Me Made May week 5

The final week of Me Made May! I even actually made (and wore) something new!

This is a shirt - my favourite shirt pattern - that I started eons ago and never finished. Getting the idea to zhuzh it up a bit with a contrast running stitch got me inspired to get it done. 

Monday got cold again. Old cardigan in Knitpicks Gloss, corduroy wrap skirt that i never wore because it was teal, removed colour and over-dyed (might over-dye again to get a better red?)

I saw a cut top on Instagram recently and then realized it was near identical to this one I made out of old sheets three years ago (self-drafted, inspired by this dress), but with an extra flounce (now I'm tempted to add an extra flounce). Polka dot skirt is one i made in 2018 or so.

Me trying to dress like a capitalist for a peace mission. Same favourite shirt pattern (you can see this fabric in that post from 2013), this time in a really nice black pinstripe, and pencil skirt in a fine wool windowpane check.

I love this dress so much. Black cotton broderie with white collar. I have had it (and the shoes) since 2016 or 2017?

Yellow gingham circle skirt (to match the top from last week) and a black silk halter top that was another pandemic project (ugly print remnant bought at discount, colour removed, over-dyed). Note bike shorts and helmet! I cycle in all these outfits; I don't usually bother with shorts but this in particular was for a ride to a gallery about 30km outside of town.

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!

I’m in love!

How did I not know that Mary Maxim has a ton of vintage knitting patterns currently on sale for $2.99! 

I can’t resist the capes. Especially when I’ve been on a houndstooth kick lately, after falling down an Alexander McQueen rabbit hole and landing in the Horn of Plenty. Who could resist this houndstooth cape:

I already have too many things on the needles but this is definitely going to happen soon...

Funny enough, before I got on my A McQ kick, I had stumbled upon a Reddit post about a cape pattern... which someone made in houndstooth... and I completely forgot until just now, when I saved photos of this vintage pattern (Simplicity 9669) to my computer for reference, and found I had already saved the exact same pic last January ago...

Simplicity 9669 cape pattern with diagram

I mean I guess it’s the universe telling me I will never outgrow the desire for a houndstooth cape, so I need to make one by hook or by crook...

is it really summer? almost?

it certainly feels like summer all of a sudden!

yesterday i sat on a patio, drinking gin and grapefruit juice, wearing linen, and knitting with cotton. perfect way to spend an afternoon.

and, i got a good amount of work done on the to catch a thief pullover. i had the shell finished, but didn't like the neckline - too wide. so i ripped it back and re-knit. think it will be better this time.

and, i found some cotton voile in the right shade of yellow to go with! it has been washed and pressed, will get that skirt made soon i hope.

i actually got more sewing done, too! i started with a simple four-gore skirt, because it was already cut and pinned, and had been for a good year. i did iron it, but apparently after being folded up and squished in the bottom of my fabric stash for a year, those creases don't want to leave. hoping some time hanging and a wash will help with that.

i likely won't wear it until fall, anyway. then i moved on to things i will wear sooner: the navy capris and jacket (mccall's 7938) here's a shot of the jacket bodice with collar interfacing:

maybe i will finish it today? the capris are basically done. i had them almost done on friday, before realizing i didn't have a zipper! boo. this morning i installed the zip and tacked the hem up so i could wear them today. and then we were unaccountably detained, so i actually would have had time to do it properly... sigh. tried to take a photo of them on - photographing dark colours is hard! here's the least blurry pic:

feeling very betty draper in my get-up. the top is one i made a couple of summers ago. for the capris, i used the same pattern (simplicity 8869) as for these grey linen trousers, which now have buttons! i wore them yesterday, and i love them. they have a very 1930s feel - not quite beach pyjamas, which i am slightly obsessed with, but a close enough shape.

finally, here's a shot of the bird dress i altered last week - the original midriff piece was more of a waistband, not even two inches wide. i found more of the fabric and cut a new piece. had to take out a bunch of seams, and the zipper (grr) and put it back together. but now i can wear it, after it gets a wash and a good pressing!

we've still three weeks to go before risk of last frost has officially passed, but i'm really starting to feel like summer is actually finally here!

things are getting done!

i feel like i am finally getting productive around here!

first, i planted some seeds, and they are almost all sprouted!

unfortunately this means i have to thin them out. which is my least favourite thing. i want them all to live! which they won't if i don't thin them out. cognitive dissonance. whatever.

i also have some sharp navy twill that i was thinking would make a pair of capris and a sweet little jacket, something betty draper-ish, along these lines:

after looking at all kinds of patterns online, i finally dug into my own stash and found this:

perfect! i also found this, which looks cheesey:

but with a couple of alterations (adding a high waist, and nipping in the back darts for a better fit), i have some awesome linen trousers. i just need to get some buttons.

and i also finished another long-awaited but super small/easy project - sewing up the pockets on these capris, as they are too small to use, and gape open awkwardly. hoping these look more tailored now!

my summer vacation day four: corn on the cob on the fire

back to gorgeous weather, hooray! another great day for outdoor cookery.

tonight's dinner featured farm-fresh corn on the cob, green beans, and sausages - just free-run pork seasoned with salt and pepper. to cook a thick sausage on an open fire can be a bit tricky, but they were just perfect due to constant tending and frequent turning. i set myself up with a little chair, the new york times sunday crossword, and a gin and tonic, and didn't take my eyes off them.

i felt very "60s housewife," cooking with a cocktail in lime-green checked pedal-pushers.

our basic recipe for corn on the cob is to simply take off the outer dry husks, but for the inner soft husks, peel back while leaving them attached. then, brush the kernels all over with olive oil, and smooth the husks back around the kernels, tying in place with a strip of the husk that was removed. this keeps the corn moist as it cooks, but when the husks start to unravel and burn away a bit during cooking, you get a few nice golden spots on the corn, too.

n.b. these summer vacation posts are one week delayed as the cottage is delightfully free of electronics!

and it was all yellow

so watching bye bye birdie the other day made me fall in love with yellow all over again. everyone was wearing yellow in that film - from ann margret's iconic dress from the opening sequence, to janet leigh's fringed number (and her brassiere), to various minor characters (including the little brother's pyjamas).

it's like a breath of fresh air, all fluffy sweetness and light, combined with the lovely silhouette of that era, probably the last year with a hint of dior's new look before mod took over.

so of course i wanted a taste of that, and took advantage of a rare day for myself, and pulled out the elna supermatic. i had bought some yellow gingham a while ago with the intention of making myself a summery ensemble, and the day had come!

now, i know i have more sewing patterns "somewhere" but of course no simple blouse pattern was presenting itself, so i drafted one. and i am pleased to say, it fit perfectly with no alterations required!

usually i fall prey to some form of body dysmorphia and over-compensation and over-compensation for over-compensation, which requires some taking in or disturbingly misplaced darts. but this time i got it right. even the collar sits perfectly. yay!

and lots of nice compliments when i wore it to work the next day.

think i'll be making another blouse or too from this pattern. i'm very keen on the "sleeveless/short-sleeved blouse under a cardigan" look, lately. a bit prim, but that is fine.

i also made a half-circle skirt to go with - the effect of a shirtwaist dress, but more practical/versatile for me. i love the half-circle cut. and it is easy easy to do. and somewhat more wearable than a full circle! because the gingham is such a lightweight fabric, it's fully lined in cotton muslin.

more buttery birdie loveliess:

wow!

okay i love the beatles as much as the next person - we just watched help recently, actually - but this is amazing! paul's sweater from magical mystery tour, painstakingly recreated. just looking at the psychedelic fairlisle is enough to make my eyes cross, i can't imagine squinting at it hard enough to figure out the pattern. again: wow!