Hello Again Friends!

Wow it’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post. I got so excited about sharing my stitching adventures on YouTube that I gave up writing. Sorry about that. And I do miss it because writing helps me remember my processes and my wins and losses.

These past few months have come and gone so fast that I just recently realized I took a few pictures during Me Made May this year and I never did anything with them. I decided the best way to share would be here, where I can include some details about the garments. I didn’t do a good job wearing something everyday – it was an interesting Spring and I was furiously stitching up the Rose Wrap Cardigan to wear to my son’s college graduation, but here’s what I did get pictures of:

Corset in Ballet on Ballet, white paint in the Anna’s Garden stencil, reverse appliqué, natural button craft thread, Rosebud stitch on the binding and running stitch around the shapes, inside felled seams (I actually sewed an extra 1.5″ panel on each side of the shirt to account for my every expanding mid section)

Midi length skirt in Natural on Natural, gold paint in the Magdalena stencil, negative reverse appliqué, natural button craft thread, running stitch inside the painted shapes, fold over elastic waistband in zig zag stitch, inside felled seams. This was my DIY hijack from a baby doll dress kit. Here’s a link to the blog post with details.

Cropped cardigan in Natural, A Chanin machine sewn line

Tank in Natural on Faded Fabric with black binding, silver paint in the Magdalena stencil, reverse appliqué, Black button craft on binding in cretan stitch and running stictch inside the shapes, Natural button craft thread for construction, inside felled seams.Here is a link to the blog post featuring this top

Swing skirt in Black on Black, silver paint in the Anna’s Garden stencil, negative reverse appliqué, Black button craft thread in a running stitch inside the painted shapes, inside felled seams. Black fold-over elastic waistband with zig zag stitch in Black thread. This fabric originally came from an Alabama Chanin poncho kit but I decided I would get a lot more wear out of a shirt than a poncho so I altered the swing skirt pattern to fit the fabric from the kit.

Wrap Top in Carmine single layer, Red button craft thread, Rosebud stitch on the binding, inside felled seams. I’ve never quite figured out how to make this top work without a cami underneath. It’s a size large which I am, but the neckline get’s so low.

Corset in a personal T-shirt over black fabric (which makes it reversible) and black binding, Black button craft thread in cretan stitch on binding and outside seams

Cropped cardigan in Black, A Chanin machine sewn line

Tank in Natural in single layer, Natural thread, cretan stitch on binding, inside felled seams

Ribbed Skirt in Black, A Chanin machine sewn line

Cropped Car coat in Black on Black, Gold paint in the tartan stencil, Ochre embroidery floss quilted stitching, Black button craft thread for construction, inside felled seams (I still have sewn on the pockets or closures)

Scarf Alabama Chanin kit in Black, Gold paint, not sure of stencil name, Chain stitch in Natural button craft thread

Walking Cape in Black on Navy with Black lining layer to make it reversible to plain Black, Moonlight paint in Medium Polka Dot Stencil, Reverse appliqué, Black button craft thread in running stitch around the shapes, inside felled seams. Here is a link to the blog post with more details

Scarf in Ochre and Natural, White paint in striped stencil, Natural and Dogwood button craft thread, various stitches including cretan, couching, chain, feather, etc. Gold sequins and bugle beads (I used a scrap piece of Ochre fabric so it was cut across the grain and was rolling the wrong way so I sewed this up like a tube so it couldn’t roll). More details at my blog post about the scarf here.

Holy cow what was going on with my hair in this picture.

Panel Tank in White single layer, White button craft thread, open felled seams on the right side with feather stitching on the seams and on the binding. This is also featured in my Two Tops blog post.

Cropped Cardigan in Indigo, A Chanin machine sewn line. I dyed this myself using the Jacquard Indigo Dye Kit.

Tank Dress in Navy on Navy, Moonlight paint in Facets stencil, Negative Reverse Appliqué, Navy button craft thread in running stitch around shapes and cretan stitch on the binding. Knots on the right side. Inside felled seams. This was a kit from Alabama Chanin when I was there in 2016 and they gave me added side seam pockets. See my blog post for details here. This dress has been washed and worn many times over the years – might even be my most worn garment.

This sweater is the Betty from Sezane in Navy with hand embroidery on the pockets and sleeves. Sezane is a wonderful French sustainable fashion brand with classic pieces. I was originally wearing the Rose Wrap Cardigan this morning but it was pouring down rain and I was soaked through and had to change before the Chem school graduation later that day.

Wrap Cardigan in Natural on Navy, Moonlight paint in Rose Stencil. This is Alabama Chanin’s zero waste kit. Reverse Appliqué, Navy button craft thread. Running stitch around the shapes and knots on the right side. Inside felled seams. (I still need to attach the binding)

Tank in Navy single layer. Navy button craft thread, Inside felled seams, Cretan stitch on the binding

Ribbed Skirt in Navy, A Chanin machine sewn line

Wrap back top in Black single layer (this pattern in Simplicity 1133), Black button craft thread, Rosebud stitch on the binding and inside felled seams. Here’s a link to the details on the top

Swing skirt in Pewter on Black, Fog paint in Magdalena stencil, Reverse Appliqué, Grey button craft thread in running stitch around the shapes, Black fold-over elastic with Black button craft thread in zig zag stitch.

I totally fizzled out at the end of the month and didn’t get many more wears and no more pictures. I always enjoy the spirit of MeMadeMay and the exercise of mixing and matching my makes, especially with other clothes I own, to encourage me to wear my makes more and to figure out what pieces I’m missing, what needs fixing (or needs some added panels in my case), and what does or doesn’t look good on me.

I’m already looking forward to next May!