Me Made May 2016: The Pledge

I, 47stars77 of Instagram and yarnneedlesandthread.blogspot.com sign up as a participant of Me Made May 2016. I endeavor to wear a minimum of one me-made (sewn, refashioned, or knitted) garment every day during the duration of May. I also endeavor to not wear the same outfit more than two times during the month.

Furthermore I pledge, by month's end, to finish the top I'm knitting, refashion that one men's shirt that's been hanging out at the back of my closet, and sew one garment using fabric from my stash.


The above is my pledge for Me Made May 2016 hosted by 'So, Zo... What do you know?' link to sign-up post is here.

I have managed to wear a me-made item everyday for the month of May in the past, if you include socks and shawls. This year I am challenging myself to wear more of my me-made garments. And not fall into the trap of wearing the same outfit or two three and four times a month, this necessitates that I keep track of my outfits. I also need to update my spring/summer wardrobe so this will be a good time and forum with which to do that.

And now to fabric stash dive...

Me Made May: first ten days

I intended to do a FO Friday post yesterday, but my camera cell phone is giving me grief so I don't have photos of my two most recent finished objects.

That also means I don't have pictures of my me-mades for Me Made May.  Sigh.

May 1: Black pants, wool gaberdine, wide legged. (It was cool enough to be comfortable)
May 2: Whit and black print open front long sleeve top, fabric was knitted-I sewed it, came up with the pattern myself.
May 3: Black boyfriend-shaped cardigan, wool, knitted.
May 4: Same cardigan, hand knit orange socks
May 5: Short sleeve green floral print blouse, knit blue scarf-shawl
May 6: Black slacks, stretch cotton poplin.
May 7: Cropped cardigan, knitted.
May 8: Black toggle closure top
May 9: Sewn knit top, hand knit shawl
May 10: Another pair of handknit socks

Thoughts so far:
I have quite a bit of black- not complaining, just stuff I made when I worked somewhere with a dresscode of black.

I haven't had a chance to break out my warmer weather clothes. It's still kind of chilly in the upper mid-west.

My me-made items fall into the 'wardrobe staples' category.  So far it's all been items I wear in a regular basis. It makes sense, I keep my wardrobe small, so stuff stays basic to match everything else. Solid neutral colored pants, plain sewn tees, A small variety of casual long sleeve indoor-type jackets. Though I need more of these.

I'm planning a denim top-somewhere between a classic denim jacket and a blazer. I have a dark denim embroidered with bright spring colored flowers.

I've also been inspired to refashion many of my me mades. The black poplin pants could be  trimmed into a skinny-pant. Friday's sewn tee could be altered or taken in.

On clothing and style

So the wonderful blogger over at sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.com hosts Me Made May. She is currently taking pledges for May 2014. I participated last year, and plan to this year.

It's for people who have made stuffs- clothing, accessories, etc, but who might not wear their creations. It's designed to push people into using the items they have created, whether sewn, knitted, refashioned, etc.

I often fall into this category.

I have been making clothing for half of my life. More than pj bottoms for most of that time.

I rarely buy clothing at traditional retail shops. Many factors: cost, quality of material and construction (or lack thereof), personal style, dubious ethical and environmental practices, dislike for practice of 'fast fashion', abhorrence of consumerism.

Grew up in a working class home. Early childhood clothing was hand-me-downs from family, starting in junior high I got a couple of pair of jeans from Penny's or Sear's in the fall other clothing came from  thrift stores. It was economical and fun to spend a couple of hours flipping through racks at second hand stores looking at what I could cobble together. I didn't have a cohesive style, heck I still don't, and didn't follow the trends and fashions of teens ( I grew up before the use of 'tween').

In college, I found many friends that had the same ambivalence towards fashion. Clothing is utilitarian, and comfortable. Fashion comes after that. High fashion at college was t-shirts advertizing the groups you were a part of.

After college, I spent several years working at a large department store, and while I successfully avoided being stationed in the clothing departments, I learned about the practices of the retail fast-fashion industry.  Ish.

I no longer work at the department store (Thank God!) The last time I bought a new piece of clothing (undergarments excluded) was three years ago, it was a bridesmaid dress. My wardrobe is small, I wear all of it in a year's time (with the exception of the bridesmaid's dresses). 

I don't feel like I have a cohesive sense of style I'm inspired by early 1940's fashions-( tailored, simple silhouettes brought on by war time rationing, pants became acceptable for women to wear outside the house.) but because of my job and chronic pain, wardrobe choices are simple- knits for tops because I can't always work buttons. Denim for pants-it's durable.

And now to wrap this up, because it's turning whiny.... 

I guess I have thought of clothing primarily as utilitarian for so long, it's difficult to 'see' style in what I wear. I'm practical-I dress for the weather and for how my body functions (stiff hands and such). Maybe in the next month I can start looking at how I dress as more than just clothes, but as an experiment in self expression.

My pledge this year is to :
1. Wear at least one me-made item a day, five days a week for the duration of May
2. Take pictures of my outfits, if only for personal evaluation.
3. Create two from-scratch garments over the course of May.
4. Reflect on the garments I have purchased and made.

Miscellaneous Tuesdays

Um, it's March. And the weather feels like March. woot!

Sunday I watched the first episode of the Cosmos remake. I enjoyed it, but anything about space will peak my interest. I was a bit perturbed that the church was portrayed as negatively as it was, and I don't remember sensing that when watching Sagan's Cosmos.

There is no denying that the church has been involved in horrible atrocities. And there's no excuse, except to say that,frequently, those with power are threatened when new questions, ideas and opinions are raised. I just remember that Sagan was more diplomatic about the church's behavior towards the early astronomers.

However, I will be tuning in for next Sunday's broadcast. Cosmos, cocoa and yarn (string theory??).

I have been working on a cross stitch piece: a carrot. It's part of a trio of vegetables. I stitched the eggplant already, the bell pepper will be the last one. I've also started two knitting projects: a vest and a shawl. More on those tomorrow.

What I need ASAP is a pair of long sleeping pants. That will be my weekend project. I've got royal blue flannel with white scissors printed on. My brother will also get a new pair, maybe one size larger than the last. He's been gaining weight, and its a good thing-at his last doctors appointment he came up weighing just above underweight for his height! I'm going to celebrate by baking cookies.

And now back to your regularly scheduled Tuesday...

WIP Wednesday: Special Edition

Tomorrow February 7th, the first Friday in February, is Go Red for Women day. The American Heart Association has organized every year for the past decade to bring awareness to the fact that heart disease kills more women than all types of cancer combined.

I spent several years working at Macy's, which is one of the biggest sponsors of the event. In addition to the sale of the AHA's red dress pins and the extra percentage off the sale that a pin or other red item of clothing earned customers, Macy's also educated its (mostly female) employees on the risks of heart disease in women. I get email from the Go Red website on a monthly basis, and find them useful and informative, check it out for yourself.

The first Friday in February is a day to wear red, and years ago I made a red blouse specifically for the occasion. I picked up the fire-engine red cotton at the local No-Ann fabrics and used a pattern in my library. It worked well for a few years, but the three-quarter length sleeves gave me trouble- they constricted and made movement difficult. I tossed the.troubled garment into my sewing pile unsure of what to do. I considered tearing apart for scrap use, but decided to alter it instead. I still had some of the fabric, and decided to add plackets to the sleeves-using a template found in a book on garment sewing. After removing the cuffs I realized I would need to replace those. Uh-oh, that could have been a problem, but I had just enough fabric to do that-as long as I only used .25inch seam allowances.

Here you can see the placket pieces, it is.my first attempt at adding plackets to a garment. I've done many simple cuff bands and the occasional continuous lap, bit never something as 'complicated' as a placket. Well it is rather simple and quite ingenious. I predict more blouses with plackets in my future.

This Is still a work in progress because I haven't don the finishing work on the cuff- stitching down the facing, top stitching around the edge and the dreaded buttonholes and buttons... I have yet to perfect a buttonhole, and I remind myself that practice makes perfect, but it's still something I dislike.

posted from Bloggeroid

Happy New Year

So, a new year. I've never been one for resolutions, but there are things I want to do this year, and if I post them publicly, maybe that will give me the kick in the rear that I sometimes need.

1. Post twice a month. At minimum. I craft plenty, I just need to be more dilligent about sharing it.
2. Sew one item worthy of entering at the MN State Fair. Bonus if it's displayed, double bonus if there's a ribbon on it.
3. Crochet one item worthy of entering the MN State Fair. Bonus if it's displayed, double bonus if there's a ribbon on it.
4. Knit 10 items off my Ravelry queue.
5. Learn a new technique or two. I have my eye on brioche knitting for starters. Maybe expand my embroidery skills?

The drop-off deadline for the fair is mid-August, so I better get planning and crafting.  I haven't made goals about knitting items at the fair, that's a given. I'm thinking a shawl (or two) and a pair of color work mittens for starters. Will try for a pair of socks as well. Again- note the mid-August deadline.

My yarn stash is at a comfortable level. I have enough to get started with goal number four. I could probably accomplish that entirely from my stash, but don't want to limit myself that much yet.

I even have an idea for my next post: The immediate family has gotten/will get a new hat/headband Pictures and stories to come!