Week 3 of MMM

I just barely made my challenge this week, but I wore 2 outfits!

(I'm giving up on the second part of my challenge, which was to fix, tailor, or alter 2 items from my large pile of stuff that I could wear if I ever got around to fixing, tailoring, or altering them because my sewing machine is STILL in the shop. Sigh.)

So first up we've got this lovely self-drafted 1920s jersey dress I made last year... and haven't worn since the photo shoot. But since part of my challenge was to, you know, challenge myself and wear my few me made pieces with other, different clothing, I've been lazy and I've reached for other things I've made.

So I think it still counts since I wouldn't wear it otherwise!

Anyway, I didn't make the seams large enough so they roll. It doesn't look awful, but it's not something I like.

And luckily you can't tell because of the jacket! Woo!

And next I've got my blue skirt we've already seen. Did I mention that I hate it but wear it at least once a week anyway?

In trying to think outside of the box - since I normally wear either a black button down shirt or a black tank top with it, I decided to go with the opposite - white! And other than my black belts, I have red and silver sequins so I figured red might be best for the office.

It looks a touch patriotic, but oh well.

Weirdly, I really love this look, and I feel awesome in it, but the skirt balloons when the wind blows and I HATE it. So much.

I want to add weights to the bottom of this skirt so hopefully when I feel the wind pick up I don't have a jerk reaction to grab the ends of my skirt and hold on for dear life.

The boyfriend suggested I wear pants.

Gross.

It's like he doesn't even know me at all.

Week 2 of MMM and other thoughts.

You guys! I made my Me Made May challenge super easy, but I'm still slacking.

I have reasons!

1. I've been running late in the morning so when that happens I tend to just grab and go. Since my challenge was to restyle my few pieces, I'll just grab something else that I don't have to think about. In other news, I am finally working some of my other clothing items that usually stay stuffed in the closet into my regular rotation. So, I guess that's good news.

2. The weather is not cooperating. How can I wear a bright yellow sun dress when it's cold and rainy? Also, when can I stop wearing my winter coat?!

3. I have been working like a mad woman! I think I'm going to quit my full time job (and keep my part time job since it pays about as much as the full time job) and look for another part time job to supplement the other. (Ahem, anyone looking for a personal assistant in the NYC area for 2-3 days a week? Let me know!)

4. I finally gave up on fixing my sewing machine myself. I packed her up in a little tote and lugged her to the repairman. The sky was clear when we left, though thundering, and the bf and I stepped inside the shop just as the skies opened up. The place was dark and I swear for a minute I thought no one was in there, but then the owner popped out of the shadows. I showed him the problem and he carefully inspected my baby. He said he thinks I might have damaged the bobbin case, which is why the thread was catching on the bobbin raceway (or whatever the terms are!). He kept her and told me he'd call me when she was ready, maybe on Monday or Tuesday.

You guys, I've never gone to a sewing machine repair shop before! There were so many sewing machines lined up. He sells old refurbished ones, which were in the window and very cool to see, but I also thought it was cool to see everyone else's machine. They all had their own personal touches and I sort of felt like I was in a hospital looking in the nursery at everyone's babies. And I really wanted to wait around and meet the parents!


Sorry, I'm weird, I know.

Anyway, here's my only MMM outfit from last week. As mentioned, I was going to wear one over the weekend to get it up to 2 days/week, but then the weather changed. Boo. I'll try and wear 3 this week to make up for it.

You might remember this dress from the first Mad Men challenge. It was a refashion and I rushed and rushed to finish it by the deadline (and I was still a day late). Tellingly, my blog at the time was called "I Think I Just Screwed It Up" and this dress definitely has issues, but you can't see them thanks to my cardigan! Even the hem has some issues, but you can't tell unless I'm perfectly still and have the problem area facing you. And even then, because of the fashions nowadays, there's a chance you'd be all, "Hm, maybe it's supposed to look like that." (Also, if you're curious, don't bother clicking on the link as I tried hard to hide all my mistakes for some reason.)


Hopefully my machine will be out of the shop soon and I'll step up my MMM game!

(Also, I have a contest going that ends Wednesday - enter if you want!)

(ALSO I sort of feel like I should name my sewing machine - I didn't realize I felt this strongly about her (or that it was even a her) until I wrote this post. Thinking Belinda, Thelma, Zelda, Hazel, Pearl, or something like that...)

New Giveaway: Simplicity 5584

Aren't the Mad Men dresses over at Julia Bobbin just AMAZING? I'm so in awe of everyone that competed, especially the ladies who don't have blogs so I can't go directly there and tell them how amazing they look! (Hopefully they already know!)

In the spirit of the Mad Men challenge, I wanted to host a giveaway with a Mad Men inspired sewing pattern. I know what you're thinking: Gosh, this would have been a much better giveaway BEFORE the challenge ended, but... I don't have that much foresight. So you get it now!

But first, I'm not sure if you guys have checked out The Hollywood Sew or not, but Rachel has a contest going on at her new site. She's making a dress inspired by the Khaleesi and she's looking for votes on which dress to move forward with. Winner gets a Game of Thrones prize, but the contest ends tomorrow so get to voting!

And check out even more giveaways at Sew Mama Sew!

So my giveaway is Simplicity pattern 5584. It's a size 12, bust 32. The pattern has been cut, but there are extra patterns for the ladies who are taller or shorter than average. I'm a little confused as to why the length means extra pattern pieces, and honestly it took me forever to realize that's what it was, but they seem to be there so you can experiment away!

To enter:
Leave a comment telling me where you'd wear the blouse or jumper.

For an extra entry, follow my blog! And leave an extra comment saying that you do.

Edited to add: Giving away another entry if you follow my new facebook page!

Rules and Such:
I'll ship worldwide. Three entries per person. Content ends at midnight on May 15th. Winner must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.

Congrats to Jane! Check your email!

First day of MMM and the Liebster Award

It's my first Me Made May outfit! And look, I also figured out how to make a collage! Don't worry, I'm sure I'll get better at them.

The blue skirt is actually the first thing I ever made and while I don't love it, I don't hate it either. (And seriously, I wear this at least once a week!)

The outfit as a whole I don't really care for. I adapted this skirt into my "office look" complete with a gray cardigan because it's a bit chilly where I'm temping. The belt is added because the seams are fraying (oops), but you can't tell as long as I cover it up.

On the right I've lost the cardigan and I'm going to let loose! Just kidding. I do love this black shirt because of the large puffy sleeves, and I think it gives a nice balance to the fullness of the skirt, but no one ever gets to see it because it's never just the right temperature.

Also, I really hate the leggings with flats look. Everyone wears it, and obviously I'm rocking it above, but I think it looks awful. I don't know what to wear in its place though. Tights would be too warm I think. Bare legs too cold. I hate pants. Any ideas?

In other news, my little blog has been nominated for a Liebster Blog Award from both Ashley at Craft Sanctuary and Stephanie at Mabel Makes! I'm beyond honored and I'm still a little surprised that people read and like some of the things I'm creating.

The Liebster Award was created to reward and promote excellent and interesting blogs with less than 200 followers. The rules tend to vary, but generally 11 small blogs are nominated and you ask them 11 questions about their sewing or I suppose anything.

I've been putting off doing this, especially since I've been dreading picking out only a handful of blogs to highlight since you know I love you all (and especially because I'm sure I'll forget someone!), but since my sewing machine is still broken, I figured I should definitely use the time to spread the love and maybe introduce everyone to their maybe-new-favorite small blog!

Ashley's Questions:

1. Do you have a favorite pattern? (Sewing, knitting, crochet, whatever.)
Hm, actually I don't think I do. Maybe! I really love the pattern I just used for the Mad Men Challenge, McCall's 6449 and I plan on making it again so it might become my new favorite.

2. What was the last thing you made?
The dress for the Mad Men challenge. It's also currently the favorite thing I've ever made!

3. What is your favorite print? (dots, stripes, floral) Or, do you like solids better? If you like solids, what's your favorite color?
I love solids. I don't know that I have a favorite color, but I tend to gravitate toward blues and reds.

4. What is a typical day like for you?
There is no typical day! As a freelancer, my day changes a lot so I could be off work, working from home, or working on site somewhere.

5. Where is your favorite place?
At home with my kittens and boyfriend!

6. What do you do when you're feeling down?
Drink tea, take a bath, read a book, eat cheese or chocolate or anything, really.
I also try to take a few minutes to cry and feel sorry for myself. For some reason that helps.

7. What is your crafting space like?
I've taken over one of the living rooms in our apartment. I'm trying to decorate it in a vintage way, but it's not finished since I don't go out and buy things for it. I wait for them to come to me. I suppose it could be described as eclectic for now.

8. Which blogs do you look to for inspiration?
That's tough because I have so many blogs I love for all different reasons. I especially love when someone has a strong point of view, even if it's different than mine, because there's a lot to learn there. I also love some of the bloggers who have been sewing for years. They have so much to teach.

9. Would you rather live by the sea or the mountains?
Psh, why can't I have both? I guess if I had to choose, it would be the sea... But really mountains behind the house, with a forest, and then the sea out front. That would be nice.

10. What's your favorite meal?
Anything with fruit, vegetables, bacon, and an amazing butter or cream sauce. And cheese! Can't forget the cheese.

11. What makes you happier than anything else?
Accomplishment.


Stephanie's Questions

1. Tell me a few things about you and why you sew or knit?
I love to try anything once! Within reason of course. I think that's why I started sewing. From there I loved being able to build and create the clothes I wanted rather than what was available to me for the right price in the store. I started knitting because I wanted something to occupy my time while I watched tv.

 2. Why did you start your blog?
I wanted to join the sewing community! I had been following along with a few blogs and after a few months I felt more and more encouraged to try and sew myself. I really wanted the love and encouragement that exists within the sewing community online, especially since most people I know don't sew in real life!

 3. What is your fashion style? Does it match your handmade style?
Before this, I tended to dress somewhat preppy. However in creating my clothes, I lean towards a more vintage style. They're both arguably 'classic' looks, which is really what I've found I enjoy. Timeless, classic looks that could exist in a variety of eras.

 4. Where do you get your inspiration for projects from?
Recently it's been television shows. There was a time when I used to be very inspired from runway looks, but I'm not as into that anymore.

 5. Where did you learn to sew/knit/crochet?
Mostly I taught myself from the internet. I did take a sewing class where we made a bag to learn the basics, and I had a 2 hour lesson to learn cabling (and figure out why my purls sometimes looked very odd).

 6. What is your process – for sewing do you make a muslin, for knitting do you make sure to swatch? Or do you just make it up as you go?
No, I just make it up and go. I feel like knitting is more forgiving because you can always unravel it whereas once you cut fabric, it's done.

7. Where do you buy your fabric or wool?
Local shops mostly!

8. What technique or item of clothing are you afraid to make?
I'm afraid to make things with a lot of layers or a lot of pieces, like jackets and coats and whatnot.

9. What was the first thing you ever made?
This circle skirt! It was supposed to have scallops, but I hadn't really mastered the whole concept of turning fabric while stitching on the machine so no scallops for me.

10. What is the best thing you ever made?
My latest Mad Men dress. It's still not perfect, but it's the closest I've come to loving the finished product AND thinking that it can really last awhile in my wardrobe.

 11. Do you work in a creative industry? If not do you plan to eventually make a business out of your crafting or do you want to keep it a lovely hobby?
Sort of. I work in the entertainment industry, which is definitely a creative industry, but I'm attempting to move into a non-creative industry due to lots of reasons. I'd love to turn my blog into a business because I love working on projects for myself, but I'm not entirely sure I want to create for other people just yet. Too much pressure.

My Nominated Blogs (in no order!)

Nessa's Place - I found this blog during Sew Grateful week and I just love her dresses - especially her period pieces. She's also an excellent knitter and I'm still a little in awe of the lunchbox she made!

My Vintage Visions - Though she mostly does 18th century period costumes, Emily loves all things vintage. The photos and music she posts always inspire me in some way!

The Hollywood Sew - Rachel normally blogs over at Layer Stitch Repeat where she shows off her beautiful dresses (and presumably soon enough she'll have adorable baby clothes!), but she just started the Hollywood Sew, a blog that takes television and movie costumes and turns them into wearable outfits. Right now she's taking votes on which dress to make from Game of Thrones. Can't wait to see more!

Cuckoo Chanel - Shelley is an amazing seamstress and makes the best clothing. I showed off her adorable Pushing Daisies dress, but a quick search through her blog shows you how talented she can be! One of my personal favorites is this flowered blouse with collar. Fantastic!

Sent from my iRon - MrsC sent me the ring pin cushion that I rave about (and will continue to do so) so really that should be all you need to know! But in case you're still curious, she's been a bit busy opening up her second shop, but check out her lampshading skills here and the awesome Steampunk convention she went to.

The Cute Kipepeo - The website doesn't entirely appear link-able, but BlogLovin' still has this site up and says you can follow it so I'm not sure what's happening. Regardless, I love this site because Njeri makes gorgeous cards (and shows you how to do it!), but also makes the most beautiful clothing for herself!

Vintage Follies - Cherise runs a vintage blog out of Finland and I love everything she does. Just look at this sweater! And this coat! It's all great and inspired by the 40s and 50s!

Tiffany's Notions and Knits - Another newbie like me, Tiffany runs her blog out of British Columbia. She knits and sews, among other things (like martial arts!). Check out these cool Batman socks! I also saw some Doctor Who crafts on her blog, but right now she's focusing on a sewalong for this shirt - her first ever shirt!

SweetFrenchToast - I searched and searched but couldn't find the number of followers so hopefully this one doesn't break the rules! I just discovered this blog through the group Stitch Once Rip Twice and Sabrina seems to do more than just sewing. This girl bakes, crafts, and takes some of the best pictures I've seen in a long time! Check out these awesome shorts she just made for the Black and White Challenge (that, ahem, I'm a bit behind on...).

My Questions:
1. How old were you when you started sewing?
2. What compels you to create something?
3. What is your favorite medium to create? (e.g. sewing, knitting, painting, writing, etc)
4. What is your best memory of sewing?
5. Is there a time period or style that you create within?
6. Is there a time period or style you're drawn to but never work within?
7. Do you have any insecurities regarding sewing/crafting/etc?
8. If you make vintage inspired or period clothing, how often do you wear it?
9. What's your favorite thing you've made? (Not exclusive to sewing.)
10. If you could give any piece of advice to someone that you've learned about anything, what would it be?
11. What's your favorite dessert to bake?

I sort of hate that these are meant for only my nominated blogs because I'm curious about what everyone's answer is so feel free to answer below or on your blog or wherever. Also, I may have delved off the sewing subject a bit by the end so hopefully that's okay. Thanks for indulging me a bit!

Me Made May and other news

After a lot of denying the inevitable, I have decided to join Me Made May.

I originally didn't want to for a few reasons.

1. I already wear the clothes I make.
2. As a beginner, I haven't made a lot of clothes.
3. I already know the gaps in my handmade wardrobe. (Hint: it's all of it.)
4. I'm probably not going to finish my pile of "just needs to be stitched a little." I'm too lazy to change out all the different color threads.

But then I decided that, yes, I was being way too lazy. I re-read the description and it's all about challenging yourself and I was just excusing myself and my negligence.

I tend to wear the same outfits over and over and yes, many of them already have something handmade in them. But it's the same. So to challenge myself, I'm going to attempt to style them differently so even if it's the same skirt or dress, it won't be an exact copycat outfit. Because that's normally what I'm all about.

And yes, perhaps I will tailor some outfits from my pile.

 'I, Kristin from Sew Classic, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear 2 hand made items each week for the duration of May 2013. I will also tailor 2 items of clothing during May 2013.'

Whew, this might be harder than it sounds.

Because I'm doing Me Made May, I set up a flickr account. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but maybe we can be friends there?

And because of that, I went ahead and set up a facebook so if you feel so inclined, you can like me on there! I've had a tumblr for awhile if that floats your boat.

A few people have found my twitter, which is cool and not hard to do, but it's not totally sewing-centric. I don't really want to create a new handle since twitter won't let you do that easily (or switch between handles easily) so I'm not sure if I'll change mine to something more generic but slightly sewing based or what. Hm. Facebook might be a big enough leap for now!

Okay, I changed my twitter handle. New one here!

Finished: Mad Men Challenge 2

(Check out my contest I have going on here!)

The Mad Men Challenge is finally done! This challenge had a lot of firsts for me: First time I've ever used a pattern on the fabric. First time I've ever made a pencil skirt (or dress). First time making a back vent. First time my sewing machine broke* right as I was about to finish...

It's also the first time I'm ridiculously pleased with my dress! I love my other projects of course, but there's always been something a little off, even if it's just that I didn't finish the seams and the inside is slowly unraveling.

When I initially started thinking of what to make for the Mad Men challenge, I gravitated towards Megan and Joan dresses, but when I went through my stash, I saw only one type of fabric that I thought would work for this challenge, and instantly I knew what dress I wanted to make.

I searched and high and low for a pattern that would work for the dress. I'm not even joking, I spent WEEKS looking for this pattern. Whenever I found something remotely similar, it was several sizes too small and about $20. Sure, I could adjust the size, but not when I'm spending $20. (Sorry, I'm cheap.)

So finally one day, I decided I was making a decision. I went through ebay. Nothing. I went through etsy. Overpriced, wrong seized patterns. Finally I was on page 50 and I said, "I should stop. There's no way I'm going to find the exact dress I want at the price I want." And then, I swear, the next pattern my eyes landed on was the exact dress I've been searching for, in my size, and for $15 less than everyone else.

McCall's 6449 was a gift from the universe, I swear.



Have you met Franklin yet? He REALLY wanted to help this dress along. Whenever I had my fabric pieces out, he would pull them on the floor to make a soft bed for himself.

He also discovered my ring cushion pin and kept stealing it from me. Then he discovered my bag full of sewing parts and would rummage around in it. He also decided it was fun to hit the tops of my sewing pins, try to knock the iron over, and jump up and try to grab the needle while I was sewing on my machine. I don't know why he took such an interest in this particular outfit, but it was very frustrating.

His punishment.

 I know you want to hear more about my cat, but on to the dress! I was so nervous for this dress. I knew it was either going to fit me like a glove or not at all and luckily it was just like a glove!

I was also a little nervous because as a pear shape, I've been told a million and one times that I should only wear dresses that fit through the chest and waist and then flare out or else I will look disgusting. Even my mother has drilled this into me.

To be fair, the few times I have tried on pencil skirts in stores, they did look atrocious, but that's only because they were cut straight down and so not really a pencil skirt at all despite the words on the tag.

I was actually planning on cutting the skirt to be A-line, but then I was inspired by Romola Garai in BBC's The Hour. She's a bit bigger than the average stick in Hollywood and wears form fitting clothes and looks amazing. So I decided to go for it.

If you were here when I did the Pushing Daisies dress, you'll recall all the trouble I had with the neckline. Same. Exact. Problems. I really need to account for my narrow shoulders next time. But this time, instead of doing it over and over again, I just added 4 darts. Two in the front and two in the back. You can hardly tell because of the pattern, and even if you could, I still like it, but best of all: it's not off the shoulder anymore!

I really hate strapless bras.

The front is mostly gathers above and below the waist, and of course the 2 darts I added in. The back is all darts, and I sort of wish the front were as well, but the gathers do look quite nice.

Let's talk about this pattern on the fabric for a moment.

This was the first time I've ever used a patterned fabric. Patterns scare me, and it's why this fabric has sat in my closet for almost a year. I really didn't check to see if I had enough to use the pattern correctly. I just held it up to my body and was all, oh yeah, there's enough here for a form fitting dress.

Then I began cutting around the flowers because I didn't want anything obvious over my chest, lady parts, or my bottom. The boyfriend was VERY worried that the dress was going to be too suggestive and helped me with this part, but I think it turned out fine.

I do wish I had shortened the front skirt about an inch so that the flowers from the waist don't look like they're spilling down into the skirt, but I keep telling myself it's not a big deal and no one notices but me...

Check out the back! I had just enough to do the back panel and I added 2 inches just because I was worried it was going to be too tight. THANK GOODNESS I added those 2 inches because I ended up taking out 2 inches for the back vent and it never would have fit otherwise.

Also, if you notice the lack of flowers over the rear, that was all thanks to the boyfriend. He very carefully laid the back piece out (and luckily it worked because this was all that was left!), but I honestly don't think it would have made much of a difference because of the 2 inch vent and the 4 darts that total to about an additional 2-3 inches taken out so the pattern might not have been suggestive anyway.

I'm including this picture just for the hair. I love the giant updo but the boyfriend called me a woodpecker. He clearly knows nothing about style.

So yay! This dress isn't perfect as the side seams aren't totally down the side and I accidentally burned off a bit of the lining with my iron, but I'm so ridiculously proud of this. I can't wait to sew more once my machine is fixed!

*So my top thread is getting caught on the bobbin case as it moves around and after the 3rd stitch the machine seizes up. The internet says it just needs some oil so hopefully that's all it takes! Let me know if you have other ideas.

Musings

So now that I've wrapped my first ever sew along, I have a few thoughts. Firstly, oh my gosh, wow, I can't believe how tedious sew alongs are!

Secondly, yay for other Pushing Daisies dresses! Shelley over at Cuckoo Chanel did an adorable Chuck dress. Here was her inspiration:

And here is her daisy sundress that I really want to make now! It's so perfect for spring and summer!

Let me know if you made one as well because I would love to see!

But, yes, this sewalong: tedious. I really had no idea. I love when other people do sew alongs because I enjoy watching other people's processes. Sometimes it's the same as mine, sometimes mine is better, and sometimes I learn A LOT from whoever posted. I don't feel like I'm an advanced enough sewer to really teach new and high quality techniques, but maybe they help someone who's less advanced than I am. And maybe someone out there can teach me something after I've posted something monstrous.

"You want me to do what now?"

Obviously sew alongs are tedious and slow because you have to stop and document every single step of the process and then blog about it. But it's more than just that, at least for me.

I have a slight confession: I don't always enjoy sewing. I get a backache when hunched over my machine after a few hours. At night, there's never enough light to see and my eyes strain. When I'm sewing something and the fabric catches causing a pucker, I get very angry. When the tension goes crazy, I see red (especially when I was newer and didn't realize machines needed to be cleaned - oops!).

RAWR

So because I don't always enjoy the process, I take short cuts. I hide mistakes rather than fixing them. I don't like to finish my seams - I say let them unravel!

This sew along has made me slow down. A lot. When I made a mistake, I would take the time to rip the seams out and start again. But as I was going through and redoing parts of my dress (and hating it), I stumbled across a blog that was discussing how clothes used to be made.

Clothes used to be higher quality, especially because they were made in the home, as opposed to being made by child slaves and then sold across the country for $5 a pop. The blog* mentioned how many vintage handmade clothing items were lined, and she mentioned how nice it would be if everything were lined in silk just because it would feel amazing against your skin. Every time you moved, it would be luxurious.

So luxurious you just want to fall asleep.

Now, as a sweater (e.g. someone who sweats excessively) and someone who lives in a ridiculously hot climate with no air conditioning in the summer, I'm not so sure I like the idea of everything being lined in silk. But it still made me think. If I want to have an entire wardrobe of mostly hand sewn things, of course I should focus on quality and not just the end result.

So my resolve for nicer things, along with the fact that I'm broadcasting my every stitch and I don't like the idea of pointing out mistakes (and how to hide them) made what should have been a simple project take weeks longer than planned.

"Weeks longer?! I'm exhausted already."

That said, I'm ready to dive into so many more projects, but I'm excited for one in particular and I may blog excessively about it at times. I'll have more info up soon, but it's going to be from another television show, and it's going to be from the 1960s. Like this one that tackled lace, I'm going to tackle another something that intrigues me, but also frightens me a bit: jackets. (And maybe it'll be ready in time for the fall!)

But first I need to finish my Mad Men dress! Thanks goodness the deadline is extended!

*Sorry, I can't find who wrote it or where! If this sounds like your posting or you know whose it is, please let me know so I can give credit.