Me Made May 12

Dressmaking, Me Made May 12, Pattern Drafting, refashioning

MMM ’12 – Weeks 3 – 4

06/03/12

To be honest, the last week and a half of Me Made May saw me running around like a blue arsed fly with no inclination whatsoever to take any photographs. So I struck on the idea of using the previous couple of week’s photos as my own personal gallery of outfit options. Each day I would flick through, pick an outfit I’d already photographed and wear that for the day. Thereby dispensing with the necessity to take further photos! Ha! Take that you pesky self photography demon!! Of course, I have had my hair cut and coloured since the start of May so it looks as if my hair has miraculously grown back overnight, but you get the gist!

Monday: Navy refashioned top and blue refashioned trousers
Tuesday: Self drafted Geometric top Trousers – Thrifted
Wednesday: Thrifted stripe top and Cropped Jeans

Thursday: Denim Shirt – Thrifted (99p) and refashioned Trousers
Friday: Self Drafted Coral Top and Cropped Jeans
Saturday: Grey Polka top – Self drafted thrifted Flared Jeans

Monday: (Freshly dyed hair!) Thrifted Cashmere Sweater and Blue Trousers
Tuesday: Self drafted Coral Top and Bleached Jeans (not blogged)
Wednesday: (no photo) Plaid Shirt and Cropped Tan Jeans
Thursday: (no photo) Geometric Self Drafted Top and thrifted Navy Trousers
Friday: No photo and can’t remember!!
Saturday: Newly thrifted Polka Dot Blouse (Â£1.50) and refashioned Trousers (and the obligatory summer bob cut)

Sunday: (Hot day! Yay!!!) Newly thrifted Silk Jersey Top (Â£1.50) and refashioned Cropped Jeans
Monday: Refashioned Top and Refashioned Trousers
Tuesday: Can’t remember!
Wednesday: Thrifted Top and refashioned Cropped Jeans
Thursday: This outfit

So that was that! I managed to wear MM garments every day and at least half of those were entirely MM. Yay!! I did it! What I’ve noticed is that I rely heavily on cropped narrow leg trousers. Thoe tan cropped jeans being used in HEAVY rotation. I need a couple more pairs in different colours. I have a purple pair lined up for refashioning and a white pair that I intend to refashion and dye a dove grey colour, or maybe lavender if I’m feeling brave!! I’d forgotten how much I like that navy refashioned top. So I’m on the lookout for more skirts to refashion into tops and hopefully replicate it in a few more colours/patterns. It really is so easy to throw on and feel instantly fab in. My geometric and grey polka tops are good wardrobe staples too. Both made from the same SUPER simple self drafted pattern. So a couple more of those wouldn’t go amiss. Of course, my button back top still needs some tweaking and once I’ve done that, hopefully I’ll be able to add a raft of those to my Me Made arsenal too. Overall, this challenge was my easiest to date (apart from the photography part!!). A sure sign that MM items are gradually taking over my wardrobe!

How about you? Has MMM 12 left you with a long list of projects? Has it helped you realise how far you’ve come? Hope so!

Me Made May 12, Pattern Drafting, refashioning, Sewing

MMM ’12 – Week 2!

05/14/12

So another week down! I must admit, the last couple of Me Made challenges I’ve participated in were a struggle. Being relatively new to sewing I had only a handful of “wearable” MM items to choose from which made putting together outfitsVERY tricky; and often resulted in somewhat bizarre combinations that certainly didn’t reflect my personal style very much. This time around, it’s proving easier. Namely because I have a growing number of MM items to play with AND, more and more of them are reflective of my personal style. I’ve never really had a “personal style aesthetic” before. It really was a bit incoherent, mismatched and I had alot of “stuff” that just didn’t go with other “stuff” or just didn’t suit me! But the ability to sew and adapt my own clothes seems to have opened the door for me to experiment with different shapes/styles and I can definately see a few patterns emerging in how I dress….

Monday (no photo): Grey top– Self drafted (fabric Â£4/m), Flared Jeans – thrifted (Â£4)
Tuesday: Grey Polka top – Self drafted (fabric Â£4/m), Trousers – Thrifted (Â£2) and refashioned
Wednesday: Thrifted top and cardi, Trousers – Thrifted (Â£1.50) and refashioned (not blogged)
Thursday: Striped Tee- Thrifted (99p) and refashioned (not blogged), Thrifted (Â£1.50) and refashioned (not blogged)

Friday: Navy Top – Thrifted (99p) and refashioned, Trousers – Thrifted (Â£3)
Saturday: White Blouse – Thrifted (99p) Cropped Jeans – Thrifted (Â£3) and refashioned.
Sunday: Grey Polka top – Self drafted (fabric Â£4/m), Flared Jeans – thrifted (Â£4)

Friday’s trousers have been banished from my wardrobe. Saturday, the shape is good but the combo is a bit “mumsy” in hindsight. Sunday is a failsafe of mine. I wear this combo alot and really like it. I’d love to hunt down some more of that polka fabric, (as I fudged the construction of this top a little) but I couldn’t see it on my last trip to Goldhawk Road. The navy trousers (Weds/Thurs) I cropped and narrowed ages ago but never wore them because I’d put on a little weight. Well somehow I must’ve lost some because they now fit, yay! I liked the sailor style button details on the hips but the original length and leg width wasn’t quite right. Both legs really are the same length I promise. When I stand like that in a photo, one knee bent, it make the perspective a little odd! The navy top (Fri) has sat in my repair pile for AGES. (I wore it to “the” blogger meetup in Goldhawk Road last year) It took MMM to give me the kick up the arse I needed to sort it out. I was in a rush to finish it and I, well erm, I didn’t finish it. That is to say, I didn’t finish the raw edges inside before I wore, and then washed it (several times!). I received a few compliments on the “ingenuity” of this top that day. Little did Zoe, Karen et al know the guilty secret that was on the inside! No matter, because it has all been sorted now! Amazing what a zig zag stitch can do in 5 minutes 😉
Oh, and we had some sun too!

Me Made May 12, Pattern Drafting, refashioning, Restyles

Me Made May – 1 Week down!

05/07/12

So, Me Made May 2012 is well under way and I’ve been enjoying seeing everyones outfits. Both on their blogs and in the Flickr group. I sympathise wholly with lighting woes expressed by fellow Brit bloggers due the relentlessly grey and wet weather AND I totally relate to those that find “self photography” the only part of the MM challenge that isn’t fun! You’ll notice in my pics I generally can’t bring myself to look at the camera. Heck, on Wednesday I look like a sulky teenager avoiding eye contact whilst being told off. The weird thing is, anyone that knows me IRL, will tell you I’m a pretty direct and seemingly confident person. I’ll always maintain eye contact when I’m speaking to someone. I just hate having my picture taken. Always have. It’s the one aspect of writing a sewing related blog that I’m not entirely comfortable with. But I try! (on Sunday I gave myself a day off from photos, as I already had a photo of the exact outfit I was wearing, ha ha!) Anyway, I felt some explanation, nay, apology (!) was in order for the plonkeresque nature of my “poses” before getting on with the business of outfits…

Tuesday: Grey top- Self drafted (fabric Â£4/m), Cropped Jeans – Thrifted (Â£3) and refashioned.
Wednesday: Striped Tee- Refashioned (not blogged), Trousers – Thrifted (Â£1.50) and refashioned.
Thursday: Vintage plaid shirt – Thrifted (99p), Trousers – Thrifted (Â£1.50) and refashioned.

Friday: White Blouse – Thrifted (99p), Trousers – Thrifted (Â£2) and refashioned
Saturday – Geometric Print Top – Self drafted (fabric Â£2), Flared Jeans – thrifted (Â£4)
Sunday– Denim Shirt – Thrifted (Â£1.50) and refashioned, Cropped Jeans – thrifted (Â£3) and refashioned

So, what have I gleaned so far? The last 3 outfits I like. Saturday and Sunday being the most flattering on me shape wise. Tuesday’s is ok. The shapes are good I think, but the fabric of the top looks too drapey. Not something I noticed whilst wearing it so self photography has it’s benefits! I’m feeling a wee bit ho hum about my sky blue cropped trousers (Weds/Thurs) I LOVE my blue cropped trousers but they look odd in both photos. Possibly I narrowed them too much at the ankle. I’m hoping it’s just the camera angle. Usually I only wear my plaid shirt (Thurs) with my flared jeans (Saturday) which is a combo that I think works well enough. But worn with those blue trousers? Well it’s not a combo I shall be repeating!
So onwards and upwards. I desperately need to do some laundry (or some speedy sewing)!!!
Take care

Me Made May 12

Me Made May 2012

04/30/12

At the eleventh hour, well almost (You’ve got until midnight GMT tonight if you haven’t already caved) , I’ve fallen off the edge and decided to challenge myself with Zo’s latest Me Made Challenge..

So here’s my pledge:

‘I, Portia of Miss P, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’12. I endeavour to wear at least one me made item each day for the duration of May 2012 and for my whole outfit to be Me Made for at least 3 days each week (excluding coats, undergarments and shoes!)’

Eeep! Now the challenge of remembering to photograph my outfits, making sure my barnet is presentable for said photos and trying not to look like a complete moron in the process. At least 2 out of those 3 should be achievable…;)