Me Made May
May is really fun on social media because it’s the month when folks really show off the clothes they’ve made for themselves. This is especially applicable to the sewing community given that May in a lot a parts of the world is starting to be a bit warm for knits, but I tend to have cropped sweaters and scarves still in heavy rotation and I layer almost year round.
As I’ve explored my personal style through making my own clothes I’ve discovered that I pretty much need to start with a sleeveless layer. I get hot (and being frank here, sweaty) and tee shirts or long sleeves as a base layer just don’t feel great. But I’m also that person who always needs a sweater if I sit still for five minutes. So every day I usually pick an outfit with at least a tank, a long sleeve top, and a sweater.
I’ve been interested in the concepts of capsule wardrobes and uniforms because dialling my style and organizing my outfits is extremely appealing to me. I really love clothes and have a lot of them, but I do think it’s fun to separate my outfits into “looks” for different seasons, plus it’s fun to look at my clothes this way to help me decide what to pack when I travel. So in that spirit, here are a few looks and how I might mix and match to get some variety.
Andrea wearing plum red culottes and a black V neck tank with thin straps and an all-over pale grey leaflet print. The fabric texture is crisp and billowing.
Andrea wearing plum red culottes and a vivid green pullover with a textured yoke.
Andrea is wearing a cropped mustard coloured pullover with pale grey patterning at the yoke. The texture is just a tiny bit fluffy. Under the sweater is a black tank top with a grey leaf print. She’s also wearing flowing mauve culottes that match the colour of leaves on a tree in the background.
Andrea wearing a pale pink cropped pullover with a textured yoke over a black and grey printed tank and flowing mauve culottes.
Look: Culottes, a woven tank, and a fitted sweater
Top
Pattern: Ogden by True Bias. I made size 2 and I’ve got a 31” bust.
Fabric: Block printed cotton from Maiwa. I also used black silk crepe from Fancy Tiger for the facing and straps and it’s very soft and comfortable.
Thoughts: I’ve sewn probably seven Ogdens by now, I really don’t know. But it fits me well, is pretty easy to sew, and goes with everything. This is the stiffest fabric I’ve used for this pattern and it’s definitely more billowing and A-line than the others I’ve made but I really love it more than I expected. I tried to make straps out of the main fabric, but couldn’t get them to turn with the heavy fabric so I just made the straps from the silk crepe instead. This is possibly the only printed garment I’ve ever made.
Culottes
Pattern: Winslow Culottes by Helen’s Closet. I made size 4 and I’ve got a 26.5” waist and 38.75” hips.
Fabric: 6oz Lyocell twill from Blackbird.
Thoughts: I went with the pattern’s advice and made size 4 based on my waist size since it’s got so much ease at the hips and I definitely did the right thing. The only change I made was to hem them 2” shorter. I’m about 5’6”. I was going for a flowing maxi skirt with pockets look and I think I achieved that. I think the drape and pleats give them a feel that’s casual and fancy at the same time, so that’s a win I think. I like that they’ve got a zipper closure because I think the pleats are neater than the gathers of an elastic waistband would be.
Green Yoke Pullover & Pink Yoke Pullover
Pattern: Seablush Pullover by me! Both of these are the size 32”, giving me about an inch of positive ease. This is one of my most worn sweaters in both colours, though I do find the regular length green one to be more versatile in my wardrobe than the cropped one.
Yarn:
Green: The Farmer’s Daughter Soka’pii, a very interesting and soft textured singles yarn. The colour is so incredibly saturated and vivid.
Pink: Biches et Bûches Le Petit Lambswool. This one is so incredibly light and lofty! I love how soft the lambswool is for a woolen spun yarn and the pink is really pretty.
Thoughts: These sweaters have just the right combo of interesting and basic to work with a lot of outfits. I’ve decided to take the green one as my only sweater when I travel this month. They’re made in fingering weight yarn at a tiny gauge, so it is a lot of knitting, but fingering weight sweaters are so wearable!
Patterned Yoke Pullover
Pattern: Dissent Pullover by me. I made the 32” and it’s got a very similar fit to Seablush.
Yarn: Julie Asselin Anatolia held with Nurtured Fine. You might be able to see that slight fluffy halo that comes from the mohair/silk.
Thoughts: I really adore how the colour of this sweater works with the plum coloured culottes! I think the cropped look is very balanced with the immense amount of fabric that the culottes have.
Andrea wearing a bright blue layered tank with a V neck and narrow straps over worn jeans with multiple sections of visible mending.
Andrea wearing mended jeans with a bright blue tank under a chambray button down with the sleeves rolled up.
Andrea wearing a rich green textured pullover over mended jeans.
Andrea wearing a long, draping beige duster over jeans and a bright blue tank.
Look: Flowy tank, jeans, a button down, and a sweater or duster
Top
Pattern: Ogden by True Bias again. Size 2.
Fabric: Indigo dyed silk that was a birthday gift from my sister. It was so hard to cut into this gorgeous stuff!
Thoughts: Instead of making the standard facing, I cut 2 of the main Front and Back, with one pair being a bit longer than the pattern. So it’s two layers of silk that just has the prettiest drape! I think this would be a great way to use fabric that’s a bit sheer for this pattern.
Button Down
Pattern: Cheyenne Tunic from Hey June Handmade, size 0/2.
Fabric: Robert Kaufman Essex Yarn Dyed Homespun Linen - Chambray, a cotton/linen blend
Thoughts: I like the look of this shirt a lot, but I think the fit is a little more snug than I want and the collar is a bit big for my taste. The sleeves are a little too tight to be comfortable under a fitted sweater, but it’s great under an oversized one. So I wear this a whole lot, but I can’t wear it with everything. It looks classic.
Mended Jeans
These are ancient jeans that actually fit me well, so I saved them with extensive mending. You can read about my process and see more details of the mends on my blog post: Visible Mending Jeans
Green Pullover — see above
Beige Duster
Pattern: Lichen Duster from Sew Liberated. I blended between sizes 0 and 10, which felt as wild as it sounds, but my bust was a 0, my waist a 2, and my hips a 10. It actually worked out just fine. There’s so much ease at the hips that it probably wasn’t necessary to grade up so much, but I like how it turned out.
Fabric: Viscose Linen slub from Blackbird. This stuff has a very heavy feel, but in a good way. It’s substantial and draping with a little texture.
Thoughts: This was an enormous project and I did every detail as perfectly as I could. I still have some leftover bias binding that I made because I bound every single seam! I’m really proud of the finishing, but I haven’t really gotten it into heavy rotation. Maybe I’m not used to “duster” as a category of clothing? It’s like more of a coat than a button down but not really warmer. What do you think, does it work with this outfit?
Andrea wearing a black hooded tank dress that’s snug around the bust and waist, and flared around the hips, with black leggings and sandals.
Andrea wearing a beige ballet wrap cardi over a black dress and leggings.
Andrea wearing a chambray button down with sleeves rolled up over a hooded black dress and leggings.
Andrea wearing a green textured sweater over a black dress and leggings.
Look: Knit dress with leggings and various things on top
Hooded Dress
Pattern: A heavily hacked Kila Tank from Allie Olson. The skirt is self-drafted and the hood is from Hey June Lane Raglan.
Fabric: I really don’t remember. It’s a pretty standard cotton knit, probably with a bit of something stretchy in it, probably from Blackbird.
Thoughts: I think leggings and knit skirts are the most comfortable outfit for extended sitting, so I usually wear some version of this while travelling. I appreciate the fit-and-flare vibe because this silhouette makes me feel more balanced with my bust/hips/waist ratio than I sometimes feel with a tight-all-over dress.
Wrap Cardi
Pattern: Coppelia Cardi from Papercut. I made size 2.
Fabric: Ribbed Bamboo from Blackbird.
Thoughts: I like this silhouette a lot, though I think maybe the pale colour shows off lumps and bumps a bit. I left off the cuffs so the sleeves are a little short, but I’ve sewn with this fabric before and it really grows over time, so I figured I’d be better off without cuffs. I have more of this fabric in black so I’m thinking of making another, probably in the smaller size since it’s so very stretchy.
Chambray button down and green sweater — see above.
Are you into Me Made May? Tell me about something you’ve made for yourself that you’re excited to wear this month!
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