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Me-Made-May ’14: Week 5 Round-Up

Ahhhh, you guys! Me Made May (and thus, the daily photographs) is almost over! Can I get a FUCK YEAH!?

This is going to be a longer than usual round-up, because I went on vacation and obviously I had to change outfits a couple times each day. That’s what you do on vacation, right? ps, sorry in advance.

5/24, Saturday
Dress: Lady Skater
Shoes: Keds

First day of our vacation! Here we are en route to Santa Rosa Beach, at a food truck somewhere in Alabama. I knew we’d spend the day in the car, so I opted for a comfy knit dress. I’ve always thought this dress was very fall-like, due to the colors, but the fabric is definitely summer-appropriate as well 🙂

5/25, Sunday I
Pajamas: Lakeside pajamas

I’ve been wearing various other me-mades throughout the month that haven’t made it into photos (workout wear, pajamas, leggings, underwear, etc), so here’s some proof! I brought two pairs of Lakeside pajamas to wear while on vacation – the ones you see here, plus a new set I made a couple days before (I used this cute strawberry print cotton lawn to make them, if you were wondering!)- and wore them all week. In addition to being awesome pajamas, they also make a great swimsuit cover-up! Although, to be fair, I started out wearing the set and ended up in only the shorts(+ bikini top, obvs) by the end of the week.

Speaking of bathing suits…

5/25, Sunday II
Swimsuit: Papercut Patterns Soma Swimsuit (no blog post on this… yet! But here’s the link to the pattern :))
Sunglasses: Franco Sarto
Hat: Scarlet Begonia

Hell yes I came with a handmade swimsuit! THREE, in fact! This is the first – the result of my pattern testing for Papercut Patterns a couple of months ago 🙂 I haven’t had a chance to write up a proper blog post, but here’s a sneak preview 🙂

5/25, Sunday III
Top: Refashioned from a men’s Hawaiian shirt
Shorts: Rite of Spring shorts
Shoes: Keds

After spending all afternoon at the beach (no, really, I laid up on a float and bobbed around in the ocean for hours and it was glorious), I reluctantly put on clothes and walked around the shops with Landon. I didn’t buy stuff, but I did buy liquor. Priorities, y’all.

Also, that shirt. This is the third vacation I’ve dragged it to (and no shit, I literally wore that same outfit last May HAHAAHAHA whatever, it’s good, I’m not apologizing for shit), so it’s basically my official vacation shirt at this point. Unfortunately, it’s also way too big now. My alterations were pretty shoddy (it was a very last-minute job), and I’m thinking I may just need to send it to the nice Goodwill Bin in the sky at this point.

5/26, Monday I
Swimsuit: Papercut Patterns Soma Swimsuit
Sunglasses: Franco Sarto
Hat: Scarlet Begonia

Exact same get-up as the day before, but check out how different it turned out! This is version 2 of the Soma Swimsuit, and the second one I tested (yeah, I tested both. I wasn’t asked to, but after making the first one I kind of went crazy. I almost made 3, tbh). I used this version to play with stripes and decorative elastic, and I LOVE how it turned out. Seriously, my favorite swimsuit ever! Again, expect a blog post on these bad boys soon 🙂

Oh yeah, and that bratty kid in the background is my niece 🙂 I told her she could photobomb my picture and she sure did me proud.

5/26, Monday II
Dress: Sewaholic Lonsdale
Shoes: Fergalicious

I wore this for a dinner out with my parents+Landon’s parents (the first time they met! It went very well :)), and unfortunately forgot to take a photo until right before bed. Oh well! Also, I love this dress and I should totally make it again.

5/27, Tuesday I
Swimsuit: Closet Case Files Bombshell
Sunglasses: Franco Sarto
Hat: Scarlet Begonia

Last bathing suit! This is one I made last year, and I still love it 🙂 Especially good for those days when I realized I’ve just been drinking beer and eating key lime pie all weekend and oh god it’s time for the beach. Hahahaha!!

5/27, Tuesday II
Shirt: Thrifted
Skirt: Tilly’s Miette
Shoes: Fergalicious

Post beach, Landon and I spent the afternoon in Seaside, checking out the cute houses, the shops, and drinking free wine (the best part!). Again, with the top – that’s another unofficial vacation top (that I bought… 3 years ago, at the Goodwill on Santa Rosa Beach, ha!) that’s about to get the Goodwill shaft. It’s just too big 😦

5/28, Wednesday
Top: Cropped Briar
Skirt: Cascade

Last day on the beach! I thought it would be fun to take the photos of my Cascade by the cascading waves (you can’t even tell in this picture but they were AMAZING that day!). The wind was blowing like crazy, and I think it makes for a really cool picture 🙂 This picture also vaguely reminds me of <a href="this picture from the Little Prince, which makes me happy 🙂

5/29, Thursday
Dress: Belladone
Shoes: Sam Edelman
Necklace: Fabu

Back to Nashville! It was at this point that I realized we were almost at the end of May – and I haven’t worn some of my favorite stuff! So out comes the Belladone 🙂 I tried to style this a little differently than usual – I generally wear it with brown or yellow, but I do like the red 🙂

5/30, Friday (today!)
Dress: Simplicity 1803
Belt: Thrifted
Necklace: Chatterblossom
Shoes: Born

My other favorite dress – and our star pattern for the OAL. I love this pattern and I’m glad I finally have a reason to buckle down and make another! Which reminds me – the sewalong starts on Monday! Eep! 🙂

Speaking of which – those of you who are participating, do you feel like you need a post that covers fabric selection? I was planning on skipping straight ahead to cutting and marking, since I figured most everyone’s already chosen their fabric (and thus makes a post on fabric selection a moot point) – not to mention a lot of y’all are sewing different patterns (which means different fabric requirements) – but you tell me!

Sooo I guess that’s almost it for Me Made May! We do have one more day of the month (and you bet I’ll be wearing me-mades and begrudgingly taking a photo, ha), but I’m not going to include it in this round-up because it doesn’t fit with my ~schedule~. Sorry! If you want to view the rest of the weeks, here they are:
Me-Made May: Week 1
Me-Made-May: Week 2
Me-Made-May: Week 3
Me-Made-May: Week 4
I also have a Flickr Album of all my MMM photos, if that’s more your jam.
If you’re sick of looking at me, that’s ok too – I’m sick of looking at myself at this point :B

I am glad I participated this year, because I definitely learned a lot about what’s lurking in my closet – namely, that there is WAY more than I think there is! Seriously, so many pieces didn’t even make it out this month, and that’s kind of sad considering I only repeated one skirt and a couple of tshirts. I’ve had some size fluctuations over the past couple of years, which means a lot of my summer wear doesn’t fit anymore (and while I altered some of it – such as the Simplicity dress I’m wearing today – a whole bunch of it got sold/donated instead). After that giant purge, I was under the impression that I didn’t have a lot left to wear in warm weather – which is clearly not the case! With that being said, despite my overabundance of clothing, there are still tons of pieces that my wardrobe is lacking. I’ve got plans to make more separates, including shorts (gah, I can’t believe I didn’t wear shorts once this month, wtf?) and tshirts, as well as workout wear, loungewear, and more bathing suits! Serious question… how many bathing suits is too many? They are REALLY fun to make, ok.

How did your Me-Made-May turn out (if you participated)? Did you learn anything life-changing about your closet? Are you SO sick of taking photos? 🙂

Ohh, I almost forgot – I promised y’all outtakes! Let’s revel in the unflattery together:

Most of my photos end up looking like this haha. I dunno why, but I always close my eyes when the picture is being taken (not to mention… whatever my mouth is doing. I guess I was in the middle of talking haha. OK FINE I BASICALLY NEVER SHUT UP)

If anyone happens to see where I left my arm, I’d appreciate your help.

Original photobomb did it better

Look at the fear in Amelia’s eyes hahahahahaha

I just think this is cute. Amelia doesn’t care much for being held (despite my consistent grabby hands at her), but she loooves having her butt scratched.

Hey, that’s almost a good picture! Until you zoom in a bit…

That, my friends, is the face of a cat who’s completely given up on life.

Ok, this is my favorite outtake and the one that made me laugh the hardest. This is a really unflattering picture of both of us – I’m pulling some kind of weird face (again, seriously, probably in the middle of talking) and Amelia just looks PISSED.

If that doesn’t look like the devil incarnate, I don’t know what does.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tags: amazing fabric, beach, Belladone, Bombshell swimsuit, briar, Cascade skirt, completed, Deer & Doe, dress, fabulous hat, grainline studios, Lady Skater, lakeside pajamas, Me Made May '14, Miette Wrap Skirt, MMM14, papercut patterns, reconstructions, sewaholic, simplicity, Simplicity 1803, skirt, soma swimsuit, swimsuit, Tilly and the Buttons, vacation

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Categories Me Made May

Come Sew with Me in NYC!!! (+MMM’14 Week 4 Round-Up)

23 May

Ok, I can’t keep this news a secret any longer- I’m coming to NYC in August!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE-

I’m actually going to be teaching a class at Workroom Social while I’m there! Yay!! This is something Jennifer and I have been in cahoots about since I visited in March, and we finally settled on a good date and I bought my plane ticket! To say I’m excited is an understatement (although I reckon my overuse of exclamation points probably hinted at something, haha) – I love NYC, I love sewing, I love teaching, and I love helping people get all excited about sewing! So! Let’s sew together, yeah?

I guess I should give you some class details! I’m running Jennifer’s Weekend Pants-Making Intensive on August 16-17 (Saturday and Sunday). Yep, we are gonna make PANTS (or shorts… you know, whatever floats yer boat) – and they are gonna be awesome! Y’all know how much I love a good trouser pattern, and how geekily excited I get about pants-fitting and pants-making-techniques, so I’m REALLY excited to have an excuse to share this loveee in Brooklyn!

If you haven’t taken a class at Workroom Social, you are in for a treat. All of Jennifer’s sewing intensives are stocked with pre-made muslins in all the pattern’s sizes. You start by trying on a sample to determine sizing and adjustments needed, then we go into full-on pants-making-mode over the 2 day class. The class includes the pattern (a classic trouser pattern with a front fly), use of the equipment and tools, ME, and plenty of food. Seriously. Coffee in the morning, catered lunch, snacks and oh, did I mention there’s a cocktail hour at the end of both nights? Yeah. There’s a cocktail hour at the end of both nights (just in case you didn’t hear me the first time!). So basically, we are gonna get our sew on, get to hang out, and then you go home with the knowledge and skills to make all the pants and shorts that your heart desires (and probably end up with a completed pair by the end of class!). Arghhh so awesome!

If you are interested in taking the class (which you SHOULD be, because I am so so excited to teach it!!), you can read more about it and sign up here. I think this is a pretty cool opportunity for both locals and out-of-towners, since it’s two days over the weekend. Jennifer has lots of resources if you need help finding a place to stay (assuming you’re coming from out of town), so feel free to holler at her if you have questions! Also, I just booked my plane ticket and it was under $250 round-trip for those dates, so… yeah. Class spots are super limited, so sign up early!

I will actually be in NYC from 8/14-8/18, so if anyone wants to get and/or get our shop on while I’m on town, holler! I’ll mention it again when we get closer to the date 🙂

Ok, done selling y’all (for now, ha!). Let’s dive into this week’s Me Made May round-up:

5/17, Saturday
Top: Banana Republic
Pants: McCall’s 6440
Brooch: Nashville Flea Market
Shoes: Mix No.6

Another dumb cold day, another excuse to bust out these sweet pants. Ha! I love these so much, but I have a hard time finding a top that I like with them (especially color-wise). This particular top is nothing special – it’s originally from Banana Republic; I thrifted it a couple of years ago with the intention of using it as a pattern (it’s actually very similar to the Moneta sweater hack), because I hated the fabric but loved the shape. Obviously that never happened, but it’s got me inspired!

5/18, Sunday
Top: Megan Nielsen Briar
Skirt: Self-drafted circle skirt
Cardigan: Peacock Eyes
Belt: Thrifted
Necklace: Gift
Shoes: Franco Sarto

As I’ve said a few times, I’m kind of over circle skirts these days. I tried to pull this one out and make it work – I think it turned out pretty cute, but I do wish there was less skirt involved! Ha! I also tried to mix up how I wear this skirt – I usually just pair it with a mint top (the Pavlova I made to go with it is currently residing in the big scrapbag in the sky… bad fabric choice on my part 😦 ), but I wanted to try a little print-mixing. I do like how the floral looks with stripes, however, I think this Briar may be heading to the same big scrapbag in the sky. You can’t tell in this photo because of my cardigan, but it’s just tooo big all over. Lots of weird wrinkles at the armpit, ugh.

I do love that cardigan, though. So so much ♥

5/19, Monday
Dress: Colette Hawthorn
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: Fergalicious

It was about this point that I realized I wasn’t even wearing my favorite handmades this month! I’ve been “saving” them for… well, I don’t know what, but it’s dumb and I should wear my favorite clothes! That’s why I made them! So, cherry Hawthorn (I love this pattern, and I have plans for more that should be put into action asap) + favorite Ferg shoes = awesome outfit.

5/20, Tuesday
Dress: Vintage Vogue 1610
Shoes: Jessica Simpson

See what I mean?? How have I not busted out the silk jersey until just now??? Ok, well, I fixed it 😛

5/21, Wednesday
Dress: Handmade (will blog soon :))
Shoes: Nine West

And here’s me, on my birthday, in my birthday dress! 😀 This is a new me-made (I finished it with a couple of days to spare!) and I have no post about it… yet. Soon! What I will tell you is that the bodice pattern is Vogue 8664, and the fabric is stretch cotton sateen. Other than that, you’ll have to wait for the post 🙂

Also, thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes! I was basically bombarded all day with love (including a birthday tweet from Vogue patterns, hah!! YES!!) and it was pretty awesome 🙂 I had a great birthday, too – ate a bunch of amazing food (including a fried green tomato BLT because YES I DID), hung out with my BFF, and oh, wore a pretty awesome dress 🙂 Yay for bithdays!

5/22, Thursday
Shirt: Express
Skirt: Sewaholic Hollyburn
Necklace: Me-Made
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: Born (yeah, you can’t see them but just so you know… I’m wearing shoes :P)

Finally got to wear this Hollyburn! Yay! I need to make more tops to go with it because it’s kind of difficult to color match (hence why it hasn’t gotten wear yet!), but maybe I can make some of those Moneta tops 🙂 Ha! I wore this all day at work, and then afterwards to celebrate my birthday a second time with Landon (he had to work on my proper birthday, oh well!). And by celebrate I mean we got hot chicken. Yum 🙂

A few people asked if this was my sewing studio… the answer is I WISH. Haha! It’s definitely not my sewing space (I’m still sewing at home, which I have no intentions of changing anytime soon!); it’s Elizabeth’s sewing studio. It’s just as lovely as it looks in the photo – if not more. Lots of gorgeous natural light and pretty things to look at. Also, that machine I’m standing by is my main man Turbo and it’s fucking amazing. It backtacks and clips the thread and you do it all from the pedal so it’s totally hands-free. Seriously amazing, like to the point where I’m debating with myself whether an industrial machine is a good thing to buy right now hahaha. Because I want one! BTW, Elizabeth is still looking for part-time seamstresses sooo if you wanna experience the love of all that is Turbo, holler at her!

5/23, Friday (today!)
Dress: By Hand London Flora
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: Sam Edelman

And here we are today! I’m working from home, so naturally I had to dress up like a princess 🙂 I love the Flora – thinking about channeling my inner Heather Lou and making a skirt with the pattern, because it’s SO much fun to wear. Seriously, every time I look at this dress in my closet I think, “naw, too fancy for today,” but then I actually put it on and it’s like, “idgaf I feel like a pretty pretty princess, whee!” haha. Anyone else feel that way with their me-mades? Man, I should dress up more.

That’s it for this week! FYI, the blog will probably be pretty quiet next week – because we’re going on vacation! Yeah!! Bout to take our annual trip to Santa Rosa Beach, FL, where I plan on spending the entire time laying on a towel, drinking beer and wearing my giant straw hat. I’ll still be updating my Twitter and Instagram for Me Made May, so follow along if you’re so inclined! I have a couple makes I’ve been saving specifically for this trip… including two bathing suits. Ooh la la! 😉

As a side note for those of you who are participating in My & Andi’s OAL, I was recently made aware that the sewing pattern we’ll be using is going to be on sale this weekend at Joanns! Definitely check your sales flyer to be sure (as it may differ for your state), but Simplicity patterns here will be 5 for $5 over Memorial Day weekend 🙂 Woohoo! Great time to stock up if you’ve been on the fence 🙂 And speaking of the OAL… I’m so so excited to kick this off. I bought my yarn last week, and while it was a liiiittle more than I planned on spending, it was totally worth it. It’s neon yellow and it swatched up so beautifully.

Ok, have a great weekend, everyone! 🙂

Tags: 6440, briar, By Hand London, circle skirt, colette patterns, completed, cotton sateen, dress, DVF, Flora, hawthorn, hollyburn, knitting, mccall, Me Made May '14, MMM14, NYC, OAL2014, pants, Peacock Eyes, sewaholic, silk jersey, skirt, teaching, Thurlow, top, vogue, vogue 1610, workroom social

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Categories Me Made May

Annoucements! (+ Me-Made-May ’14: Week 3 Round-up)

16 May

Happy Friday, everyone! Before I jump into another Me Made May weekly round-up, I have a couple announcements that may be relevant to your interests 🙂

** This summer, I’m excited to announce that I’m teaming up with Andi Satterlund to combine a sew along with a knit along. The idea is to knit a garment and sew a garment to make a coordinated handmade outfit. It’s a great opportunity to stretch your crafting skills, and we’ll have two official patterns that we’ll help you with along the way. Our sewing pattern will be Simplicity 1803, and our knitting pattern will be Andi’s new Myrna cardigan pattern. Andi will be writing all about the knitting on her blog, and I’ll tackle the sewing posts right here. This is a perfect time to try knitting your first sweater or sewing your first dress. If you don’t like either or both of the patterns – no worries! You can sew and knit whatever you like 🙂 The idea is to have garments that you will actually love and wear, so obviously don’t feel obligated to make something that’s not your style.

You can get all the details over at Untangling Knots, but in a nutshell:
– We will be kicking off 6/1/14, which gives you enough time to find your perfect fabric and yarn
– If you make both a sweater and a dress (and it doesn’t have to be the patterns we are pimping; these are just the ones that will get the specific step-by-step blog instructions), you are eligible to win prizes! Woohoo!
– Myrna is a seamless, top-down cardigan knit in worsted weight yarn, perfect for beginners (and dresses!). It’s also 20% off thru 6/1 with the code OAL2014.
– Simplicity 1803 is a fun, beginner-friendly pattern featuring princess seams, a gathered skirt (although I’m gonna show you how to do soft pleats as well because, well, I hate gathers haha), and pockets, as well as neckline and sleeve variations. I’ve made this dress twice before, which you cans see here in black lace and here in super awesome rad rayon. It’s a great pattern, and I’m excited to make moreeee!
– Andi has set up a Ravelry Group for all OAL discussions and photos (you have to register to participate, but Ravelry is free and it’s awesome). We also have an official hashtag – #OAL2014 ! Grab a button and let’s go!!

** To my UK sewists: My girl Jennifer is currently in London RIGHT THIS SECOND and offering a pocket workshop at the Village Haberdashery on Wednesday 5/21. If you have not have the pleasure of meeting Jennifer, I seriously urge you to go take this class – she is SO MUCH FUN (and a great instructor to boot!). This class will teach you how to add pockets to any pattern – from drafting to professional ways to insert them. You can see all the details and sign up here. I WISH I could take this shit, so someone should go for me haha 🙂

** Have you see the new Papercut Patterns collection, TRI?? Katie has released a couple of patterns for activewear, swimsuits (!!!), and also re-vamped some older patterns to be activewear appropriate (such as shortening the Ooh La Leggings so they can be yoga capris). She has also added another size (up to XL now!) AND these can be bought as downloadable PDFs woohoo! I’ve already made the swimsuit pattern, twice (I was a pattern tester, I’m not THAT fast haha), and I can’t wait to show them to y’all!

Ok, now let’s get into this round-up part!

5/10, Saturday
Top: Colette Sorbetto
Skirt: Cake Hummingbird
Necklace: Chatterblossom
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: Keds

This photo is actually a little deceiving – my Sorbetto top looks much better here than it does in real life 🙂 It’s actually a bit too big, and the neckline is stretched out, and the bias tape application is pretty dodgy. But I looove it (that fabric!) and I can’t bear to get rid of it. So there’s that.

5/11, Sunday
Dress: Deer & Doe Bleuet
Shoes: xoxo

Another EH for me. I love this dress, but I do not love my fabric choice – it doesn’t hang right and the stretchiness makes it feel like it’s almost too big. Definitely need to remake this at some point this year, because the pattern itself is actually really cute! Also, lol that I’m making the exact same face as in the picture before 😛

5/12, Monday
Top: Closet Case Files Nettie (tshirt version)
Skirt: Colette Ginger
Necklace: Flea market
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: Nine West

I agonized over this outfit way more than I should have in the AM. I’d already worn my Nettie during the first week of MMM, and for whatever reason I was a bit hesitant to pull it out again. I ultimately decided that MMM is about creating outfits that I love to wear and feel good in (and, duh, made myself! :D) and not about wearing an omgtotallydifferent thing every day. So, say hi to Nettie again. I’m sure she’ll make another appearance at some point this month 🙂 Also, say hi to the cat butt in the corner, ha.

5/13, Tuesday
Top: Closet Case Nettie tshirt (unblogged)
Skirt: Sewaholic Hollyburn (unblogged… for now)
Belt: Thrifted
Necklace: Fire Finch
Shoes: Fergalicious (lol yeah… I know…)

LOVE this outfit! I think I might even like it better than Monday’s – which I also loved 🙂 This is Hollyburn #2, as well as Nettie #2. They’re both unblogged, but I’ll try to get a post up in the next week or so. Also: those shoes! I’m so happy that it’s finally warm enough to wear them 🙂

5/14, Wednesday
Dress: Vintage Vogue 1610
Shoes: Born
Necklace: Chatterblossom

My first faux DVF 🙂 It’s fun to wear, but I fear it may have a short lifespan – the fabric I used is a bit too lightweight for this pattern, so the skirt sags over the course of the day. Oh well!

5/15, Thursday
Top: Papercut Coppélia wrap
Pants: McCall 6440
Shoes: Sam Edelman

Sooo it randomly got cold yesterday. WTF? May, you cray.

5/16, Friday (that’s today!)
Jacket: Sewaholic Robson (unblogged – post coming soon!)
Pants: Sewaholic Thurlow
Tshirt (not shown): Sewaholic Renfrew
Shoes: Keds

Today is Bike to Work Day, so here I am with my bike (and crazy hair, wow haha)! I actually work about 20 miles from home (which for me is tooo far to bike!), but I was able to finagle working remotely today, so I could participate in the festivities 🙂 It’s still a little chilly and drizzly today, so I’ve got my red pants and new Robson. Speaking of which – I’m so happy to finish that damn jacket in time to at least wear it before it gets too hot! It’ll be on the Mood Sewing Network next week, but I wanted to show a little sneaky peek first because I just love it so much 🙂

I guess that’s it! How’s your MMM coming along this week? Have you had a wrench thrown in your outfit plans due to crazy May weather?

Tags: Andi Satterlund, bikey, Bleuet, cake patterns, colette patterns, coppélia, Deer & Doe, DVF, ginger, ginger skirt, hollyburn, hummingbird, mccalls, Me Made May '14, MMM14, Nettie, OAL2014, outfitalong, papercut patterns, patterns, renfrew, Robson, sewaholic, simplicity, Simplicity 1803, sorbetto, Thurlow, Untangling Knots, vogue, vogue 1610, workroom social

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Categories Me Made May

Me-Made-May ’14: Week 2 Round-Up

9 May

Happy Friday, everyone! One week down into Me-Made-May – and time for another round-up!

5/3, Saturday
Dress: Fabulous Silk Birds
Slip: Ruby Slip
Shoes: Jessica Simpson

My baby brother graduated college on Saturday! Here I am with all my siblings – of course, I’m the shortest one (and this photo is a little misleading because I’m standing on an incline. I’m actually a good 7″ shorter than my sister, who in turn is shorter than my brothers, ha). I used the graduation as an excuse to pull out my favorite Me-Made to date – the Fabulous Silk Birds dress (I don’t name all my handmades, but I named this one! Because it’s fabulous!). I love love love this dress – I always feel so, well, fabulous in it 🙂 Plus, wearing this dress means I get to wear my equally amazing 4ply silk slip (note to self: sell organs and buy more 4ply silk asap), which is always a plus in my book 🙂

5/4, Sunday
Dress: Seersucker Anna
Shoes: Born
Belt: Thrifted
Sunglasses: Franco Sarto
Purse: Scarlett Begonia

Wore this to go plant shopping and ice cream eatin’ with Landon. I realize that I have this dress styled the exact same way I did in the original FO post – I guess I’m not very creative when it comes to pink seersucker! Anyway, love it and it’s great for hot weather. Also, if my hair looks brighter than it did the day before – that’s cos we redyed it 🙂 I slept in the dye so it’s SUPER bright now haha.

5/5, Monday
Tank: Target
Skirt: Cascade
Shoes: Jessica Simpson
Necklace: Handmade by me

Another favorite me-made! I LOVE this skirt, and everyone else seems to love it too – I’ve literally been followed around retail stores over it, multiple times. It’s the perfect marriage of pattern and fabric (and, before you ask – the fabric came aaaaall the way from Macedonia. My BFF picked it up for me while she was living there a few years ago. Wish I had more of it!), and it’s just so fun to wear. I feel like Shakira, and I mean that in the best way.

5/6, Tuesday
Dress: Emery
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: Born

Can’t ever be sad when your hair matches your dress 🙂

5/7, Wednesday
Dress: Lady Skater
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: xoxo

ESPECIALLY if that dress has tigers printed on it!

5/8, Thursday
Top: Briar
Skirt: Moss Mini
Necklace: Thrifted
Shoes: Keds

I took some advice on styling this skirt and went with a tshirt that has a looser fit – and I LOVE how it looks with this skirt! Especially the hemline on this Briar – hi-lo hem gives it the look as if it’s tucked in, without it actually being, you know, tucked. The whole outfit is totally comfy and I’m not gonna lie – I felt pretty good about it all day.

5/9, Friday (that’s today!)
Top: Advance 8511
Pants: Thurlows (but skinny!)
Shoes: Born

I actually had a different outfit planned today – I wanted to wear a skirt. But then I stepped outside, noticed the chill in the air, and decided to wear my red Thurlows instead. No regrets!

All in all, I think I had a pretty successful first (full)week of MMM! The changing weather has been a little tricky, but I’m working on a lightweight trench coat right now that will hopefully get me through the chilly mornings and occasional rain (actually, the trench is done – I’m just waiting on the buttons to be delivered!). How are y’all doing with your pledges? Find any fun outfit combinations or gaping holes in your closet yet?

Oh, just a few more announcements before I sign off for the weekend:
– If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to enter in the Colette Guide to Sewing Knits Giveaway! I’ll be drawing the lucky winner on Monday morning, so you’ve still got time!
– My girl Elizabeth is looking for part time seamstresses to help her with some sewing work. If you’re in the Nashville area and would like to sew on an amazingly fun industrial machine in a gorgeous studio (I’m not even kidding about either of those – that’s me in her studio on 5/6!) for a lil’ extra cash, send her an email at hello@elizabethsuzann.com. I’m currently doing part time work for her on the side, and it’s super awesome because we listen to 80s music and watch Nicolas Cage movies. I have no intentions of quitting; her business is just growing very fast and she needs more help! All levels of experience are welcome – we’re not handbeading couture or anything here 🙂 – but you must already have a basic understanding of clothing construction and know how to operate a sewing machine. Bonus points if you’re a speedy sewer!
– My class at Watkins, Introduction to Fashion Sewing still has a couple of spots open, if you’ve been on the fence about signing up. DO IT NOW, GO!
– Aaaaaand, Nashville’s newest/cutest fabric store, The Fabric Studio, is finally open and just released the class schedule for June! I’ve got a few gigs there as well – Learn to Sew the Colette Ginger Skirt, All About Zippers Sewing Lab, and Apparel Patterns Demystified (seminar/info session)! I’m really excited about all these classes – excited to share my knowledge, excited to teach, excited to meet other sewers in the area! I think it’s gonna be fun! 🙂 Also, I promise to stop spamming y’all about my classes now 🙂

Have a great weekend!

Tags: 4 ply silk, advance, Anna, briar, Cascade skirt, Emery, I am fabulous, Lady Skater, Me Made May '14, moss mini, silkkk, Thurlow

Comments 30 Comments
Categories Me Made May

Me-Made-May ’14: Week 1 Round-Up (+ Nettie!)

2 May

We’re only two days into May, so this is gonna be the shortest round-up ever.

5/1, Thursday
Hoodie: Traced off a favorite RTW hoodie
Tshirt: Briar (unblogged)
Tank top: So ‘Zo free pattern (unblogged)
Jeans: Imogene + Willie
Shoes: Keds
Undies (no, you can’t see them but I promise they are there :P): So ‘Zo free pattern (also unblogged… geez)

The first day went off with a slight hitch… I had originally planned to wear something different, but it ended up being too cold outside. I’ve been housesitting all week, so while I can get back to my stuff in the afternoon… in the AM, I’m kind of stuck with what I brought. So I ransacked my pile of clothes and ended up with a pretty good pile of Me-Mades that all sort of went together. You can’t see the tank and undies (and I swear, one of these days, I’ll blog about them), but they’re there 🙂

Oh yeah, and I’m totally in my friend Elizabeth‘s studio here. Isn’t it GORGEOUS?

5/2, Friday
Top: Nettie tshirt
Skirt: Gabriola Maxi
Shoes: Jessica Simpson

This is what I had planned to wear Thursday 🙂 I LOVE wearing this maxi! It’s so swishy and fun and I feel so elegant. Gonna be hard not wearing this every day, ha!

So that’s it for week 1! Like I said, pretty short 🙂 We’ll get it really cranking next week, I imagine.

Just so this post isn’t all super short, let’s talk about my tshirt I’m wearing today! This is the Nettie pattern. If you hadn’t heard of it yet, that’s cos it was just recently released so it’s brand spankin’ new!

Nettie is actually designed to be a bodysuit… you know, one piece, snaps at the crotch, that sort of thing. I was asked to be a pattern tester, and I agreed under the premise that I could make mine into tshirts. Bodysuits and I just don’t get along (although, after reading what Heather wrote… I’m wondering if I might like them in winter, for that no-cold-creeping-on-my-midriff factor. Hm.), plus, it’s always nice to see if the pattern has additional options, yeah? So here are a couple of the Netties I made – I actually made 4, but I won’t bore you with all of them (I’m sure they’ll pop up at some point this month).

I love pretty much everything about this pattern. I love that it comes with multiple options – high neck, scoop neck, high back, scoop back, REAL LOW scoop back, short sleeves, long sleeve, elbow-length sleeves.. not to mention, bodysuit/tshirt/dress. Whew! I also love how fitted it is. No positive ease here!

You do have to be mindful of the fabric you’re using, because of the negative ease factor. This mint Nettie is made using a rayon knit (it’s the same stuff I used to make my MCall’s 4488, I’ve been hoarding the remainder in my stash for quite a while now!), and while it’s nice and stretchy, it’s also very lightweight. Meaning you can pretty much see every bump underneath. That’s fine with me, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re not keen on people seeing all your bra hardware.

Here’s another Nettie I made using a thicker stretch knit I bought at Mood Fabrics while I was in NYC (sadly, it’s not on the website… and probably not in the store anymore, either, since I bought like 8 yards of it and made everyone else buy some too HA HA HA). It’s almost like a thin ponte – and very very soft, with quite a bit of stretch. I LOVE this fabric!

I made the size 4, which I fit pretty squarely in, measurement-wise. If you’re looking for something a little less tight, just go up a size or two 🙂 Both of these versions are the scoop front with a high back neckline. I did make a couple with a scoop back neckline, but I’ve learned that I really don’t like the way they look on me, so I’m sticking with high back for now.

As you can see, the thicker fabric results in a smoother look.

To make my Nettie into a tshirt, I just cut the pattern piece about 1″ above the hipline (where the leotard-ness starts). I also added 1.5″ length at the waist, so the shirt would be long enough to cover my waistband. In case you were wondering why I cut length and then re-added it, well, the bottom of the pattern flares out quite a bit to accommodate hips – which I don’t need in a tshirt. So I added length at the waist instead.

And that’s it! Pretty happy with this new pattern, and while I’m not much of a bodysuit-lover, I DO love me a good tshirt! Especially when it’s super tight with a low neckline. Go ahead, judge me 😛

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tags: completed, knit fabric, knits, Me Made May '14, Nettie, Sewing Indie Month, tshirt

Comments 23 Comments
Categories completed projects - new

Me-Made-May ’14 – My Pledge

18 Apr

Hey everyone! Have you heard that Me Made May is open for 2014 and currently accepting pledges? Woohoo!! I admit, MMM is one of my favorite parts about keeping a blog – while taking daily photos can be a huge pain at times, it’s a wonderful exercise to keep myself on my toes as far as actually using and wearing my handmade wardrobe. Although the majority of what I wear is handmade anyway, I like this opportunity to find new ways to wear outfits and bring out old pieces that I may have otherwise forgotten about.

I’ve been thinking about my pledge for the past couple of weeks. Although I tend to wear mostly handmade (I rarely, rarely buy new clothes – they are usually thrifted, and even then, I’ve been slowing that game down dramatically – and try to make everything that enters my wardrobe), my supply is dwindling thanks to my ever-changing body. After swapping out my summer clothes and trying on everything, it’s pretty apparent that I’ve got a lot of wardrobe gaps that need to be filled asap. So, with that being said, I am modifying my pledge to suit my current closet statistics and try to keep things realistic.

‘I, Lauren of LLADYBIRD, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’14. I endeavour to wear at least one handmade garment each day for the duration of May 2014, with no 100% outfit repeats.’

Last year, my pledge was no outfit repeats whatsoever. Y’all, that was hard. I quickly learned throughout the month that there are lots and lots of pieces in my wardrobe that simply don’t get worn anymore for whatever reason – either I don’t like the style on me, I don’t care for the fabric, or the fit is off (this is the main offender – the fit was good when I made it, but my body has changed and now I’ve got some glaring fit issues in many of my older garments). As a result, nearly every single one of those pieces ended up in the donation pile. I love the freedom of having an empty-ish closet that is no longer holding stuff I don’t wear hostage – but it also makes things a liiiiitle difficult when you’re trying to plan an entire month of only wearing handmade! Especially when you can’t dupe an outfit. So for 2014, I’m allowing myself partial outfit dupes – as in, I can wear the same dress during the month, but it must be accessorized/shoed/jacket’d differently. Hence the no 100% repeats. I think this is still enough of a challenge for me to really stretch myself, as well as find some wardrobe gaps to fill while I’m at it. I’m excited!

If you’d like to participate in Me Made May, you can view all the info here on Zo’s blog. If you just want to watch from the sidelines, I’ll be posting my daily outfits in the Flickr pool, as well as on my own Instagram. As with prior years, there will be a weekly round-up post every Friday in May. Expect to see lots of mirror-shots like the one above 😛

As a side note, I recently got a new phone that includes a panoramic camera (say what!) (yeah, y’all, I’m behind on the times). As I’ve been working on updating my sewing room – to remove clutter, reorganize what I’m keeping, and include an actual desk so I stop camping out at the dining room table – I jumped at the opportunity to take some giant, poorly lit shots. What do you think?