Vogue 1382 and Me Made May 4

I employed the services of my 7-year-old photographer today.  I think he did pretty well.  :-)

Yesterday was rainy... all... day... long.  Of course, this filled me with glee since it meant a day of sewing!  I had a new dress for church today to show for it.

Vogue 1382 was very straightforward to make out of some crisp linen from JoAnn's.  I've had the blue in my stash for years, and I picked up the white recently when I decided to make this dress.  I think I quite like the combo.

 I like the easy shift shape.  It's a nice change of pace from my usual body-conscious silhouette.  I blended a size 10 in the bust and waist to a 12 in the hips and the fit is perfect - skims over the hips with a little extra room in the middle.  The pockets are a nice detail on this simple dress.

 Crazy photographer making me laugh...

 Of course, I had to show off the invisible zipper insertion across the colors. Not too shabby.

Me Made May 2-3

So far, so good for Me Made May.  :-)  

Friday, I wore this blouse with some purchased shorts.  Very comfy.

Today was a rainy one, and truth be told, it took my a while to get up the energy to get dressed. I did have the energy to make a new dress for church tomorrow, though!  In the end, Hubs and I went out for a dinner alone, so when I did get dressed, I brought along this shawl.  I just spent a crazy long time looking for a blog post about in the archives, but I can't find one.  I guess I never blogged about it!

Me Made May 1

So it begins... always with enthusiasm.  :-)  Me Made May begins today.  Are you participating?  Zoe has a giveaway to kick it off.

Here is my first offering, my funky Vogue 1259 tee with a purchased skirt.  A bit squinty in the photo, but what am I to do?  It IS the sunshine state!

Red/white striped tee

I was so inspired by this post by Erica B. that I copied her new top, right down to the fabric and U-neck.  In my defense, I did already have the fabric (from a recent seasonal collection at JoAnn) and was planning to make a summer dress.  Her top convinced me that simple tee was what I needed.

Oh, look!  The fabric is still in stock online and on sale to boot!

The pattern is my usual for tees - out of print Butterick 3344.  My pattern tissue is looking so sad at this point that it's time to trace it on cardboard or something.  I guess I could look for a new pattern, but then again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My camera took this one photo before going on strike and refusing to work until I charge the battery.  No worries.  I must get back to my sewing machine anyway and finish up the last skirt to complete my SWAP at Artisans Square.  Last sewing day, you know.  This works out quite well with my plan to join Me-Made-May starting tomorrow, wearing at least one handmade thing each day in May.  I have a little backlog to get on the blog, but I'm hoping Me-Made-May will help me with documenting those.  I've only blogged this and this and this.  Together with today's offering, that means I've made at least 6 other garments since the beginning of the year.  Sheesh.

Princess Seam Dress

I'm not sure what to call this dress.  I can't find the pattern on any of the websites, so I assume it's out of print, and I've misplaced it here at home, so no pattern number.  It's just a princess-seam dress.  The pattern was for a strapless dress that was straight across the front.  I added straps, omitted the boning, and made a sweetheart neckline for some pizzazz.  The fabric is a linen/cotton from JoAnn's.  I can't find it at the online store, but I did see a bolt my local store the other day.    This is the dress I wore as a skirt with my new green top.

I didn't take a closeup pic, but I added a detail at the hem.  I hemmed as usual and then pleated a narrow bias strip and hand-sewed it peeking out the bottom.  It is a cute detail and gives the skirt some body.  

I'm just realizing these photos are quite old.  My hair is about 3 inches longer now!

Bramble Beret from Vintage Modern Knits

Thanks for your encouragement on my green top.  Not every piece can be our favorites, I guess.  I think that my husband's non-love for it definitely swayed my opinion even more to the disliked side.  :-)

Anyway, today I have some more knitting to share, a quick hat from the same book as my recent yoke sweater.  This is the Bramble Beret from Vintage Modern Knits.

 Don't my photos look so artfully composed?  Truth is these are the best from about 20 I took with the tried and true method of holding the camera as far away from myself as possible.  :-)

 Mine seems a bit less slouchy than the example, but I'm sure I could block it a bit more aggressively.  It has been the perfect little accessory on cool days when I craved a little coziness.  When I wear it, I wear it all day since seriously bad hat-head always results.  It's always met with compliments, though, so I'm fine with the being the Florida eccentric who sometimes feels the need to wear a wool cap all day!  With each passing year, I find it easier to embrace my more eccentric side.  I'm sure I'm not alone there.

The yarn I used is Berroco Vintage, a nice, affordable acrylic/wool which I also used for my Adelaide sweater.

McCalls 6801

It's been said before, and I'll say it again:  the downside of sewing your clothes is that you don't get to try something on until you've invested time and money in the making of it.  Maybe that's what leads me to be not terribly adventurous with my garments.  I do think I tend towards the basic.

Exhibit A:  McCalls 6801.  Look at those flattering gathers!  Extra oomph around the bust is always a good thing in my book.

Exhibit B:  huh?  How did that exuberant ruching become so unflattering??  And it's pulling a bit in the shoulders and back.  And the color I thought was so pretty makes me look ill.  And the silky hand of the fabric feels like cheap poly.  And Hubs agrees it's not my most flattering work.

 I wore it to church over a dress (still not blogged!?!) and it gave a cute skirt effect.  A little cardi hid the pulling shoulders.

Now, I don't want to be toooooo overly dramatic.  This is by no means the worst thing I've made, and I don't hate it... it's just that had I tried this on in a store, no way would I have chosen to bring it home.  I'll keep wearing it for awhile with this cardigan.  I like the greens together, and it goes with several skirts I have (one reason for picking this fabric).  But, I doubt this will still be in my closet in a year.

...internal monologue... I am getting some serious ombre-effect hair... time to fix that...