asymetrical look of this top.  Stripes are really big this year, yet striped fabric isn't that easy to find - well, at least striped fabric that I like isn't that easy to find :-).  I'm always way more about what the fabric feels like rather than what it looks like.




                                                                         

                                                                            V1234 - This is a Sandra Betzina pattern.  I didn't try this on at her workshop, but I did like it.  I would love to find a bold knit to make this out of.
















V 1292 - this is another Sandra Betzina pattern.  I never liked this in the pattern book, but I saw this worn at the PR weekend, and it looked fantastic.  Now, I am having a hard time finding the right striped knit to make it in.  I did see something at Gorgeous fabrics that I think would be good.  The skirt is lined, so I would need to find the right knit lining too.






This is V8817.  It is a Katherine Tilton pattern.  It has a lot of different views, but I really like this one. I found a great black and white rayon that I'd like to use for this one.


















This is McCalls 6752.  I love all the views of this pattern.  There are 2 tops and two dresses, all very different looking.  I hope to get on this one soon.

As you can see, I'm off and running with knits this season.  First of all, I love knits because they are easy to sew and work up quickly.  They are also very comfortable to wear, great for travel, and easy to launder.  I also have a stash of knits that I need to start working on.

I also can tell that I've been trying new shapes that I never considered before.  I'm sure that some will work (like the last purple dress that I made) and some may not.  Either way, I haven't lost.  A dress that doesn't work is still better than fabric that's been sitting in my cabinet for years.  Where's the fun in that?  I'm also starting to refashion some things a little bit more.  I've never really liked altering or ripping things out, but it is pretty nice to be able to just fix a thing or two and have something wearable from it.

There are two other patterns that I still want to get.   I'm not sure why I did not pick up the that purple dress pattern the first time

, but the second one, they did not have available in my size.  Vogue patterns are going on sale this coming weekend at my local JoAnn's, so I will try there.

Me Made May 13 day 5

Today is Sunday.  We are getting ready for church, and right now I am eating my oatmeal with slivered almonds and blueberries.  I made this dress back in 07, but I still wear it.  It's a classic wrap around style.  I haven't made a lot of Kwik Sew patterns, but they are easy and "kwik"!  this one is 3408.  I bought the fabric from Emma One Sock back in the day when they were selling "buttermilk".  I have to say, the fabric still looks great.

Me Made May 13 Day 4 and Brewfest

Today was the Brewfest in the town that I work in.  It is a big event and fundraiser for the local Lions Club.  We haven't gone in a few years, and although we had fun, I'm not sure that we will go again next year.  It was pretty hot too, but nice in the shade.  What did I wear?  Well I made this skirt S2609 last summer and it's a great throw-on for warm weather.  Elastic waist and nice and cool.  I just finished the top this morning and it is NL6569.  There were some problems with this top.  I made this a few years ago and had already cut out the pattern.  It seemed too big to me because I think I had cut a 14.  Normally I cut a 10 in the shoulders and do a FBA.  On the pattern tissue it was printed that a size 10 had a 37-1/2" finished bust measurement, so although I did an alteration for length, I did not think I needed to add to the circumference.  WRONG!  This top was VERY snug across the bust.  I thought about just scrapping it, but decided to put in a little gusset on both sides under the arm hoping to correct the problem.  Well, there is a little more ease now, but it is still snug and has lots of drag lines.  Also, the neckline is too wide and seems to need a dart.  I also need to take it up in the shoulders.  I really do like the shape of this top and the front, so I may go ahead and make these changes on the tissue and try it again.

Me Made May day 3

Today was wear purple Friday.  Our school is going all out for Relay For Life (fundraising for the American Cancer Society) so everyone wears purple on Friday.  I have now realized that I don't have any purple tops.  Purple dresses - yes.  Purple sweaters - yes.  Purple shawl - yes.  Skirts with purple - yes.  But no purple tops.  Well, I have one.  But it had long sleeves and it was in the 90s today.  So, a little help from my Ginghers  and now I have a short sleeved purple top!  OK, so the top isn't completely made by me, but I did refashion it!  And... the skirt is.  I bought this fabric on one of my trips to Uganda.  It was absolutely gorgeous in the flat fold.  They treat all of the fabrics with something that makes them sort of shiny and hard as a board.  After I washed it, it was more like card stock that had gotten wet and dried again.  Ironing helps, but it just doesn't have any drape at all and is pretty stiff.  Wrong style for this fabric.  Probably the wrong style for me too.

  It doesn't look that bad in the above photo - but I'm afraid that THIS is what I really look like in it.  So, this one is probably going to go in the give away pile.  I've always liked the idea of a dirndle skirt - and I always think they look great on others, but this just makes me look short and fat.  Oh well.  I'll be wearing a different skirt tomorrow.  Keep an eye out for MMM13 day four!

Me Made May day 2

Today I wore my new purple dress - actually the last sewing project I have completed.  It is Vogue DKNY 1250, made from a beautiful purple double knit.  Tonight was Open House, so I dressed up a little more than usual for work today.

Me Made May - Day one

Thanks to Amity, I am participating in Me Made May.  What is it?  Pretty simple - for each day in May, wear something you've made!  Well, it would be simple if I had been sewing for the last year!  Most of the things that I've sewn I've gotten rid of because they no longer fit.  That's a good thing, but I don't have that many things that I've made anymore.  That's good because that means I've got to get off my butt and get some sewing done!  Last weekend was PR weekend in San Francisco (my favorite city) so I definitely am not lacking in motivation, fabric or patterns to make this happen.  I am so wanting to sew this weekend but already have 3 commitments on Saturday and Sunday is usually taken up by church, going out to lunch, and a few other things.  Of course, sometime this weekend I will have to go to the grocery store too.  Darn this eating is always getting in the way - LOL!

So, since I did not find out about MMM until today, I did not plan on wearing things I've made.  However, I did wear my shawl today, and I made that!  In fact, I just finished this the night before I left for San Francisco.  I love this shawl and I wore it all weekend.  It's the "All Shawl" pattern by Doris Chan for crochet.

Right now, Sandra Betzina's fit pants are on my cutting table.

 This pattern is not available unless you take her Craftsy class (either one.)  Fortunately for me, Carrie gifted me this one at PR weekend (By the way, if you're reading this and I got your name wrong, PLEASE correct me.)  And BY THE WAY, PR weekend was great!  I almost didn't go, but I'm so glad I did.  Had a great time with my roomie and new friend, Kossiwa and lots of other familiar faces and new friends.  I've always admired Sandra Betzina, so getting to meet her, hear her in person, and have personal fit advice from her was invaluable.  The only downfall of the weekend (besides the fact that Kossiwa and I both ate something that made us sick) was that we didn't have the opportunity to get to talk to everyone.  There were some familiar PRers that I really wanted to get together with and just didn't get to.
Anyway, about these pants.  Sandra had a pair of these made up in every size and we got to try them on and have her critique the fit.  They don't look like much on the envelope, but they really did look good on.  The funny thing was that Kossiwa and I both wear exactly the same size, yet we have very different body shapes.  The fit looked great on both of us.  The only difference was that I will need to take in the waist a bit, and she will need to lengthen the legs.