This week was a good reminder of how sewing in a strange way is a really great stress reliever. I had a couple of bumps this week: FedEx temporarily lost a package of fabric for an Etsy order, my serger jammed with thread and I was told it would take 4 weeks to fix, I bought a 2nd serger, etc. I’m also dealing with some really frustrating stuff with our apartment complex and family health issues, so my patience has been really thin this week. Given all the ups and downs, I love how I can just bury myself in work and sewing.
Day 8
Today I wore Sew Caroline’s Out and About dress. I’ve blogged extensively about this pattern (see here). I love these dresses and I know I’ll be grabbing them as my go-to outfit for the summer months. You can’t go wrong with an easy to wear dress like this. No fuss! Now I just need to find shoes the work this the outfit. You might think this should be an easy task, but you would be wrong. My feet are so big that I have to wear men’s shoes typically. I’m not going to find cute summer sandals in any men’s footwear section. I also have a decent amount of toe splay and my toes extend beyond shoes that aren’t _actually _foot-shaped. I found Soft Star Shoes years ago and I love that they have larger sizes for women, a nice wide toe box, and no wonky arch support. There are a couple other companies out there that I can try: Vivobarefoot, Luna Sandals, Lems Shoes, etc. My mission this month is to find decent sandals.
Day 9
I’m all for finding those tried and true (TNT) patterns. Most of my closet consists of just a few basic patterns. From these patterns, I’ve been able to try different fabrics and make subtle design changes. Once you have a stash of patterns that you know fit your body, then you can start experimenting. Today I wore a hot-off-the sewing machine Chalk & Notch waterfall raglan and self-drafted leggings. I used fabric that I got in the mail from Nosh Organics. I love European knits and I’m so glad I splurged a little to get this fabric.
Day 10
I only have one pair of jeans and you saw them last week. I’m super scared about what I would do if these jeans ever stop fitting. I’ve had them for many many years now and I just love them to death. I’m also scared of trying to sew my own jeans, but the thought is very tempting. Im also wearing another “The Perfect T-shirt” from Pamelas Patterns. I tend to always wear my fleece jacket when I’m at home. This winter I was determined to start sewing a little more adventurous basics. A fleece jacket is such a basic thing and I’m so glad I finally broke down and made one. I used a Kwik Sew pattern (#K4032) to make my fleece jacket and the same pattern to make my husband a fleece jacket. The only alterations I needed to do was lengthen the torso and arms. Given how cheaply you can get fleece at JoAnn’s when it is on sale, this jacket is a no brainer. I’ll be making more of these for next winter for sure. I just need to concentrate on summer clothes first.
Day 11
I am now totally getting tired of taking photos of myself every day. Must stick with it though. I already wore this shirt last week (see here). It is getting warm here in Utah, so I busted out my shorts and layered it with a simple cardigan. The shorts come from my favorite pant pattern of all time, Simplicity Amazing Fit 8056. I know the length makes me look like I’m wearing “mom shorts”, but that’s on purpose. The length, not the look. I blogged about these shorts a while ago now (see here).
The cardigan I am wearing is from Welcome to the Mouse House. I really like the Julie cardigan. You know what I’m realizing with Me Made May? I haven’t blogged nearly enough about my sewing in the past. I think this whole Me Made May has helped me figure out an easy way to capture my outfits and therefore it’ll be less daunting in the future as I sew clothes. This is actually a big motivating reason I am doing Me Made May this year. It is giving me the push to be more active on my blog!
Day 12
One life goal just accomplished…pink rainbow trout leggings! I don’t care what you think, I love these. Now I realize I made mine out of a self-drafted pattern, but if you are like, “I MUST HAVE THESE TOO!”, don’t worry. You can. I created a Sprout Pattern design. If you want these leggings, you can buy the Sloan leggings with this print and either sew the leggings yourself or request white glove service and they’ll sew the leggings for you. Now I don’t know how great the Sloan leggings pattern is, but I can say a lot of people have used the pattern and they appear true to size. Here’s the link.
Day 13
OK I’ve not mentioned this one, because it just seems too easy. Each and every day I wear handmade undies. I do not own a single pair of store-bought undies. My pattern is self-drafted, but there are so many great patterns out there that I’m sure if you wanted to find a reason to use those scraps of knit fabric, you could make yourself a really stellar pair of undies.
I really love how making your own lingerie is becoming a real thing for sewers. It just doesn’t make sense to spend all this time sewing bespoke clothes while still wearing poorly fitting intimates.
Day 14
Weekends are for hiking or fishing and spending a lot of time in the sun. One of the most effective ways to combat too much sun exposure is making sure you cover up, but when it’s 80ºF or higher, wearing too much is awful. After some trial and error, we’ve finally found some fabric and patterns that result in super lightweight and comfortable summer hiking clothes. Today Ryan wore one of his many hiking pants made from True Bias’ Hudson pant pattern. The material for the pants is a DWR active twill stretch (see here). Ryan’s shirt pattern comes from Kwik Sew #3045. It’s a sweatshirt pattern that works great as a lose t-shirt pattern. The fabric came from JoAnn’s, but Spandex by the Yard has a ton of great options too. Now we’re off to spend some time in the mountains! Ciao!
Week 2 is done only 2.5 weeks to go. Did I just share my undies this week for the whole world to see?
HandmadePhD 