Me Made May; Week 3

Wow, three weeks of MMMay 2013 completed all ready!  I’ll confess, there isn’t a whole bunch of new stuff to show you this week as you’ve seen it all before this month!  So rather than the same old same old outfit shots I’ve substituted some days with a detail of the particular garment.

I was whinging about how much I like my Jasmine top but that I also hate the facings at the neckline and the suggestion was made that I cut them down and then treat them like a bias binding finish.  So that evening the scissors came out and I happily attacked the facings by cutting them down, turning them under to conceal the raw edge and then topstitching them down.  Much better.  I also tip my cap at the person who originally pointed out to me that finishing the neckline with bias binding would be a good idea when I queried the layers of fabric  at the neckline (I can’t find the post if it was on the blog, or the discussion board on Colette’s site).  Stupidly I ignored them.  They were right, I was wrong.  In fact it is highly likely that all facings will be blown out in favour of bias binding of a full lining.  Never say never though…

And I need more PJs.  Random, but there it is.  I need to make some more PJs!  Good thing Karen is going to do another PJ party, although I may need some a little sooner than that…

Only another week or so of MMMay to go!  So for those of you who try and avoid outfit posts, you’ve only got to suffer through one more weekly round up and then a final reflection post and normal service will resume!  I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but challenges like this help me focus on my wardrobe and what I need it to look like.  There is likely to be some utility sewing (as in stuff I’ll wear all the time) as well as continued ‘ooh, that’s pretty!’ sewing (things I wont wear all the time but I want to make anyway), commonly known as cake and frosting sewing.  The cake sewing though will hopefully still be pretty and challenging in some way, as well as worn a lot.  But I’ll muse on that a little more in early June (bet you can’t wait!).

And finally, I’ve been really inspired by little succulent gardens (and they’re also very hard to kill apparently!) so me and Boy made some dinosaur gardens on Monday!  I’d like to find some pretty glass or ceramic oblong containers so I can put one on my dressing table upstairs.  A little greenery about the place makes me happy.

As does the arrival of some tickets.  I’m going to London for the meet up being organised by Claire on the 3rd August – Hurrah!  I am really really looking forward to it!

Tilly and The Buttons Mathilde

This is my first version of Tilly and the Buttons first commercial pattern Mathilde.  I am wearing this top a LOT, which is a good sign from a wearable muslin.

Please forgive the wrinkles in the back of the shirt.  This was the second day of wearing it and I’d just got out of the truck having been sat in the hair dressers chair for an hour having a practice hair do for babyiest sister’s wedding!  It’s a downfall of using cotton, presses well but also creases well!  Do you like my builder chic back drop – the extension at the back of the house is slowly getting there…

I love this top. The tucks are a cute touch that adds some lovely interest and the sleeves are girly without being OTT. It came together with no problems at all. Well, nearly no problems and the two issues I had to deal with were not the fault of the drafting!

The print of the fabric isn’t on grain so I had to make a decision whether I worried about grain or the print looking right. I went with the print! This meant making the tucks was a little more difficult than it had to be as I was arguing with the way the fabric wanted to fold. Nothing a hot iron and a lot of steam couldn’t fix though! The tucks aren’t perfect but I’m happy enough with them.

The other thing I needed to fix was the cuff band but I only did this after wearing it a few times. The cuff bands for the size 4 needed to be just a smidge bigger as I have larger forearms in contrast to Tilly. But then Tilly is of a far more delicate build than me! Basically the cuffs were a touch too small to move up my forearms easily which caused the shirt to pull when I reached forward.

It was easily fixed; I just removed the cuffs and re-stitched them with a 1/4″ seam allowance rather than a 5/8″ allowance. Thank goodness that I’d ignored the trimming down your seam allowance bit of the instructions when I’d attached them otherwise I’d have been in a lot of trouble.  Having said that, not trimming the seam allowance down makes the cuff much thicker and therefore also tighter.  That issue is definitely down to me!

So with the cuffs amended, I regathererd the sleeves and reattached them. No more binding when I reach forward.  The only other alteration was my usual FBA.  As a wearable muslin this top is an absolute win to my mind!  I may give myself just a little extra room across the bust in future versions though as whilst it’s not noticeable when I’m wearing it, there does seem to be some horizontal pull lines there in the photos…

I have some crepe backed satin in a deep purple that I am going to use to make another version of this top, but with a lace overlay at the yoke. I may omit the pleats though and substitute in some gathers instead  as stitching pleats into a satin fabric scares me!  I’ll use the matt crepe side as the right side I think.  I’ve also found some crepe navy polkadot fabric which is also destined to be another version and a complete rip-off of Tilly’s Great British Sewing Bee version, complete with red piping.  I need to finish my V1247 top first though!

Pattern: Tilly and the Buttons: Mathilde
Fabric: Shore Line ‘Life Rings’ in Ocean from Fabric Rehab (2m)
Thread: Dunelm Mill
Buttons: Ex Royal Navy via eBay that have been in my button jar for years!

Me Made May; Week 2 and Some Winners!

I made it through another week!  And, I managed to get a full house of photos as well!  Although some don’t show the outfit too well.  Oops!

It was definitely the week of Simplicity 2588, I wore my work version twice and the blue roses version once.  So that’s nearly half the week in one pattern!  After that it was V1247 (again), Sencha (again, but at least photographed), and Cambie on Saturday.  You can see some of the building work we’re having done behind my Sencha photo.

Wearing dresses is much easier than mixing separates, but sometimes I need to wear trousers which is where lovely tops come in!  I really must break out Mathilde, Jasmine and Alma for next week!  And you can probably tell that as the week progressed I was getting more and more tired.  I am absolutely exhausted as I write this on the evening of the 16th.  One more day to the weekend…

But on to the much more interesting giveaway winners!

The fabric goes to: Eclectic Threads

The pattern of choice goes to: Lizzy at Sew Busy Lizzy who chose Jalie 2908 which is a jeans pattern

The vintage patterns and scarf go to: Silvia at Sewing Princess

Congratulations!

I’m looking forward to the weekend, I’m hoping to actually do some sewing which is more than repairing things, which is all that’s happened this month so far.  You never know, I may get an hour or so to disappear upstairs with my machine!

Sewaholic Cambie

Nearly two months after finishing this dress, I’m finally posting about it! I made this dress for our friends’ wedding on the 22nd March; the colour theme was purple and orange and I wanted to pick that up in what I wore on the day.

The fabric is Amy Butler ‘Souvenir’ from the Lark collection. I’m not really sure what colour it is; in some light it’s orange, others a hot pink, and sometimes a deep coral.  Some have even told me it’s red!  I love the richness and warmth of the colour, whatever it is.

There’s not a lot to say about the Cambie pattern or the construction really. As always with Tasia’s patterns the drafting is faultless and the instructions good. I had no problems making this dress at all. I’m particularly pleased with how neatly the zip went in; there was bragging on Instagram and Twitter when I’d completed that step I have to admit.

I didn’t make any changes to the pattern other than my usual FBA and using the full width of the fabric for the skirt panels, which definitely made for a fuller skirt! I love that putting a petticoat on with this dress gives it some added impact, but that it’s also great to wear without the extra oomph as a day dress (which is how I wore it for my sister’s hen do in Cambridge).

I have other versions of this dress planned already although I may lessen the amount of fabric in the skirt for that one…

Fabric: Amy Butler ‘Souvenir’ from the Lark Collection
Lining: Bed sheet for the bodice and dress lining from Anglian Fashion Fabrics for the skirt
Thread & Zip: Jaycotts

PS: There’s still a few hours to enter my give away here!

Me Made May; Week 1

 

So the first week of MMMay ’13 is complete and I only missed Friday’s photo.  My excuse is that it was a crazy day as I worked for nine hours then drove for two to set up the caravan so we could camp for the bank holiday weekend.  Photos went out of the window!  We had a chat on Twitter on the 1st May about my new wheels up there; she’s crazy big but also necessary as we have to tow a caravan!  We’re trying to work out if it’s practical for me to use her as my car rather than my VW Golf day to day…  May is about a test drive too!

As you can see, the first half of the week was all about Colette.  The second saw my Burda blouse that I haven’t worn in forever getting well used over the weekend which brought glorious sunshine.  Shame it hasn’t lasted but that’s the UK for you!  My V1247 skirt gets worn a LOT and I haven’t blogged it – always the way.  But in my defence there are so many reviews of the pattern out there already!  The only thing I did was drastically add to the length so it finishes at the knee rather than being as short as it is drafted – which is SHORT!

Please accept my apologies if I’m commenting on posts you wrote and published a week or so ago, I’ve only just caught up with my blog reader having been disconnected for the bank holiday weekend and then being stupid busy all this week, which doesn’t seem like it is going to let up anytime soon…  Work is busy, Husband’s (self employed) job is busier and we have an extension going up at the back of the house!  Oh and it’s less than six weeks before my sister gets married!

PS – don’t forget to enter my giveaway if you haven’t already, it ends Tuesday night!

Too Many Choices, Too Much Indecision

My list of things I want to make has got badly out of hand and I’m in that weird too many choices mind-set.

MMMay seems to sharpen this effect for me as I look at my wardrobe and realise that I’m going to be wearing a lot of things over and over again in the month.  But this is how I live most of the time anyway; isn’t there some accepted wisdom about 10% or our wardrobe 90% of the time?!  However, the stark reality always makes me antsy and want to add a bit more variety!

So, I’ve resorted to lists.  There’s my list of patterns, my list of fabric, my list that pairs fabric with patterns and the list of things that I think need adding to my wardrobe.  That’s a lot of lists and whilst it’s cathartic it doesn’t get me any closer to deciding what to make next.  Too many options, too many choices, too much indecision and therefore nothing happens.

I was reading A Beautiful Mess (a blog I dip in and out of, but always has something to inspire me) and there was an article about prioritization and a paragraph stood out to me:

Instead of a huge list, force yourself to make a short list with only one or two projects.  It will help you focus and enjoy each one.  Each time you complete a project you can start a new one.

Pretty damn obvious but sometimes it takes someone telling me something for me to see it.  Wood for the trees and all that.

So instead of trying to decide which project of about twenty odd that are listed in my list collection, I’ve chosen two.  The two that have been in my head constantly for weeks.

Colette Hazel in Michael Miller Ahoy Matey Fabric
Vogue 1247 top in a brush stroke effect cotton lawn

Then;

Butterick 5748 in Tula Pink Turtle Bay Fabric
Made by Rae Washi dress using some of the plaid from the Sewists Secret Santa swap

And of course there is the Australian Fabric of Glee that the wonderful Lizzy posted to me because I couldn’t make the meet up in London on the 20th April!  It was my youngest sister’s hen-do in Cambridge and I was under strict instructions not to bail on  it.  I’ve chosen New Look 6643 (a shift dress) so when that arrives, it may well bump its self up the que!

Does anyone else have problems deciding what to sew next or do you have a plan and stick to it?  Are you structured in your makes (looking at wardrobe needs and sewing to fill them) or are your sewing decisions made purely on a whim?  I’d love to know…

Me Made May ’13: Pledge Time!

I’m in! Just a little note of explanation too as I’m aware that this may be a new concept to a few of my lovely readers. Zoe, who blogs at So Zo hosts a challenge each year to encourage us to wear the clothes that we make.

People make a pledge to wear a self made item each day, or three times a week, or whatever works for them. Some are not allowing themselves to repeat an item, others are not allowed to repeat an outfit. It’s about developing your relationship with the items you make and actually wearing them! This is only my second year in taking part, so;

I, Vicki of VickiKateMakes, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’13. I endeavour to wear one me-made item each day for the duration of May 2013.

As Zoe explains: “Me-Made-May ’13 (MMM’13 for short) is a challenge designed o encourage people who sew / knit / crochet / refashion / up-cycle / insert-other-creative-discipline-here garments for themselves to actually wear and love them. The participants decide the specifics of their own challenge pledge so that the month is appropriate and challenging for them” This is Zoe’s post all about it, and you can sign up there as well!

I’m not going to bore you with daily outfit photographs, instead I’ll do a round up each week. I’ll try and post on a Wednesday but that could prove interesting for the last week as we’ll be away and I have no idea what the interwebs connection will be like. So you may get ten days worth in early June once I’ve got home to my computer! But on the plus side there will be photos featuring a caravan, Legoland, Windsor Castle and where ever else we visit!

From last year I learnt that the hardest aspect of this challenge for me is the documentation of what I wear. I’m not exactly comfortable in front of the camera. But, this year I WILL take a photo Every. Single. Day. I’ll try and vary the setting, but the front door may feature heavily, or the building site in the back garden! Does anyone have any tips for self portraits? How to feel less like a dork or poses to try?!

Re-Engineered Peony

It only took about an hour to re-engineer my Peony to fix some of the fit problems I had.  It’s still not 100% perfect but I’m happier with it and happy enough with the fit.

Jeez it was cold taking these photos!  -1′c!  Which I know for some of you guys is warm, but we’d had quite a balmy (for February) weekend with temps of about 8′c so this was a little bit of a shock.

And I thought I’d show you the mess we’re making in the back garden at the moment.  Husband is in the process of dismantling the old conservatory and we hope to build a garden room across the back this summer.  He scared the living daylights out of me when there was an almighty crash and a large lump of roof hit the deck along with the ladder.  Thankfully he was fine although as he took it to pieces we realised just how badly it had been built and that standing on the roof really wasn’t a good idea as there wasn’t much attaching it to the house!

PS.  Don’t forget the give away of Wendy’s Travelling Pattern Stash!

Alexander Henry May Break Me

We’re nearly half way through the second month of 2013 and I am having to apply some extreme will power not to buy some new fabric.

Frumble have some Alexander Henry ‘Home Sewing is Easy’ fabric in stock. For a period of time this was quite hard to track down in the UK. I have always loved this print and ever since Sarah at Rhinestones and Telephones as well as the gorgeous Roisin at Dolly Clackett made dresses from this fabric I have wanted to follow in their footsteps.

Stunning Sarah

Gorgeous Roisin

Like Roisin, I am in love with this dress:

Limb Dress

The print is a departure from my normal aesthetic but it would be so much fun to wear at weekends and on days off! And I do want to make some loud print dresses…

The skirt is easy to approximate and I could ‘borrow’ the bodice from V8727 or maybe Colette’s Parfait or Chantilly. Or get brave and work out how to draft something similar – particularly as V8727 and Parfait would mean buying a new pattern as well as fabric (but then if I’m going to be the first to break the jar pledge, maybe I should do it in style?!).

This wouldn’t be an immediate project though; I have a veil to make, pattern testing to finish and a dress for a wedding to do too, as well as a massive ‘to sew’ list.

What do I do? Do I stand strong and resist the urge to splurge? Do I wait and see if there’s still the yardage I need when it comes to pay day and decide it’s fate or do I just go shopping?! I’m going to miss Lizzy at the London Meet Up in April too which was going to be a free pass on fabric shopping (included in my jar pledge) so maybe this one length could be a consolation prize? Or maybe I should take another leaf from Sarah’s book and have a penalty jar?!

Being more conservative, there is the B&W version here:

I still love the version with all the colours though, even if the B&W version would be more subtle…

What to do, what to do?!

Colette Peony; Working 9 til 5

I do love Dolly, the hair, the rhinestones, the songs…  And apologies if that turns into an ear worm!!

OK, next up is my wool Peony.  These are all photos of before it was reverse sewed and re-engineered to fix some fit and construction muck ups.

As you can see there is some weird stuff happening with the bust darts and bubbling.  That’s my fault and not the patterns – I can safely say that they are the worst darts I have ever sewn.  I swear they look an inch longer than they actually are because of that damn bubble!

And I managed to make it about 4″ too big at the waist.  I do NOT know how that happened as the toile fit fine and I carefully transferred the changes back to the pattern.  All I can imagine is that when I pinned the back closed on the toile I pinned it tighter than when I put the zip in.  I’ve lost a bit of weight but not that flippin much.  Ah well, cock pit error and I’ll have to do some fixing.

Pulling some of the excess out at the back

So, re-works.  I’m going to unpick the waist seam at the darts and re-do them as well as making them deeper to sort the fit at the waist out a bit.  I’m hoping to solve the bagginess and bubbling with that one.  I’ll then put some gathers into the skirt as drafted, or I may add darts as I quite like the sleekness of it at the moment.  I’ll baste some darts in and see what I think and then make a decision as to whether it’ll be that solution or the gathers.

I’ll take some photos once I’ve tweaked.  I do have to admit though that the sloppy fit around the waist  and the bubbly darts haven’t stopped me wearing this dress though.  I just love the colours.  And look a pretty hem with snug-hug and hand stitching.  I added a full lining the same colour as the stripe in the wool.  Something about this combination of chocolate and pale blue just makes me happy.

So whilst it’s not perfect, it has some potential with a bit more work and reverse sewing…