Mad Men Monday Week 3

Progress! Sort of. You know the story... 2 steps forward, 1 step back. I had this weekend off, so took full advantage for this project. Of course, I had a previously started project that had to be finished, and I'll tell you about it in a post later this week. And, yes, it did take longer than expected.

Back to the Mad Men challenge. I traced the skirt, and made no changes except to lop off 9". As drafted, it would hit lower than mid-calf after hemming. Not a good look on me in any decade. The skirt will still be black, with a colorful lining. The lining is also an addition, and a construction change will be to move the zipper around to center back and to make that zipper invisible. I don't plan to make a muslin, so this is ready to be cut out.

But what to wear on top. This pattern:

source

says full on Joan at the office to me. And the blouse is my size. So I traced the blouse and the vest, which could be useful at my workplace (that's a post all by itself). I have some gorgeous silk, but the reality is that it wouldn't be so practical for my real life. And it just doesn't seem like me. But THIS:

source

I love! The short sleeve version. So, now it's been traced... just the bodice, because I want it to be a blouse. The downside is that I will have to grade it up to a bust 36, and it has a unique construction with the yoke and sleeve cut in one with a center back seam. I've got some ideas, so I'll be working on that this week in my "free" time. I WILL be making a muslin of this! Fabric choice for this TBD, but there are options in my stash.

Our blast from the past photo is one from 1960. It's quite possible that my grandmother (on the left) made both her suit and my mom's shirtwaist dress. But look at their hats!! Fabulous! The occasion was my Christening.

Frozen English Muffins

These Me Made May posts can get, well, honestly, a little dull. This is what I wore today, yada, yada, yada. Today, I thought I'd start with a little story. You know (or really, you should because I think I've mentioned it) that we're about to remodel our kitchen. Before the contractors start their magic though, we're required to empty everything out, and pack it up. We won't be using our main refrigerator since we have a back up in the basement.


In order to go down from two fridges to one, that means some cleaning out. Yeah, the frozen chicken drumsticks dated 2005 had to go. Straight to the trash. But the frozen English muffins from a couple of years ago? Well, someone might be able to eat those, right? Someone furry or feathery that lives outside? Hubby Roland would think I was crazy (well, he might anyway), so while he was getting dressed this morning, I went out to fling the frozen hockey puck-like muffins into an inconspicuous area near the driveway. It has to be the front yard because I don't want my own doggies to eat them.


So, I quietly fling and get the job done. Alas, the bathroom blinds were not closed, and as he was crossing the bathroom, he noticed odd white objects flying onto the upper "pasture". Totally a WTH moment for him. He's hoping the critters aren't on a low carb diet, and thankfully, it was warm enough (upper 70sF) that no squirrel would chip a tooth on a muffin and sue us. 


Day 14 (Monday)

Top: Butterick 5328
Shorts: Kwik Sew 3614

 I have a love-hate relationship with this top, and I think the hate is winning out. The gapping drove me crazy, so I deployed the safety pin, but this may be the last wearing.


Day 15 (Tuesday)

Top: Ann Taylor
Skirt: Sewaholic Crescent Skirt

Day 16 (Wednesday)


A better look at what I wore yesterday:

Top: Renfrew Pink
Skirt: Half a Crepe Wrap First seen on Day 1

Day 17 (today)

Top: Vogue 8536
Skirt: Denim "half a Crepe" worn on Day 7

I've worn this top a lot, and sadly, it has shrunk in length, so tucking was really my only option, but I think it looks ok.


Finally, wanna see the English muffins? Some of them have been eaten.

Days 5, 6, 7, 8

Day 5

Top: Butterick 5495, originally blogged in July 2010
Skirt: originally blogged in May 2011

Day 6


The start of the "gardenia days"...

Top: Life is Good souvenir tee shirt from York, Maine
Shorts: Seersucker, Kwik Sew 3614, originally blogged July 2011
Land's End suede flip flops
Dog: Danny
Lipstick: what was I thinking?!

Day 7

Top: Anthropologie (old)
Skirt: half a Colette Crepe, originally blogged September 2011
Hand out oddly? Trying to get Danny to come on over
What I did: worked from home plus a trip to the grocery. Fun!

Day 8

Dress: Vogue 8553, originally blogged September 1, 2011
Belt: Talbots
Shoes: Land's End chambray espadrilles
What I did: worked from home, plus Parents Support Group at Skyland Trail

Days 2 and 3, Me Made May

Day 2

Originally blogged about this dress back in July 2010
Butterick 5450

Edited to add: That isn't my kitchen, but a showroom for kitchen appliances, etc. We are redoing our kitchen, though, and I'll be sure to post pictures of the process and finished.


Day 3

Tee: Talbot's
Yoga Skirt: Me Made Originally blogged here in August 2011, self drafted
Shoes: Indigo by Clark leather flip flops (last year's model)

Weekday Roundup #3, Days 20, 21,22

September 20

:

Dress:Butterick 5450, blogged here.

Cardi and belt: Talbots

Shoes: Dk. Brown Naturalizers

Thoughts: I really like this dress. Comfy, fits well. Except I didn't wear it much because I hated the gapping in the front pleat. Here's a better pic of the pleat in a non-gappy state. It only stays in that non-gappy state when you aren't moving. I turned it inside out and did a line of handstitching, securing the bottom 2 layers of the pleat, and voila! Now I'm happy. Do dark brown shoes go with black accessories? I kinda think so.

September 21

Top: Vogue 8151

Thoughts: The eating and drinking challenge. Well, taking a picture of it. Eating and drinking is never really a challenge for me. Bad hair day. Lovely dinner of veggie burger, baked sweet potato fries and white wine. The cows in the background? Roland likes to collect folk art and this painting is a recent acquisition.

September 22

Top: Boden

Shorts: Kwik Sew 3614

Shoes: Mephisto

Thoughts: The longer I've worn this outfit today, the less I like it. The top is too big and has a tendency to slip forward, making the low neckline even lower. Ugh. I have a white cami underneath for modesty's sake. The shorts are fine, but do they even go with the top? Plus, I'm kinda cranky today.

Weekend Roundup #3, Days 16, 17, 18

September 16

Top: Colette Patterns Sencha

Jeans: Talbots

Shoes: Tsubo

Thoughts: I made this Sencha blouse last year from some vintage silk that came from my Mom's stash, but I hadn't ever worn it, and Friday seemed like the perfect day. The weather was a bit on the cooler side, so jeans were not too hot. Oh, I did have to self stitch a new hem on these jeans. The perils of being short.

September 17

Top: Butterick 5046, blogged here.

see Sept. 18 for the rest.

Thoughts: True confession... I took this pic today and sort of "recreated" Saturday's outfit. By sort of, I mean, I put on the top, but that's it. It was the only self stitched piece anyway. It started out as a cool day, so pretend you see this top over a brown Old Navy tee, and the jeans and shoes I wore on Friday. By noon I was broiling, and cast this off for the end of self stitched Saturday.

September 18

Top: Butterick 5495, blogged here.

Capris: The same old ones I always wear. Are you sick of them yet?

Shoes: Crocs

Thoughts: I didn't even leave the house today, so this was it. That explains the shoes.

Weekday Roundup #2, Days 12, 13, 14, 15

September 12

Dress: Butterick 5181, blogged here.

Shoes: Sofft

Thoughts: This sundress is comfortable enough, and fits pretty well, though the bodice is kind of weird. Not visually, looking at the picture, but more of a weird feeling when wearing. And it's really... flower-y. Maybe better suited to spring and early summer.


September 13

Top and belt: Talbots

Skirt: Simplicity 2211

Shoes: Sofft

Thoughts: I still need to write about the construction of this skirt, but it's really comfortable, fits well, and this is how I imagined wearing it. I think the belt really finishes the look, and I have a lot of black tops for fall and winter, so add tights and boots, and I have a year-round skirt.

September 14

Top: McCalls 5522, blogged here.

Shorts: Kwik Sew 3614, blogged here.

Thoughts: These are two pieces in my closet that have gotten lots of wear this summer. I find chambray to be a fabric that can go with so much, and the shorts are seersucker, the perfect summer fabric here in the south. It's water theme day over in the flickr group, and while I'd love to be at the beach, my journey with water today involved the washing machine and dishwasher. I turned on the sprinkler for the pic, and got a rainbow for a little decoration.


September 15

Top: Colette Patterns Violet

Skirt: Talbots

Thoughts: This is Violet's debut, hot off the sewing machine just yesterday. I'll do it's own post about some of the construction, but it's made of a quilting cotton that has a little green houndstooth pattern. Click on the pic to enlarge and see it.

But, a fitting question...

Do you see those diagonal wrinkles leading from the yoke to my armpits? I have a couple of ideas on how to fix them, but what do y'all think? Wider bottom piece with more gathering? Deeper armholes? The sleeves are a titch tight, and I'm wondering if that is contributing to the pull. Ignore the bad tucking in job, I've had this on all day, hence all the skirt wrinkles, too.

The Wearability Index

This is the first time I've participated in any of the "Me Made" or "Self Stitched" challenges, primarily because I've only just started making clothes for myself again last year. The key word there is "again" since I've been sewing since I was 12, it just hasn't been for myself lately. That is, until last year.


As this challenge runs down to the final days, it's got me thinking about the things I've made, and how often I wear, or even consider wearing, specific garments. Just like shopping for RTW, it seems like everyone has those "what was I thinking" things that appear, myself included. But I've decided now to assign a "Wearability Index" to the things I've made, and include that index number in future reviews and posts.


My Wearability Index (WI) will be based on a scale of 1-10. Wadders, by definition, don't get a number because they will NEVER be worn. A 1 might get worn once, but that's enough to see you hate it. 2's and 3's would get more than one chance, but their destined for the giveaway bag sooner rather than later. A 10 is the perfect garment or accessory.


I'll show you how it works with yesterday's and today's outfits.


June 27
Yesterday I wore a top that has not yet made an appearance this month, and on paper it seems like it should be popular. Ivory knit twist front top. Great basic solid color, in a not so basic tee. The skirt I've worn at least once (maybe twice... I haven't gone back to check), and is the crescent skirt I made.

Top: Butterick 4789 WI* 4

Skirt: Sewaholic Crescent WI 8

Why the 4? It really is too tight in some places, and then under the twist it has kind of a weird poof that is annoying to me, if not particularly noticeable in the picture. Plus, it's just a bit too low cut to be completely comfortable on its own, so I need to wear a tank under it. I'm not quite ready to dump it, but it has been warned!

The skirt gets an 8, because, at least right now, it's a little bit tight. Not entirely it's fault, I know, but that does make it not quite perfect. This index can be fluid, and the crescent's stock will rise if my weight *ahem* falls.

June 28

Today, I'm wearing a dress that is making its 3rd(!) appearance this month.

Dress: Vogue 8575 WI 9.5

Yes, you read that right! This dress gets a 9.5. It would really be a 10, but the armholes are just a bit large. Picky, I know, but if I had to change anything that would be it. Out of all the things I've made, I have probably worn this dress the most. I think I need to make the version with sleeves for the fall. Hey, I noticed Gorgeous Fabrics is having a sale...

Catching Up on Me Mades -- June 23, 24, 25, 26

June is almost over, and just thought I'd catch you up on the last 4 days. Bear with me. There's not too many days left. And there's something new.


June 23

Top: Target's 2010 Liberty collection

Skirt: Butterick 5466

Photo secret... I had to dig this out of the laundry bin on Friday because I just wasn't up for picture taking on Thursday. MMJ fatigue?

June 24

Top: Vogue 8151

Shorts: Kwik Sew 3614

Mini-challenge animals: Teddy, some sort of setter mix and Danny, perhaps a corgi/shepherd mix. Both rescues.

I've worn the shorts and the top this month, but not together.

June 25

Dress: Butterick 5173

I wore this back on June 6 next to the pool of our beach house rental. Now it's the last Saturday of June, and I'm at home doing Saturday stuff. Not really the same vibe. Danny does love to be in the photo though.

June 26

Top: Land's End that I've had forever

Shorts: Kwik Sew 3614

News Flash: new shorts!! Same pattern, different pocket details. Better fit. Well, they are a little snug, but I'll work on that, more from the inside than the outside. I'm going to do a longer post on it on a future date.

I think that's enough for today. After 27 days of wearing clothing that I personally made, I've learned a few things about what I make for myself, for better and for worse.

Three More Me Made Days...

...or are you bored yet? I still haven't done any sewing yet this month, but I do hope to remedy that very, very soon. In the meantime, how about the last three days of me mades.


June 18
We decided to celebrate Father's Day on Saturday by heading to the baseball game. Added bonus was that the Atlanta Braves were playing the Texas Rangers, and my mom, who is still visiting, is a huge Rangers fan. It was hot and humid, so I wore the only pair of shorts that I've made. You've seen them before. With the added excitement of a 2 hour rain delay, we really got our money's worth.

The aliens were ready to land.

Top: Ann Taylor

Shorts: Kwik Sew 3614

Convenient that both the Braves and the Rangers wear blue and red. The drunk girl sitting next to me snapped this pic. Can you see my navy shorts? The top is from Ann Taylor, but I did hem it.

After the rain.

June 19

Father's Day, and my mom, Roland and I headed to church. So, here's a problem with any wardrobe, me made or RTW. When you go on vacation and eat too much, nothing really fits when you get home. This dress is no exception, and has the added problem of being extremely overfitted, especially across the bust. You can see the dress in a better fitting day here. The white cardigan was a defense against the A/C, and I really love the little green Coach purse with the pink.

Dress: Butterick 5353

Just home from church, and the dress was quickly exchanged for a complete RTW outfit.

June 20

This top. Oh, I want to love it. I want to even like it, but even with wearing a tank underneath, I was fussing with it all day. I do like how it looks with the white skirt, which is from the now defunct Harolds. This was at the end of a long day of shopping, but the skirt was *ahem* just as wrinkled when I put it on.

It's ironic that I bought quite a lot of stuff at the Talbot's sale today, but there are still some gaps in my wardrobe.

Top: Butterick 5328

Skirt: Harolds

Surprise! To balance out the RTW from Talbots, mom and I went to Whipstitch to spend the Groupon I had purchased earlier this year. (paid $20 for $40* worth of merchandise... woo hoo!!)

*If you think there is more than $40 worth of merch there, you would be right.

Butterick 5181 Revealed

Do you love border prints? I do, and had bought a particularly lovely one last year and just needed to find the perfect pattern, and I thought that Butterick 5181 would do the trick.

The black and white polka dot version was my starting point, and I made a muslin of the bodice. Turns out that I was 100% correct in worrying about that plunging neckline only coming together below the bust at the midriff seamline. Yikes! Photos of that would definitely be NSFW!

So I added an inch to the top pieces in the front and back, did a sway back adjustment in the back, took a tuck along the neckline, and raised the point where the neckline comes together about 3 inches or so. During construction, I sewed that center seam together, and lined it almost as directed, sewing the neckline and armscyes together, and then pulling it right sides out through the shoulders. I didn't make a 2nd muslin because I was in a hurry to get it done before the vacation, and I'm not happy with the darts. I think the only way to correct the problem would be lots of ripping out of stitches, so I may just try to live with it.

One thing that I love... the inseam pockets that I added. With a full skirt, they are invisible, but, oh, so useful.

I wore this on the 8th for Kyle's birthday dinner, and I also wore it all day yesterday for a travel from the beach. I think the fabric can make it dressy, but as a comfy sundress, it also worked for the long drive home.

June 6

One of the things I'm learning about these me made days is that I have some perfectly good outfits, but they aren't really accessorized. Of course, I haven't really been doing anything in these outfits... not even going out... and I'm out of town, with only what I packed, which wasn't much. Still, there is some room for improvement.

This is what I wore yesterday after a morning at the beach and the pool. We did a little shopping (a very little shopping) and cooked dinner at home, so it was perfect for just lounging around.

Dress: Butterick 5173

Yes, I am not even wearing shoes, though I did have some flip flops on at various times of the day.

Another Skirt, Another Top

Yesterday was a banner sewing day for me, with almost 2 pieces completely finished from conception to end. The only thing I didn't finish was hemming the top, and darn it, my family was hungry and I didn't want to be left behind when they headed out to our favorite Thai restaurant.

Some details:
Top: organic cotton jersey, fabric.com, Butterick 4789
Skirt: cotton sateen (?) probably from fabric.com last year, mostly self drafted with assistance from Sherry of pattern ~ scissors ~ cloth. The link goes to her Miranda skirt pattern.
Resin necklace: Earlybird Creations
Leather bangle bracelets: Amy Fine Design

I like the top, but there is a tendency for the front to have a gap at the wrap area. Looks ok in the picture, so, whew! Also, the fabric is a wee bit flimsy. I like my tees to have fabric with a bit more heft. Oh, and the front wrap part also likes to have kind of a weird poof just under the bust in the middle. I'm thinking it must look worse looking down at it. I didn't put in the back darts. This picture explains why.

Yeah. I actually like it better tucked in, but to Psycho Sue... yep, my right hip is higher. Pretty obvious in this picture. I've been dealing with it since puberty, but any hem planning is purely by chance. Anyway, I think tucked in with the belt would be the best look. At least with this top.

As for the skirt, I wanted to sew the pleats down, and actually I did, but something went horribly wrong with my math, and it was not a good look. The waistband is a bit stiff for my taste, and possibly a bit too wide, but I'll fix that with the next skirt.  Also, the stiffness of the waistband kind of makes it stand up awkwardly. More zipper woes here, and I'm totally blaming Sherry* and her RTW ideas of using a 3/8" seam allowance, which is what I used. I just needed the extra width of a 5/8" allowance to properly do the lapped zipper I was planning. Alas, it was not meant to be, but the busy print pretty much hides the zipper and its top stitching.

Oh, and yes, before you say anything, I like the length with this style. Plus, just wait til you see the top I really have planned to wear with it. Um, it's still in the planning stages though.

*Sherry, if you happen to read this, you are amazing, and have the best tutorials!! Double checking the math on your pleat placement is priceless advice that I failed to heed, and cursing ensued. For that I blame the U.S. insistence on inches, etc., and the sewing world's insistence on eighths.

Butterick 5328 -- Top #1 -- Done!

One down! How many more to go? But can someone please tell me, why, oh why, am I always drawn to the wrap top patterns? They always seem to end up too revealing, and this one is no exception. I did some tissue fitting, and then did a pin fitting, and all looked like it was going to work. Yeah, yeah, I know a muslin is always a solution, but time is of the essence here!

Anyway, it does still work with a tank underneath.

I do look so flat in this picture. I feel like it looks better in person. This is one of the patterns that I won with Faye's giveaway. I actually had to make a lot of changes to the pattern, so the fact that it fits this well is pretty amazing. The smallest size in the envelope is a 16. That works for the hips, but my shoulders are a 12, so I had to do the opposite of what I usually do.

The technique I used to sort of grade down to a 12 was kind of a guesstimating affair. Using the grading lines for the larger sizes as a guide, I drew inside the size 16 line to make a new size 12. That's really just clear as mud, and I didn't take any pictures. So, say there was 1/2" from the 16 to the 20, I drew 1/2" inside the 16 line to make a size 12. And then followed my new line back out to the 16 through the waistline to the hem.

Those roses look kind of weird from the back. I originally bought this fabric to make a dress, but I think it's plenty of print in just a top. It'll really look good with some white pants or a white skirt.

Butterick 5173 -- So Comfy

Another quick to make pattern that would have been even quicker if I had only tried it on before hemming it. Take note, and don't do what I did. Actually, I didn't try it on at all until it was finished, which is always a gamble. With knits, I'm more likely to do said gambling.

I bought this fabric last fall at G Street Fabrics in Rockville, Maryland, and readers, I bought a LOT. Not entirely sure why, but you'll see this again. The good thing is that it is a wide border print and I can use the other side for a completely different look. Yeah, that doesn't really make sense.

If this dress were longer, you would see that the pink flowers become white and then that stripe-y bit repeats. Does that help with the making sense? Anyway, this pattern is perfect for the border because it is a really simple design. In fact, if it weren't for the gathering and band part, I would say it's a perfect beginner dress. The band isn't hard, but is a little fussy, and there is some hand sewing involved. I considered simply top stitching the facing down, but wanted (actually, needed) more control around the gathered bit.

I love the back neckline, and that it dips, but not too far. It does appear to be a wee bit snug, but I'm ok with that. Also, if I were to make this again in a less stretchy knit, I might lower the armscye just a bit. As it is, the fabric is so soft and stretchy that it doesn't bother me at all.

I used my coverstitch to hem the sleeves and the bottom hem which became a problem when the bottom hem noticeably dipped in the front. I "made it work" with a semi-haphazard rehem of the front that involved no ripping out of the old hem which was secured with Stitch Witchery anyway. I won't show you the up close of the hem at the sides, and I'm 99% sure that the general public won't notice that anything is amiss.

The only change I made to the size 12 I cut out was to "straighten out" the indent at the waist to give just a bit more ease. Probably not really needed with all that gathering except if I straightened out higher up on the back piece it would address the snugness. Next time. I did it on the front and the back piece.

Finally, in case you were worried that we might be attacked by squirrels here, I have an excellent Squirrel Sentry on duty: