Me Made May week 4

Gardening season has arrived! I am loving the summery weather and I hope my seedlings are, too.

This sundress is one I made last year, after finding the cutest cherry-print cotton. It ties at the neck, and ties up the back, and has ruffles! (n.b. this dress was sadly not cute enough to solve all of life’s problems...

Sundress with cherry print

This butterfly-wing top was inspired by a Ravelry poster who is no longer with us. Bittersweet to wear in her memory, but she’d want us all to be twirling.

Polka dot butterfly top with denim pencil skirt 

Pulled out this gingham top from almost exactly 12 years ago - originally inspired by Bye Bye Birdie, interesting to compare my garden then to my garden now!

Yellow gingham sleeveless shirt 

This dress was a very pandemic project: cotton baptiste bought in a colour I didn’t care for, but was on sale for next to nothing. I de-coloured it, and then hand painted all the  polka dots. Lined the skirt with an old bedsheet. Buttons from stash. Really everything was stuff I had on hand already, except the vintage buckle which you can’t even see in this photo, from Agnes Vintage Buttons. Because during a pandemic, why not wait for something shipped from Spain?

Polka dot cotton baptiste dress with pussybow 

This linen-cotton top is from yeeeears ago... matching pencil skirt as well, although it got worn more, and washed more, so it’s faded more. I keep thinking I will over-dye them both. One day. Skirt is a simple wrap, cotton print from a Fabricland haul a couple of years ago.

Linen bateau neck top, wrap skirt with bicycle print 

Currently raining, hope my sprouts enjoy!

Me Made May week 3

Another week over!

Weather was up and down, as was my mood.

Mother’s Day was this week, so feeling blecch. Even though I made sure it was a lovely day—breakfast in bed, group bike ride—I want someone else to do the legwork for once. Waah waah.

Polka dot nighty 

Sundress with yellow roses

This was the year that I finally bought shoes a size large for the sake of handknit socks, just in time for it to be too warm (mostly) for handknit socks. 

Socks 

The uppy-downy weather made it good for a wardrobe staple for me: the sleeveless shirt, perfect for layering for changing temps. Also another pair of handknit socks, and the jeans that are my bellwether of fitness (bit on the snug side, but we’re getting there.

Sleeveless polka dot shirt, straight leg jeans, wool socks

This is my Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief cosplay. Linen sweater, linen pants. Still working on my Grace Kelly. 

Striped linen sweater, grey linen trousers 

Getting even warmer, a cotton knit top (with a really interesting construction) and cotton twill skirt (just tailored enough to make the very casual top feel work worthy).

Cotton striped knit top, cotton twill skirt

And finally, long weekend, more sleeping in.

Pyjamas 

Me Made May week 2

It's Me Made May week 2! Summer dress season! 

Copying the summer dress manifesto I posted on socials:

You might see someone wearing a summer dress and think 😍 and feel compelled to express your feelings! Here are 2 tips on how to do that in a way that will be appreciated:

1. Wear a summer dress 💃

People wearing cute summer dresses almost always appreciate seeing other cute summer dresses. Be part of summer dress season by wearing one yourself!

Not a dress person? Try other grownup clothes, anything made of woven fabric with button closures is a good place to start.

2. Compliment the dress! 

Comments like "OMG that dress is adorbs" or "that colour is amazing on you" are 👍 

One caveat: the *only* people allowed to comment on summer dresses are people who are themselves wearing summer dresses.

So: wear a summer dress, see a dress, say "I love your dress!" And maybe they'll say "no I love YOUR dress!!" This is the ideal summer dress season interaction.

V-back Fit-and-flare in polka dot cotton poplin 

Gingham ruched and ruffled with handknit cardigan 

Black and white V-neck 

Ruched V-neck in black knit 

Vintage party dress with handknit cardigan 

Me Made May

It’s that time of the year again!

I have been making an effort to wear at least one me-made thing every day, whether it’s handsewn or handknit. (I eat something me-made every day as well but that doesn't seem like much of an accomplishment.)

The intent is to take regular outfit of the day pics to share once a week. Helps that the summer weather just arrived as I was getting bored with sweaters. Here’s what I've got so far:

Floral embroidered gingham shirt with removable pussybow, denim wrap skirt 

Felted banya hat 

Fit-and-flare shirtdress with bell sleeves in organza with silver polka dots 

V-neck ruched dress in floral/dotted jersey 

Cotton poplin wrap dress with topstitched floral trim and tie

Muslin shirtdress with waist tie and piping 

They’re not all exactly the same but there are definitely some recurring themes here... shirts and shirtdresses, knee-length skirts, wraps and ties and bows, dots and florals, black and white and red. I’m fine with that though, clearly I know what I like to wear!

Part of the purpose of this exercise is not just knowing what I like, but actually wearing it—not second-guessing whether it’s age-appropriate, or “too costumey,” or whatever other element of self-doubt and insecurity tries to sneak in and steal joy. Just be unabashedly whatever one wants to be, wearing whatever one wants to wear. So far so good?