A foray into Me Made May


As I'm pretty new to the world of sewing blogging and still building my handmade wardrobe, I decided just to dip my toe into Me Made May this year. I didn't sign up and only did it for the first five days. But I did learn a lot about my clothes, what a I like to make and what I like and don't like to wear, and thought about making better fabric choices.

May 2 - Grainline curtain fabric Maritime shorts with Sewaholic Belcarra blouse in white linen. You can't see in the picture because I was holding my friend's darling son William while she took the pic but it is the version with the pin tucks on the sleeves and the front pocket.

Things learned - I like the shorts. The shorts are good.

I do like the top, now. I had all sorts of problems with the pattern, two toiles and it's still not 100 right, and I think it is too long. But I like the linen, which has softened very nicely after a few washes and it looks right with the right skirts. This combo isn't quite right.


May 3 - Cloned Country Road T-shirt in a gold tencel fabric with Butterick 4686 skirt.

Love the T-shirt, which is getting its own post soon along with my other t-shirts (adventures in sewing knits without an overlocker) but the lesson is from the skirt, which I would not have put on had it not been Me Made May.

I like how it looks and fits but I noticed that I really don't like the feel of this stiff, stiff cotton. Also the pattern is not really me. The lesson learned here, and one that I was discussing with a sewing friend recently, is to stop buying fabric because the pattern looks cool in the shop, but to think about the garment I am making and what I really want to wear. Most of my RTW clothes are in solid, muted colours and while these may not be the fabrics I rush to pat and exclaim over in fabric shops, they do translate into clothes I want to wear.

That said, I did find one memorable and perfect occasion to wear that skirt last year, when I was in the Cocos Islands. There it was both perfect and heaven to put on as soon I arrived in that steamy heat.




May 4 - Grainline Scout in some unknown fabric bought in San Francisco, possibly rayon. RTW skirt.

I hadn't been planning to make this ubiquitous pattern because I thought it looked a bit too boring but a friend gave me the pattern, I made it up out of this unidentified fabric that I only had a yard of and it all came together really easily and I ended up really happy with it. 

It's a simple, classic basic that is really easy to sew and like all grainline patterns, fits me perfectly without any changes.

It also inspired me to take this skirt out the mending pile where it had languished for over a year after one of the back vent seams ripped. I had the matching thread, bought months ago, I had just never got around to do the actual mending. It took 2 minutes and the skirt is as good as new.


May 5 - The first collared shirt I ever made, as part of my Tafe course in shirt making last year. Our teacher supplied the pattern, and over the course of making it was fitted perfectly. It's made out of a lovely soft cotton from Potter textiles. It's not clear in the photo but it's not a solid blue, it's a gingham with tiny squares.

Photo on the bed not me because I forgot to take the photo until evening when I had already changed out of my work clothes and I couldn't face changing back for the photo.


May 6 - Grainline Morris jacket - perfect, perfect, perfect - raved about here.


Finished during the course of May - my Grainline Archer shirt, and worn about four times to work already and the subject of my next post.

(I do actually make patterns that are not Grainline, I really do. I just haven't blogged any yet.)


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