Me Made May 2023 – Week 1

It’s that time again!  I did my MMM blog posts a little different in 2020;  I showed my memademays for each year I’ve participated, from 2014 to 2020 right next to each other.  It was so fun to see each year what I wore on the days.  It was funny when I wore something the same exact day, years apart, unaware.

This year marks my 8th year participating in me made may (as I was unable to participate in 2021 due to the craniotomy).  I love when Me Made May rolls around.  I’ve learned so much over the years. Putting the day in each year next to each other shows how much certain things get worn.  There are quite a bit of repeats, but it is fun! To see all my memademays next to each other you can look here. Let’s continue to this year.  Clearly I am way behind in blogging what I’ve worn (oops).   But I do post daily on my Instagram.

Here is my pledge for this year.

Day 1 - its wicked windy and very cold.

I guess I should do a little introduction since it is day 1. Hi, I'm Kristin. I've been sewing for myself and my kids for 11 years now. I sew or embroidery almost every day. I have numerous chronic health issues. in 2021 I found out I have a brain tumor...... not in my plans. I had a craniotomy that removed half of it. and proton beam radiation from Oct-Dec 21. I'm trying to pick up the pieces of my life and work thru all this, but it crushed my soul. my body has changed so much and it pisses me off. I miss all my other memades, but they are too small now. the radiation destroyed my pituitary gland and thus I have hypothyroidism now. and the belly to go along with it. I'm having a hard time accepting all this. wasn't the tumor and craniotomy and radiation enough? like leave me alone. give me "me" back. anyway, I blog at here and sewing is my peace and passion. I love embroidery too. I have 2 fur babies that are my heart ❤, my kids are getting older now and so I can selfishly sew all for myself. I am a data nerd and a techie. I collect sewing machines new and old and I am a video game addict (though the tumor has put a damper on this quite heavily). this is my eighth year doing me made may. my entire wardrobe is me made at this point. this year I am focusing on learning to accept the changes in my body and sewing more flattering clothes. I love memademay because I can’t wait to see everyone else's makes!!

top: graphic made with my silhouette cameo bottoms: Greenstyle - Brassie Joggers, very heavily altered, sewn fall 2020 unders: Made for Mermaids - Sabrina shorties, modified (unblogged, sewn Apr 2023) Day 2 – it’s still wicked windy and very cold. I have to leave the house today, boo. Kiela has a dental appt top: Love Notions - Classic Tee, sewn Dec 2020 bottoms: BurdaStyle 11/2007 No. 122, sewn Aug 2020 unders: Jalie - Julia 3886, modified (unblogged, sewn Apr 2023). Day 3 - keeping it real today.  I am tired from yesterday's outing. Generally I just have a tank and unders on at home all day, but I went out to feed the birds and I live in a respectable neighborhood so, pants. lol. Top: just a walmart cami Bottoms: Sew A Little Seam - movie night pj leggings, Sewn May 2019  (best leggings pattern I've found by far and its FREE) Day 4 - I'm super cold today for some reason, even though it is sunny and 70*F.  I love this pj set. I made them in Dec 2015 and I still wear the joggers like ALL the time! I need another 10 pairs. Top: Ottobre 05/2011 No.4 ~ Everyday Scoop Neck Raglan T-Shirt, Sewn Dec 2015 Bottoms: Ottobre 05/2011 No.5 ~ Loungers Sweatpants, Sewn Dec 2015 Day 5 - It is no secret that I love my doxie Cheeto. He is my heart and soul. out of the house again to look at campers and refrigerators.  Adulting is so exciting. . . Unfortunately I ended up having a seizure today from overstimulation. top: Love Notions - Laundry Day Tee with my silhouette cameo graphic, Sewn Feb 2021 bottoms: BurdaStyle 11/2007 No. 122, sewn Aug 2020 unders: Made for Mermaids - Sabrina shorties, modified (unblogged, sewn Apr 2023) Day 6 - yesterday was way too much for me. today is a bed day. my body is screaming at me. Thus is my life with chronic illness and the brain tumor nightgown: vintage Kwik Sew 630, Sewn Jul 2022

Here is a photo of when I made it so you can see the whole nightgown.

Day 7 – still hanging out in my nightgown from yesterday and laying low.

Well that concludes week 1 of Me made  may.  I will continue to post the rest of the weeks here soon.

(also, does anyone know what happened to Bloglovin??? like it just disappeared! and what is everyone using now to follow the blogs they love? Thanks!)

Happy Sewing! Kristin

Jalie x3 and a Snuggie

Pattern:  Jalie Jeanne Pjs 4016

Made previously:  in super soft black waffle knit dec 2020, and a refashion of Wall-E pants jan 2021

Measurements at the time: high bust 39 inches, bust 42 inches, waist 38 inches, hip 49 inches

 Size Sewn:  For the top I made Size Y graded to an X at the waist and BB at hip; for the bottoms I made Size BB

Started and finished Sewing:  10/31/22

Adjustments: 

• ·        1/2” forward shoulder on top.
• ·        Pants: 1/2” knock knee,
• ·        Lowered the front rise by THREE inches,
• ·        my elastic waist in the pants was 1” x 37”. 
• ·        Added 1” to the pants hems for my 5’7” height.

 Fabric:  Muted Tan/Eggshell/Heathered Gray/Cadet Blue Polyester/Lycra Horizontal Stripe Brushed Sweater knit - NY Designer - 62W, I ordered 3 yards on Mar 1, 2022 from FabricMart for $4.99 per yard and must have used only 2 yards because of the width. So, $9.98 total.

Thoughts:
I love them. Like I love love, love, love, love them! I wish I could wear them all the time. They are super comfortable, extremely soft, and fit just right.  The bestest most softest pjs ever. This fabric is like angel wings. it’s what dreams are made of. so soft and fuzzy on the inside.

 

Pattern: Jalie Mimosa 3890

Made previously:  in 2018 a floral for me, and in 2020 a blue stripes for Miss K

Measurements at the time: high bust 39 inches, bust 42 inches, waist 39 inches, hip 49 inches

Size Sewn:  Bust AA grading to DD for waist and hip

Started and finished Sewing: 12/3/23

 Adjustments: 

·     I made 1/4-inch forward shoulder
adjustment

Fabric:  leftover yard from pjs above: Muted Tan/Eggshell/Heathered Gray/Cadet Blue Polyester/Lycra Horizontal Stripe Brushed Sweater Knit - NY Designer - 62W. I ordered 3 yards on Mar 1, 2022 from FabricMart for $4.99 per yard and used 1 yard.

Thoughts:
I really like this top. It’s roomier than I usually wear my tee’s but that is ok.  Now that I have a giant thyroid belly from my health issues, I like the roominess.  I love that the top only uses 1 yard of fabric, I think the cuffs are fun, The length is perfect, not too long and not short, My favorite part is the curved hem!! I love a curved hem!! Plus, the fabric is beyond soft. Next time I need to remember to sew the sides up before hemming. It is just easier that way. I only had scraps, so I had to cut the sleeves not on the fold and then sew them up the center. no stripe matching. I don’t care. it’s so soft and tunic length in back for leggings.

  

Pattern:  Jalie 2444 shorts for Miss K

Made previously:  2016 teal/gray set for me, and also 2016 cranberry/navy set for me, and 2016 aqua tank for

Her Measurements at the time: waist 26 inches, hip 37 inches

Size Sewn: Waist size Q graded to Hip size S

Started and finished Sewing: 12/02/22

Adjustments:  none

Fabric:  black swim, no idea where or when it was purchased, by this point it was just a scrap

Thoughts:
Miss K had this cute dress she got for homecoming while thrifting.   It was a nice Ann Taylor dress with tags still on it, but she was scared it was a little too short for what she is used to.  The girl doesn’t wear dresses, maybe once every 2 years.  So, she asked for some spanx-like shorts to wear under her dress so she would feel comfier. Yep, I can do that.  So I cut and sewed this pattern up the night before the dance.  They looked tiny as all heck!!! They look like a toddler would wear them! But K says they fit good, and they work well and were exactly what she wanted. So, win for mom!  Below is her homecoming dress. She looks so grown up now!

Pattern:  DIBY (do it better yourself) Billie Wearable Blanket for Miss K

Her Measurements at this time:  Bust 32, waist 26 inches, hip 37 inches

Size Sewn:  size 0 adult, this is a
size small.... I’m a size 18-20 and its huge on me

Started and finished Sewing:  12/16/2022

Adjustments:  per Miss K, no hood. She also wanted the neckline more boatneck so I just winged this part, cut sorta a boat neck, sewed the shoulders and then flipped the neckline to the inside and topstitched.  A little quick and dirty but she doesn’t know.  She also wanted it down to the floor so I made sure to add length to the bottom so it would meet her requirement.

Fabric:  purchased a really soft, thick blanket May 2021. It was “utopia bedding fleece blanket queen size purple luxury bed blanket fuzzy soft microfiber” $19.99 for the blanket.

Thoughts:
 She loves this thing.  It is enormous even for me!  I find it kind of hilarious.  But she wears it all the time and her cat sleeps in the pouch in front.  It was disgusting to sew because ….. minky type fabric is a beast. There was purple fuzz everywhere and my poor machines. They got a good cleaning afterwards. I have a decent amount of the purple “fabric” left because I used a queen sized blanket.  It is a cheap way to get some good, thick, fuzzy material when you want a robe or a snuggie or a wearable blanket.

she wanted a wearable blanket. ok this is a bathrobe without an opening. call it what it is. but the hip thing is to call it a wearable blanket. a snuggie. it weighs like 20lbs and I can’t believe my serger tore thru 3 layers in spots. I
didn’t measure any hem. I winged it all. I sewed at lightning speed and cursed and sweated the whole time. my best work? no. my fastest? maybe lol.

Happy Sewing!

Kristin

 

Tale of Two Tiered Dresses – M4M Blythe and BurdaStyle 04/2013

Pattern:
 Made for Mermaids – Blythe Dress

Measurements at the time:

• • high bust 39 inches

• • bust 42 inches

• • waist 39 inches

• • hip 49 inches

 

Size Sewn:  shoulders and neck at size green, the rest straight size Yellow

Started and finished Sewing:  11/12 & 11/13/2022

Adjustments:

•  I made 1/2-inch forward shoulder adjustment
• Low neck option
• Double tier option
• Short sleeve option – green size for sleeve cap and top grading to yellow at bicep
• I used Fold Over Elastic to strengthen the gathers like I always do

Fabric:  Black Double Brushed Poly Elephants I’ve been saving in my stash for a long time. I squeaked this dress out of 1 & 7/8 yards.  I have 3 yards total of this fabric and I bought it sometime from Knitpop. Probably around $6/yard so total for this dress= $11.25

Thoughts:
Likes: the seam allowances and hem allowances are marked on the pattern itself. I love that. The instructions are easy to follow as well.

I tried two methods to gather just to see if one was faster/easier.  I first gathered by doing a zigzag over a string and then pulling the string to gather – I do not like this method at all. It doesn’t look clean and it just takes too much work for me to bother. I then did what I always do, I basted 2 lines and then pulled them to gather – much faster for me and ends up with even gathers – I much prefer this method.  Then I like to serge fold over elastic at the waist.  It helps the gathers retain their shape and the FOE is soft so it doesn't irritate my skin the way elastic does.  There is a picture of this near the end of my Boundless Dress post from 2018. 
I felt like there were not many gathers on the top tier and overall I wish the tiers had more gathers.  The hem calls for ½” allowance and I feel that is just too short for a dress.  I prefer a nice thick 1” hem or at least a ¾” hem otherwise my fabric likes to flip there.

After sewing the dress up it was WAY to wide at the bust and side to waist. I didn’t like it and it felt frumpy. So, I took off fabric from armpit to hip. I started at 0” armpit then to 1.75” at bust to 1” at waist and then 0” by hip on both sides. This means I took a total of 5.5 to 6” off the bodice. However, now it looks so much better, and I love the dress.  I guess I should have sewn a green size for the bodice. I love the look and feel of the dress.  It is comfortable and fun.  I would make it again if I remembered to size down the bodice to size green and leave the rest in size yellow.

left is before taking off excess, right is much better.

Video of Blythe Dress in action on Instagram

Also on YouTube if you don't Instagram

Pattern:  BurdaStyle 04/2013 #129B Peasant Dress

Measurements at the time:

• high bust 39 inches
• bust 42 inches
• waist 39 inches
• hip 49 inches

Size Sewn:  Bust 48, Waist and hips 50

Started and finished Sewing: 10/21/2022

Adjustments: 

• • I made 1/2-inch forward shoulder adjustment

• • Bicep elastic called for 12.75” and I used 14.5” because my biceps are bigger.

• • Guessed at neck elastic (read below why) and used 24”

Fabric:  This dress took 3.5-3.75 yards.  I used this aqua floral Double Brushed Poly that I have been saving for something fun.  I purchased it June 17, 2020 from the now gone fabric. com for $5.38/yard. So dress total= $20.17

Thoughts:
The directions on this Burda were…… well, worse than most.  The neck just says “use ends of remaining elastic” with no exact measurement.  I ended up using 24” of ¼” elastic for neck. I’m not sure what the waist instructions said but I serged it at 6.5 width on my serger, then flipped up the seam allowance and triple zigzag stitched on the elastic.  The hem called for 5/8” and I did ¾”.

For fun I calculated what Burda wanted the neck elastic to be (as it said “use ends of remaining elastic”).            Sleeve: 12.75 + 12.75, waist 33 = 58.5” of elastic. The entire pattern called for 72.625” of elastic so in essence burda wanted me to use a 14&1/8” neck elastic.  That would have choked me completely!

SO to recap for later reference: I used 14.5” elastic on sleeve hems, 34” on waist, and 24” on neck. 

It was only after sewing the entire dress and scratching my head at the instructions that I realized Burda wanted me to use a LIGHT DRESS WOVEN fabric…… and here I was using a THICKER KNIT.  (Facepalm moment).  Now some of the instructions made sense for woven fabric.

I’m not sure how I feel about the dress.  It is pretty. I love the fabric and color.  But my body shape. Ugh.  I can’t handle these changes.  My thyroid belly sticks way out in this dress.  It didn’t in the double tired one above as much as it does I this one.  You can see how much my belly sticks out in the second picture above.  The first day I made it I didn’t like it at all. But I think it may grow on me in time.  Partly it is my own fault on using the wrong fabric.  The gathers are really thick on this dress too because of the knit not woven.

Happy Sewing!

Kristin