May in Review

Sewing wise, May was all about tops.  

I did end up finishing up a project, the flannel pajama top, I cut out approximately six months ago and then some items that have been on my want-to-make list.  Basic pieces, nothing fancy compared to other sewing blogs highlighting all the prom, formal and wedding wear this month.  My life is not that fancy.  

Me-Made-May 2019

Another year of Me-Made-May activities have come to an end.   I started the month with taking flat-lay photos and reflecting on my fabric choices.  And even though I stopped taking photos half way through, I made a few observations.  

1. Taking me-made photos every day can get quite tiresome.  
2. Especially if there are outfit changes.  
3. Or coffee stains after getting dressed.  
4. I prefer natural fabrics like wool, silk, cotton and linen.  
5. Sometimes man-made fibres enter my wardrobe but they are not the fabrics that I find most comfortable or that they make me feel amazing wearing them.  Sadly, they creep into fabrics as blends.   
6. It didn't feel like I was wearing newer makes.  
7. I then realized that over the past year more than fifty percent of the garments I made were gifted to others.  
8. My sewing behaviour has changed in that I seem to find mending more rewarding than I did in the past. 
9. Say what?  
10. Yup, I said it.  Perhaps, it's the realization that good quality fabrics are becoming harder to come by? 
11. I kept my fabric shopping hobby addiction under control.  
12. Could be that I haven't been able to find natural fibre fabrics that have sparked overwhelming joy?  
13. Or that I can't get over the $50+ / metre price tag of 100% linen.  
14. That's Canadian dollars.  
15. Yikes!   

In the end, Me-Made-May emphasized that I wear me-made items everyday in some form or another and that at least 50% of my clothing choices fall under this category. 

What's Next?  

I'm thinking about stitching up some shirtdresses.  

And this vintage Betty Jackson shirtdress came into the collection as well.  

First, I need to get this project done.  It's all cut out and ready to sew.  

I still haven't got around to sewing a pair of jeans that I've been talking about sewing.  I don't see that happening this month.  Instead, I have plans for more gift sewing and I would really like to sew a sleeve cover for my laptop.  It all seems so ambitious.  Time will tell how much I actually get done.  How about you, any upcoming sewing plans?  

Happy Sewing!  

Finally!

I cut out the pattern for this flannel pajama shirt the same time that I cut out this project. Nearly six months later, I present the remaining piece to this set.  

Just in time for the upcoming air-conditioner season.  Butterick 6296 is a pattern I've sewn before.

  

And it is an exact copy. I made sure to add the deep back neck facing that was featured in a Vogue article by Kathryn Brenne. It's one of my favourite features of this pajama top. That and the plaid wearing moose print. I think this print is just adorable. I couldn't wait to put them on, I'm wearing them now.  

The Stats

Fabric:  2 metres 

Interfacing:  1 metre

Buttons:  4 - 5/8" vintage suit buttons

Pattern:  Butterick 6296

Additional Supplies and Tools:  Cutting table, pins, scissors, thread clippers, pin cushions, sewing machine, walking foot, buttonhole foot, regular sewing machine foot, sewing machine, threads, screwdriver, seam ripper, and a chai tea latte.  

Happy Sewing!

Day 13 & 14: Me-Made-May '19

It's not even half way through Me-Made-May and yesterday I was willing to give up on the flat-lay photo aspect of this challenge. Some days are busy and it's just grab a pair of black pants (OOP Vogue 1325) and a t-shirt (OOP Vogue 1306). It doesn't make for a scenic flat-lay photo even if I had the time.

Day 13's Me-Made count:  57% me-made, 4 garments out of seven.

Today's outfit is a little more colourful.  And the daily count will look more like this:  67% me-made, 4 garments out of six.    

And something different.

I made this dress almost two years ago. It is made in 100% silk fabric that I found in the home décor department at my local fabric store. I'm been caring for it in the washing machine and it has held up well. The pattern is Tessuti's Eva dress and I love that it's easy to wear (pullover) and it has pockets. I've made a few versions of this dress but right now there are only two copies in my closet.

This one only comes out in the spring, not so much because of the colour. I have no problem wearing yellow in the winter. It's just not the most appropriate cold weather item.  

In my humble opinion, this is the perfect spring time dress.

Happy Sewing!

Day 12: Me-Made-May '19

First up, I was able to finish a mending project today and add my wool and cashmere pants (OOP Vogue 1325) back into the wardrobe. It had a broken zipper, but no more.  

There was a quote that appeared in Sew News a couple months earlier that resonates with me, 

[r]epairing doesn't mean we can't afford to buy something new; it means we can't afford something being thrown away. ~ Fashion Revolution

This quote reminded me of a young person noticed that I had mended an item I was wearing and asked if I couldn't afford new clothes. It was heartbreaking that it would be a question asked as it signaled how fast and disposable clothing has been normalized in such a young mind. Needless to say, I'm proud of rescued items and I did something against fast fashion. And I'm sure these pants will show up in future me-made posts for years to come. 

Talking about Me-Made-May. Today's count was 40% or four out of ten items.  

I wore this shirt, McCall's 7904, for the first time today. The navy skirt, OOP Vogue 1247 was previously blogged about for Me-Made-May '19 here. Other me-made items consisted of sleepwear, Butterick 6296 and Vogue 9217.  The rest of my garments were ready-to-wear items.   

Happy Sewing (and mending)!

Day 11: Me-Made-May '19

It's hard to believe that we're already at day 11. I'm losing steam when it comes to photographing and examining what I've been wearing. Today was a housework and yard work kind of day. Nothing too exciting to write about. I just wore mostly repeat items.  

Instead, I was thinking about my pledge.  

I endeavour to wear my me-made wardrobe, stop buying fabric, sew from my stash and be mindful that sustainable fashion is enjoying what is in my closet.  Oh, one more thing: embrace the art of mending the previously loved items that are waiting to be put back into wardrobe rotation during May 2019.

The "embrace the art of mending" part of this month has been the most difficult part of this challenge. But I have to admit that well-made clothes that fit don't go out of style. And that is how I feel about these pants. They are just shy of six years old but you wouldn't know it by looking at the fabric. The wool cashmere blend has held up over these years and through a lot of wear.  It was a broken zipper that brought these to the mending pile months ago. And I'm finally getting around to them and only because I made it part of my Me-Made-May pledge. I'm glad I did, it will be nice to have these as an option once again. I hope to have this mending project done by the end of the weekend.  

Happy Sewing!

McCall's 6548: Hockey Shirt

Fabricland came out with a line of NHL hockey fabrics in the recent months and well since I live in a town crazy for the sport is it any surprise that I would actually jump in?  

Fabricland offers flannel, quilting cottons and fleece with various NHL logos printed on them and I opted for a small length of the quilting cotton. At this price, a pair of flannel pajamas are out of the question (Fabricland's membership discounts do not apply to these fabrics). But I did think the fabric is too much fun not to make a one-of-a-kind gift for someone special. I made this with McCall's 6548 and love in my heart.  

The Fabric

In addition to the details above, this fabric had a high percentage of shrinkage. Seriously. I certainly didn't expect the amount that occurred. I feared that there wouldn't be enough in the cut and that I would have to find a contrast fabric for the sleeves. It took some time to figure out a suitable pattern placement to get the pattern pieces to fit. And there was a print direction to work around.  I'm happy with how the lines match up at the centre front and I wish there was enough room to place the pieces to allow for side seam matching as well. But overall, I'm just pleased I was able to get this all cut out. Something to keep in mind if you plan to pick up this fabric.  

The fabric was pretreated with a machine wash and tumble through the dryer. Then it was steamed pressed. I'm really hoping [fingers crossed] that all the shrinkage is done because I'm really happy with how this turned out.  

The Pattern

I usually check Pattern Review and online to see if others have made a new-to-me pattern before I start a project and many reviews noted that the tops were on the short side. With this information, I added an additional inch to the length. Better safe that sorry, besides I could always shorten it.

McCall's 6548 is an easy make, I made most of it in an evening. This is a perfect project for beginners. I really like that the facing is attached to the front.  It makes for quick sewing. Also like the flat method used for the sleeve but didn't understand why they suggest basting before sewing. It really is an unnecessary step as the pattern pieces are well drafted and fit together easily without fussing with cap ease. Instead of the self facing method listed for finishing the collar, I finished the edge by trimming, serging and sewing seam binding in place. 

The Stats

Fabric:  0.7 metres 

Buttons:  5 - 7/16" vintage Countess buttons

Pattern:  McCall's 6548

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, tailor's chalk, scissors, measuring gauge, measuring tape, sewing machine, walking foot, buttonhole foot, seam ripper, screwdriver, iron, ironing board, tailor's block, buttonhole cutter, clapper, hand sewing needle, serger, threads, and pin cushion.  

Happy Sewing!  

Day 10: Me-Made-May '19

If I could have stayed in my pajamas all day, I would.  I didn't get a good flat-lay photo of today's wears. So here's a quick recap, 57% me-made, 4 out of 7 items.  

Another raw silk top, McCall's 7630, this one in yellow. I really like that this is made out of a natural fibre and it's a really comfortable fabric to wear. 

Today for some reason it was feeling a bit too short. Maybe I wasn't feeling my most fit and just wanted something with more coverage.  Like pajamas.  

The wool skirt, Vogue 1567, provided more coverage and I would have felt comfortable in it if it weren't for the static cling that was going on. It's the first time wearing this skirt that I wish I had a slip.  

Yup some days you just wish you could stay in your pajamas.  That about sums up day 10.