First ugly duckling of the year

For a reminder on what ugly ducklings are please click here :) Today's garment actually fits twice in the UD category: first I can't believe I was attracted to that highly synthetic fabric in harsh electric blue -I LOVE blue but my palette for this colour's usually navy and pastel- and second its the first dropped waist dress I've ever owned. As is often the case I don't know why I woke up one morning with the strong desire to make such a garment but I followed my fancy and I'm very happy with the result!

I used a Japanese top pattern with bust darts for the dress, I lengthened it, changed the sleeves that I finished with elastic and added three rows of shirring on the hips.

 

Also here are the last three days of MMM13:
- on 29th I wore my nautical dress from an altered Burda pattern:

- on 30th my chambray V top from the first Stylish Dress book:

- and on 31st my self-drafted fruity cotton skirt:

Lots of thank you to the awesome Zoe for hosting MMM again this year, it was a pleasure to show my me-mades and above all I was amazed at how talented and stylish all the participants were!

Me-Made-May 2013 week four recap

Well after seeing last week's blue fest I did try to wear other colours which led me to a little stash-busting, so thank you MMM^^
On 22nd I wore a dress that I made using a mix of the T and Y patterns from the first Stylish Dress Book and printed cotton bought at Nomura tailors in Kyoto with plain black cotton for the front yoke and side ties:

On 23rd a new dress from a Japanese pattern with a sweet 60's flair found in an NHK book using yellow cotton with tiny white dots from my stash:

On 24th the chartreuse green Burda skirt with a blah purchased tee:

On 25th the same design as on 23rd this time using lilac polycotton from my stash:

On 26th my first sweat shirt OMG!! I found the pattern in a Female magazine and used grey jersey knit, it was so easy and quick to make and the result is so nice to wear that I immediately made another one in kelly green that I wore on 27th with my old navy Pochée shorts:

On 28th I wore the lilac dress from the 25th -I washed it before!-with a grey blended denim jacket adapted from a Burda easy pattern:

So 3 more days to go and I'm already sad that MMM is almost finished :(

Me-Made-May 2013 week three recap

OMG I think I have never worn that much blue in a row!
On 15th I wore my 70's denim skirt with a sweet Uniqlo tee:

On 16th a blue wax dress with plain black yoke adapted from a Burda mag pattern with the refashioned denim jacket:

On 17th the usual 70's dress pattern, this time in navy Japanese cotton:

On 18th a 70's skirt in cotton veil and a 70's kimono jacket in navy raw silk:

On 19th the same jacket with my cropped trousers in navy ponte from a Japanese pattern:

On 20th a brand new self-drafted blouse in light blue crepe graciously gifted to me by my bff for my birthday with a 70's skirt in fruity navy cotton fabric:

I made self-covered buttons for the back.

On 21st I wore a self-drafted shirred maxi dress in white and blue cotton lawn and the refashioned jacket:

Me-Made-May 2013 week two recap

Another week of having fun with me-made things, this time I wore rather old stuff but I felt soooo good in it :)
On 08th I wore a 70's dress, the same as the broderie anglaise one except I used red Japanese cotton for it, I love the print which features traditional children's summer staples such as uchiwa fans, kitsune masks, iced desserts etc... and a refashioned denim jacket from my teenage years^^:

On 09th I felt tired and I obviously wanted to bring my bed outside with me since I wore pajama-esque shorts in white dots on navy crepe and the oldest tee I could find:

On 10th I was in a much better mood since 1) I had washed my hair 2) I wore my cute Burda peplum top with beaded daisy triiiiim:

That outfit was totally inspired by Dora. 

On 11th a blast from the past with this Japanese top I had almost forgotten about, I changed the sleeves from gathered to straight and it became much more wearable:

On 12th I had ZERO inspiration for my outfit so dragged an old black gingham shirt (with daisy trim naturally) that I copied from an RTW garment out of the drawer and my trusted denim shorts from Fait Main and somehow it worked:

On 13th it was mah birthday, my mom gave me an awesome malachite necklace so I paired it with my old navy blended linen Japanese dress -bonus for the sack design because I went to an all-you-can-eat buffet for lunch:

Finally on 14th another "Please don't make me leave my bed" day with the denim shorts from Sunday and a self-drafted bag in Japanese linen:

Me-Made-May 2013 week one recap

Yes, it's that time of the year again and I'm so happy to be part of it! This year I've promised I would go until the end of the challenge so bear with me please^^
So, on 01st I wore a white broderie anglaise dress made from a 70's pattern, it used to be longer and looked a bit dull so I shortened it and tadaaa:

On 02nd a new skirt made from a 70's pattern in super nice navy linen:

On 03rd the same skirt worn with a scowl and a brushed cotton shirt made a few years ago from a Female pattern:

On 04th my first Macaron dress, it was supposed to be a muslin but it's become one of my favourite garments:

On 05th a self-drafted sack dress in navy bedsheet with a tiny plastic elephant brooch:

On 06th a self-drafted loose top in mustard cotton veil (the secret is the top actually has a contrasting purple band at the hem but you can't see it since it's tucked^^) and an eight-gored skirt made with a 70's pattern in fruity cotton:

On 07th a meh chambray skirt from a Simplicity pattern, I have already taken it apart and remade it twice because it was too big and unflattering but it's still not working well. I wore it anyway but I looked horrible in the pics^^ so here's the skirt:

Instant gratification

Don't you love it when you find the perfect fabric for the perfect project, that your machine works perfectly well, that you don't even have to make another spool of thread along and that you finally discover the perfect bias tape in your stash to finish the hem of said project? Well, I sure do^^ and this is exactly what happened with today's top: first, I adore the fabric, it's some airy crepe that I found in my beloved treasure shop -actually I should call it "Hoarder's" because it's a tiny fabric shop that's been open for almost 60 years and they still have stock from the past decades crammed in piles going up to the roof, complete with vintage dust and spider webs, seriously. The cute, colourful print immediately caught my eye and I knew it would make for a great late 70's style camisole so I paired it with my usual self-drafted baby doll pattern and less than an hour later I got this:

My derpy face says it all, I'm in love with my top! Also I tried it tucked into The Skirt and it looked great too :) I hope the fabric is strong because it's probably going to get a lot of wear!

Casual tops

After years of DREADING to sew with knits -fabric will move like crazy when tracing, chalk lines won't show, I need a serger, etc- I took the resolution to at least try it in 2013 and now I feel silly because it's actually super easy! I made two pairs of leggings and two tops and then I even made a dress!
So, the fabric didn't move around as much as I thought and about the tracing problem, I sew so often with Japanese and Burda patterns that I'm used to adding seam allowances while tracing^^ so here I simply added the seam allowances to my pattern and then cut around the paper, duh. I still don't have a serger -I almost got one in 2010 but had to give it back before I could use it because I was broke as hell and needed the money :(- but my brave little Singer does the job perfectly well with its zigzag stitch!
The pattern for the tops comes from an old Burda, I needed a design similar to my old beloved black top and this one is perfect with a boatneck and slim 3/4 sleeves:

Of course I chose stripes, I managed to match them on the sides but not with the sleeves unfortunately. To finish the top I simply zigzagged the edges, folded them and stitched. I also have a leopard one which I made first, you can tell because I used stretch bias to finish the neckline, which was a bad idea since it ended a bit wonky -still love the top though:

These two have become staples in my wardrobe, even when I don't feel like dressing I'm happy that I can slip into something handmade to wear with my jeans!
And since I have some of these fabrics left I want to make matching cardigans because I have a serious thing for twin sets :)