Sew Wrong

MMM ’12 – May 13

MMM 12 - May 13

Me-Made Item: Top (self-drafted pattern)
Link to Original Review: N/A

Jeans: Michael Kors
Sandals: Marc Fisher

MMM 12 - May 13

Wearability Report:

I never got around to blogging about this top when I made it two years ago!  This top was based off of my learnings from Cal Patch’s book Design-It-Yourself Clothes that I received as a birthday gift that year (along with the mega-huge Patternmaking for Fashion Design).  For the longest time I’ve wanted to learn how to draft my own sewing patterns and I felt completely confident using Cal’s book to draft my first bodice sloper and modify it with my own design elements.  That other patternmaking book?  It’s intimidating to say the least…plus, it’s a text book.  I’ve cracked it open and looked at certain slash-and-spread techniques, but the measurements that are required to make a basic bodice block from this book are mind-boggling.  Design-It-Yourself Clothes isn’t as intense and is a good starter book for initially jumping into pattern drafting.  Anyway…

Love, love, love this top.  I reach for it all the time in my closet and I’m so happy with the fit and how it turned out.  Just in case you’re curious, all I did to modify it from my original sloper was spreading the bodice wider to add in some ease and allow it to gather, scooped out more of the neckline, and slash-and-spread the sleeves to make them slightly gathered.  I then added a casing for the elastic at the bottom of the sleeves and a neckband casing for the self-fabric drawstring.  The bottom edge is left raw since it doesn’t curl up and I liked the look of it.

The sleeves can be a little fussy and bunch up slightly underneath my armpit, plus I don’t think I got where the sleeve seam lays accurate – looks like it should be higher up on my shoulder.  But the top is slightly fitted at the bust and loose at the bottom, making it a great, comfy top for relaxing on the weekends. I think I need more separates like this in my closet since they’re more versatile to wear than the dresses that I always seem to sew.

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MMM ’12 – May 12

MMM 12 - May 12

Me-Made Item: Dress
Link to Original Review: Vogue 1224 (July 8, 2011)

Sandals: Marc Fisher
Shades: Bulgari
Nail Polish: Essie “Watermelon”

Wearability Report:

Even though I originally pledged that I was only going to try to wear me-made items on my days off from work, when I came home on Saturday, it was way too warm and beautiful out not to pop on one of my summer dresses.  And since my boyfriend and I were going out to dinner (I wanted outdoor seating and Coronas), a dress was something I wanted to wear for our mini “date night.”

I wore this dress a bunch last summer after I made it, and I loved it so much that I made it again in another fabric.  It’s lightweight and cool, and the sleeves aren’t really sleeves, it’s more like fabric that floats over my shoulders.  I’m not surprised at all that this is a “Best Pattern of 2011” on PatternReview.com because it’s so flattering on everyone, great to wear, and a cinch to make.  I stayed nice and cool all evening in the 80 degree weather.

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MMM ’12 – May 8

MMM 12 - May 8

Me-Made Item: Scarf
Originally Reviewed: Oct. 11, 2009

Raincoat: DKNY
Top: Gap

Wearability Report:

It’s a shame, but I always forget to wear my hand-knitted projects that aren’t sweaters.  Maybe it’s because they don’t take as much of an investment of time like a big sweater project, but I’ll make them, wear them a few times, and forget about them if it isn’t cold outside.  My challenge last Tuesday (one of my days off from work last week since I had to work on Saturday) was to find something in me-made in my closet to wear on a cold, rainy day.  If anything, I’ve realized so far this month that the majority of my me-sewn wardrobe is for warm weather.  Maybe it’s because I love sewing dresses and so many of the patterns I find “cute” are for spring and summer, I dunno.

So this scarf…this was the scarf that got me back into knitting after an almost six-month hiatus due to a marathon knitting session that led to major wrist inflammation problems.  I love the springy green color and the lace pattern was easy to knit once I got the hang of it (I really don’t like knitting lace), but it never lays flat.  Even after I blocked it and wore it the first time, it still curled in and became tubular.  It’s not exactly a cold-weather scarf, it’s definitely a “fashion over function” kind of item, which is probably why I forget I even have it in my hand-knit collection and don’t wear it often.  But it served its purpose on Tuesday to keep the damp out and bring a pop of color to my black raincoat.

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MMM ’12 – May 6

MMM 12 - May 6

Me-Made Item: Skirt (taken off of a failed Vogue 8663 dress pattern)
Originally Reviewed: N/A

Top: INC
Necklace: J Crew
Belt: thrifted

Wearability Review:

I always forget about this skirt in my closet, so this challenge served as a good reminder to dig it out!  This wasn’t even supposed to be a skirt, it was originally slated to be a dress that ended up looking quite unflattering with the waistline sagging down from the weight of the fabric.  The fabric was way too pretty to waste, so I chopped off the skirt of the dress and made a narrow elastic casing at the top.  I also left the hem raw since it doesn’t curl up.

The skirt is a flattering length and I’ve worn it with a top tucked in and a belt (to hide the elastic waist) or with a shirt over the skirt.   Even though I was a little dressy looking in a skirt, I was so comfortable wearing this for what my boyfriend and I did that day – ran out to grab some coffee, walked around the park, watched the Red Sox lose to the Orioles (booo). The only annoying thing with wearing the skirt with a belt is that I have to make sure that the belt doesn’t creep up during the day, exposing the elastic waist.  Other than that, I’m happy that I turned lemons into lemonade with this skirt.

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MMM ’12- May 5

MMM 12 - May 5

Me-Made Item: Dress
Link to original review: McCall’s 6200 (Oct. 25, 2011)

Leggings: DKNY Smoothies
Flats: Franco Sarto
Bag: Coach

Wearability Review:

I’ve worn this dress a bunch since I made it last October.  I first wore it in 80 degree weather in Arizona as-is, wore it with leggings, layered a long sweater cardigan over it for work, and paired it with tights and boots all last winter.  The style of it and weight of the fabric, along with the color and print I chose, make it an all-season kind of dress depending on how it’s styled, and I’m always comfortable wearing it.  After thinking about this dress today, I realized I want to make at least one more!  Sure, it’s not the most exciting dress silhouette that I’ve made, but when I reflected on how much I’ve worn the other dresses in my closet, this one definitely wins the “most worn” award.  I was even wondering today if I could turn the pattern into a sleeveless dress, eliminating the raglan sleeve and turning the neckband into shoulder straps.

Another bonus: it’s great for going out to dinner since there’s no defined waist!  I ate all the sausage and pasta I wanted to this evening.

Wear Rating: 10/10

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