Made by Me Week 2

I have been struggling with the outfits.  Partly the weather and partly uninspired by my wardrobe.  I have to really look at that here shortly.  I think its partly a seasonal thing- I need a Spring wardrobe that works better.  Oh well.  Here we go.

Week 2-
Sunday, style prompt: Mother's day outfit.  On the left, Greenstyle Katie Peplum for church and rainy morning.  Changed into Target tee (that needs replacing) and denim Colette Iris Shorts.

Monday, style prompt- Print Top or Check it out Gingham.  Love this Sis Boom Patricia Top I made a few years ago.  Its such a great light-weight voile.  The picture though reminds me I need to wear it with a slippery cami.  

Tuesday, style prompt- Striped Dress.  So I ventured a little off here since I rarely wear dresses.  I did go with stripes, a lightweight Greenstyle Lacey Slope Tee.  

Wednesday, style prompt- copy cat an outfit.  I did copy cat this from pinterest but of course cannot find the pin.  I'll have to add it later.  The t-shirt is from Ottobre 2/11.  

Thursday, style prompt- denim vest or jacket.  The striped shirt is from Ottobre.  

Friday, style prompt- wear something you haven't worn in a while.  This Sis Boom Tortola top is the first I made.  I don't think I wore it at all last summer.  Truthfully as much as I like the fabric something pulls across the back funny.  I will need to replace it.  

Saturday, style prompt- favorite casual wear.  This look is so my weekend- well any day- wear.  The top is a copy cat from my favorite Ann Taylor top.  I wore the blue one last week and blogged about it back in October for my Walking Dead post.  

And thats week 2.

Bring on Summer!

In  keeping with my running theme of BRING ON SUMMER, I decided to join some friends in a little Shorts & Capris Blog Tour hosted by Ti, over at Sewing by Ti.  If you've never checked out her blog, you're missing out.  Tons of great sewing info, pattern reviews and sewing inspiration.  Anyway, I agreed to do a pair of shorts for the tour. Yeah!

Well as it turns out though, I don't need any shorts.  Weird.  I pulled out all my summer shorts to get an idea of what I wanted to make.  Turns out I have more than 7 pairs of made by me shorts all from one pattern!  Added to that are about 2 pair of Jean shorts (rtw), a random pair of gray bermuda shorts (also rtw) and a pair of wide leg shorts from the Jocole pattern.  Even at my laziness- you know only doing laundry when you have no clothes to wear- I don't think I need more shorts, 11 might be enough.   Oh and lets not mention the pair I have cut out from last summer that I never sewed up.  Oops.  

So instead of sewing up a new pair I thought I'd just show off my 7 pair of shorts from my absolute favorite shorts pattern the Colette Iris.  I fit them a few years ago and have just continued to add shorts from the pattern to where I now have 7 pair!  The slide show is missing the khaki pair and I think one other pair, I'd have to check.  I'll be adding a red pair this year since they are cut and ready to sew up.

Seriously, I'm not sure I can say how much I love this pattern.  I've made changes, style wise, such as omitting the pockets, moving the pockets, adding pocket stays, lengthening them (the mint pair below), and notably I generally sew the zipper in the back seam instead of the side so that I could, in theory take them in when needed.  In reality, I'll likely just sew new ones in a smaller size!

I'll do a quick review and show off the changes I ended up making for this pattern.  It really is a quick sew.  Now with no elastic, fitting must be done.  You will need to make a muslin.  This pair (picture was taken on an iPad during when were in the process of a transoceanic move!) was my first muslin.  The big thing that came from this muslin is that I found the pattern runs large.  I cut a 14 based on my hip (my waist does not fit this pattern as its in a size 20 for Colette).  After sizing down, I actually made only minor changes to the first few pairs after this one.  All are wearable except the first as it was too big, the fabric loosen up too much with wearing on top of it and well, we were moving so seam ripping and re-sewing just wasn't happening!  

This white pair was probably the second.  As you can see I have some nice pulling heading into an area you just don't want highlighted.  They are a combo of need a little more full butt room and having a sway back.   

Now onto my adjustments:

               - swayback 

               - full butt

               - full belly

               - moving zipper to center back

               - pocket stays

               - adding length to short shorts

You may not need all of these- which should make the shorts even better for you!  If you do, they are super easy to do.  

First the sway back- this is actually a fairly standard adjustment for me on all fitted garments.  On fitted shorts and pants it really amounts to using a smaller waist band than the pattern size I'm using.  I measure my waist along the back only from side seam to side seam and then double that measurement to find out what waistband I should use for the back only.  I will also deepen the darts to accommodate the smaller waist band.  This works about 80% of the time with no issues.  It worked perfectly with this pattern.  Now the other 20% of the time I end up having to shape the waistband into this wacky looking trapezoid.  

Now the full butt- super easy adjustment.  I went ahead and pulled out my tracings to show you what I did.  First I started by scooping out the crotch curve.  You can see the red line is the size 12 crotch line.  Mine goes down farther.  Now the triangle that is inserted there is actually a subsequent adjustment.  I did that after the white pair.  

I also added to the top of the center back seam to lengthen the seam just a touch more.  You can also see how the curve is scooped out a little up here too.  

Fully Belly adjustment is probably the easiest.  I simply started curved the front crotch seam out to halfway between the size 14 and 16.  I may have started with more but thats where it ended up.  

No picture of moving the zipper, the seam allowances on the Iris make it an easy thing to do.  I did have to cut the back waistband in half and add seam allowances to the center.  

Pocket stays are so necessary for me in general.  I find that they give just a little support to the belly plus my pockets don't pop open so much when I use them.  I essentially followed this tutorial on the Curvy Collective.  Because the pockets on these shorts sit right on the edge of my full belly they do still pop open a bit.  Not as much as they did before I started using the stays though.  

Lastly I lengthened the regular style of these shorts by just tracing to the 18 length.  I found them just a tad too short at the drafted length.  I did find that the length created a funny pool of fabric right in the front under my belly.  To correct, I angled the inside leg seams on the front pattern pieces only, that fixed the issue for me.  

With that I can tell you I will sew many, many more pairs of these shorts in my lifetime!  Maybe not this year though- other than the red pair that is.  Now go, sew your own, you'll love them.  

Since I know you still need more inspiration, check out the other stops on this tour:

Summer Sewing, The Long and the Short Of It

Sewing By Ti

Creative Counselor

Gray All Day

MSL Creations

Sew Sophie Lynn

The Socially Awkward Seamstress

Week 1 of Made by Me May

Made by Me May is so fun to watch and track as I've been doing for the past few years.  Every year when it rolls around I think, next year I'll do it.  Next year I'll be ready.  It can't be that hard, right?
Well next year finally rolled around- about 2 or 3 years later- with a little push from Katie over at Creative Counselor.  She mentioned it on the Capsule Wardrobe Facebook page.  I decided this would be the year!  Of course, if you actually scroll through the comments on the MMMay page, I didn't actually make a pledge there.  oops.  I'll do it now.

"I, Maria from MSL Creations, sign up as a participant in Made-by-Me May '16.  I endeavor to wear an article of clothing made by me each day for the duration of May 2016."

Uhm... doesn't seem to hard.  I have quite an extensive collection of made by me pieces in my wardrobe.  I wanted this to be a little challenging but not overwhelming so I figured that I would incorporate my made by me pieces with the style prompts from my other Facebook haunt Style Sisters.  That group was formed by former challengers in the GYPO Style Challenges.  These challenges are really fantastic.  I decided, though, after the Winter Challenge that I needed to take a break.  The colors and styles weren't as inspiring as they had been at the beginning when I was still trying to get out of my frumpy rut.  Anyway with the Style Sisters in mind I added this addendum to my challenge:

I will also follow the prompts from Style Sisters in my Made-by-Me May challenge.  

Again, really, how hard could that be?  Yep, laugh now.  It actually turned out to be more challenging than I thought- mostly due to the fact that Winter is just not wanting to loosen its grip!  Well I guess thats Spring here- one day 70 the next 50 and raining.  So fun.  Well without further talkie-talkie, here is Week 1.  

Sunday, May 1st, Okay, now I did not decide to work with the prompts until May 2, so this was my own thing.  Comfy for Sunday.  All from Ottobre magazine. 

Monday, May 2, style prompt- stripes, something nautical.  Now not so much on target but I am wearing stripes.  These are the Seamwork Moji pants- my muslin for a day at home.  

Tuesday, May 3, style prompt- Spring Blazer, the t-shirt is a made by me from Ottobre

Wednesday, May 4, style prompt- build an outfit around a favorite necklace.  I'll admit I didn't actually build the outfit around the necklace but the necklace is a favorite.  Tee shirt is Ottobre, pants are modified Sis Boom Judy.  

 May 5, style prompt- show us a Bargain outfit, here I have my $3 sweater with my $1.50 scarf and Jalie Jeans I made from $3 fabric.

May 6, style prompt- Run for the Roses, Red and pinks.  I, of course, read Roses.  I only had summer roses- as in sleeveless- so I whipped up (sorry Sam) this Hey June Halifax up for the day.  Love it.  

May 7, style prompt- show a Date Night outfit.  Now hubby and I did not go on a date night tonight so this outfit is the one I made for a rehearsal dinner we went to last month.  Its a heavy modified version of Simplicity 1142.  I actually wore it with gold flat sandals, which was a godsend as we walked quite a bit that night.

For the Made by Me challenge though I couldn't not wear handmade so I pulled out the blue shirt I made for my Walking Dead Sew the Show post back in October.  Really love this shirt and so far the hole hasn't grown.  This pic is from then, I didn't take a pic today.  I wore it with boyfriend jeans, a pink tank and leopard flats.

So that wraps up week 1.  I'm hoping to be better with the style prompts this week- some were a bit of a stretch, no?  Anyway here's to next week!!

Back to Basics Sewing

So I am trying to hasten Spring by just going ahead and pulling out my Spring wardrobe.  Unfortunately I don't think its actually working as I sit here typing this in my hoodie, long sleeve t-shirt and insulated Bog rain boots.  Almost exactly like this picture.  On the positive side, I'm loving this hoodie.  Its from Ottobre 5/2012.

The only trouble I have with it is that the coat is supposed to be lined and I didn't line it.  That means that my pockets pop out when I put anything in them.  I need to figure out how to attach them retroactively.  

 Anyway, that will be a project for another day.

This week, I wanted to join my friend Katie for her Back to Basics Sew-A-Long.  Essentially the week is supposed to be dedicated to those boring basics I end up just running to the store to buy cheap instead of taking the time to make them.

Normally I do buy t-shirts and tanks, they aren't expensive.  I'll make them when I'm in the mood but I've never actually set out to make them on purpose.  Well there was the time I made the gray t-shirt because I needed one and didn't feel like going to the store, but really thats a rarity.

However as I was pulling out my Spring clothing I was noticing that many the "cheap" shirts I bought last year had all managed to become too wide and too short.  The necklines were laying funny as well.  Then there are the tanks.  I have been buying larger sizes as I don't like things skin tight- especially the thin cheap tanks.  Well the armholes on the larger sizes are crazy huge.  Last year I went ahead and fixed the straps on a few and made them too small.  Oy!

That brings me to my sewing for the week!  I got off to a slow start as we spent the weekend out of town and I just could not motivate on Monday.  I did sew up 2 t-shirts from Ottobre 2/11 on Tuesday, no hems done though.  I've been wanting a green t-shirt for a while so here it is.  And then the basic white with half sleeves.  I'm planning another white with short sleeves as well.

On the white one I also did a neck band instead of lining as the pattern is written.

Then on Wednesday, I actually worked on a test pattern for my oldest instead.  Whoops.   So Thursday I whipped up this red t-shirt from a different pattern in Ottobre 2/11.  The V-neck back isn't as pronounced as I thought it would be.  Still I love it.  Loved it enough that I actually changed into it for the rest of the day.  I have an aqua one cut out to sew up in the afternoon.

No tanks though.  I had done a muslin of Jalie 3245 in preparation, but the weather this week was crazy and cold so I just could not motivate to make tanks.  I also need to get a good accounting of what tanks I really need.   Next time.

I also worked on a muslin of Cake's Janthina Shell.  The straps were way too long on me and I needed to take out about 2 inches at the shoulder which made the front too short.  I'm liking the style though and want to make it with the ruffles.

That will wrap up my Basics week for now.  I do have some more solids for tees and tanks that will get done between other projects.

Results of my Capsule in a Week

for now...

I didn't get it all done.  Wasn't really expecting to as I had to prepare for a visit from my mom, oral surgery for my oldest and the myriad of random tasks that make up a stay at home mom's life.

I did however get some done and have even worn at least one outfit! I'll start with that one, I actually modeled it last post but here it is with the Jalie Jeans I made in the fall.  I love this look and got lots of compliments on it.  I may, however, move this outfit to my Fall Wardrobe.  The colors say Fall to me.

 

Then the Ottobre leopard print top.  I wish I'd had another inch or two in length on this top.  I wonder if a band would look good?  Maybe I'll play with it this week after mom leaves.

My AnnTaylor Copy Cat.  I know I'll be wearing this top this week (with a cami!) so I'll update with a better picture then.

And the unfinished Library Cardigan.  I'm not loving this design as much as I thought.  I have to finish it and wear it but I'm not sure it will have a permanent place in my Spring Wardrobe.

So that leaves me with the Jalie Jeans and Ottobre top still to go.  I'll sew up the pants this week and the muslin for the top.  I want to make sure it works for me before I cut up my hoarded fabric.

Well thats my- more than a week Capsule.  I love the week concept so I think after sewing our Easter wear and the dresses/romper for the wedding we're headed to in April, I'll come up with another capsule plan.

The Weekend's Results

Okay, the weekend was supposed to be a marathon of printing and/or tracing patterns and then cutting fabric.  I did do those and a few extra things.

I had to make a substitution.  After tracing and sewing up a too small muslin for the Sew Straight and Gather Legends Top, I went to cut it out of my leopard print and realized I did not have enough fabric!  So I found a top in my trusty Oottobre issues that would work with the amount of fabric I had.  I used #16 in issue 2/2011.  I've made this top a few times- I actually have 2 in my closet right now.  It was a super quick sew; I just need to hem it.

I also cut out and started on the Little Lizard King Library Cardigan.   Turns out though that this is not as quick of a sew as it looks.  I got it to the point where I need to topstitch the neck band.  I'm going to do it on my cover stitcher but need to do the hems on the leopard print shirt before I change up the colors.

Since my coverstitch machine was upstairs, I was sewing in my basement and between the two were three children that would need me, I decided it was safer to remain behind the locked door!   So I moved on to my modified Day Tripper.  

The strange thing is that I actually dislike this pattern as is.  It made me look bigger than I am and just didn't suit my figure.  I was tempted to just buy a new one.  I've been seeing such cute versions of the La Bella Donna and almost caved.  Its more along the lines of what I wanted.  Then I remembered I had adjusted the Day Tripper quite a bit already.  I made this black one a few months ago and really liked the shape.  

I had added the cowl and neck line from the Halifax Hoodie pattern.  For the new one I added a little extra height to the cowl.    

I wish I had been able to put the flowers just a little higher but I was working with a panel I bought in Japan- so it was sized for someone shorter than I am.  I've had it for a while but never quite figured out how to use it.  The back is actually french terry and so cozy.  Its supposed to go with my olive pants in the capsule and I'm loving the way it works with the burgundy I was wearing yesterday too.  Yeah! 

I also found the Ann Taylor copy pattern and cut that top out.  Unfortunately I misplaced the other Ottobre issue I need for my capsule.   Funny enough I have the pattern sheets so I was able to have a sewing friend give me the page and lines I need for the top.  I'll trace that today.  Hopefully I can find the issue though as I think I need the directions!  

I'm trekking along.  We'll see if I make the deadline, this week is crazy busy for me.  I'm actually going to be sewing at night which is usually only a holiday sewing thing.  

Its On!

Really it is!  So Becca our illustrious leader over on the FB Capsule Wardrobe Sew Along issued a challenge to sew up a Spring Capsule in a week.  She wrote about it on her blog, go check it out, I'll wait.

The idea is to pick stash fabrics and easy to sew patterns so that you can put together your capsule in a week.  Really its two, but the first week has just been about pulling fabrics and planning.  She came up with various Sudoku style capsules as a jumping off point.

I've been in a sewing funk.  I've been sewing but not feeling all inspired so I figured why not?  I also decided to give up fabric shopping for Lent- its hard!  Two reasons I decided to jump on board.  Oh and lastly my mother will be taking over my sewing room in a week for a short enough visit that I'm not going to set up elsewhere but long enough that I'll get withdrawals!  (9 days)

I started by pulling fabrics.  I decided that I would use the Jalie jeans that I cut out a while ago but haven't made as one of my bottoms and sort of based the rest of the fabrics on what went well with those.

I then tried to look for patterns I'd already made to make things easier.  Tried is the key word as I ended up with 3 new to me patterns.  Oh well.  Since I was using a few new patterns I did throw in RTW pants to make my life a little easier.  The wool sweater also is a nod to the fact that its still in the 40s around here.  Ugh...  The process was fun and I'm inspired.  I can't wait to start sewing all these up!!

Stay tuned!

January got a way from me....

Oy!  I got steamrolled in January.  I started off strong but then THE blizzard of the century hit us!  Really!  Did I ever mention I grew up in sunny California?  What that meant is that my kids got a second Winter Vacation.  Between the snow days, the teacher workdays that were already scheduled, some holiday and weekends they had 14 days off.  I was ready to snow shoe out of here!

Of course that doesn't mean I didn't sew.  I sewed and sewed and sewed, just to be able to hide away from the madness.  But it does mean that I didn't do any sewing that involved thought.  With kids busting in all day- mine, their friends, random neighborhood kids!- needing food, water, dry clothes, and whatever else children need, I only sewed things that were quick and easy.

Each of the children got a Hey June Hatteras Hoodie.  This one is for the oldest, he got the hoodie version.  The girl child ended up with 3 of view B, one was too small so its gone and the other two are in rotation but for some reason I didn't photograph them.  The little one got 3 also but without hoods.  And then I used the Field Research pants pattern to make a pair of flannel lined pants for both the younger ones.

And here it is almost the end of February!!!  I ended and began January with some pattern testing that I really should blog about.  Both patterns are adorable.  I also tested another pattern in February and sewed random bits of things.  Which brings me to my latest adventure.

I love having a plan with my sewing but seem to seldom actually do it!  I'm finishing off February with a bang- hopefully.  I'm going to join my fellow sewers on the Capsule Facebook page in a quick capsule sew along.  Yeah!  We're not all sewing the same things but the challenge was to come up with a quick sew capsule AND sew it.  Since I've gone on long enough here, I'll write up a post all about my plan tomorrow.

New Year, New Projects!

I was going to do a holiday wrap up and show off all the lovely sewing I did.  Well, that didn't quite go as planned- no surprise really.  I did sew and gift and they were all well received.  The problem was that I spent most of my holiday in bed sick with three children rampaging through my house!  My husband and my mother, who was visiting, also managed to get sick.  But of course the screaming hoards that brought the plague upon us were just fine.  Life with children.

So no wrap up, which really is good.  Better to start the New Year with a clean slate!

January kicks off another round of Just for Me January on the Scientific Seamstress Facebook page.  Last year I made January all about the Sis Boom Patricia pattern.  I made a couple of different versions.  The Cozy and Chic version has become a favorite in my wardrobe.  I had a lot of fun playing with that pattern past year.  I've decided to do the same this year but with a different pattern, the Rebecca.

I've had the Rebecca in my stash for a few years- almost as long as the Patricia!  The first time I pulled it out however was when I made the vest for my Firefly inspiration in November.  I love how that turned out.  While the vest is pretty heavily modified, I like the princess lines and the shape of the dress.

I think I'd like to make the pattern almost as is- there are some super cute ones over on their Pinterest Board.  I say almost because, well what fun would it be to crank out 4 of the same thing.  So thats my plan for January.  I'll likely sew other things too but right now I'm just enjoying the quiet that is a house free of children- at least for 4 hours a day.

Tune in later this week for the first installment.