So long Me-Made-May, hello summer sewing!

Me-Made-May no more. :(

With an 80-strong group of fabulous sewing, crafting ladies from all over the globe who I stalked even when I should've been grading or packing or sewing, Me-Made-May was an incredible experience. Even on the "lite" version, I learned a ton. It was one of those serendipitous things that came at the perfect time. I always think, when learning a new skill, that there comes that point when you must decide to go through the frustrating and rewarding process of getting good or settling with being merely adequate. Languages are like this for me. I get all excited about learning a new language but I always self-destruct when it comes to the work it takes to be fluent. At one point or another, I could carry on childish conversations in French, Mandarin, Spanish, and Tagalog.

Sewing, for a long time, was like that. I could sew adequately, anything with straight lines: curtains and pillows and tote bags. I'd started to re-consider sewing apparel (after dismal first attempts years ago!) and then I stumbled onto this amazing sewing community in the blogosphere. Then Me-Made-May came around and, even though I knew I was moving at the end of May, it allowed me to use April to try and alter and refashion unused items in my closet or donate them. I'm a former deadline reporter, I need that guillotine hanging over my head. And guess what I learned with that deadline inspired stitching? I can sew apparel. I make plenty of mistakes, but Yes I Can.

Since I've been deficient in the photo department, a photo of the final day in Me-Made-May, starring the (wrinkled) Marie skirt I learned to love:



Several other bloggers have chimed in on MMM lessons, so this is a bit redundant, but here's some lessons/thoughts.

-I've loved reading other blogs and being inspired by the handiwork of others. Because sewing requires work and craftsmanship (and shortcuts can be costly!) I admire it all the more. These women learned to sew, to sew well, have gone through trial and error and came out the other side with fabulous things to show for it. It shows me, as a beginner, that patience and work and a little playfulness pays off.

-I like dresses and skirts. Who knew? And I like Burda patterns. The sizing, for me, is perfect.

-I've learned that I need to be less cheap with my fabric, because if I'm going to create a quality garment, I need to use quality materials (and by "quality" I mean no-longer-scraping-the-bottom-of-the-barrel). I buy a lot of clearance fabric and fabric at thrift stores, but now that I'm actually making wearable items, I sometimes feel that cost in other ways. If I don't love it, don't buy it just 'cause it's cheap (so obvious, but why is it so hard?). And if I'm making something I know I will use frequently, I should just pay for the fabric I really want.

-I need to find some tried-and-true patterns that are reliably versatile, stylish and well-fitting.

-This is wisdom from Amy of Quixotic Pixels (and quoted by Zoe), "When clothes come 'hot off the sewing machine,' I tend to be hyper alert for fit problems and/or construction failures. If I focus on those things too much, my home-sewn clothes get relegated to the back of the closet." Yes! That's exactly right. MMM forced me wear my clothes and guess what? Like RTW, after a few jaunts out, I don't even notice.

-Speaking of not noticing, others didn't notice my clothes were handmade either. In fact, I got compliments!

-Even though I've definitely had some fails this month, I've never been happier about the way I dress. I feel more confident, more like my clothes are a reflection of me, which is what this blog is about: Finding my style, one garment at a time.

Whew! That's a lot. But see? One challenge, lots of lessons. I'd wished, especially looking at the photos in the Flickr pool, that I could've participated at a higher level and lucky for me, Zoe has created Self-Stitched September! That's right, we're doing it again in three month's time.

Here's my challenge:

I, Ali of http://wardrobereimagined.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Self-Stitched-September. I endeavour to wear at least one handmade item of clothing every day for the duration of September 2010.


My MMM personal challenge included altered and refashioned items, so I'm upping the ante. If I use an old garment for its fabric, I'll still consider it homemade rather than refashioned, though I reserve bragging rights for reuse.

So what's on the sewing agenda before September? Still whipping up those Ruby Shorts with Lisette of Vintage or Bust (does anyone know what size the buttons are? These BurdaStyle instructions just kill me). I've joined Cecili's wonderful Japanese top sew-along. Join us! You know you want one, with all those Japanese designs making their way around the internet, you can now have your very own.

And some of the MMM ladies were interested in doing a Summer Essentials Sew-along. I'd love it if you'd join us! Are there five garments you'd rather not live without this summer? More on the sew-along in my next post.

May-love to you all.

Me-Move-May: More than Pretty Dresses

Aha! I found my computer.

See, my entire life is in boxes, and my camera battery went kaputso and the charger is god-knows-where. So I can't prove to you that since my graduation I've been keeping up with the Me-Made-May challenge, but it's just been the same reiterations over and over. The past few days, my Mad Men headbands have been keeping the hair off my face as we packed and unpacked the truck, and right now I'm taking a break from trying to fit our clothes into a single closet. I never thought I could get so excited about Wonder Hangers and storage contraptions.

My partner and I have been living apart for the past year and a half so now we face the challenge of combining two households in one, and if I can say so, he's sort of a clothes-and-shoe diva (sorry, darling, it's true). The man easily has more shoes than I do and he's a tall man so everything takes more room. Unfair. I'm actually worried about my fabric stash. In the 2001 film, Love the Hard Way, the protagonist played by Adrien Brody (for whom I have a serious weakness) writes his novel in a storage unit. Depending on how things go, I likewise might be whipping up my summer wardrobe in a space the size of a hobbit cave. Who says sewing isn't a luxury? It not only requires some moolah and lots of time, but adequate space!

Anyway, enough of my closet-mania. I thought I'd randomly share some links/thoughts.

-The long drive was helped along by Red Bull, Chex Mix and several CraftSanity podcasts. I particularly loved this interview with my current designer-crush Wendy Mullin and this one with designer Cal Patch. I am definitely buying both of these women's books: Mullin's Built by Wendy Dresses: The Sew U Guide to Making a Girl's Best Frock and Patch's Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified. Anyone have these? Any recommendations?

-Lisette at Vintage or Bust is hosting a fabulous Ruby shorts sew-along! I have been aching for a pair of these and the warm weather is making this a necessity (now where is my machine?). I'm going to be wicked late to this party, but join us and/or peek in on the participants!

-Check out Gertie's post and accompanying comments on Retro and Race, inspired by Beyonce's retro style in her "Why Don't You Love Me?" video. I'm too zonked to offer a meaningful, intelligent response but to say I live for discourse like this. My academic work focused on post-colonial literature, and I'm intrigued by history, society, perception, etc. Popular culture reflects this, including the clothes we are wearing. They're so much more than pretty dresses. (And beyond the "retro and race" issue -- am I the only one that finds the basic premise of the song troubling?)

-Speaking of being more than pretty dresses, Jessica at A Yen for Craft writes about the crafting trends in this fascinating post. Jessica poses interesting points, particularly what it would take to make crafting go mainstream (and are we there, or close?), and is this new slow-fashion/clothes movement comparable to the Slow Food movement? I formerly maintained an organic garden and it changed my outlook on food, my eating habits and my relationship to my body. Now sewing, I absolutely concur that there's a lot of overlap between the benefits of these movements. Perhaps what they say is true: Anything worth having is worth working for, and for me that means either making it yourself, spending the time to understand essential processes, or forking over extra money for quality goods.

-Carmencita B had a wonderful post on "Letting Go," specifically of letting go of inevitable sewing mishaps and how every seamstress has a different threshold. I'm trying to reform my sewing-shorthand-sloppiness and I'm getting better simply because I realize there are some mistakes that are going to drive me bonkers if I don't fix them. A former-me would not finish edges/seams and now I literally can't not do it. Nor can I handle any highly visible crooked seam. Those sound like no-brainers but it wouldn't've fazed me before, I was just delighted that I managed to put two pieces of fabric together. And then there are just the mistakes that constitute my learning curve that may be unfixable and I have to live with that. Where's your threshold? What can't you live with?

My partner and I have been talking about how it's the seemingly marginal activities that can be defining and shaping factors in our lives. For example, I'm learning how to focus in the creation process of clothes because that's where it matters. In comparison, a former-me would have simply thrown everything in my closet, with no thought to livability, organization, practicality, etc. But now I'm taking my time because all this work now saves me time later. Perhaps that's just patience I'm learning, but I'd like to think all the lessons we learn in our creative lives benefit us in all facets of our lives. What do you think?

Pomp and circumstance: Burda 7494

As I told one of the crying students who had come to my office after taking on too much and thus, falling behind in school, we all learn the hard way how to balance our lives. I, for one, have superwoman complex: I think I can do everything.

When Zoe announced the Me-Made-May challenge, the thought passed through my head that I could actually make all of my own garments for the month, even though I only had one dress, two skirts, and a pair of very red pants to begin with. See? Superwoman complex.

Then I had to remember that I was graduating from a three-year master's program, moving nearly 600 miles away and grappling with all the weird emotional (sadness/elation) stuff that goes with so many doors closing and opening at once. So, I allowed myself one sewing indulgence for the month of May: Burda 7494. Dresses are a new revelation to me and I'd planned to wear it to graduation.

I haven't seen anyone whip this up, but I just love the shape. That peter pan collar, princess seams, tulip skirt. Oh my!



I'd been showing the pattern to friends for suggestions on color. When my friend Shelley came to visit, she said I couldn't do black with a white collar as "you're going to look like a Pilgrim!" Ha, she's got a great sense of humor and is incredibly generous: She came by a few days later with armloads of fabric. Six yards of yellow and a yard of various options for the collar. I vacillated on which to choose, but when it came to cutting, I chose her original choice for the collar: Navy toile. Here's a close-up of the collar:



Most of all, I was surprised how easily this came together. I was heartened to know that I'm getting better, so the going gets easier. I shortened the bodice to match my bust point, omitted the lining, altered the pleats in back to avoid bubble-butt as evidenced in the Marie skirt, and used the Marie skirt facing for the hem. I struggled a little with the self-fabric facing on the sleeves, but all in all, it was a joy to put together. What I love the most is that it fits me perfectly. I think I'm sold on Burda patterns from now on. Here's the dress:



I was too cheap to buy the cap and gown, though at one point, turned to my colleague and wondered if I could buy just the hood. After all, how many times am I going to get hooded in my lifetime (unless I want to torture myself with a PhD)? Anyway, this meant that I was this yellow beacon on the stage with nearly everyone in black caps and gowns! My family said they could spot me immediately.

The fabric, as you can see, is a little wrinkled and it's not the perfect choice for this dress, but it makes a nice wearable muslin, I think. I'll definitely be using parts of the pattern again -- the bodice, particularly. I do prefer a little more collarbone visibility (a cleavage stand-in for a small bust, according to What Not to Wear), but I can play around with it. Up next: Red with black collar and perhaps a scalloped edge? What do you think?

I'm always hyper-conscious of an item when it's fresh off the sewing machine, but the photos don't look half bad. Here's the graduation dress in action:



To finishing, the dress and the degree! Hallelujah. Now I can sleep.

Pattern Giveaway!

I'm moving and slimming down my worldly goods, which includes my pattern stash. I'm happy to pass these on to other sewists who feel they can use them, and will send it on to you anywhere in the U.S.! Please just drop me a line with your address at ustreetmove at gmail dot com.

Because I'm moving, I don't have time to go through every single one to make sure all the pieces are there (though I imagine they are, save one or two out of all of them). I guess that's the price of free ;)

They go on a first-come, first-serve basis. I'll email you back and confirm, and pop 'em in the mail soon. Note: I'm deleting the patterns as they go.

Please take them and love them!

Vogue American Designer (Calvin Klein) 1885, size 10: 32.5-25-34.5


McCall’s 8512, Size 16 (Bust 38)


McCall’s Liz Claiborne 8250, size 10: 32.5-25-34.5


McCall’s 7921, Jones New York, Size 10


Vogue American Designer (Calvin Klein) 1320, size 8: 31.5-24-33.5


McCall’s 7562, Size 16

Me-Made-May Lite: Days 17-20

Day 17	Day 18
Day 19	Day 20

Even on the lite version, I started to grow weary of the same combos. Enter the refashioned black pants that I hardly wear and are usual work wear. But hey, they were fine grading and packing companions on Days 17 and 20.

On Day 18, I sported the Marie skirt with an untucked shirt which helped me avoid some of the bubble-butt-tulip-action going on in the rear. I love love the pleats in the front, but I downright dislike the voluminous behind. But with comfort and pleats and the tuck-in-tuck-out business, I'm starting to like this skirt after all.

Day 19, refashioned jeans and me-made tee. I had some problems with this tee -- the edges never curled (knit too heavy) and when I made the neckband it stood up. Ugh. So I gave it a little pleat and button in front, which makes it wearable. But the fine gals at the MMM Flickr group have given me wonderful tips on sewing knits so I think I'll take the plunge again.

Graduation's today, so my attention's a bit scattered, but Happy Friday everyone!

Day 15: Considering the Vacation Wardrobe

I've been realizing in Me-Made-May and going through my pattern stash that my sewing is willy-nilly, and I've been thinking I need to concoct some sort of plan. I've been inspired by other sewing bloggers who are making their way through vintage sewing books, concocting personal challenges or creating top ten lists. The idea is that it'll keep me focused and even when I veer away, I'll still end up with some things that have staple quality. I definitely know I want a retro swimsuit for the summer, and a Colette Lady Grey Coat for the fall.

My wardrobe fantasy aligns with my less-is-more philosophy of late: to have a fairly spare closet but most things mix and match and a few eye-catching pieces. (I've read that any new addition to your closet should meet the "rule of three": each piece can be paired with at least three things you already own. Do you think that's reasonable?) Since it's summer, these images from the wonderful Millie Motts blog caught my eye. "Cool Suggestions for a Vacation Wardrobe" circa 1950s.




The old noggin started thinking. Here's a 1960 pattern I'm considering, sold by SewUniqueClassique. It's not exactly in my size, but look at all the mix-and-match elements!



I particularly like the slim pant/collared shirt variation. Since I'm considering a vacation-wardrobe (or summer-coordinates) project, Day 15 was born:



Refashioned jeans and shirt. 1970s wedges, probably once owned by one of my aunts, rescued from the Balikbayan box my grandmother was sending to the Philippines. All they needed was a new heel and a good shine. I love them!

What are your sewing plans this summer?

Me-Made-May Lite: Days 13, 14 & 16

Not much exciting wardrobe-wise going on around here, but I am attempting to bring some color in. I'm incredibly excited about a sewing project I've got in the works, to be unveiled later this week! :)

Day 13



Attempting to do a better pairing with my BBW-knockoff shorts (refashion), after an ill-pairing on Day 8. Better, but I think I may need to sew some real blouses this summer.

Day 14



All I wanted to do on Day 14 was sleep -- the exhaustion of the semester end set in. So leggings and an altered shirt-dress it was! This is an H&M shirt dress I thrifted and it was waaaay too small. I detached the bodice and skirt took out the four darts and put it all back together again.

Day 16: Pool Party!




A friend gave me a pair of her old jeans so I could make these cuffed shorts. My first pair is proving a bit uncomfortable (too tight in the leg), but these are perfect. These have a 5-inch inseam and were made with this wonderful tutorial from Adventures in Dressmaking. Try it!

The shirt, if it's not obvious, I bought in the Philippines (reads "It's always Chilla in Manila"). I think, thanks to these photos, I'm swearing off skin-tight tees soon. I'm too-square shaped to pull it off. That's it, Happy Monday!

Less is More: Clearing out the Closet

It’s that time again. Moving. Ugh.

Yet as much as I hate packing and cleaning and the dust, ridding myself of things I don’t really need or want is liberating. I’m literally lightning my physical load, but I’m finding I’m also lightening my mental load. By no means am I an ultra-minimalist, like a woman I once interviewed. She had given away all her furniture save a futon and a table. Definitely no clutter, but no warmth, either.

But it raises the question: why is it so easy to accrue stuff? This is particularly true of my closet. For someone who hardly ever shops retail, my closet is a lot fuller than I’d like it to be. Perhaps it’s the curse of thrifting: everything’s so cheap. Yet each time I move (this’ll be the third time in the past year), I’ve given away at least one to two trash bags of clothes, shoes, purses, etc. And I haven’t missed them.

This year—and this blog—is all about reimagining my wardrobe, determining what I really like (rather than what’s simply familiar), what looks good on me, and (to quote the Serenity Prayer) the wisdom to know the difference. Having lots of clothes has helped me be playful in this regard. Now, shorts, dresses and skirts are part of my regular rotation. But now that I’m learning to make better choices, purging my wardrobe is as essential as adding a few quality things to it. Moving makes this a necessity.

One of my thrift store finds was the Carole Jackson’s Color Me Beautiful. There is critique of this book—it’s dated, incompatible for women of color, etc. etc.—but it honestly made all the difference in weeding out my closet. Jackson advises women on the colors that look best on them given their complexion, broken into seasons. I am a winter who looks best in vibrant colors. I would have never thought I could wear white. I owned a lot of beige and pastels and wondered why I hardly wore them, especially since I thought they were versatile and played nicely with everything else. (I looked sort of dead in them is why.)

Jackson even has a chapter on uncluttering your closet. She says the most common wardrobe problems is an accumulation of clothes either bought by a woman who buys as events pop up and so the closet is a “mix but not a match” or who buys compulsively. She writes:

It is of no advantage to either your closet or your peace of mind to have an overwhelming number of clothes. I always suggest to the woman with too much that she create a skeleton wardrobe out of her favorite clothes, then add some extras and take a good, hard look an everything else.

So here’s been my “good, hard look” plan, thanks to Jackson:

1. Take out anything that makes you look sallow. You won’t really wear it. Yes, you can get creative with scarves and things to lessen the color, but isn’t it better just to have colors that flatter you?

2. Create a massive pile: All the things you haven’t worn in a year, the things that don’t really fit (be honest!), and any obvious duplicates (how many black shirts do you really need?).

Jackson would say this is the donation pile since you should be “dressing the body you have now” but as sewists, this is harder because at least I believe I can “re-imagine” these items and plus it’ll save me moolah on fabric. So, take a good hard look at this pile. If you can foresee a definite plan to refashion or alter it, or the fabric is incredibly precious and in your color, keep it. Tuck these clothes away so you won’t be tempted to wear them until you’ve worked your sewing magic on them.

3. Everything else is up for donation. I go to friends first, then a consignment shop, and the rest are donated to a thrift store. I’ve been into consignment lately, partly because I get a few, choice items in trade for some things I wasn’t wearing anyway. It’s a win-win.

That’s it. How do you declutter closet? And do you feel the need to?

On a related note, there’s been great discussion on how people are dealing with the constraints posed by the Me-Made-May challenge. Many sewists have chimed in that the restraints have been fun. We are learning about the gaps in our wardrobes, quality, pairing, color, and print. And having to look at photos of ourselves is forcing us to face the reality of fit and cut on our unique bodies. Who knew that we could learn so much by working with less?

Me-Made-May Lite: Days 8-12

Eight to twelve?? I know, I know, I've been negligent. This photo, from Day 11, illustrates what it's been like around here. Busy, busy. (I'm running to catch the camera timer!)

But it's been the best kind of busy: everything feels like it's coming together. It'll be hectic with a career change and a major move, so I can't match the loveliness that's occurring with other Me-Made-Mayers. Check out Zoe's Days 8-10: who wouldn't want these pieces in their closet?. And I think I need this Armani skirt of Tasia's. The list goes on and on. Cuteness reigns, too, on the Me-Made-May Flickr group. They're so, so inspiring.

I had to laugh when I caught Helene's early conclusions on Me-Made-May and fear of Me-Made-May-Murder (for those of us who appear not to be fulfilling our personal challenges!). I'm also coming to conclusions: I need more interesting clothes in my wardrobe. I love basics, but the photos don't lie. Plainness abounds.

Thanks to the Sew U books, I've been majorly crushing on Built by Wendy. I loved these shorts, the combination of city-sporty-cute:



So, I took an old pair of black shorts, added bias tape to the legs and pockets. My Built-by-Wendy knock-off! (I am planning to visit the store when I'm next in New York and hopefully get a bona fide piece or two.) But when I wore them on Day 8, I realized why I didn't really like the shorts in the first place, they feel too flared. But I think I need to take a tip from the BBW model and wear a loose-fitting, tailored shirt to pull off the look.



After the LA heat subsided, I sported the me-made-cigarette pants, a T-shirt I got in trade and a boyfriend blazer.


Days 9-10-11

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 9: Another sweaty day in L.A. Altered capris, me-made-tee
Day 10: Thrifted, altered J Crew jeans, Michael Stars shirt from the wonderful shop in Murphys, CA, Top Shop Consignment
Day 11: Thrifted, altered gauze top and the skirt was handmade by my grandmother in the old country (circa 1960s). It has a matching jacket and dress. This was enticed out of the closet by the Colette Patterns post on seersucker.

Day 12
I had forgotten these in my inventory, but last year I was playing around with converting bootleg into straight leg and I took these old jeans, altered the leg and added rips. I know there's a great deal of contention about ripped jeans, but I like how casual it is. And besides, my jeans never do this naturally. Well, they do, but in all the wrong places. Yikes!

Before:

After:

These were perfect for packing and cooking and running around. :)

Me-Made-May-Lite: Days 5-7

It's the last week of the semester and I've guests in town, so I'm not being as creative as I hoped, but I'm still wearing the goods!

Day 5

Icky feeling on Day 5, so this is pretty uninspired in the handmade department.



Tank: Refashioned
Shirt, capris and shoes: Thrifted

Day 6



Bottom: Refashioned Beignet-inspired skirt
Top: Ann Taylor tank, thrifted

Day 7

Another closet rescue! I had to have this dress last August and it's been worn, oh, once. The straps were too long, so I altered them this morning.



Dress: Merona, altered

Me-Made-May-Lite: Days 1-4

I was out of town this weekend, so my wardrobe for the first few days had to meet the criteria: Comfy, hassle-free (to get through security), and heat-friendly (the temps in the South Bay reached about 90!).

Day 1

Before the airport

Top: Me-Made tee (first t-shirt!)
Bottom: Refashioned jeans

Day 2:

I've been going on about a practical wardrobe which, for me, typically precludes skirts and dresses. Then my friend Shelley had to come and visit with her army of cute knit dresses. Sigh. I'm so impressionable.

So, a few hours before my graduate reading last week, I decided I absolutely needed a dress. I took this skirt, never worn and received in a clothing swap. It was too long, but the knit was divine. I simply folded it over and in a few hours, I whipped this up. Added a bit of polyester trim, some bottoms and a halter neck.

It's far from perfect, but I think I'm finally getting hip to this knit-dress thing. It feels like you're wearing pajamas but it still qualifies as cute. This is the second time I've worn it.

Before:

After:

Day 3:

Hot! I needed something I could sweat in.

Top: Altered
Bottom: Altered
Accessories: Me-Made Mad Men Headband.

I don't like this combo at all, so lesson to me: Combine the tops and bottoms with other pieces this month.

Day 4:

Back in my digs. Need to go to the office.


Top: Altered tank
Bottom: Me-Made Marie Skirt
Accessories: Me-Made Mad Men Headband

I hardly wear the Marie skirt because it feels a bit baggy and the zipper's wonky. But hey, that's what sweaters and belts are for, no?

Happy May!