It's the LAST DAY...

...of ME MADE JUNE. Am I dating myself when I say I can't believe I ate the WHOLE thing? Well, I can't believe I did it the whole month. I was seriously worried that I would not have enough individual items to make it, and were it not for the amazing Faye and her Over the Top Challenge in April, well, I would have been wearing the same knit dress many days in a row.


Can I take a moment to be a little introspective? First, I want to thank Zoe, for continuing this challenge/exercise. This was my first go around, and just like right after you give birth to the first child, the jury is still out on the second go round. And the weather here is not that different in September so the clothes won't be that different.


What did I learn?
... I do have enough items to make it through a whole month, but some proved to be far more "wearable" than others.
... I am seriously sick of pictures of me, but as the month went on, I cared less about the whole hair, makeup thing, and could take a quick 3 or 4 pictures and be satisfied.
... I need more things that "mix and match". I embrace the sewing withOUT a plan wholeheartedly, but that does sometimes result in "what the heck am I going to wear today" moments. I religiously read Already Pretty for inspiration and motivation, and still fall short on the organization and planning of my style, and that goes for RTW as well as me made.


Ok, that's enough learning for today. Today's outfit is a rerun on my shorts-into-skirt, which earns a WI of 6 because it simply is too short for my personal comfort level. The gingham top is Talbots (yeah, yeah... I shop there a lot because they have great sales) but it's kind of tight, so I have a cami underneath from Soma.

Danny and I are trying to nap... all this picture taking is exhausting!

Finally, a thumbnail roundup of the rest of the month. And my current project is ... not wearable at all. Don't worry. It's not a wadder, it's a puppy quilt to help protect a chair.

Vogue 8536 and the Next to Last Day

Can you believe that June is almost over? Some of the other blogs I've been reading are indicating that everyone is sick of taking pictures of themselves. Me, too!! Just to keep it all in June, tomorrow I want to recap the whole month. Feel free to skip reading, but I want to see how it all worked out. I mean, really? Did I actually wear something I made every.single.day?


Enough of that. Yesterday I finished a new tee shirt that I am in love with. Vogue 8536 is one of Vogue's "basic designs" and it's wonderful. I made view E, except with short sleeves. Hey, it's hot here! And because it's hot, while I love the crossover look, but I didn't like that the front piece is basically doubled. Um, no.


Since you cut the front piece out with doubled fabric, but basically flat. So the plan was to have the right shoulder + side for the entire front, and then I traced the left shoulder, and cut it on a new "seamline" just below the crossover.

Then I hand basted, so that I could completely control the stretch, but left the center front free so that I could top stitch from the left and then around the neckline, where the top stitching on the right connected the 2 pieces.

  For the topstitching, I used a shiny teal thread and used what is called the "running stitch" on my machine. I made the stitch longer and narrower and it mimics the wave on the print.

Hmmm? Can you see it? Click on the picture and I think that makes it bigger.


So. I wore it today. With some new denim pedal pushers from the recent Talbots sale, and wedge espadrilles (also from Talbots).

This gets a Wearability Index of 10!! I was going to give it a 9, just on principle, but when the cheese girl at Whole Foods said she loved it, well, that bumped it up. Hey! What can I say? I love compliments!

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.

A New Skirt

Finally, Finally! I have so many projects going in my mind, but I don't think I had turned on the sewing machine or serger until yesterday. And surprisingly enough, it was something that I just discovered yesterday. A great friend of my, Ginny, is a fantastic artist, working in lots of mediums, including sewing. And she's recently started a blog that will cover her "adventures with clay, cloth and yarn." Go check out GinPins.


Oh, yeah. The new skirt I made. Well, Ginny posted about this awesomely fast yoga skirt that she made, and I had to have one! I think it took me all of an hour (maybe a smidge longer) to dig through my stash, do some quick measurements, cut it out, and serge away. Click here for the tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew.


This yoga skirt could well replace what is affectionately known by me as my "after dinner skirt", and is exactly the kind of garment that is lacking in my wardrobe. The kind of thing you wear when you're hanging around the house, just wearing something comfy. I used some cotton jersey that was left over from a dress I made last fall.

I didn't wear it today tucked in, but I wanted you to see the waistband. One teeny complaint: 4 layers of cotton jersey around your waist can get hot.

One addition I made: a small "cargo" pocket to hold my cell phone.

On to Me Made June pictures:

June 21

Yesterday was one long day, but I didn't really get "officially" dressed until after lunch. I had an evening meeting, so I wore my red cowl tee (already worn), and a skirt from the now defunct Harold's. I love this skirt, and probably would have tucked in the top, but the waistband was a wee bit tight yesterday. Look at the fantastic machine embroidery (this is not the me made part).

And the outfit:

Top: New Look 6981

Skirt: Harold's

June 22

Today I wore the yoga skirt with a new top from Talbot's. It was a steal at $9. And you'll see in the picture what occupied most of my time.

Top: Talbot's

Skirt: Yoga Skirt

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.

Vintage 1974 -- Simplicity 6606 Finished!

Every now and then, Laura will send me a link to a RTW something, and ask if I can make something like it. She has expensive taste, so these are almost always garments way out of her price range. I love a challenge, so I set out to find a pattern, vintage or new, that has the same look and feel. Then, we hunt for a suitable fabric.


Simplicity 6606 was the perfect answer to a button front, floral fabric dress that was in the $200+ range. I'm terrible at keeping track, but if memory serves, I think I paid less than $30 for everything for this version. I did make a muslin, because I bought the pattern without looking at the size. (Click here and scroll down for a peak at Laura in her muslin.)


The fabric is a rayon shirting from fabric.com. The pictures were all taken by Laura's husband Thomas, who happens to be an actual photographer, so enjoy these professional pictures.

Button detail

Groovy 1974 Collar

Daydreamin'

June 17

Thanks to everyone for the comments about my commitment to the me made challenge. I do sometimes get obsessed about challenges and about following the rules. Speaking of challenges, over in the Me Made flickr group, today's mini-challenge is to take your pic with a loved one. So, just in case he hasn't ever appeared on my blog before, meet Roland, husband. The wreath behind our heads is one I made when the kids were little, so their little handprints also represent my loved ones who aren't so little now. (outfit is my chambray top that I love... a repeat, and my crescent skirt)