Me Made May Week 3

Week Three of Me Made May!!

Pattern: Vogue 1247

Fabric: giraffe denim

Occasion: Sunday funday w Chowdog

Thoughts: quick girls size fix - serged off 2" per side and ta da it fits again and I absolutely adore this skirt!! 

Day 17

Pattern: Anna dress by By Hand London

Fabric: sevenberry anchor cotton

Occasion: impromptu shopping trip to the USA with my man 

Thoughts: first Anna dress after a very unsuccessful attempt last year and this one fits perfect! Very comfortable!

Day 20

Pattern: pencil skirt

Fabric: ponte knit

Occasion: work

Thoughts: nothing like a knit skirt to make my days more comfortable

Day 21

Pattern: Bruyere dress by Deer and Doe

Fabric: Robert Kaufman chambray with ships

Occasion: work

Thoughts: great easy to wear dress and still one of my favourite patterns

Day 22

Pattern: Steeplechase Leggings by Fehr Trade 

Fabric: spandex

Occasion: morning hot yoga 

Thoughts: super fun to wear and great stretch but not the greatest breathability for a hot yoga class. Working on my headstand!

Day 23

Pattern: Anna bodice By Hand London + Saltspring skirt Deer&Doe

Fabric: Cotton&Steel with antelopes

Occasion: Saturday shopping

Thoughts: I've quickly learned the Anna dress addiction having made two Anna's in two weeks with plans for 2 more...super flattering pattern that works well to display fabrics! Quick see as well - fully lined. 

Day 24

Pattern: Steeplechase Leggings by By Hand London 

Fabric: New Balance Supplex

Occasion: hot yoga

Thoughts: amazing. So impressed by my mad skills people!! Love these leggings with their lime green piping!!

I missed a day :( I forgot to take a photo but I totally wore me made dress I swear!!

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Me-Made-May-15 Week 2

May 8

Pattern: Flora by By Hand London

Fabric: polyester 

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: major hack on this dress - took out 4" from both side seams to make it fit. Do the bodice waist darts now point to my armpits? You betcha they do!  But luckily my shoulder width hasn't decreased much so the straps still fit nicely. 

Day 9

Pattern: Saltspring by Sewaholic

Fabric: Anne Sui cotton/silk Border Print

Occasion: Saturday shopping and date night my man. 

Thoughts: fabric is beautiful to the touch. Straps are 1/2" too short but without major reconstruction there's nothing I can do to fix it :( 

Day 10

Pattern: Kim Dress by By Hand London

Fabric: stretch cotton poplin

Occasion: Mother's Day brunches (for my mommy and grandma as well as my bfs family)

Thoughts: Sewed a size 10 - forgot this fabric had stretch to it - resewed it with 1" seams - terrible hack - shoulder straps fit better but still too wide so I may add a shoulder strap across the top back so I'll actually get more wear out of it. The fabric is beautiful. 

Day 11

Pattern: McCalls 6553

Fabric: Polyester 

Occasion: work

Thoughts: easy throw on dress with fun back Cape. I think I'll make a few more for summer as its great for keep a pattern in tact. 

Day 12

Pattern: McCalls 6696

Fabric: Robert Kaufman 1" Carolina Gingham

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: absolutely love this dress

Day 13

Pattern: Vogue 1102

Fabric: Cotton with embroidered anchors

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: after another 4" quick hack off the bodice under arms this beauty fits again! So pleased! (The waist Seam has elastic in it so holds it shape will with this hack)

Day 14

Pattern: McCalls 6696

Fabric: Quilting cotton + yellow Robert Kaufman chambray 

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: even though it's too big all over I still love the vibe of this dress. 

Day 15

Pattern: Summer Concert Tee by Dixie DIY

Fabric: cotton knit with 1-way stretch

Occasion: work

Thoughts: need to reattach the neck binding with a bias cut piece instead of with the grain as it sticks out. Otherwise comfortable. 

See you next week!

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Me Made May 2015 - Week 1

May 1 - Friday 

Pattern: Bruyere by Deer&Doe

Fabric: Robert Kaufman chambray

Occasion: work 

Thoughts: still my favourite thing I've ever made. I wear it weekly and love how comfortable it is. 

May 2 - Saturday

Pattern: simplicity 2444

Fabric: cotton sateen

Occasion: driving to the USA along hwy61 which is beautiful! 

Thoughts: great easy to wear dress. The stretch makes it comfortable and the pattern and colours make me feel happy. The bodice is about 1cm too short so it sits slightly higher on my waist. 

May 3 - Sunday

Pattern: New Look 6067 bodice + Deer&Doe Belladone skirt

Fabric: cotton poplin with ships

Occasion: the first communion of my bf's nephews.

Thoughts: absolutely love this dress and love the pockets on the Belladone. Need to use this skirt pattern more frequently. 

May 4 - Monday 

Pattern: pencil skirt 

Fabric: ponte

Occasion: work

Thoughts: ponte is the best. Makes me look like I'm fancier than I am. Perfect. 

May 5 - Tuesday 

Pattern: Wenona by Named Clothing

Fabric: Robert Kaufman Chambray

Occasion: work 

Thoughts: this fabric and colour makes me love it but I made a size 38, and it has zero shaping so its massive. 

May 6 - Wednesday

Pattern: New Look 6067

Fabric: cotton poplin with rabbits

Occasion: work

Thoughts: love this dress wish I could replicate it....wait a minute.. I can! :D

May 7 - Thursday

Pattern: vogue 1610

Fabric: polyester jersey

Occasion: work

Thoughts: comfortable and easy to wear but it has poor finishings and I need to shorten the hem by an inch or so. 

See you next week! :D

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Me-Made-May 2015 Pledge

I completed my challenge last year but failed at the taking of the photos every day. So this year I shall not set it as a requirement to take daily photos, but hopefully I will and I will post a weekly summary posts of my wears on May 10, 17, 24, and a final one May 31st.

I, Chrystal McKay of SeamsLikeChrystal.blogspot.ca, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavour to wear one me-made item every day for the duration of May 2015. I also challenge myself to sew two pairs of Steeplechase Leggings to wear during May.



Challenge yourself: http://sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.ca/2015/03/me-made-may15-sign-up-here.html

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Fabric Finds and my Resulting Purchase Ban

I am now on a fabric ban. In the first two weeks of April I traveled to both the East and West coasts of the USA; hitting up New York City and Portland.

NYC was for Easter vacation, while Portland was for work.

Doesn't matter what coast I am on - I will purchase fabric. And as such I now have a fabric supply that will last me a year (Ok, Probably more accurately a decade at my current sewing rate of 2 garments a month but lets not think about that now eh?)

Portland Willamette River Cruise

View of NYC from the top of the Empire State Building

And as any sewer in their right mind (questionable as some of us are crazy) would do is seek out the local fabric hot spots. And lucky for me NYC is fabric famous with an entire district dedicated to fabric and sewing supply stores. And Portland is well documented thanks to our friends Colette Patterns - in their new issue of Seamworks magazine.

Now a little less talky talky a little more drooly drooly shall we?

3 Cottons from B&J Fabrics

Mood Fabrics:

Floral Neoprene ($18/yd)

Anna Sui Silk Cotton ($18/yd)

Swan Stretch Cotton poplin ($12/yd)

Spandex World:

$11/yd spandex/lycra blends

Fabric Depot - One of Portland's many wonders

Fabric Depot Hual:

Cotton&Steel Frolic in Coral ($8/yd)

Alexander Henry Nicole's the Romantics in chartreuse ($8/yd)

Art Gallery Fabrics Wandering Lands Voile

Morocco Blues Horse Stretch Cotton Poplin ($7/yd)

Fabric Depot:

Gaultier Embroidered Leather ($35/yd - Only 1 yd for a V1247 skirt!)

Not photographed: 4 different New balance Wicking Fabrics yoga pant thickness - absolutely beautifulllllllllll - in plain colours.

Jo Ann Fabrics:

Cotton Voile Floral ($8/yd)

Gertie's Cherry Cotton Poplin ($8/yd)

Gertie's Cherry Cotton Chambray ($8/yd)

And previously to my travels I went a little click happy and bought a bunch of fabrics from Fabric.com during one of their many many many sales. Lets take a looksie:

Art Gallery Cleta Bikeleidoscope Jet

Black Magic Stretch Poplin Rabbit Print Black/Snow White

Matisse Crepe Animals Tar Black/White

Art Gallery Indian Summer Menagerie Onyx
Bloom Stretch Cotton Sateen Flourish White/Blue
Stretch Poplin Floral White/Black/Yellow
Morocco Blues Stretch Poplin Nautical White/Navy

Monet Rayon Sateen Owls Fuchsia
Stretch Poplin Floral Magenta/Green/White

Phew. So that's it. I'm banned from fabrics for the year. I have everything I could ever need......for now.

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The Western Plaid Shirtdress M6696

If there's ever a time when you find yourself thinking "what will make Chrystal snap?" Sewing 18 buttonholes for this dress is the correct answer. You know that scene from home alone where Joe Pesci starts mumbling "frigg-a-fuda-fuda" repeatedly? Try sewing 18 buttonholes; you'll realize you start to sound a lot like him - maybe a little less PG; Mumbling and with a distinctive look of murder twinkling in my eye as it switches uncontrollably.

It's not like buttonholes are difficult. I have a buttonhole foot that is automatic - A lazy sewists dream, but doing it 18 times on a plaid dress trying to line button hole to button perfectly. Cutting open each button hole without cutting the sides too much. It's the monotony of it all that drives my brain bonkers. Why 18 you say? Because I convinced myself that white buttons can only go on top of white checks in my plaid. The plaid is 1" plaid. Yeah....I hate myself too (But oh so thankful that I am such a shorty that I only need 36" height from collar to hemline). But I sure do love the outcome.....but please disregard the small bald patch that I ripped out of my hair. Minor details.

And let's talk about plaid. Why does it even exist? As a form of torture? Yes I believe that MUST be the truth of it. I wanted, nay NEEDED everything to match. I went to far as to put in extra effort; pins and markings and the whole shabam to make sure this baby matched. But alas, I still had to get creative to match that buttonband. If you look closely you'll notice my waistbands don't match.... Ooooopsie. One may be 2" thick and the other....a little more than that and not so straigh. And All that plaid matching gone to shit. But hey...the buttonband is nice and matchy matchy!

And plaid yokes. I should have been more mindfully and cut it on the bias for added pretty factor. Cause who doens't love to be distracted by pretty pretty pretty pretty. But my brain was on square mode (As am I most of the time) and I sewed right on with the plaid matching across that seam line. I was selective on which seams required matching. The order went: buttonband, back yoke.....to hell with everything else. I'm very invested in plaid matching if you can't tell...even with that WANT for matching.

 

Now let's talk luscious fabric that makes you squeal....namely robert kaufman....hello my lover, let me caress your smooth cotton weave again....you're so squishy and ironing pleats in you is so satisfying....so nice....mmmmm....oh! You're still here? I'm having a private moment with my fabric if you'll excuse me...

Ok I'm done. to summarize...I love robert kaufman. And want everybody to forever more gift me with Robert Kaufman fabrics. You've been told.

Now lets talk pattern. The ever loved M6696. So I've been progressing in my weight loss, and when I made this dress in January I cut the D-cup size 14, and now, in March, I cut a D-cup size 10 bust, grading to a 12 waist and skirt. I wanted a snugger fit under the arms and across my bust. The size 14 was roomier even then, and this size 10 fits perfect with not much ease which is appreciated. Yay for healthy lifestyle changes but nay for having to retrace all of my patterns....

That is a SERIOUS Rump! Thanks Wind!

Otherwise as you can see....I used shortsleeves so I could wear this into Spring, and used the full pleated skirt again because alas this rumpity rump still needs a little coverage.

And why Western? Because I have a Western themed formal event to go to this evening and I'ma wear my new Dress!

Details

Pattern: M6696
Size: Size 10 Bodice D-cup, graded to Size 12 for waist and skirt
Fabric: Robert Kaufman Blue 1" Plaid
Alterations: Removed gathers from back completely.

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