Me-Made-May-12: the story so far

We are well into the only Me-Made/Self-Stitched event of 2012, and the first such event since I’ve had a blog!  So, while most of the pieces I’m wearing are repeats to as far as MMM/SSS is concerned, I’ve never posted about them here.  I’ve also been trying to keep things more lively this time around by finding more interesting locations to take outfit pictures.

While there are lots of familiar faces that I’m so glad to see “in the arena” so to speak, there are others whose presence is missed!

May 1

Colette Parfait; in black pindot wool with vintage buttons (straps widened slightly to accomodate the buttons). This was one of the first dresses I made after I returned to sewing a few years ago.  The wool is so incredibly soft you just want to make pajamas out of it.

In hand is McCalls M6084 cardigan in evergreen wool gauze; left the cool golden selvage as the finished edge all along the collar/neckline edge.

May 2

Also pictured at top.
Pattern Runway Easy Kimono Dress in a stretch cotton shirting with me-made belt made from recycled/vintage Japanese wool, and ubiquitous wool tweed wrap pictured better here.  The dress fabric is a black and white pinpoint, so has a tweedy surface texture which I love.

May 3

At Nephew’s band concert, also pictured with beautiful Niece! Top is 70s Butterick 6835 refashioned from an old sari (tied in back rather than in front this time), jacket 30s Butterick 5195 and skirt is a Colette Ginger.

May 4

Jacket is ’30s Butterick 5195, self-drafted tie-neck top in ochre wool jersey, layered on Burda one-piece T in same fabric, McCalls M6173 jeggings

May 5-6

Left: Colette Sorbetto with neckline and pleat stitching, with black McCalls jeggings.
Right: Boatneck T from Built By Wendy Sew U Knits book, in aubergine wool jersey, and linen Evadress 1933 wide-leg pants (with nifty pocket detail!), partially blogged here. The pants definitely need a good press to look their best.

May 7

My wool Colette Rooibos with matching belt, a purchased cardigan, several thousand dandelions, and me in the park on a grey May day. From way before I had a blog, but there a dozen or so pictures of this dress + commentary in my Flickr photostream, for example detail here.

May 8

Dress is: vintage 1961 McCalls 5953 (looks more like pattern art when crinolized), also me-made belt, although the cardi is purchased. Dress from before blog, but better pix & deets in photostream here and here in sun with colors in full glow.

May 9

Unfortunate autofocus issue not apparent until too late to get another, but the shape of the dress and outfit was apparent enough to use for daily outfit photo. Pattern is a 1940s Advance 3971, sleeves shaped with nifty gussets; I keep meaning to get a good photo, they are so cute in themselves. Me-made mustard belt too.
Because the fabric isn’t visible in the main photo, there’s the accidental misfire detail shot below left: fabric is a rayon blend navy and white textured crosshatch. Same dress in a photo from Self-Stitched-September 2011, shown with the bow that I made removable, below right.

May 10

Another Colette Rooibos in vintage cotton home dec fabric, with black piping, and cactusy green broadcloth contrast at the neckline. After breaking the zipper a couple times trying to get it over the heavy fabric plus piping (sans cording! just the heavy storebought poly piping fabric) at the midriff seams), I pieced in empty bias loops of black cotton lawn along the left side seam. There, that’s my construction secret for this the 3rd version of Rooibos I’ve made!

May 11

Mulberry rayon doubleknit wrap from 1930s pattern, layered over Colette Hazel sundress in pinstripe linen. This was a themed challenge day, theme being Ugly Places. Just off the NDSU agricultural campus, I was headed for a cluster of silos when I spied this instead. The graffiti appears to say Moo, which was exactly what it smelled like.

To Sum Up…

And there you have it, my May so far. I’d say that the collective ante has been upped all-around, as far as I can see! Maybe it’s that we’ve all grown so much as sewists together, maybe it’s that we’ve just felt more comfortable to express ourselves with each other, maybe (probably?) it’s that we know there’s just the one time out this year. But it really seems like everyones’ talents are really just knocking me out every single day in there. Just crazy goodness!!