Wednesday, June 4, 2014

The long last part of MMM14

Me Made May 14 was a great experience for me. I reached the two goals I had set at the beginning, plus a third that turns out to feel at least as important. The first of my goals was to wear my me-made clothes out and about, so that I could decide whether they would work in my real life. This worked well: some, maybe most, of my makes are staying, some are going, and a few are in limbo, i.e., to be decided at another time.

Next, I wanted to get more comfortable with taking and posting photos of myself. Yeah, I found the photo-taking part hard and got tired of it but just kept doing it anyway, which is exactly what I needed. Now it feels more like: It's not that big a deal! Take a ton of photos, knowing that somewhere in the batch there is likely to be a decent one, and then move on with the day.

Most important, I so much enjoyed seeing and commenting on what other people were doing (I did this on the Flickr page). So many different people, each with their own style, in Japan, Europe, Australia, and beyond—and all of us enjoy the art and craft of sewing. I was blown away by how supportive and encouraging everyone was.

I have to admit that my involvement in MMM, ironically, took away from my sewing time. The only project I finished this month was a very simple one, Simplicity 4020, a kimono top in a jersey knit. This pattern was very popular in its day, which was a few years ago.





So, here's a run-through of the last couple of weeks of MMM14. (Here I note to myself that I should learn how to make composite photos to economize on space.)


The first sweater I made. It's loose and baggy, maybe not the most flattering, but I am sentimentally attached and will never get rid of it. Oddly, this is my husband's favorite of all the sweaters I've made.



Total success story, as far as I'm concerned. I love this tank top, and even though the hemp fabric of the skirt (from the book Shape Shape) is fairly heavy, I love it, too.



A Manequim pattern that I spent a fair amount of time on. It's okay but somehow not quite right—I don't think I'll ever wear it a lot.



I had fun making this By Hand London Victoria blazer, and it can look good when I'm standing in the right position, but the lapels and the lining try to do funny things when I'm not paying attention. Still thinking about it . . .



The Simplicity pattern mentioned above. It's comfortable, I feel it came together nicely, but it is more form-fitting than most things I wear when I'm out in public.



I love both of these patterns: the Vogue 2900 dress and a Burda jacket from a couple of years ago.



Vogue 2900 again, in close-up to show off this fun Liberty of London fabric.



The Jasmine top by Colette patterns and a Vogue double-layer skirt. The top came out well, just feels a little girly for my station in life.



Yet another version of Vogue 2900, in brilliant purple. This dress is very, very comfortable and has a beautifully executed invisible zipper, if I may say so.



Both pieces are from the Japanese pattern book Shape Shape. I saved these for the end of the month because they feel most like me, of all the things I've made.


To all who participated in MMM and those who did not: Happy sewing!

6 comments:

  1. I really love your Vogue dresses, you did an excellent work on the front slit and you look great in this type of dress :-) All your outfits are so lovely and pretty at the same time. Hope you will participate next year MMM :)

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    1. Thank you, Hana, I would certainly like to participate again, but I'd better get busy making more clothes to keep from repeating much of what I wore this year. Somehow, with summer starting and our family schedules changing, I'm having trouble feeling very creative in the sewing room just now. I'll work on it, and I'll keep an eye on what you're creating on the other side of the world!

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  2. The vogue dress suits you well and as Hana said, you have done the neck-slit very well. I sense that this is a go-to dress pattern!! I do like the liberty print as well, they seem to do some very understated prints and then some "get the sunglasses" prints. I spent a small fortune on not a lot (no fabric) last time I was in there.... They do have a lovely collection though.

    I really like the pinky-purple kimono simplicity pattern. If it's a bit clingy for your linking, can you wear a cardi over it?

    What is next on your "to make" list? Have you started the Burda dress that you posted about a while back (query the prim looking sleeves??!!).

    No garden update?

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    1. Hi Claire, good to hear from you. I have the pieces of the Burda dress cut out now, incuding the poppy fabric outer part, the silk underdress, and lots of bias strips, but I haven't gotten the interfacing in yet, much less sewn anything together. We have been putting time and attention to organizing all the family visits that are going to happen this summer, more than usual, and I'm not a very good multitasker! But it all seems to be settling into place finally and I hope to spend more time sewing soon. The garden is not too exciting just now, but Friday was a big egg-laying day for turtles (two cute little painted turtles and a large prehistoric-looking snapping turtle between our front door and the mailbox), so I'll probably post the photos I took as my next "note." What are you working on?

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  3. I like your style ;) The purple is such a wonderful colour, your choice of Liberty is divine, and the shape shape outfits just look so perfectly perfect for everyday life ;)

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    1. Thank you, MaciNic! I am very glad to have found your blog, too. So many lovely pieces, vintage, Japanese-patterned, and otherwise. That goldfish-print skirt is beyond compare.

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