A tale of two tops

Back in May  when I bought fabric for my birthday I planned to make a pair of cotton tops.  I had been eyeballing the Painted Roses tee in summer 2014 Ottobre for a long while.  It is a simple woven tee shirt.  Oh, how I thought I was so clever, filling wardrobe gaps with simple tops.

First up I made the tee shirt in grey dotted liberty fabric.  This fabric was inspired by a painting in the National Gallery.  It is called Melanie Atai and it is lovely.
But, but, but I cut out a 38 and although it fits okay on the bust it is too big on my shoulders.  I also put the sleeves in very messily.  I am torn now, I like the shirt but also think it looks like a 1980s building society uniform.  (It's in the shoulders)  I am cross with myself for my sloppiness.  I wore it a lot after making it but only with a cardigan on top, hiding my sleeves of shame. Now I have bit the bullet and begun unpicking those sleeves. I am a naturally careless sewer and it can take a huge amount of effort to slow down and take more care in my sewing. I know I should, I know I can but sewing seems to pull out my slipshod, hasty self. In part this is down to having only small snatched moments to sew in, so I rush to cram in as much as possible.

The Riley Blake geeky fabric was narrower so I had no room for sleeves. I went down a size and I am happier withthe fit, especially round the neck and on the shoulders.  I cut the back slightly longer and curved the hem.  I have been wearing this top frequently, it filled a wardrobe gap, replacing worn out holey tops.
So, my two woven tops have not been the instant success I expected. I need a bit of sewing calm and patience to get the grey top right. Insert laughter here, those are not abundant qualities in summer holidays. Anyone else feel their personal qualities are reflected in  their
sewing approach?

Work in progress

 As summer rushes on I am swept up in the current of parties, school and nursery events.  I have a back log of finished makes to show, but I am not going to show them now.  Instead this is what I am currently making.  I was inspired by reading about the
Vintage Pattern Pledge to finally make up a vintage pattern.  This 1972 Style 3590 pattern was given to me by Phillippa.   It was last year I think.   I like the square neck shape, the buttons and the yoke with gathers.  The pattern is labelled "Sandra" and I cannot help but wonder who Sandra was.  She had carefully cut out the pattern for the short sleeved tunic.

 I am making View A, the dress version.  I  hesitated for a long time over the puffed sleeves, not sure if anyone over the age of ten should wear puffed sleeves.  But then my upper arms are not what they used to be and I want some coverage some days.  So I am going to test the puffed sleeves by making and wearing them.  If people shout and point in the street, well then I will know the true power,horror and affront to scoiety of middle aged woman in puffed sleeves.  But most likely no one will even notice except me.

You can see I have gone wrong stitching the sleeve insertion and caught a bit of the yoke, creating an annoying tuck, so the next stage will involve my unpicker.  I am sewing it up in tiny stages when the littlest is at nursery or asleep, in between taxi driving the big two around.  I have a list of jobs as long as can be but I am steadfastly ignoring them to finish my dress for holidays.

FO: Sailor Top Stash Bust

You can't get much better than a simple stripey tee.  Easy to wear with some many things, bright and simple.  I love my striped shirts but have been lacking a short sleeved version for summer. And  sometimes it is good to have a quick project with simple straight seams and a satisfyingly fast end product.

Lovely Jessica sent me a piece of striped jersey last year.  It has a nice weight to it.  I love striped fabric (told you that already haven't I?) and I was delighted to receive it.  I'd thought of many ways to sew it but couldn't decide.  But I am trying to sew up my stash and the fact that I had this nice jersey unused was really starting to bug me.

 Finally I settled on Marilla Walker 's Sailor top. I liked Marilla's versions, especially the dress version but wasn't sure.  Then I was finally swayed by Helen of grosgraingreen's version. 

The pattern is a free pdf.  It is square shaped with a clever diamond gusset in the shoulders. The basic square shape reminds me  of sewing simple tops for dolls! I mean that in a nice way.

  It was easy to put together. I cut and stitched it in one evening while everyone else watched a film.  Snip, snip, sew, sew.
  I just managed to squeeze front, back and sleeves from my jersey piece. I didn't have enough striped fabric for the gussets so I used left over red rib from this dress.  I love  the little bright peep of red.  I also used some red ribbon to stabilise the neck on the inside.  

The final top is great for our on off summer. It's on a constant wearwash rotation at the moment. And just this morning I saw Jenna's Sailor top!  Now I feel a bit of serendipityis  in the air.  

Photo opp stolen by RG  

Trying to show the gusset

So, if you want a simple quick sew tee and like a blocky simple shape, I recommend you try the Sailor tee.  It's great for using up a small piece of jersey.

Recently...

I haven't written a "recently.." post for ages but I have blogged so little lately that it seemed like a good way to catch up.  So,
Recently....there's been playing in the rain,

 Planning our summer holidays, reading US blogs always surprises me as they start summer holidays so much earlier.  Here we still have a month to go, but I have been quietly booking a few free or low cost workshops.

 There's been much fun in puddles...

Sort of recently, but actually a month ago, it was my birthday and I was given some money to spend.  I bought this sweet star necklace from Bybjor.  I love it and it arrived in lovely packaging. I also bought two pieces of fabric from Clothkits. A metre of each, spectacles and some pale grey dotty liberty fabric.  I have already stitched the liberty up and will share soon,  It's lying in a crumpled heap waiting to be ironed.  I was also given this cookbook.  The beetroot hummus was lovely but for my children it was A Step Too Far.  "When can we have some real hummus?"  I had to eat it all.  For three days.  

My favourite old friend sent me this bracelet.  

Recently, my sewing is mostly about this confection.  a mermaid outfit for Little I to wear in the local carnival in just over a week,  It is um...a work in progress...

What has everyone else been up to?  Anyone else sewing fancy costumes?  Or failing with hummus?  

Me Made May - the end

Ottobre Autumn Mood tee, Tate skirt

So, Me Made May is at an end.  I wore me made every day but didn't photo every day. I have put in most of my photos here - anything not me made is second hand I think.  So, what did I learn?  Well, I do like the versatility and wearability of a denim staple...I wore my denim Portfolio dress four or five times, my Tate skirt four times, and my V1247 denim..um..lost count. I like the denim pieces as I can add colourful and patterned tops without being too crazy lady. I also fell back into love with my V1247 bright green cord skirt.  In fact I am thinking making another V1247 skirt as I like it so much. I realise that my default photo pose is slightly hunched, hands in pockets, not sure what conclusions to draw there.

Vogue 1247 skirt in green cord

Ottobre Autumn Mood tee, Tate skirt

Sew Lisette portfolio dress, aka Simplicity 2245

I finished my Amazing Fit trousers as seen below but the fit isn't amazing YET and I have to unpick and take the waist in a bit.  I wore them twice but they aren't quite right yet.  I plan to blog fully about them soon.  May was so cold that I have a large amount of summery me mades that were not worn at all...sleeveless tops and shorts, summer skirts and dresses all remained in the wardrobe.

Simplicity 1696 Amazing Fit Trousers

Ottobre Summer '14 painted Roses Top 

Butterick top, Vogue 1247 skirt

Sew Lisette Traveller Dress, aka Simplicity 2246

Tova tunic blouse, Sew Liberated Skinny 

Me made apron, V1247 skirt

Sew Liberated skinny jeans, Painted Roses top from Ottobre (unblogged)

Just had to include this for the ghostly child image

I am glad I took part as it got me out of my jeans and top rut, and I enjoyed wearing my skirts and dresses.  I love my red jeans.  I love being able to say "I made it" if someone compliments an item of clothing.  So anyone else have fun with May?  Thank you to Zoe for organising it again.  This year I was slightly out of the community as I'm not on flickr or instagram but I think that was good for me as I would never have kept up with so many images and people!

Me Made May

 'I, Debbie,of Minnado's House sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavour to wear at least one MM garment each day for the duration of May 2015'

I'll do round up blog posts.  

I always enjoyed participating in Me Made May or Self-stitched September, but last year it all went wrong...I ran out of time for photos, energy for posting, I deleted my flickr account for a few different reasons....so this year I was hesitant to sign up.The last few months I have had found it harder and harder to feel happy in the clothes I put on each day.  This is a mixture of dissatisfaction with myself and with the clothes.  I put on weight last year (I just ate so, so, so much cake and chocolate) and now things don't fit or in my eyes they don't hang right, they look wrong.  I have started to lose the weight a little.  I don't have a pair of scales but just go on how things fit and as I have been measuring myself for sewing I am aware of my waist and hip measurements. 

The big tipping point came for me in a cringeworthy moment last November.  I had gone with RG to a playgroup and was drinking my coffee when a woman I know vaguely came up to me, patted, yes, patted, my stomach and said "I see you're having another baby"  eeekk..." No, I just ate a lot of cake" was my reply.  I think she was very embarrassed.  I was mortified. I can laugh about it now but at the time I wanted a hole to open up in the floor so I could disappear.   

Anyways, I hope MMM will help me fall back in love or at least like with my clothes.  I used to love getting dressed, thinking of outfits...I'll happily admit to being clothes obsessed. I used to love the little details, such as buttons and trimmings.  I used to love putting colours together so they sing.  These little insignificant things made the everyday more fun.  I am hoping to get some of this happiness back.  

wandering the house

 Still haven't finished my trousers ...sewing interrupted by:









holidays, a trip to visit family,

lots of playing...

Lots of paddling...and changing out of wet clothes.  I cannot quite get back into termtime mode now that holidays are over.  I have done no sewing unless you count sewing badges onto a cub scout jumper, oh and I sewed an apron.  It was so utilitarian I almost forgot I had made it.  

I have done no blogging as possession of my laptop seems to have transferred to my children. 

 I can't manage to sign into my blog on my tablet.  Though I have lost possession of that too.  Pesky children.....while they hog the technology I wander the house, prodding my seedlings, folding endless laundry, looking at my almost finished trousers, but not really getting anywhere.  I have developed a new addiction to reading hippyish blogs about eating foraged food, wearing second hand clothes and creativity...I am not sure why but they just interest me at the moment.  

  I am thinking and probably over thinking Me Made May.  So much thinking that I have done nothing about it.  Procrastination is a great thing...  I am of to daydream some more over the kitchen sink.