Me Made May 2014: Days 18-25

Day 18
Top: from Day 15

Day 19
Top: from Day 8

Day 20
Top: tank top drafted from McCalls 6744 (unblogged)

Day 21
Skirt: denim Hollyburn skirt (unblogged)

Day 22
Dress: from Day 3


Day 23
Top: Bow Blouse
 
Day 24 and 25
Top: Same as Day 20
This weekend was such a cop-out! I wore this as pajamas Saturday night and Sunday so I'm counting it for two days. Shameful...

One more round-up to go!
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Me Made May 2014: Days 12-17

I'm way behind on posting these updates, so I'm breaking this one up over 2 days. So here's Me-Made-May Days 12-17. In these pictures you can tell I'm already getting sick of taking my picture everyday!
 
 
Day 12
Dress: Green Polka Dot (This is an old one so I can't figure out which pattern I used)

Day 13
Sweater: Forever 21
Top: Grainline's Tiny Pocket Tank with Lace Overlay (shown below and unblogged)
Skirt: JCrew Factory

I LOVE this lace piece! It's from this Etsy shop.

Day 14
Dress: McCalls 6711 (unblogged)

Day 15
Top: Deer & Doe Plantain (unblogged)
Skirt: Burda Jenny Skirt  (unblogged)

Day 16
Dress (worn as top): McCalls 6112

Day 17
Top: Obviously the same one as above. This was our anniversary weekend so I did no sewing and wore repeats...
 
 
I'll post the next set tomorrow. And then I need to start blogging about all these new things I've made! Getting back into the blog has been a slow process but I'm going to make it happen!
 
 
Happy Weekend Darlings!
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Me Made May 2014: Days 1-11

I was lazy and forgot to post last week, so here's my Me Made May update from May 1st until yesterday! Sorry this is picture heavy.

Also, I think the Blogger Gods might be punishing me for neglecting this blog for so long. I swear I blogged about several of the items below but I can't find them on the blog! So, a lot of these pieces are old but I have nothing to link them back to. Sorry!

Day 1
Dress: Simplicity 3503 (unblogged?)
Blazer: Stitchfix
 
Day 2

Day 3
Dress: McCalls 6744 (unblogged)
  
Day 4
Skirt: No pattern, just a tube with an elastic band (unblogged)

Day 5
Skirt: Jenny Skirt from Burda (unblogged)

Day 6
Skirt: self-drafted Dirndl Skirt (unblogged)

Day 7
Dress: Salme Patterns Pussy Bow Dress (unblogged?)

Day 8
Top: Out of Print McCalls Pattern whose number I can't find (unblogged?)

Day 9
Dress: Same as the skirt from Day 4, but worn as a dress

Day 10
Top: Sewaholic Renfrew (unblogged?)

Day 11
Dress: Butterick 5886 (unblogged)
 
 
So there's the first week and a half! This challenge has not been as hard as I initially thought, although it was certainly harder than previous years when I was sewing constantly. Of the last 11 days, 5 items were made in the last month and 6 were from back in the day, before my sewing break. I feel good about that ratio, and this month I'm definitely being challenged to sew more, which is good since I finally have a full-on sewing room that needs to be used!
 
Thanks for reading darlings!
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Me Made May 2014




Best laid plans amirite? It's pretty obvious that this blog has been sorely neglected of late but Me Mad May is going to change that! I hope...

I'm taking the pledge and jumping in! I'm borrowing Lauren's terminology on this one. I've haven't regularly sewn in a while and I've gained a some lbs since last time I did sew regularly so I'm hoping to wear one item per day and I'm letting myself repeat items, but not entire outfits. Here it goes!

I, Forrest of Presserfoot Propaganda, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’14. I endeavor to wear at least one handmade garment each day for the duration of May 2014, with no 100% outfit repeats.’

I'll be posting daily on my Instagram "forrestnicole" and probably doing a weekly round-up on this blog. See you soon!
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Named Patterns

Did you see this post about the new pattern company Named on Rachel's blog?

The minute I saw it I went to the company's website and the patterns are adorable!

I ordered these so far:
 
Shane Pleated Top


 
Blair Batwing Shirt


 
Jamie Jeans



Andy Coat

You should get on this! Also, read Rachel's interview with the sister designers. I can't wait to see more from these ladies!
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Franken-dress

I'm working on a post about my wedding dress but in the meantime I'm obsessed this dress from Asos...
 
 
 
 
I'm a lover of maxi dresses and I think this could be a good option for fall. It looks a little dressy but I think with flats it could be casual enough for dinner with the husband or a not-too fancy party. I probably wouldn't wear it to Target or anything, but I could see it working for dinner out with friends.
 
 
Anyway, I'm wondering if I could Frankenstein it with the top of a pattern like Simplicity 1872,
 
and the bottom of the Anna Dress from By Hand London...
 
 

I actually have a McCalls pattern that's similar in some ways to the Asos dress but it's made for knits and sort of looks a beach cover up, so I'm thinking the structure of the Anna skirt is needed to make this look more like a dress I would wear over a real bra with underwire instead of a bikini top.

But now for the real issue. The dress from Asos is $54, which isn't cheap but also isn't a horrible price considering the amount of fabric the dress uses. I already own the Simplicity pattern but I'd have to buy the Anna pattern (about $26) and fabric (I would imagine I would need 3 to 4 yards and I don't have enough of anything appropriate in my stash). Since this is just a fun dress to wear to dinner I probably wouldn't spend tons on the fabric, but even at 4-5 dollars a yard the Asos dress is probably a better deal. I know I would have fun making it but I have a million other projects I would have fun making too so entertainment is not my top priority. Also, I know the dress I made would probably be a little better quality, but since this isn't something that I'd wear all the time (like a pair of jeans or a coat) I'm not super concerned about it lasting forever. Finally, considering the dress is not supposed to be super tight, I don't think I would have a problem with fitting if I ordered it. So all of my normal reasons for sewing (fit, quality, price) are not as relevant as they usually are.

It's funny how much of a dilemma something like this is to me now. Before I knew how to sew I would have just ordered it, no questions asked. Now I almost feel like its a moral issue! So my question is, what would you do? Do you make things when you know you could buy them cheaper and the fit and quality would probably be similar?

My buying vs. sewing rules are:
I buy things that seem boring to make and I can buy cheaply (like white v-neck tshirts) or that I couldn't replicate at home (like if they are made of some incredible fabric and I don't think I could find something similar).

What are your rules? And if someone just wants to tell me to buy and and get over my sewer's guilt, that's ok too :)

 
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Back in the Habit

My dear sewing friends,

I'm not sure if anyone has missed me in my 5 month abscence. Some of you may never find me again (particularly with the demise of Google Reader), but I am officially back in the sewing habit. Or will be in a few days once my sewing room is complete! I have missed you and sewing more than I can say but getting married, buying and renovating a house and just generally living have gotten in the way recently. I've been keeping up with my favorite sewing blogs and buying most of the new independent patterns that have come out in the last few months (keep your eyes out for a Saltspring, a Hawthorn, some Lakeside PJs and a few Thread Theory pieces for the husband coming soon!) so I'm ready to go as soon as we finish installing new lights and I unpack all my sewing gear. Also, I'm starting a new blog called Summer of the Butterflies to record the progress as we renovate our house. This blog has helped so much to encourage me to sew and keep a record of what I've done, so I figure I should do the same thing with my house! I'll be back soon to share what happened with my wedding dress, since last you heard from me I was in a bit of a crisis. (Spoiler alert: It worked out!) In the meantime, here's a sneak peak of the dress! And yes, this is the same picture from my other blog. I really like that picture...



Glad to be back ladies!
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