Me-Made-May '14: Summary

I, Cathy of Cathy makes..., signed up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavoured to wear a handmade item at least four days a week and, for one week, every day for the duration of May 2014.

Me-Made-May has been a great exercise, I am so pleased that I participated. Did I achieve my goal(s)? Yes! I wore 24 outfits in 31 days. 15 items went into the outfits.

Week 5

During the final 3 days of May, I had to finish on a high note: 3 for 3.

Day 1: Thursday 29th

Me-Made: Silver T-shirt

Weather: cold, overcast

Activity: work

Day 2: Friday 30th

Me-Made: 70's dress (worn as skirt), brown jumper

Weather: cold

Activity: work from home

Day 3: Saturday 31st

Me-Made: Yellow skirt, mustard cardigan

Weather: mild

Activity: gardening


My Challenge

I chose the four days a week challenge to make sure I wore something to work at least once a week. I work from home once a week so I knew I could hide out at home three days a week. By adding a fourth day, I had to get out to the office every week in something handmade. I hadn't figured out that there are also two holiday Mondays in May; if I had wanted to, I could have only worn something to the office on two days of the whole month. But it is a challenge and I wanted to stick to my goal so I went with my plan of one thing per week to the office. By the end of the month, I had actually worn something to the office 6 times. I got no funny looks, and no funny comments. The world didn't end either. Mind-blowing!

I had a second part to my pledge: for one week, to wear something handmade every day. A tryout of a full MMM, if you will. I got this part out of the way in week one, tackling it while the whole concept was still a novelty. I was on such a roll, I wondered if I should go for every day of the whole month. But then what challenge would I do in 2015? Plus, I got a bit bored of my clothes and was happy to mix in some RTW.

I also had an unstated goal of getting out and about in a completely handmade outfit. I accomplished this 3 times. Dresses make it easier.

My Clothing

My selection of handmade garments is very small. I had only 14 garments at the start of May when I searched this blog under the label for me. I also had a few hand knits that I made before I started this blog. Thankfully, the weather in May is quite variable and I could get out in both summer and winter garb in the same month. In a different climate, I would not have had enough clothing to keep up with the challenge all month without wearing the same things over and over again.

The variable weather and the different activities I undertook showed me that my handmade wardrobe spans both work and casual, warm and cool weather. I hadn't realised it was so varied. What a great thing to discover, I am very pleased with myself!

The item I reached for most was...
...my mustard knit cardigan. I wore it 6 times! I only finished it on 11th May! Imagine if I had it from day 1? In my own defence, it is seasonally prefect for May, was brand new and goes with nothing, therefore goes with anything. I think I'd better go and wash it now.

There were also a few items that did not make it on to the podium.  My two Sorbettos spring to mind. Sadly, one was more of a wearable muslin and is now truly only wearable for garden chores like washing the car. The other, I think the combo of fabric plus ruffle is too juvenile on me and I need to think about refashioning it. Maybe a black contrast trim, cutting off the ruffle, something to make me wear it. The other reason is that the weather was pretty bad in May so I needed winter gear. I sew more summer stuff so the odds were not in their favour. Another summer piece that I really like, but did not wear in May was my chiffon top.  Promise I'll wear you to work on the next gorgeous day, ok? I also have some unblogged knits that didn't get worn. Many things I knit are not suitable for leaving the house in.

I finished more projects during May than I typically do. I know it was the impetus of the challenge. I wasn't panic sewing (truly!) but I do sew more productively with a deadline. My May finishes were my grey dress, mustard cardigan and red skirt. I really wanted to add another Miette and a mustard t-shirt to my wardrobe, but the month is over and they are not finished.

Pictures

My pictures were so varied. Why did I have a terrible picture as my first outfit each week? The opening photo of the first two posts were awful.

A lot of my photos were snapped from a phone. These were usually the truly terrible ones. The indoor shots on rainy days were also dire. The best, by far, were those where I had time, and weather, to take the tripod outside and set up the nice camera.

Outcomes

Participating in the challenge really helped me to look at my handmades with a critical eye, to ask myself: Would I wear that today? If the answer was no, I needed to do something about it. For starters, I've learned that dress patterns need to be made up in a wild, fun print for weekend wear, or super-plain for work wear. Plus, prints hide, or distract from, a multitude of sewing, and fitting, sins. I refashioned a dress in a simple cotton print into a much more versatile top.

I have been noticing how much I like, or don't like, what I make. Honestly, I prefer RTW. I am proud of what I make and I love the process, but I don't like the finished results. They don't pass the would-I-buy-this? test. They are always just a little bit "off". A seam is puckered, or twisted, my hems are wavy. Why would I spend hours sewing a handmade garment when I can buy a fully finished one for less money? There is plenty of one-of-a-kind RTW around these days, the fabrics are better, the finishes are better, and I can try on to see if they suit me and leave it behind if the reality of my reflection doesn't match up with the fantasy of my inspiration.

The stark reality for a home sewer like me is fabric choice. Unless I have access to a specialty fabric store, I can get hold of quilting cotton, wool boucle, and some stretch jersey. RTW clothes are now made of much more sophisticated fabrics than these, handled by experts and it shows.

I don't mean to be all down on sewing here. I love sewing for the girls, the doll clothes are strangely gratifying, and I love the fact that I can sew. I think I just have to be a bit more choosy about what I actually make, and work to my strengths, while practicing on my weaknesses. I'm certainly not giving up now!

Postscript

Guess who was also playing along this month? Forget about me, I could have done a whole month of them in my handmades. The beauty of it is - I let them dress themselves!

Here she is, photo-bombing me today!

Child to Doll Pyjama Bottoms - Tutorial and Pattern

Both my girls wore and loved these giraffe flannel pyjamas. Wore and loved them so much that they wore out. Rather than consign them to the scrap heap, I decided to refashion them into doll's pyjama bottoms.

Here's how I did it:

Step 1: Cut open seams at inside leg and crotch.

Step 2: Cut out doll size pants with pattern. I drafted one from an existing pair of doll pants. Here is my pattern draft, if you want to use it.

I kept the existing hem because the piping was really cute, and hey, less work for me!

Step 3: Sew right sides together along inside leg seam. Finish edges.

Step 4: Turn one leg right side out.

Step 4a: Insert right side out leg into other leg...

...until it looks like you just have one leg.

Step 5: Sew crotch seam all the way round in one piece. Leave a 1 inch space at one end of the seam.
Here I have marked the seam line with blue chalk. The start is marked with the scissors, the finish, with space, marked by the pencil. Finish seam allowances.

Step 6: Pull pants right side out and admire your work.

Step 7: Measure doll's waist for elastic. I got lazy here and sewed the elastic into a loop, folded the loop into the waistband and topstitched it closed.

Done!

Me-Made-May '14: Week 4

I, Cathy of Cathy makes...,  sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear a handmade item at least four days a week and, for one week, every day for the duration of May 2014.

Day 1: Friday 23rd
Me-Made: Miette Cardigan
Weather: not great
Activity: working from home

Day 2: Saturday 24th
Me-Made: Zig Zag Dress, Mustard Cardigan
Weather: rainy
Activity: playground











Day 3: Sunday 25th
Me-Made: Red Print Skirt, Mustard Cardigan
Weather: sunny
Activity: ice cream in the park









Day 4: Monday 26th
Me-Made: Silver T-shirt, red hat (unblogged)
Weather: rainy
Activity: ice-skating

Wild Red Skirt

How much fun is this print? I just love it! I have loved it from the second I saw it, and I continue to love it. It is Taza, Caroline, Red by Dena Designs. Until I made this skirt, I did not realise that I had bought, and used, the same fabric in pink for a child's skirt. The pink is in a smaller scale but we have matching skirts!

I was always going to make a skirt with it. I went for a similar A-line shape to the last quilting cotton skirt I made. This one is more A-line, and I used a pattern.

I used the waistband from New Look 6057. It had worked really well for me in my striped skirt and I will probably use it in many future skirts. I did make some modifications to the waistband, which I detailed earlier.

I also modified the skirt pattern, I changed the straight-ish shape to an A-line by drawing a straight line from the waist, through the hip and carrying on to the hem. I skipped the back vent because there is enough space in the hem for easy movement. I used a 1cm seam allowance throughout.

And... I added a pocket! In the right place! And it doesn't show! There's a first time for everything!

I eked this out of 1 yard of fabric. It was not easy. How can I get a whole dress out of 1m and yet I can't get a skirt out of 1 yard? I had no chance of pattern matching, but I did spend a long time laying all the pieces out flat to get the most out of the flowers. I particularly like the massive yellow flower but, sadly, I was not able to keep it intact. It is sitting there on the hemline. I was careful to make sure none of the flowers or leaves sat in embarrassing places, and I lined up the front waistband so it would show a small scale print.

I would have done the back of the skirt in one piece, but I didn't have enough fabric. I cut half of it on the cross grain, that is the piece where I was able to keep almost all of the statement yellow flower. I used a piece of plain red cotton for the back facing, but otherwise, it all came from the pattern, pocket included.

I tried something new during the cutting out process. I traced around the pattern pieces with chalk and then cut them out using the outlines. It was born of necessity, making sure I had space for all the pieces, but I really enjoyed it and thought it was a great way to lay out and cut out.

I finished with a minimal hem and I am very happy with my new skirt. I feel bright and summery when I wear it!

Final tally:
Fabric: £6.77, inc postage
Pattern: £0.00, used previously
Zip: £0.30, Mood
Total: £7.07

Me-Made-May '14: Week 3

I, Cathy of Cathy's Makes, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear a handmade item at least four days a week and, for one week, every day for the duration of May 2014.

Day 1: Thursday 15th
Me-Made: Green Sprig Top
Weather: mild
Activity: work

Day 2: Friday 16th
Me-Made: Mustard Cardigan
Weather: pleasant
Activity: work from home








Day 2: outfit 2
Me-Made: Stripe Skirt
Weather: lovely
Activity: dinner out

Day 3: Saturday 17th
Me-Made: Wild Red Skirt (unblogged, for now)
Weather: warm
Activity: lunch out

Day 4: Sunday 18th
Me-Made: Mustard Cardigan
Weather: glorious
Activity: games in the garden

Day 5: Monday 19th
Me-Made: Blue Spot Dress
Weather: warm and sunny
Activity: work :(

Achieved? Yes, I overachieved with 6 outfits in 5 days this week. I was happy to take a break on Tuesday and Wednesday, just to open up my wardrobe options. But I am enjoying getting my me-mades out and about.

Me-Made-May '14: Week 2

I, Cathy of Cathy's Makes, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear a handmade item at least four days a week and, for one week, every day for the duration of May 2014.

Day 1: Friday 9th May

Me-Made: Cardigan

Weather: patchy

Activity: working from home

Day 2: Saturday 10th May
Me-Made: Miette Cardigan
Weather: rainy and sunny
Activity: sewing

Day 3: Sunday 11th May
Me-Made: Grandpa Cardigan
Weather: indifferent
Activity: running errands

Day 4: Monday 12th May
Me-Made: Grey Cosy Dress
Weather: grey
Activity: work


Achieved? Faster than I thought.  On Mondays I usually go for my dressier work clothes. A bit of power dressing to get me through the week. This Monday, the weather was grey and I reached for something cosy, soft and warm.

Thoughts: I was relieved to take some days off from dressing handmade. I like this challenge for getting me to sprinkle in some home made things, but I don't think I want them to form my capsule wardrobe.

Knit Grandpa Cardigan

This fabric took a while to tell me what it wanted to be. I first admired it as exactly this cardigan, in miniature, on Craftiness is Not Optional's Blog. So I got some. It is a cotton interlock and is quite thick and stable, but it does show bumps underneath. For a long time, I considered a dress. But, as you can see, it turned out to be a cardigan.

I used a pattern and tutorial from iCandy Handmade, the Knit Boyfriend Cardigan.  I have called mine the Grandpa because that is what we call this loose style here in GB.

I made quite a few changes to the pattern. I added 1cm seam allowance to the side seams of the bodice and shoulder seams and 1.5cm to the sleeves. I lengthened the sleeves to wrist length and omitted the bands at the  cuffs, as well as at the hemline. Instead, I hand hemmed all with a 1cm hem. I added 3cm to the hem to compensate for the loss of the band. I also increased the size of the shoulder seam by bringing the front bodice in at the neckline. I brought this in by quite a bit so the final cardigan covers the bust, rather than skimming over the top.

I'm very proud of myself for stabilising the shoulder seams with a strip of ribbon. I should also have added some stabilising tape to the seam at the front band. It is a bit puckered. I didn't follow the instructions for the finishing of the band at the front hem. Instead, I sewed it at the bottom hem, right sides together, before attaching it through the front.

I didn't have too many of my usual problems sewing a very fine jersey. Because this is more stable, the needle didn't skip so many stitches and I did not have to do my usual fix of sewing through computer paper. This time, I just went over each seam twice, once with a 2.5 stitch length and once at about 2.1.

I really like the finished result. I'm surprised how much I love it. It is comfortable and the colour is bright without being overwhelming, I can see myself wearing it lots. My only disappointment is the quality of the fabric, I suspect it is going to pill and look old very quickly. I will definitely make this again, I think I'll try it in a Breton stripe. They are stocking a great range at The Village Haberdashery.

Total costs:

Fabric: £5.13/yd with shipping

£7.70 Wow! I call this a sewing bargain.

Clara Knitted Vest

 

This cardigan was a favourite from start to finish. I made it almost two years ago (pre-blog) and I still love it.

I started this project from the yarn, Rowan Tapestry, nabbed on sale. I believe it is now discontinued. It's a shame, it is a lovely yarn, soft with a high wool content, a lovely range of colours and a slight aura. It was the colour that won me over. I bought everything they had left, 7 balls.

Then I had to figure out what to make with it. I was not keen on something horizontally striped but I definitely wanted something wearable. I eventually found this pattern on Ravelry, the Clara Vest. Actually, before I found it, I admired an identical one on a woman at baby group. I'm sure it was hand knitted and it was lovely.

Now I had my pattern: a wearable garment, vertical stripes and short sleeves to account for my smaller amount of yarn. But the pattern delivered even more than that. It was all in garter stitch! Amazing, just plain old knitting row, after row, after row. Bliss! The yoke is made up of short rows which pull it in and create the line. That is the only time I had to do any thinking. I also really liked the pattern instructions for the sides which gave the hemline a nice finish. I worked really hard on the cast on and cast off, to get even edges along the front.

I learned an important lesson from this project: if it isn't right, I won't ever regret pulling it out and fixing it. I will like it more and I will wear it. The short term pain of ripping out is nothing compared to the long term pain of something that isn't quite right. I started this 3 times in total, once after I had knitted over half of the finished garment. I wanted more length than I was getting so I re-did and re-did until it was the right length.

Instead of the shawl pin, I added a buttonhole and installed this flat wooden button that I got from the Button Lady in Hampstead. After I finished it, the neckline was too stretchy so I went back and threaded a line of yarn through each stitch, pulling the neckline in and giving it something to hang from.

Ravelry notes here.

Me-Made-May '14: Week 1

I, Cathy of Cathy's Makes,  sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear a handmade item at least four days a week and, for one week, every day for the duration of May 2014.








Day 1: Thursday 1st
Me-Made: Wool Pinstripe Pencil Skirt
Weather: rainy, cold
Activity: office

Day 2: Friday 2nd
Me-Made: Miette Cardigan
Weather: overcast, cool
Activity: work from home

Day 3: Saturday 3rd
Me-Made: Zig-Zag Dress, Raglan Jumper
Weather: sunny, cold
Activity: picnic in the park

Day 4: Sunday 4th
Me-Made: Green Sprig Top
Weather: mild, sunny
Activity: pub lunch followed by bike riding

Day 5: Monday 5th
Me-Made: Pink cowl-neck top
Weather: windy
Activity: playground

Day 6: Tuesday 6th
Me-Made: Grey Dress
Weather: airconditioned
Activity: office

Day 7: Wednesday 7th
Me-Made: Grey Pin Dot T-shirt
Weather: windy!
Activity: meetings


Endeavour achieved? Yes! I wore something Me-made every day this week and got the full week pledge out of the way first.

Thoughts: I both liked and didn't like this challenge. I like having to be structured in the way that I dress and I also didn't like my self-imposed limits. Tomorrow, I can't decide if I'll take a break or carry on.

Grey Flannel Dress

 

Victory! I wrestled with this dress and I won! It was a hard-fought battle, I came close to defeat, more than once, but I persevered and I got there in the end.

I have been planning this dress ever since I got the fabric from Clothspot, almost a year ago. It is not really a flannel, I don't know what it is made of but my swatch did not shrink in the wash. It has a shiny, knit backing and the front has a nap. It has some drape and is lovely and cosy, soft as anything but it moves like crazy and does not press well / at all.

I have stayed remarkably faithful to my original vision for the dress. I knew I wanted to use the same pattern I used for my navy spot dress, New Look 6968. Version D with the collar and sleeves.

I like this pattern a lot, this is the first time I have ever re-used one of my patterns, and I am sure it won't be the last time I make this one. The navy dress is still one of my favourite dresses. I don't know if it worked great as a muslin because this one does not fit perfectly. It could be because of the slippery, stretchy nature of this fabric.

There are also quite a few things I prefer to change about the pattern construction. Mainly, I don't like the way this pattern attaches the bodice to the lining. The way the instructions describe makes it more of an underlining than a true lining. It says to baste the lining to the bodice pieces and then use a facing. I basted at the collar but attached the lining as a real lining at the sleeves. I hand sew the lining to the zip tape at the end. I machine hemmed the lining to the sleeve hem, then hand stitched the lining closed where the sleeve attaches to the bodice. I also lined the skirt, which the pattern doesn't call for.

I made a size 12 but I have reduced the curve over the hips and lowered the front of the neck. I also omit the darts on the front of the skirt and reduce the bodice darts to fit. I made a sway back adjustment by lowering the back neckline and taking in the shoulder seams at the neckline. I should have raised the waist seam ever so slightly.

I changed the collar, I wasn't sure about that cravat-style knot. I love a Jackie O funnel neck so I made one by drafting my own. Using the measurement of the whole length of the neckline, I added seam allowance and cut a piece 20cm wide x neck width, on the bias. I sewed the edges right sides together then attached the outside of the collar to the outside of the neckline. I hand stitched the inside of the collar to the bodice lining. I didn't need the facings that came with the pattern. I considered it and it could have been a way to conceal the lining and the seam allowances, under the facings. I preferred to put the seam allowances inside the collar, I wanted to add a bit of bulk there. I didn't interface the collar because I wanted it to fall naturally in a roll. I had to stitch it down at the back to make the fold, it was sticking up at a funny angle.

I seriously considered pockets in the skirt but decided that I would be unlikely to make a success of them and they would probably gape. I also skipped finishing the vent properly as it kept catching in the seam and making that back seam even worse than it is now. The hem could do with some more work. It is very noticeable and I would like it to be invisible, but I don't know how.

I am feeling so, so, so proud of myself that I didn't give up on this project. I really wanted to, many times. It would have been so easy to pick up some quilting cotton and make a bright, summer skirt. I did allow myself another project or two along the way, but I made myself keep going on this one too.

When I first sewed the fabric the seams were so badly puckered that I didn't know what to do. I pressed them like crazy but I think that made them worse. I got matching thread and topstitched over the puckers. No result. I purchased a walking foot, convinced that was the answer. Over £40 later, nope. Eventually, I read up on seam stabilising on Gertie's blog and got myself some iron-on stabilising tape. I stabilised every single edge of this fabric. I used Vilene tape in charcoal from Sew Essential. When I ran out of tape, I ordered more. I was not going to be beaten.

It would have been so easy to put this in the back of the cupboard and forget about it for another year, or forever. But I decided that I don't want a cupboard of UFOs (unfinished objects). I kept going and made myself sew just one process per day. Every day, I had to do something before I turned to another project. Even if it was just putting one single pin in. It never ended up being just one pin, but the day I pinned one half of the zip was a pretty minor procedure. It did not matter, every tiny step got me closer and got me there in the end and made sure I didn't give up. I'm fortunate that I can leave my sewing out on a day to day basis. The dining table doesn't get used for family meals - we eat in the kitchen.

I'm really glad I kept going. I still have enough fabric left for a jacket, but I am going to be making a blazer rather than the collarless style I planned. But not for a while, I need a long break after this effort.

Final tally:
Fashion fabric: Clothspot, 1.5m @ £4.95/m + shipping = £8.97
Lining: Clothspot, £5.78
Thread: (half for this, half for future jacket) John Lewis, £1.25
Seam tape: Sew Essential, £7.95
Zip: Mood, £0.60
Walking foot: (half for this, half for future jacket) Brighton Sewing Centre, £21.00
Total: £45.55

Verdict: Yes! (Just)