The Fabric Alchemist

This Me-Made-May recap is brought to you in part by scarves and layers. Spring in Seattle is starting out a bit cool.

May 12 – Highgarden T-sweater

This sweater (blogged about last year) belongs with rose gardens and summer tea parties. Alas, the weather on May 12 was brisk, requiring tights, scarf and a black blazer.

I love this sweater – and yes there are things I would change if I made it again. I would make it a few inches shorter; I would transition between skeins more smoothly to avoid having to weave in ends after it was done; and I would try a different fiber content.The silk-bamboo has a great drape, but it’s slightly heavier weight causes the sweater to stretch more than I want it to.

May 13 – Refashioned denim skirt

I like having a lightweight denim (probably technically chambray) skirt. It is best on warm spring and summer days. I can wear it with tights or leggings (as seen here), however the thing fabric catches on the leggings and rides up constantly. I would like to redo the waistband to fit more snugly and I should finish the end of the side zipper so it stops scratching my leg.

May 14 – Cambie Dress

The Cambie is a popular pattern for a reason. I love it for the deep pockets (to hold my cell phone while I lead museum tours) and for the wide strap-sleeves that conceal those roaming bra straps without adding the heat of full sleeves.

A new Cambie is not high on my project list, nevertheless I could justify the project by making one in a lighter weight fabric. The double layer cotton (outfit fabric and lining) gets a bit warm in the summer.

May 15 – “Coping with menstruation”

Waking up feeling pain in your abdomen and lower back dramatically dampens enthusiasm for MeMadeMay. I wore my green floral tunic over a pair of comfy RTW slacks.

May 16 – Mom-Made-Maxi

Did your mom have a dress that you coveted when you were younger? Was there a suit jacket that you wanted to never return to your dad’s closet? My mom made this to wear to a wedding. It has an elastic waist and offers just enough looseness to feel romantic without feeling concealed in a Smurf-colored sack.

After years of covering the dress I finally got up the courage to submit a garment adoption request. I plan to wear it all summer.

May 17 – Orcas Island Lounging

Greg and I hopped over to Orcas Island for a short weekend getaway. When we were exploring Moran State Park or eating yummy food, we lounged at the Otters Pond B&B bird watching. I wore this casual ensemble out to dinner and around town. The knit skirt (from a clothing exchange) was wonderful to curl up in on the deck.

Thoughts about this week

• I need to make some warmer clothes!

As my first handmade garments weren’t really part of an overall wardrobe plan, the lack of warm clothes doesn’t surprise me. Wool was intimidating, pants were intimidating, jackets and coats are still intimidating. Cute skirts and dresses, with fewer joints and curves to fit are where most of us start sewing.

And making warmer clothes is exactly what I am doing (or trying to do). You are looking at the partially taped together Ginger Jeans pattern, view A.

• The issue of comfort came up a couple times in the last two weeks – headaches and menstrual cramps. In general that level of pain kills enthusiasm and saps energy. Because I had no warm and cozy handmade garments that are appropriate for the workplace, I felt doubly challenged on those days.

That’s it for this week. I’ve decided to save my wardrobe observations for after MMM’15 ends.

You can follow my daily Me-Made-May posts on Instagram. Then stick around after May for more photos of my cat, cosplay progress, and more everyday garment sewing!