Me-Made-May ’13 – Week One!

One (small) week down, four to go! Here’s the recap!

DAY 1

Me-made dress: I made this dress about four years ago, I think it must have been the fifth garment I ever sewed. It was a blouse pattern from this French book (the one that’s on the cover actually), to which I made a lot of modifications (some on purpose, some not so much). I love this dress, it’s one of the pieces I wear the most often. It’s so comfortable yet I find it flattering with its twenties look which I adore. The print too is quite nice with its stained glass scenes.

To go out (to see Blancanieves), I also wore my me-made jacket and shawl (which I had to take off because it was too hot). The shawl is 100% acrylic, which I know is frowned upon by many knitters (myself included), but I must say I’m impressed by the quality of this yarn: it’s been machine-washed and tumble-dried about a thousand time and I’ve been wearing it every cold day for the past four years (that’s a lot of cold days here in Belgium), yet it hasn’t even begun to pill or anything. Plus it’s quite nice against the skin. And it cost €1 a ball: that’s about €6 for my favourite and most worn shawl! The pattern is North Roë Shawl by Odile Buatois-Brand, which I loved knitting (and it is free!).

The last me-made thing I wore on that first day is my hat! I pledged to wear at least one me-made hat a week and I thought this one would go quite nicely with the outfit. I made it at my millinery class and I must say I was thrilled with the result, it is exactly what I had in mind! It’s a one-piece wool felt with a hand-molded brim and a satin bow.

So as you can see I liked my Day 1 outfit very much, it was comfortable yet put together and it’s the kind of outfit I love to wear.

DAY 2

The skirt is me-made. I wore this to go to work (with a bike commute). It’s an outfit I’ve been wearing a lot this year, it’s very comfy but still feminine. Come to think of it, this skirt is kind of my version of jeans. I’d love to wear more jeans (or any kind of pants), actually, but I don’t own a single well-fitting pair. I’ll have to remedy that. Ha, only two days in and already a hole in my wardrobe has been discovered!

Also worn, not on the picture: the same jacket and shawl as on Day 1.

DAY 3

Once again, the skirt is me-made. I paired it with a vintage Courrèges twinset my mother thrifted in the eighties. I liked the colors of this outfit and felt very comfortable biking and working, though I’m not sure it’s the most flattering silhouette.

Also worn, not pictured: the same old jacket and shawl.

DAY 4

I don’t work on Saturdays, so I chose to wear this me-made dress which would be much too short otherwise. It’s the first dress I ever made (the pattern is in this French book, the only change I made was shortening it) so it’s full of mistakes and the inside is horrendous, yet I still wear it with pride. 😀 Oh, and the fabric was found lying on the floor of the metro by my mother! Yes, my mother always makes the craziest finds!

The bag is also me-made and is actually the first thing I ever sewed by machine (four years ago I think)! The bag itself was made following a pattern, but I can’t believe little beginner me went and stitched her own appliqué from scratch without any explanations or help whatsoever, ah, youth! Just as with the dress, the bag is imperfect as can be but I still use it very often.

I wore this outfit (and my me-made jacket) to go to the local fabric store and haberdashery, then to spend the rest of the day sewing at home. The dress is comfortable BUT there is no lining, so it has a tendency to ride up when I walk, especially with the wind facing me, which was the case on that day. Seeing as it is already very short, I really should avoid wearing it when I know I’ll have to walk a lot!

DAY 5

Me-made dress, the second one I ever made (from this Burda pattern – I shortened the sleeves). I must say I chose to wear it because I knew I wouldn’t have to leave the house but to go to my mother’s, who happens to be my neighbour! It’s not really my style anymore, and it’s also short and flouncy, which doesn’t make me feel covered enough! Plus it’s not very flattering (makes me look pregnant from the side). So, although I was very proud of my newly-acquired technique at the time and still like the yoke and the buttons very much, I think I’ll have to donate it or reuse the fabric or something.

Week Two, here I come!

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