Me-Made-May 2017: Week 4 recap

Now we’re really on the downward slide! The month of wearing me-mades is coming to a close.

Catch up on Me-Made-May recaps: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 – read on to see & hear all about what I wore for Week 4!

 

Day 22: my peachy Fen Dress

Trailer Stash Fabrics visited one of the Quilt Guild’s I’m a part of {see the adorable trailer here} and it was amazing! I’ve been admiring this mobile fabric shop for a while and was thrilled for the chance to check it out and shop in person.

I picked up The Dress Shirt pattern by Merchant & Mills along with three of the Essex Linen colorways: olive, blue & black. Y’all know from Week 2’s reflections that I’m trying to build more basics into my wardrobe and have been digging the “linen” looks. I can’t wait to give this pattern a try with some of my new fabric!

• Pattern: Fen Dress by Fancy Tiger Crafts {repeat from Week 2}
• Fabric: Cotton + Steel from Finch Knitting + Sewing Studio
• Blogged: here

 

Day 23: my 1st Tank Dress

Repeat from Week 1.

• Pattern: The Tank Dress by Sew Caroline {affiliate link}
• Fabric: Quilting cotton {Anna Maria Horner – Raindrop Poppies in Amber from the Floral Retrospective Collection}
• Blogged: mentioned in this post & on My most worn garments of 2016 list

 

Day 24: my 2nd Tank Dress

This is the 3rd time I’ve worn this dress this month – it’s a repeat from Week 1 & Week 3. I shared my feelings about this and my coffee spill in my post on Instagram.

• Pattern: The Tank Dress by Sew Caroline {affiliate link}
• Fabric: Quilting cotton from JoAnn’s
• Blogged: On My most worn garments of 2016 list

 

Day 25: my 2nd Fen Dress

I’ve completely given in to the three’peats. I love the clothes I’ve made and I want to wear the ones I love most. So, I’m wearing this dress for the 3rd time this month because I love it {worn during Week 1 & Week 3}.

• Pattern: Fen Dress by Fancy Tiger Crafts
• Fabric: Robert Kaufman chambray {imagine gnats has some similar fabric here} with vintage floral fabric accents from Thrifted Sisters
• Blogged: here & also on my Most Worn Garments list (of course)

 

Day 26: a new Fen Dress!

Can you believe I have something new to wear?! I have been working on this dress for a few months. I ordered the woven fabric from Fabric Cadabra last fall in hopes of making a dress to wear to Anna Maria Horner‘s workshop {because this is from her Loominous Yarn Dyed fabric collection & I am nothing short of teacher’s pet – proof}, but that didn’t happen.

Originally I’d planned to make the entire dress from the woven design but I cut the bottom pieces wrong and instead used some leftover crepe from the attic donation {I wish I had a ton more of this fabric because it’s so easy to work with and has great drape. It’s probably my favorite from the attic stash}. I’m happy that little mistake happened because a full dress with the woven design would have been a little too much. I think it worked out 😉

• Pattern: Fen Dress by Fancy Tiger Crafts
• Fabric: top – “Seedlings in Black” from Anna Maria Horner’s Loominous Yarn Dyes collection for Freespirit/Westminster Woven Fabric + bottom – black crepe donated to my stash from someone’s attic.
• Blogged: not this one since it’s fresh-off-the-sewing-machine, but you can read about my other 2 Fen’s here!

 

Day 27: Hand-quilting

Cheat day! 😉

I made some hand-quilting progress on my Palmetto Modern Quilter’s Guild challenge project {due in June and since I’m the planner of the challenge I better get working!}.

We spend Saturdays visiting our local market and going for a long walk around town. It was a hot day so I wanted to wear some dry-fit shorts – they were RTW and I spent most of the walk reflecting on how much better my handmade shorts fit.. 😀

• Pattern: <> Quilt from Anna Graham’s Handmade Style book {Side note: This is one of the most-used sewing books I have – I’ve made several of the bags from it and love all of the projects. If you enjoy following Anna’s blog or if you’ve ever tried one of her patterns, you’ll love the book}.
• Fabric: it’s all quilting cotton from my stash so my final quilt will look totally different than the crisp design in the book 😉
• Blogged: not yet!

 

Day 28: Parkside Shorts

I love the Parkside Shorts because – pockets! I wore them on Sunday as a swimsuit cover-up to the lake with family.

• Pattern: Parkside Shorts by Sew Caroline {affiliate link}
• Fabric: fabric donated from someone’s attic – mostly a lightweight denim.
• Blogged: here!

 

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Me-Made-May/Sewing-related resources I’m lovin’ this week:

1. Tailor Made Shop is having a 2nd year anniversary sale {details here}! The Watson Bra is still on my sewing list. I have a kit that I picked up from Mercer’s Fabric while visiting Boston last year…but I’m totally considering buying another kit from Tailor Made!

PS: I’ve never purchased from Tailor Made, but I’ve heard great things and really like her blog!

2. This encouraging post about why experienced quilters should encourage and support the newbies. The insight in the article can really apply to any adventure. I posted it on my guild’s Facebook page and it got a lot of traction. Many of the more experienced quilters shared it which made me happy. I always feel so encouraged and supported by the members of both guilds I’m a part of – both of which contain far more experienced sewist than myself. I think it’s so important to encourage others – particularly on adventures in which you may be more experienced with 😉

 

#mmmay17 posts I’m lovin’ this week

• Dalmatian print fabric – need I say more?!
• A flamingo print Asher top – the more I see of this pattern, the more I wanna make it!
• Trish’s new workout set is what floral dreams are made of.
• The shoulder pleats and drape of the tie at the front of this top are so lovely. I had not seen this pattern before, but it is the Rhapsody Blouse and there’s a sew-along coming in June. (Here’s another version of the blouse and how it looks with the cord tied – so cute!)
• This off-the-shoulder blouse is so pretty! Bernina’s We All Sew blog has a tutorial if you are interested in making your own.
• I really like the style of this dress (and those pretty buttons!).
• I’m really digging this Carson Dress by Jess of Willow & Stitch. The pattern has been in my “favorites” on Etsy for a while. I really love the style.

 

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Week 4 Reflections

This week has been mostly outfit repeats which has brought up a lot of feelings about clothing. Outfits are not meant to be disposable and there should be no shame in wearing them repeatedly.

I’m working to invest in higher quality fabric and material to better ensure my clothing will last (because clearly I love to wear my clothes a lot). It takes me HOURS that sometimes stretch over the course of a few weeks (..or months) to finish a garment. After all the time I spend making it, I expect to enjoy wearing it for a long time.

Having the skills to make my own clothing in styles and fabrics that I enjoy wearing is a true honor. I have spent A LOT of time building this skill over the years. I did not grow up sewing. This is something that I adopted as an adult. My stepmom showed me the basics of how to operate my initial machine, but after that I relied solely on tutorials I could find online. I’ve since taken a small handful of classes, but the blogosphere is still my go-to.

I say all of this because people tell me all the time “I wish I knew how to sew” or “I wish I had time to sew”…

1. The former is a myth. You CAN sew. You can find a cheap machine (or ask around – I bet you know someone with a machine that’s been gathering dust that they’d be willing to let you have); you can find tutorials and videos online; and you can even reach out to your local fabric shops about classes or contact your local quilt guild to see if there are members who offer private lessons.
2. The latter is so offensive. Please stop acting like because I sew I have WAY more time on my hands than you do. I assure you I do not. The sewing community is full of some incredible people who work incredibly hard. Many of us work full-time jobs away from our sewing machines and squeeze sewing time in on the weekends or evenings. I can’t speak for the parents out there, but there are loads in the sewing community and I know they’re wickedly busy balancing children, a family, and their sewing adventures. The bottom line is: If you love something, you will make time for it. And the fact is: We value different things. I spend my time sewing. And you spend your time doing whatever it is that you find valuable. I don’t judge your choice so please don’t pretend mine is inferior.

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Are you participating in Me-Made-May? What are your reflections as this month comes to an end?