Me Made May 2013 8-14

Week Two!

Wednesday, May 8:

Dress: me made

Cardigan: J Crew

Shoes: Minnetonka Moccasins

If this were tumblr I'd say #gpoy #fashion #selfie #pearls #mocs #swag

Thursday, May 9:

Dress: me made

Shoes: Jack Rogers

Setting: Bub's Karaoke Night

Thursday is KARAOKE NIGHT at one of our local bars. One "perk" of being in a college town is that I could do karaoke every night if I wanted to, which I don't. But I could.

One "perk" of Me Made May is that y'all get to see my "exciting" life with and LOTS of my "excellent" photography.

p.s. I sang Savage Garden.

Friday, May 10:

Not Pictured:

dress: me made

shoes: less wet and cold

I'm beginning to think that my skelly dress is, fittingly, haunted. Last week, I wore it in the rain and therefore, did not take pictures. This week, I re-wore the same thing shamelessly and even took pictures (crappy ones, but still) and they won't upload from my phone to my computer?

Saturday, May 11:

Not Pictured:

dress: me made

I spent most of the day in my sewing clothes (a tank top and running shorts) while sewing my Lilly Laurel. I finished it just in time to wear it to my friend and classmate's birthday dinner--I don't think anyone took any pictures, which is a shame because we all looked cute, especially Katelynn the birthday girl who was wearing some fab shoes.

Sunday, May 12:

Not Pictured:

skirt: me made

Sunday I struggled getting dressed, and ended up wearing my grey skirt with a teal tee. MMM is harrrrrrd clearly this week I struggled with the whole photos thing

Monday, May 13:

Dress: me made

Cardigan: J Crew

Shoes: Jack Rogers

Photography: c/o nighttime photography in a windowless room

I liked my new shift so much I WORE IT AGAIN. Besides, I only wore it for a few hours the first time.

Tuesday, May 14:

Gym clothes.

a Lilly Laurel

I promised a more detailed post about my Lilly Pulitzer inspired Laurel. I have so far been posting a lot of outfit photos and not a lot of anything else, which I'd like to rectify. First, though, the final product:

ta-da! vegetables!

This is a fully-lined Laurel made from a really lightweight, slightly stretchy cotton voile-y fabric in a somewhat sketchy Lilly Pulitzer print. I don't mean it is "sketchy" artistically, I mean I bought it off etsy for $15 a yard from like Korea or something. The legitimacy of this being actual Lilly fabric is.... doubtful. But I love Lilly's floral prints, they're perfectly colorful and vaguely retro (unsurprising given Lilly's history and heritage), unlike most fabrics available at my local Joann's. I went with the Lilly theme and added little side slits like the iconic "Lilly the Lilly" shift of the 60s.

those side slits, that lighting. awww yisss

This is a straight size zero. The only modifications I made was to shave a little bit off the hips, straightening out the curve (which gave me "wings") to make it slightly a-line.

I did change the construction a lot though. I had to make this a lined shift due to the light, sheer voile I used, and realized that I could use The Slapdash Sewist's all-machine clean finish lining (found via the Quirky Peach's adorbs polka dot dress) to make a WHOLE SHIFT not just a bodice.

This dress looks BEAUTIFUL on the inside. I used an invisible zip and finished the lining around the zipper like this. Clean finish is right!

THIS IS SOME LIFE CHANGING SHIT Y'ALL.

Here are some construction photos. I'm still getting the hang of this, though, so really you should just read the links up there if you want to learn how to do this (um, you do).

First get yourself your pattern weights and/or library books and european board games. Cut out your lining!

Get your other pattern weights and/or hip curve rulers and cut out your fashion fabric (daring)!

Sew your darts. Sew your shoulder seams for lining and fashion fabric.

Put your fashion fabric and lining right sides together. BUT FIRST trim about 1/4" off your lining all around the neckline and armscyes.

Pin pin pin!

Then, MAGIC.

et voila! Look at that beautifully finished smock.

Since the lining is a little bit smaller than the fashion fabric, it will roll to the inside.

Then you pin the lining front and back sides together and the fashion fabric front and back sides together, and sew them both in one fell swoop long seam.

those are my bust darts. does that help?

Then all you have to do is insert the zipper like this and hem your new dress. I stopped taking pictures at this point because I was so excited. Seriously, you could (and I just may) make multiple laurels a day  in this manner, and its easier for so many reasons:

1. no bias tape.

2. no annoying in-armscye sewing.

3. no understitching (unless you want to).

4. no facings.

5. no handstitching.

OMG.

xoxo,

allie

Simple Elastic Waist Skirt

aka what I will be living in this summer.

Prepare for this blog to get reeeeal redundant--I'm so in love with the Laurel that I think you'll be seeing a few more variation of that pattern soon! I've also perfected my "pattern" for making these super-easy, super-comfy, super-adorbs cotton skirts. Check it out:

Um, liiike sooooo cute. I picked up this chevron (its Moda's Half Moon Modern) at the quilt shop, the nearest fabric store to my house (no judging). One great thing about these skirts is that if your pattern runs perpendicular to your selvedge, you can make a skirt in just about a half a yard if your hips are less than the width of the fabric-- just buy as many inches of fabric as you want your skirt to be long, plus your elastic casing and hem. I bought all that they had left (2 yards), so I got a discount! I made another identical skirt and still have about a yard left.

My main source of pride with these is that they look equally beautiful on the inside:

ooh ahh!

No raw edges to be seen.

I'm making a WHOLE BUNCH of these in different prints and colors--in addition to the ones I plan on wearing like crazy this summer, I'm also selling them as part of my fundraising for the American Cancer Society. I promise I won't spam you all too badly--if you're interested in what I'm up to, you can click on the "Generals Against Cancer" tab at the top of the page. If not, don't worry. We'll will be back to regularly scheduled "all retro shifts, all the time" posting starting... now!

xoxo,
Allie

Me Made May 2013 1-7

My first week of Me Made May was more challenging than I thought it would be, mostly due to the really grey and dreary weather we're having. The hole in my me-made wardrobe that jumped out at me during week one is "work-appropriate sweatsuits." Ugh. But I got to wear some cool stuff, when I would normally have worn jeans and last year's summer reading tee, so.

Week one!

Wednesday, May 1:

Dress: me made (not blogged (YET))

Shoes: J. Crew

Belt: Target

Photography: self-timer c/o table

Thursday, May 2:

Top: me-made

Pants: Ann Taylor (loft?)

Shoes: Jack Rogers

Friday, May 3:

Top: me made

Cardigan: J Crew

Pants: unsure. 

I wore my eyelet Laurel top this day (again, without hemming it). This is my face while making pudding out of tofu.

Saturday, May 4:

Skirt: me made (last seen here)

Chambray: J. Crew
Shoes: LOFT

Saturday my graduate program had a Spring Picnic. I made this vegan pudding with this coconut whipped cream, and added lavender simple syrup. I ate a LOT of chips and WAY too much sugar. I also went to the Bull City Homebrewing Festival with my boyfriend and our friends, featuring a lot of not me-made but home-made beer, many of which had much higher ABV than I really anticipated and the night ended with my theft of like 50 egg cartons from our friends' house for some future library program. (Hi Mom!)

Sunday, May 5:

Not Pictured:

Dress: me made

Shoes: wet and cold

Trench: Land's End Canvas

Sunday Alex and I went to the Carrboro Block Party to see the Love Language play. They were awesome, but the weather sucked. I wore my skelly dress but I had my trench on the whole time, boo.

Monday, May 6:

Top: me made

Cardigan: J Crew

Jeans: Land's End Canvas

Photography: iPhone c/o 1970s library bathroom mirror

Tuesday, May 7:

Not going to lie, I wore my running clothes all day, and didn't make them. My boyfriend, Alex, suggested that next time I am too lazy to dress myself all day I should wear one of the sorority tees I designed, at least. I don't know if that is more or less pathetic than just living in a 5k tee all day though. I did actually go running though, so the day could have been more pathetic.

xoxo
allie

Retro Bow Blouse

I made a thing!
It is the same, but different, as another thing I made! I used the Simplicity 2154 blouse pattern in a size 8 after making a teeny tiny one in a 6 (omg it was so tiny) and an extra-big one in a 10. This one was juuuust riiight.

 

You can tell its been a while since I took these pictures because of the grey, grey background that is now green green green!And if I fiddle with the settings, it almost looks like it was daytime when I roped my boyfriend into taking these photos!

 

I made it as written, with no alterations to the pattern or instructions. I LOVE the bow (duh) and I think it looks really cute with high waisted skirts.

Fabric: white swiss dot (actually from switzerland, apparently, its from the fancy fabric store because all the other "swiss dot" i found was like 60% poly with little velvet glued on dots wtf)
Pattern: Simplicity 2154
Year: Contemporary.
Notions: size zipper
Time to complete: not long.
First worn: for pictures! and I have worn this once during MMM13--there will be an update on that soon!
Wear again? Yes, with all my skirts omg
Total price: $3.99 for the zip, leftover fabric from a sorbetto (currently MIA?) and a liiiittle extra fabric from my mom! 

xoxo

allie

Me Made May 2013

Starts tomorrow!

 'I, Allie of miss allie mass, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear 1 or more items of me-made clothing each day for the duration of May 2013, and to wear as many of the me-made items in my closet as is feasible. I pledge to document at least one outfit per week on my blog.'

And I'm starting it out right with a sewing machine in the shop!

I was unaware that sewing machines need routine maintenance. I'm bad enough about getting my oil changed, let alone maintain my little singer. Anyway, my tension had gone a little wonky, and then I realized that maybe, mayyybe it was because my needle was in backwards (because I'm an idiot) and I thought it would be all better but it... wasn't. Poor baby! So I dropped it off today at Mike's Sewing Machine Repair, housed in a building that also repairs typewriters and vintage dolls. Yes. Dolls. I don't know.

I should have it back in a week! Until then, I have several items that I sewed already and will premiere this May.

Colette Laurel & Mad Men Challenge #2

I am so excited to be a part of this year's Mad Men Challenge! I really want to make every dress on the show, but I decided to turn, once again, to my favorite outfit photo featuring Cynthia, Megan, and Trudy:

Last time you saw my take on Cynthia's notched hemline shift, this time, I was inspired to use some fabric from my stash (a gift from my mother) and Colette's new Laurel pattern to recreate(-ish) Megan's psychedelic swirly print dress. (I'll have to make Trudy's some time so I can have the complete set.) This was a great stash buster, pattern tester, and Mad Men challenge fulfiller all at once!   Megan often wears these slightly insane prints, which were coming into style.The one in my photo above is more paisley. Here's another sceenshot of it:

This one is more "tribal"-looking:

"oui maman, et madame francis est au lit car elle est si gros" excuse my poor high school french its been awhile

Here's one that is very Laurel-y:

with a bias bound neckline, half sleeves, and everything!

 And here is my version:

featuring vaguely retro hairdo and eye makeup

Look how cute! You know how I'm searching for my ideal shift pattern? Well, after sewing both the dress and the top from this pattern, I may have found it. I love the Laurel.

its pretty short! perfect for zou bisou-ing? :)

The only thing I will change next time is to face or bias face the neckline--I think the exterior bias binding is a little distracting. Also, it will have to be longer to be workplace appropriate :)

 

The sleeve ruffle variation sort of gets lost in the busy print, but its there! I'd like to make this sleeve variation again, but in a contrast fabric, maybe?If I do, I'll make the ruffle bigger and the sleeve cap ease smaller--it is definitely a puffed sleeve and I'm not sure if that is intended in the pattern or not :(

Next up: another Mad Men dress! No surprise there. I ordered some fabric to make Betty's famous "meeting with Mr Francis" dress, and while it didn't arrive in time for the challenge, I'm really excited to cut into it!

Many thanks to Julia for organizing!

xoxo

p.s. Sorry this is a somewhat boring post, it's finals week...