WIP: The Proper Stitch Sampler

While many a Me Made May has seen me sewing or traveling, this year is different.  I feel like a home bug.  With weather that is more autumnal than vernal the gardens and yard have suffered with projects half finished and the house is still waiting for a full spring cleaning.  My hands keep busy though.  A second matching sock is on the sock loom, which will eventually give me two pairs of loom knit socks to wear.  A crochet hat for a friend was designed and completed.  New responsibilities with my EGA chapter have me doing lots of admin and yet I’ve been chipping away at the Proper Stitch Sampler.  The outlined, but unstitched section is a drawn thread section where I second guessed myself and started following directions just before cutting threads and doing so means I now need to reweave 8 threads, which will wait until the remainder of the sampler is stitched.  A few more complicated sections are also left for later, such as the knotwork, which will be a braid stitch in gold metallic, which I feel might hold up better with less handling post stitching.

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Crocheted Hat

Have you noticed a dearth of crochet hat patterns for yarns finer than aran or worsted?  My preferred yarn for many projects is fingering and while many a hat would due well in a heavier weight yarn, a spring/summer hat would likely be too hot in anything heavier.  With the lack of patterns available on Ravelry or via online search it was time to take matters into my own hands.  It took a little while to get this design just right, but I think I have.  This hat is 100% organic cotton Zauberball by Schoeppel and used just 41 grams of yarn with an F hook.  With open lacy sections to increase airflow and cool absorbent cotton this should wear well into spring, when many hats become much too heavy.

MakeNine2009 #5 Vintage Apron

Graded up from a medium, this apron sewn from a reproduction vintage pattern could still use a little lengthening. My bias binding of scalloped edges could use a fair bit of work too. The fabric is Lecien Antique Flowers in pastel. This is a binding hog taking three packages. During the process of picking binding, I learned that I have three packages of vintage binding in frosty blue from a time when it cost 25c a package each with 5 yards of binding. Unfortunately, each is a different shade of blue. A trip to Jo anns brought 3 of a similar shade that matched each other, with each having 4 yards.

While I was at Jo Ann’s I could pass up sequins and lace at 60% off.

This fabric is actually a lovely periwinkle.

Number 5 of my makenine2019 is complete.  I don’t expect (though I hope) to make another in June which leaves me with 6 months and my four hardest items items to go.  This is not helped my sewjo coming back in a big way, but only in relation to the urge to sew summer dresses.

Me-Made-May Follow Up 2019

This is my favorite version of my color palette, with colors for all seasons represented.

Having had so many years where each season was a rush to make something to wear since nothing would fit left me with the erroneous idea that my wardrobe is still small. In fact, it is large enough that while yes, there are still holes, I’m enjoying updating non-priority items like pjs. My wardrobe has also reached the point where I need to focus in on my style goals. A number of imperfect, but functional muslins are taking up space, as well as, some items that while loved are looking rather worn. It’s okay that I’m here. This seems like I’ve entered phase 2 of wardrobe building.

Lessons Learned

Tops are still a major hole in my wardrobe and filling it is slow.  So much fitting is necessary even after I’ve found patterns I like.  Problematic is the fact that I seem to prefer tops with interesting details, which it is harder to make lots of without it being obvious that they are the same.  Maybe the Cashmerette Turner should finally be turned into a tee pattern.  Me-Made skirts present another hole, primarily neutrals are lacking here too. Finding my ideal skirt silhouettes is a must. This all happened because of my focus on dresses, which would clothe all of me when all of me needed clothing.  There are a few things that aren’t getting worn, but are taking up space, so it is time for another clean out.  My wardrobe could use some more denim.

Sewing Goals:

• Focus on style.
• Continue filling in me-made holes by replacing non-priority items as they become worn out and by challenging myself to learn new skills and try making new garments.
• Continue building my collection of tried and true patterns.
• Work on details like different types of sleeves, pockets.
• Try more necklines and silhouettes.
• Sew more separates.
• Fill in the neutral basics I’m missing. Button up white shirt, black skirt, grey blazer, knit camis in black and white, navy cardi. Skirts in black and grey that can be a little dressier than a mini (Hollyburn) or a corduroy (Rosari).

Me Made May 2019: Final Days

Yet another grainy before bed pic.  Sorry, so much rain, so little sun.  So much to do, so little time for pics.

5/30 Sis Boom Carolina Mae in a luscious floral rayon is one of my favorite makes.  Here I’ve paired it with a shawl that was knit for me by my mother-in-law.  This shawl gets the most compliments when I wear it and it goes with pretty much everything.

5/31 Actually having run out of new outfits to wear for  Me Made May my first repeat is on the last day.  The green heavily hacked and altered version of the Cashmerette Turner Dress got one more go.  The double layer of fabric with it’s double layer of interfacing in the lower sleeve is rather hot for warm days, but when I needed to cool down a little (or wash dishes) I slipped my arms out of the lower sleeve and just let them dangle at my sides medieval style.

 

Me (and mini-me) Made May Week 4

This is the week of makes that have issues and outfits that should never happen.  It was another sick kid week, which turned plans upside down, but apart from having to pick O up from school there wasn’t much to it.  We watch a couple of Miyazaki films.  After the first he ate the contents of his lunch bag and I decided by the end of the second that it was probably something he ate or excitement about the fun events at school, but we still canceled our Saturday plans just in case he had something infectious.  This week’s lesson is “find your ideal skirt”.

5/22 Valentine Skirt (Still Unblogged) is a wool blend Fumeterre (Deer & Doe) skirt with self-drafted heart shaped pockets that have lace overlays and Pink Cashmerette Concord.

5/23 Autumn Sky-One of my favorite all time makes, so well loved that I have been trying to figure out how best to refit it and contemplating embroidery to cover the bleach spots, but still wear it at home even with the issues.

5/24 Striped Appleton (Possibly also never blogged)-this didn’t make it downstairs.  I really just don’t like it.  I’m rarely a stripes girl, so I’ve added this to the give away pile.  Then I decided to try Lucky #3, which I also don’t like the look of anymore.  The collar doesn’t suit me and the floral pattern isn’t quite right.  I’m sort of tempted to overdye it in grey, poorly, if the dye would mirror the different shades and shapes of the flowers that would be awesome and if it ends up all grey it is still better than currently.  If it turns out well, perhaps a new collar in white will be worth making, which was always a change it needed would be worth making.

5/25 Mariposa, my mint green with blue butterflies rayon Colette Myrtle that is showing signs of wear, and then later, because our favorite indie theater can be like sitting in a freezer, Carolina Gingham (Sis Boom Carolina Mae in black and white gingham)  and a handknit shawl in shades of grey, which was a gift from my mother-in-law.  My loomknit socks wear added to prevent cold toes.

5/26 Watercolors, another comfy often worn Turner.  Unfortunately, the pale colors, don’t really suit me, a lesson I learned from this dress.  My clothes really need to have a fair bit of color in order to complement my dark hair and eyes and ivory to tan skin tones.  After this got wet in the rain, I paired Mustardseed (Adrienne-Friday Pattern Co) with Elsbeth my self-drafted aline skirt creating a surprisingly nice outfit.

5/27 Rosepetals, my very first Cashmerette Appleton, with my black Julia Cardigan, which I wore for our picnic at local waterfall and some splashing about in the stream.  Upon returning home I created my worst outfit yet to wear around the house for a few hours before turning in.  My self-drafted, elastic waisted aline purple batik skirt and my black savannah tank top.  The tank top’s main issue is that the lace is all wobbly due to how I created the bust darts and took in the sides while refitting it.

5/28 Silver and black satin, this one predates my little girl who brought me back to sewing.  The pattern (a big 4) is no longer part of my collection and while the skirt swishes delightfully it doesn’t fit well and looks bad currently, but with the many little gores at the bottom in addition to the multitude of panels fitting into the yoke taking it in would be a pain.

Missed Last Week:

My brown mendocino sundress with self-drafted petal sleeves missed being added in for last week, but was worn on Sunday after our outdoor activities.

Mini-Me-Made-May

5/22 O-wool Rowan Tee (Twitchy Threads)

5/23 O-Dino Rowan Tee, A-purple sparkle rainbow unicorn dress (VFT Matilda)

5/24 O-dragons and Castles Rowan Tee, A-Mermaid Self-Drafted Tent Dress

5/25 O-Wool Rowan, A-Floral Self-Drafted Tent Dress

5/26 A-Floral Self-Drafted Tent Dress

5/27 A-Petals Self-Drafted Tent Dress

5/28 A-Floral Self-Drafted Tent Dress (clearly this weeks favorite, a change from the unicorns)

 

Me(and mini-me)-Made-May 2019 week 3

5/15 Kit Appleton, Rose Oslo

5/16 Colette Myrtle Muslin, A-Rainbow Twirl Dress

5/17 Turner Overlap is made of what I’m certain was originally a Craftsy fabric, but that went to fabricmart as a pre-cut when Craftsy stopped carrying garment fabric.  It’s a really lovely rayon/cotton blend that is a joy to sew with.  The sleeves are self-drafted starting from the turner long sleeve with inspiration from Vogue 9327 view B.

I looked at the view B sleeve to see  how it overlapped and then redrafted it for the smaller turner sleeve removing the shoulder darts, the “flexible trim” finish and the buttons, which I had originally wanted to keep.  The lower sleeve, which I narrowed, is fully lined, with both the lining and outer interfaced using knit interfacing.  In the future I may simply use a standard stiff cuff interfacing since this area is almost stretch free as is, but still wrinkles a little.

I had meant to raise my self-drafted scoopneck, but after having done two sleeve muslins (basted onto the outside of an existing Turner to save time and bother) I was excited to get started and worried about having enough fabric, but it turns out that because each sleeve is cut in 4 pieces, which can be fit around other pieces (at least at this size) it takes less fabric than a long sleeve Turner.

It seems this fabric while as stretchy as required for the pattern is less stretchy than I have used previously creating the lovely cross bust pull lines you see in the top picture.  Wishing the bodice was better still doesn’t take away from the attraction of these sleeves though.  Please don’t let the awesome variety of sleeves go away.  Instead can we further the details trend with more fun pockets and plackets and tucks etc?  There are so many things we could explore.

5/18 Bright Blooms Rosari (Pauline Alice) A-purple sparkles rainbow unicorn VFT Matilda, O-Castles and Dragons Rowan Tee

5/19 Nightlife my black linen look reversible Made By Rae Washi dress is an everylasting favorite as a wrinkleproof, pocketed popover dress.

5/20 Upcycled Simplicity 1692 Muslin and my grey corduroy Pauline Alice Rosari Skirt (also a muslin, technically).

5/21 Cherry Blossoms, my second Cashmerette Turner in Art Gallery jersey.  A-Rainbow Twirl Dress