Me Made Maternity - Week 21: Sneaky Peeks

Wearing - The Afternoon Blouse (pattern available here) & a modified version of one 

of the skirt options for the forthcoming new pattern!!

When I found out I was pregnant, I started to experiment with gathered skirts and stretchy waistbands. Let's just say some of my initial experiments were not very flattering, even on a barely noticeable pregnant belly. 

You see, the first thing I tried was a simple gathered skirt with the waistband folded over and then the elastic threaded through. This turned out to be reeeeeally unflattering on me because the gathered nature of the waistband itself made my waistline almost disappear completely. I had also chosen much too heavy a fabric and had gone for way too many gathers. (Yeah I admit it, I've never made a gathered elastic waist skirt before. They've honestly just never been on my wardrobe radar. I know, it's probably weird...it's pretty much supposed to be the first thing you make right? Along with a pillow case?).

I love big, full, gathered skirts, but I've realised that they only look flattering on me when paired with a fitted bodice at the waist or a flat waistband, and that I seem to naturally gravitate towards those styles, to give the effect of an overall smaller waist. Good thing to know *wink*.

So, after a few more experiments, I came up with the idea of using the elastic as the 'flat' waist band itself and just stitching the skirt to it, while stretched. This not only gives you an even gather, but it's a super quick little make that gives you that all important smaller waist when belts no longer become a bearable option.

The one I'm wearing is made with a vintage rayon from my stash, and I realise that I probably should have made it a bit longer so that as I got bigger, I could wear the skirt up and over the belly, without showing too much to unsuspecting bystanders. But, at least I'll still get wear out of it when I'm not pregnant any more.

And, this skirt pattern is actually a little sneak peek of one of the skirt options for my next dress pattern. All-in-one yoke pockets everyone! It's a super easy little adjustment to make to the skirt and I'll be sharing a tutorial soon.

Then of course, pair it with a breezy Afternoon Blouse and you've got yourself a simple, quick and lovely little summery maternity outfit.

xx

J

PS) please excuse the plastic-wrapped-flooring-solution, we're currently painting...

Me Made Maternity - Week 20: If the Skirt Fits...

Ever since I found out I was pregnant (which was very early on), I knew I wanted to write about wearing hand-made throughout my pregnancy. I wanted to see how much I could mix up the hand-mades I already have (and make them last as long as possible!), as well as adapt patterns I already have into maternity-friendly clothing. I wear hand-made virtually everyday and thought that being pregnant shouldn't make it any different, it's just a bit more challenging.

And the 'definitely pregnant from the side' shot...

You see, I've entered into a whole new target market now, and it seems to me, that just like the words 'wedding' or 'bride', as soon as you put 'maternity' or 'baby' in front of a product, it's all of a sudden worth five times as much as it was before. Think wedding cakes, bridal hair or wedding flowers - they all of a sudden cost so much more because they are specifically for a wedding. Well, babies and maternity seem to be no different from what I've spied.

Take an empire waist, stretchy jersey dress (what looks to be a pregnancy staple) - you can find these kinds of dresses in just about any department store for cheap as chips. But as soon as you go looking for the same thing in a specialty maternity store, or the maternity section of a shop, they're all of a sudden worth so much more than they were before.

Like most people, we're on a budget, and luckily I know my way around a sewing machine so I'm going to be making much of my maternity wardrobe, even though I'm a self-confessed disliker of making 'specialty clothing' or clothes that will only be worn a handful of times. With maternity, while they aren't exactly frou frou party dresses I'll never wear, there is technically only a limited amount of wear you'll get out of them. In saying that, I love wearing hand-made and I love that I can make something specifically to fit me and my needs, so I'm diving in head first - with lots of ideas for a budget-friendly, stylish and practical hand-made maternity wardrobe, coming right up over the next few months.

So, this week, week 20 and officially half way through, what am I wearing? I'm not into full on maternity clothes yet and can still fit into a reasonable amount of my current hand-mades, despite my slowly northward-travelling waist line. The skirt I'm wearing is one of my absolute favourite hand-mades, that I never blogged about. I know, I can't believe it *face palm*. I wear it probably at least once a week. It's a self-drafted pencil skirt with pleats at the front (perfect for a growing stomach or hiding a big lunch) and a little kick-pleat at the back. It's made from wool, is fully lined and is the perfect mixture of colour and pattern to enable me to wear it any number of different ways and not get bored. It also doesn't need any ironing, even after living on my floor for a few days - I can just pick it up, put it on, and head out the door, no fuss.

The day I can't do this skirt up anymore will be a sad day indeed, but here's a little secret - if it's a particularly cold day, throw on a long/loose cardigan and undo the button at the back. Nobody will be any the wiser, and I have done this a few times in the evenings when everything has just felt a bit too tight after dinner. 

If you wanted a bit of extra security, instead of buying one of those 'specialty' stretchy bands that allows you to wear your favourite jeans, but with the button open and zip down, why not try a hair elastic instead? Does exactly the same thing, and you probably already have a million hiding around the house, hanging out with those dust bunnies and bobby pins under your bed (just me then?).

xx
J

Me Made May 14 - Outfit Round Up & What Have You Learnt? (If anything...)

Well lovely people, it's over for another year. Any one else glad not to have to take photos everyday? Monty sure is!

Sorry Monty, you're either in or out for photo-taking time - no changing your mind half way through...

When I participated in Me Made May for the first time last year, it really gave me a sense of what I was missing in my handmade wardrobe and really made me analyse why I wasn't wearing a number of my then current hand-mades.

This year though, there are two things I've noticed from participating in Me Made May...

1. I seem to have an unconscious draw to the colour combination of red and blue. I love blue and I already know I wear a lot of it, but I really didn't realise that I wore so much red! I've always had this thought in the back of my head that red-heads couldn't wear red, but I seem to be bucking my own subconscious ideas on that one!

AND

2. I'm a serial outfit repeater. If I find a combination that works - it's my style, it's comfortable, makes me feel good - then I tend to stick to it and probably wear it at least once a week. But that doesn't make for very interesting daily outfit photos now does it?

I found Me Made May this year to be slightly more challenging than last year for the second reason. As I've gotten older (I turned 29 on the 28th May) and a little wiser (I hope!), I've realised that I can't really be bothered wearing things that aren't comfortable any more. This leans back toward my post earlier in the year on why we don't wear our hand-mades, and it's probably even more true for me now than it was then.

I've also realised that I don't have enough of those garments that make up my favourite outfits to keep them fresh and interesting. There are only so many ways to wear a red or blue circle skirt. However, this is where I'm pretty darn sure my second pattern (to be released this Friday!) is going to help. It took all of my will not to throw my samples on in the morning during May. However, due to the fact that I was sans photographer on the very last day of May, meant I could finally wear one and not give it away (you get a photo of my ever favourite blue circle skirt and my feet instead!).

24th May

Wearing - Lightening Stripes Belladone Dress

25th May

Wearing - unblogged self-drafted wool pencil skirt 

26th May - Snow Day!

That morning we woke up to snow... Wearing - 40's Travel Vogue number 1

What I actually looked like.

27th May

Wearing - Self-drafted Red Circle Skirt

28th May - Birthday Day!

Wearing - as yet unblogged Anna-Emery dress (Anemery?) and my birthday present from David, a pair of Swedish Hasbeens.

29th May

Wearing - Self-drafted Black Circle Skirt

30th May

Wearing - Apples in Winter Dress

31st May

Wearing - Self-drafted Blue Circle Skirt and pattern number 2, The Bronte Top (due out on Friday!)

So, did you learn anything interesting from your Me Made May experiment this year?

I also just wanted to say a huge thank you to Zoe for organising it again this year (and for letting me help a little), to all our sponsors who generously donated some amazing prizes (Sew Box, Indie Stitches, The Polished Button and Dresses & Me) and to all my fellow Me Made May-ers! I've loved seeing all of your me mades on the Flickr and Pinterest groups and popping up in my Instagram feed. I've been so inspired by everyone who took part - you guys have some seriously mad skillz and you should be so proud that you get to wear amazing garments everyday that you've made. #endgushing

Until next year...

xx
J

Making the Most of Your Handmade Wardrobe...

Now that we're well into Me Made May, some of you may already be starting to feel the need to panic sew as you try to keep up with your challenge pledge. Remember, Me Made May does not endorse panic sewing!

So, what can you do to make the most of your current me made wardrobe to see you through the rest of May?

Use it as an opportunity to find out what gaps are missing

First off, don't think that your need to panic sew is a bad thing, use it as a stepping stone to really drill down to what it is exactly that you need to fill those glaring gaps in your wardrobe. What is it that you need to panic sew? Is it skirts or basic tops? Underwear or dresses?

Once you stop to think about why you're struggling with your pledge, it will really help you focus on making things that you do need in your wardrobe.

I know I struggled with my previous me made wardrobe because I kept making fancy things that I needed an occasion to wear. Personally, I love making basics now because I know I'll wear them often and for me, the whole point of sewing garments is so I can wear them every day.

I always find it a strange thing that we aren't happy to sew basics that we know we'll wear all the time in favour of making pretty things that may get worn once (if we're lucky). So, why not change the mind set of 'making something pretty to post on my blog' into 'if I make this basic skirt, I know I'll be able to wear it everyday this week because it mixes and matches with 10 other things in my current wardrobe'.

Update, remake or finish unworn me mades

Do you have UFO's or me mades that are unwearable because you only have to hem them or re-sew on a button? Why not make some time tonight, while watching your evening movie, to do a bit of hand sewing. It's so nice when you can get all those little jobs done (that don't actually take that long to do) that then mean you can add a new item into your me made rotation

Alternatively, if you have a lot of unworn me made garments, why not figure out why you aren't wearing them (I have a helpful post here) and then do something about it. Are they ill fitting? Are they made from a crappy fabric? Does the colour not work for you? Make note of these issues so that future me mades can and will get worn.

And why not check if some of your existing unwearable me mades may be salvageable. Why not try dyeing them a different colour if that was an issue, or try re-fitting them if the fit was a little off? You never know, after a little re-jigging, they might become a me made staple.

Try out a new skill to fill wardrobe gaps

While Me Made May is all about wearing your current me made garments, why not think about other me made garments that you could add in the future?

I personally love cardigans, mostly the cropped, vintage style ones and I have a nice selection to choose from, but since I've made the pledge not to buy any new clothes this year (and I haven't had one single urge to buy anything new!) I've realised that I'll actually need to make my own cardigans.

I finished my first knitted garment early this year and have already worn it a tonne (and twice already this May, though I could have worn it almost everyday). I've now started knitting a ruby red Aiken jumper, and while I was hoping to have it done for the end of May, I think I might have to admit defeat on that one. However, why not think outside the Me Made box and try your hand at creating something a bit different that may not necessarily be a sewn garment?

It all counts and you never know, you may just find a new creative love!

Accessorise and Layer

This is probably the most obvious and perhaps the easiest thing you could do, but to mix things up a little, have you ever thought about making your own accessories? Bags, scarves and belts are all things that are easy to make and that can completely change up an outfit. I also find that my accessories probably get worn more often than most of my me mades because one great accessory can go with a multitude of different outfits.

When considering layering in your outfits, why not think outside the box a little. Try choosing a few pairs of different coloured tights that match one of your me made skirts or think about new pairings of me made/RTW garments that you haven't tried in the past. You'll be surprised at how much simple things like that can change up a go-to outfit and make it completely different.

I hope these little tips help a bit as we near the pointy end of May. But if you have any more tips to help fellow Me Made May-ers with their pledges, I'm sure we'd all love to hear them!

Until next time,

xx
J

Sewing for the Season...

Do you ever find yourself longing to sew spring dresses in the middle of autumn? Or wool skirts in the summer? Every year around the turn of the season, without fail, I find myself longing to sew up garments for the season just past.

We are currently in autumn down here, about to slink into a chilly winter, the first properly cold winter David and I have had in 4 years (Sydney never really got cold). I'm in desperate need of winter skirts, and have some lovely wools to make them from, except that my Instagram and blog reader are full of northern hemisphere spring blossoms, sandals and sundresses and I find myself longing for what I don't have, instead of enjoying what I do. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way - as the saying goes, we always want what we don't have.

So this Me Made May, along with sewing a wearable handmade wardrobe, I'm also very much trying to be mindful of sewing appropriately for where I am. It's okay to be inspired by others and the seasons in the northern hemisphere, but sewing mindfully, so that I will actually get to wear my current me mades, is very much at the top of the list.

I've had some ideas that I hope will help with the seasonal transition and my incessant need to sew things I won't be able to wear for a few months -

1. Write a list of Winter Sewing Essentials.

I've done this before and have found it really does keep me on track. It's also motivating, knowing there are things on the list I need and will wear as soon as they are finished. I also feel like it keeps me accountable (even though most of you probably couldn't care less whether I deviated from my list or not!)

2. If I desperately feel the need to sew a spring dress in the middle of winter, make it from a winter appropriate fabric and make sure it's at least a style that will go with a warm cardigan and tights.

3. Start planning for spring items - trace patterns and make necessary flat pattern fit adjustments, wash fabric and gather any extra supplies I need. This way, when the autumn sewing bug hits in spring, I'll be well on my way to sewing my summer clothes and it means I can start planning my autumn wardrobe.

Autumn really is my very favourite time of year. The trees are full of colour, I get to pull out my cardigans, scarves, boots and gloves and it hasn't got so cold and dark that I just feel glum. I get to knit by the fire at night with a cat on my lap and I get to sew with wool, which I love. So, I'm determined to live in the season and enjoy it for what it is. Rain and all.

Do you have any tips for sewing for the season?

Make sure you check out Zoe's MMM14 post on Sewing for the Season.

xx
J

Building & Wearing A Hand-made Wardrobe - Why We Don't Wear Our Hand-mades...

Welcome to the first post in my new series on how to build and wear a hand-made wardrobe. I wanted to start out by discussing what I think are the two main reasons why we don't necessarily already wear our hand-mades.

These two simple reasons ring very true for me and perhaps, once you give them some thought, they'll ring true for you as well -

• What you make doesn't fit into your everyday uniform
• They are uncomfortable to wear

Your Everyday Uniform

Everyone has their go to wardrobe staples. Whether it's jeans and t-shirts or dresses, your uniform is simply what you like to wear most often. It's probably your most comfortable outfit and you tend to have several colour ways and styles within your uniform. These colours and styles will also generally mix and match well so that you can create several different variations of your uniform for each day of the week. They are what probably makes up what you would consider your Wardrobe Basics.

Some beloved hand-made wardrobe basics worn during Me Made May 2013
- 60s Pink Wool Skirt - Red Circle Skirt - Blue Circle Skirt -

When I think about my personal uniform, it consists of skirts, dresses, cardigans and flats. Even though I have pants, I don't really wear them (in fact, I wore jeans for the first time in several years at Christmas when we spent the night on a boat in Doubtful Sound, NZ).

I also prefer relatively simple styles and designs in my uniform. While I'm happy to have a bright or patterned fabric, I like clean design lines and nothing too fussy. High waisted me-made circle skirts will always be a favourite - I wear one of these at least once a week and have 4 on regular rotation. They are easy to wash and wear, go with a host of different tops and they make me feel like I've made an effort to get dressed, even though I really haven't.

Your everyday uniform can also be different from your style. Personally, my everyday uniform and my style really do go hand in hand. But for others, while they may love the thought of wearing a full skirted 50's dress everyday, in reality, what they may wear from day to day is drastically different due to any number of reasons. What they do for a job, the climate they live in, whether they are running around after children etc. Practicality has to play a role in everybody's wardrobe.

More beloved hand-mades worn during Me Made May 2013
- Polkadot Billie Jean - Red Circle Skirt - Black Circle Skirt -

Also, while it's great to have special occasion pieces, if that's all you're sewing, then the reality is that most of what you make, you won't actually end up wearing. I wrote a little piece last year about my love for sewing the basics (or cake, as Tasia so lovingly put it). I love sewing them because it means I'll most certainly wear them. It means I've made good use of my sewing time.

Uncomfortable Hand-mades

Going back to my first Me Made May last year, like many people, towards the end it got quite hard as I was forced to pull out and wear those things that had sat in my wardrobe ever since I had finished making them. While I would have loved to wear circle skirts for most of the month (like usual), since I was photographing my outfit everyday, that would have got a tad boring don't you think?

So, I'd pull out a garment, wonder why on earth I hadn't worn it since it was made, put it on and then remember why it had been relegated to the 'not easily accessible' bit of our tiny wardrobe. Almost every single time, that garment was uncomfortable.

A garment can be 'uncomfortable' for many reasons, the most common are bad fit, an unflattering shape, bad fabric choice (or cheap crappy fabric) or all of the above. And I don't know about you, but I really don't have much time for wearing uncomfortable things! (Though funnily enough, I just don't have the heart to get rid of them yet!).

A few hand-mades that don't get worn much (for varying reasons) from Me Made May 2013

When I am wearing uncomfortable clothing, I tend to be extremely self conscious. I am so aware of myself that I spend far too much time wondering if people are staring at me while I fiddle with x, y & z on my garment. To be fair, most of the time people are far too fixated on what is going on in their own lives to notice the gaping on the front of my dress, or the wrinkles that just wouldn't iron out because of the crappy fabric I used, but it doesn't matter, I'm still uncomfortable.

Perhaps I care a little too much about what the stranger in the bus thinks about me, but if I'm feeling that uncomfortable in a garment, then I'm not going to wear it. After all, what you wear can have a huge impact on how you are feeling from day to day. If you're having a bad day but wearing something that makes you feel amazing, that bad day perhaps won't have as much an impact as it might have if you were also wearing something that made you feel frumpy, itchy, confined (or not confined enough!) and down right uncomfortable.

If you're one of those people who hates sewing uniform basics, I hope you'll look at them in a different light. And if you don't sew the basics because they aren't challenging to you anymore, then why not take them up a notch? Sew them with French Seams, try out a rolled hem, use a different fabric or put your zipper in using a different technique than you usually would. This way, not only are you up-skilling in the sewing department, but you'll have started to build a wearable hand-made wardrobe in no time!

So folks, let's go forth and start planning our comfy and wearable Hand-made Wardrobes! Yay!

Are there any other reasons why you don't wear your current hand-mades?

xx
Jen