Alma Blouse Reveal

And the Theme(Last)Friday in the flickr group. Last week, the mini theme for the Me Made May flickr group was to show off your hometown, and I was stuck working, but today presented the perfect opportunity.

I was stuck working last Friday, but I was off today, and spent part of it visiting the Atlanta Botanical Gardens with a friend. The current temporary exhibit is "Imaginary Worlds". And in keeping with my apparent usual "dog theme"...

I'm wearing my Sewaholic Alma blouse which I haven't formally blogged about, but here ya go. It's a great pattern, and I made the size 10 grading out to the 12, starting at about what would be an empire waistline... down to the hem. It's a great pattern, and a very quick sew. Admittedly, the instructions are a bit confusing regarding the zipper insertion, but I just did my own thing. I've worn the skirt a lot... most recently back on May 8. Always great to have a denim skirt in the wardrobe!

And my "hometown"... technically, my hometown is Dallas, Texas. [side note: Georgia has it's very own Dallas, not too far from Atlanta. Sad, but I usually have to add the "Texas" when explaining where I'm originally from when talking to folks here]. I've lived in Atlanta, Georgia since 2005. From the Botanical Garden, which is in Midtown, you can see a great view of the Atlanta skyline just beyond the trees.

New Pavlova Skirt & Renfrew #5

It's a holiday weekend here in the US....wishing everyone a thoughtful Memorial Day here. I have the day off, and with family scattered far and wide today, it's me and the dogs. I briefly considered shopping, but decided to play the anxious recluse instead. I do suffer from time to time a bit of free floating anxiety, mostly as a result of things beyond my control, and there are several facets of my life right now that fit that description.

Anyway, enough with the soul baring... a few weeks ago I made Pavlova circle skirt #2 from some wonderful cotton shirting from Gorgeous Fabrics. Yesterday, I finished my 5th Renfrew t-shirt, this time making it sleeveless with a modified cowl collar. The fabric is a modal knit from fabrics.com, which was like sewing on kleenex, and just about as sheer. I've got a white cami underneath, and see this top more as a winter layering option. We'll see.

The only changes made to this version of the skirt were to make the waist slightly smaller, and the length a wee bit longer. Oh, I did make the belt, too... for another dress. 

And the dog... he would not leave me alone, and was in every picture, mostly trying to lick me in the face. And my attempts at the spinning of the circle skirt pic... impossible because he apparently thought it was some kind of game wherein he was required to jump on me. Good thing he's cute!

Shoe and Dress Update

Finally! The shoe decision was made, and yet I still managed to pack 4 pairs in my carry-on. And still wished I had my sneakers. But let's get to the dress first. You saw the picture on the mall and it was covered by the lovely green raincoat. How about the end result and just a few details (like what pattern is it, after all!).

Jacket: Vogue 8640. Originally blogged here. I shortened the length by 2" to make it less weird and somewhat wearable, but the honest truth is this is not a good shape jacket for me. Too boxy. I obviously forgot that I was not shaped like the drawing on the pattern... i.e., model tall and thin.

Dress: Bodice is McCall's 7569, a vintage pattern from 1964. Skirt is the Colette Macaron.

Fabric: from fabric.com. A cotton/linen blend designed by Valori Wells for Free Spirit. These 2 patterns were from the same collection which is a couple of years old, and now the remaining bits are on clearance.

The Starting Point:

 (which I had in my Etsy shop, but is now sold)

And my dress:

Many of the sizing changes were mentioned in this post, complete with pictures of the muslins, and the altered pattern pieces, so I won't repeat myself here. I will mention that instead of the ruffle from the pattern, I used self made piping from scraps from the jacket.

The piping went around the armscyes and the neckline, and down the back. Subtle, but I like it. Don't you love the birds?!

I tacked the crossover in the back just to avoid any gaping, though I don't think there would be any.

An alternate jacket (and possibly a better look than the jacket I made)... a linen Talbots blazer I bought a few years ago, that I don't think I've ever worn:

And the shoes?

Well, I wore the wedding shoes for the Friday graduation, but took them off after the walk to the restaurant. Those were seriously not walking through the city shoes. Last Sunday was drizzly in Washington, DC, and tromping across the Mall was way better in these closed toe, T-strap Naturalizers, with a sensible 2" chunky heel.

Finally... pockets!

Yeah. Barrett walked up to check out the photoshoot, and I was bracing for the "kiss".

Puppy love!

Me Made Continues

The vacation is over, but I have a few non-working days left in May on which I can wear stuff that I've made. Of course, my days off mean super casual. Behold:

Hair's a mess, minimal makeup. And apparently while I was on vacation, summer arrived in Atlanta. The heat is on! Top was made in 2010, and is a great summer wear. Seersucker shorts were made in 2011.

Last Mini Me Made Vacation Day

But not the last post about it. I definitely have ways to drag this thing out. For instance, the whole adding links thing. Edit: I've, with a little help, have attempted a few links. Fingers crossed.
But more than that, the last two days have debuted some new stuff.
Let's start with yesterday (Saturday). Side note...sometimes the weather does not turn out to be what you're expecting when you pack. It turned cool and rainy, and I really wished I had packed a pair of jeans. I didn't, so there was some layering and borrowing involved.

Top is a brand new Sewaholic Alma made on a white with red polka dot quilting cotton. In spite of what appears to be pulling across the bust, I love the fit. The skirt is a refashioned Colette Crepe. Black cardigan for warmth, and raincoat draped over my arm, Laura's (though it used to be mine).
We're visiting the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum.
Today (Sunday) was the main graduation for George Washington University.

Lovely weather.

This is the dress/jacket that I made to wear. Covered up with a stunning green raincoat. Shoes you haven't seen before... More on those another post. Well, frankly more on the whole outfit, complete with better photos.

Walking the grand puppies. Post graduation meant another outfit change. Me wearing my pavlova top with a RTW skirt. I wouldn't have chosen this combo if I wasn't out of other options, but I do kind of like it.
Synopsis complete. I'll add pictures to the Flickr group tonight, and work on some of the links in the next couple of days.
Stay tuned, and have a great day!

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A Celebration

Today has been a fantastic day! Sure, I wore a me made dress, but the reason I'm taking this little vacation and able to participate in the mini me made event is all about my daughter, Laura.

And, if I remember correctly, the Flickr group Friday theme today is "hat".

Congratulations, Laura, on your Master of Arts, Security Policy Studies from the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University!

Great hat!

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Mini-Me-Made-May Officially Started

Yesterday. It was a day of travel, so I opted for total comfort, and wore this ol' thing:

I originally made it in 2011, but this spring felt like the arm holes were too gape-y, and just sewed the side seams together more. Maybe not the official fix but it worked. [Edit: I made it in June 2010! Time flies, right? Vogue 8575]

The picture was taken outside of Red, Hot and Blue, a favorite BBQ joint in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Today, was a very casual, and slightly hot day, so I wore the black kwik sew shorts and the cotton voile jasmine top, both made last year. [oops, let the record show that I made the shorts in 2011!]

We are concluding our visit to the Pentagon Memorial, which is very moving and well done. Blue t-shirt behind me (son, Kyle) and the rust t-shirt (husband) spent at least 15 minutes discussing how the significance of that concrete wall works. The design of it does have some significance. I'll link to it when I sort out how linking works in blogsy.

So... links to all things linkable will come later. I am still a certified blogsy beginner, aka "wow, I am so slow at composing anything on my iPad."

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Good morning!

My first attempt at a blogpost from my iPad. I know it can be done, but can I do it? I really don't want to drag my laptop on my upcoming vacation, just for me made may. Of course, there will be plenty of computers at my disposal if for some reason I tire of typing with one finger!

 

 

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Miscellaneous Me Mades

One of the purposes of Me Made May is to truly incorporate garments you make into your everyday wardrobe. Of course, the longer you sew, the easier that is simply with more options. Me Made May can help you see where the "holes" in your wardrobe are though. You know, you'll discover that you have lots of knit tops or orphan skirts, and then you can make plans to fill the holes.

Even though I pledged to participate for the 11 days in May that I am not working, the truth is that I wear something that I've made almost every day.

I have several things I made to sleep in, but lately, my sleepwear of choice is this:

Nightgown

It's been rainy days in Georgia recently, and I've made 2 raincoats. This one, Minoru, is currently hanging out in the front seat of my car.

When I get home from work, I like to get comfy (who doesn't, right?), and I'll often reach for this yoga skirt:

Point is, if you regularly sew, before you know it, you'll find that you're reaching for Me Mades before the RTW on a daily basis.

What Shoes to Wear?

Yesterday, I officially finished the "Dress For Laura's Graduation" (DFLG) and I'm starting to think about what to pack. Carry-on would be great, so I don't think I can take all 4 pairs that go with it. But this is a great problem to have. In fact, I have a 5th pair that would work too! You'll see why when you see the fabric for the dress. It's just a peek at the hem.

The Flat Sandals:

Land's End. Similar.

These will be packed no matter what. They take up minimal space, and are remarkably comfortable. If we have to do a lot of walking for the ceremony, comfort may win over looks.

The Naya Pump:

Similar

The Naya brand is billed as a comfort shoe, good for the environment. Truthfully, these are a little tight across the top of my foot, but could work.

The Wedding Shoes:

From Talbots, 2010

The last time I wore these shoes was on June 5, 2010, the day that Laura got married! Wow! Time to wear them again. These might be my top pick just for sentimental reasons.

The Talbots Outlet Bargain Sandal:

Follow the Talbots link in the wedding section for the current crop of gorgeous shoes. We're lucky enough to have a Talbots Clearance Outlet in Duluth, not too far away from me, so I got these on a deep discount, just because. But I haven't had an opportunity to wear them. Could this be it?

Do you like the fabric? Bold! Do you like the shoes? Which ones?

Mini Me Made May 2

Today is my 2nd day off this month, hence the title. I won't have another day off until my vacation starts next week, so this was the day to finish a couple of big sewing projects. Those will debut during the vacation, so tomorrow you'll get a peek of at least the hem. It's a shoe thing.

Anyway. Today was sewing and laundry, with a brief outing to the grocery. That meant super casual, and this me made outfit totally fit the bill:

Sewaholic Renfrew blogged about here.

Denim skirt, made from Colette Patterns Crepe, blogged here.

I'm standing in my sewing studio. Do you like my red sconces? They used to be brass! Technically, I guess they still are. I really need to do a post about them.

It's a bit of a mess, but I'm actually getting ready to finish the hem, so this is more than just a posed picture. On the TV behind me... the last disc of Season 3 of Dr. Who. I had to find out for myself what all the hoopla was about this show, and now I'm totally hooked! Besides, it's a great thing to watch while sewing.

Wearin' O' the Black, Me Made Edition

Well, Me Made Mayers... if I'm doing the Mini-Me-Made-May thing for 11 days, that means for the other 20 days of May, I'll be wearing black. I have made 6 black items that are in rotation, but that's not nearly enough. And trust me, while it seems like it would be easy enough to get dressed for work wearing all black, I look at the same old stuff, and say... Not that black sweater again!

I really do have a lot to say about wearing black, day in and day out, but I'll save that for another post.

This picture was not taken today, but here I am, actually at work, in my Pavlova skirt:

Now for the rest...

The skirts

Blogged about here and here.

The shirts:

Renfrew (left) blogged about here.

McCall's 5522 (OOP) not blogged about yet, but previously made here. This version has no ruffle, and sleeves modified from the Colette Jasmine pattern (sans cuff). I'll be wearing this a lot!

The dresses:

Not originally made to work in, these have actually made an appearance at work, both worn with a black cardigan. The last year's Mad Men Challenge LBD on the left was blogged about here, and the semi-formal, taffeta (yes, taffeta) cocktail dress was blogged about here.

May Day!

You know what that means, sewing bloggers!

It's here!

Calm down a little!

This isn't what I had originally planned on wearing. Oh, no. Hot from under the needle is a new Pavlova circle skirt. But it's a wee bit chilly, and the skirt, well, it just didn't go with my activities for the day.

So... I'm wearing an artsy-fartsy top, Vogue 1246, originally blogged about here. Wow, I look a lot different. (Did you go look? hehe)

I've had a look at my May work schedule, and it looks like there will be 11 days that I'm not at work, so that will be my Mini-Me-Made May Challenge. Plus one post of the black stuff.

OK, so besides being Me Made May, May has also been declared Mental Health Awareness Month. It's time.

And finally, just what are these guys doing?!