Sewing for me

I had been SO neglecting myself, it was high time I sewed a little something for me^^
I still don't have a pic of my cousin's jacket but I have some of one I've just made for me using the same pattern, design F from the third Stylish Dress Book:

I made size 11 and didn't change a thing to the pattern but I must say that with my bigger arms I should have altered the sleeves for a little more ease. Construction is really simple on this one, you attach the front and back, set in the sleeves, attach the facings and finish the hems and that's it! Also there should be breast pockets but I'm not a fan of these so I didn't put them. I used some green blended linen from my stash, it's light but surprisingly warm, perfect for the ongoing winter.

 You can see my extremely kitsch hem lace, I know it is ugly but I really wanted to bust that notion stash :(

I couldn't think of a suited trim for the jacket so I handsewed sequins along the front and neckline and around the sleeves' hem, I love decorating or finishing garments by hand because it takes a little time and care and I find that very relaxing!

I made the striped top underneath a few months ago using my self-drafted baby doll pattern and medium weight cotton from a local shop, I love that fabric and I'm glad that I still have some left because I want to make cropped trousers and a bag from it -I won't be wearing them all at the same time, I swear^^:

Sewing for the family

I've been suffering from atrocious bouts of selflessness lately and as a result I made stuff for my relatives! It was my cousin/bff's birthday a few days ago and I made her a -if I dare say so- GORGEOUS jacket, I'm waiting for her to take a pic of it because of course I never thought about doing that when I had said jacket in my possession^^.
Meanwhile here's a t-shirt I customised for my mama using appliques, I found the shapes in one of my Mrs Stylebook magazines:

I had never tried appliques because I was afraid it would look a bit cheap and badly done but the result's actually quite nice, now I want to put some everywhere! I used two-face fusible interfacing, fabric scraps of course and finished the pieces with a narrow zigzag machine stitch.
I also made her a navy cotton skirt, the fabric has a beautiful embroidered, scalloped edge that gives the simple A-line design a lot of class :) And yes she has stolen what used to be MY Liberty top :

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: