Time for the Endless Summer Tunic.

I saw this pattern on the fancytiger blog and it had been made by Jaime in a lovely hemp cotton fabric and the shape of the Endless summer tunic appealed to me.  Summer holidays are just around the corner, everything is much more laid back and easy-going in July and August, so I thought it would be a useful dress to have.

I had been tempted to some fabric purchases from misformake and really fancied trying the Brussels Washer fabric which is a linen/rayon mix by Robert Kaufman.  The one I chose is called 'brick', in reality it is quite a blueish red which I really like.

The Glastonbury look.

The pattern itself is a pdf pattern, easily assembled and overall very clear instructions.  The dress itself has a lovely V-neck with a faced yoke and gather details on the front shoulders and centre back. The front and back are both assembled in two panels and it has a lovely curved hem and the sleeves are finished in bias binding.

Facing of yoke.

There are no diagrams in the pattern but really they are not needed.  All of the steps are straightforward and very well explained.

Gathers at shoulder yoke.

I love the way the dress turned out, it will definitely be a holiday winner.  I think it would be a lovely comfy dress for travelling in.  Did I mention it also has in-seam pockets?  Perfect.

I tried a few different ways of wearing it just for fun.

With heels, maybe a tad short?

The Brussels Washer is quite lightweight and there is a risk of 'see through' so not really sure if I would wear it like this, might get away with it on hols.

Avec leggings & flat sandals.

And, of course, the Glastonbury look, although clearly not enough mud here.

Whatever way you wear it I would definitely give it a go.  I love it, it's so easy to wear, I might have to make another, so roll on an Endless summer.

A Kwik Sew for the boys.

So after Me-Made-May there has been a strange period of itsy-bitsy unfinished sewing projects. My Peggy skirt is so nearly finished, I mean really it has taken a ridiculously long time.  All I have to do is make a buttonhole, sew on a button and hem it.  Soon, honest.  There have been other dabblings but disappointingly I haven't sewn anywhere near what I wanted to for summer, other things in life have just taken over.  However, it's not as if I don't have any clothes to wear, so it has to be put into perspective.

It is lovely in amongst all the skirt, dress, blouse desires to once in a while make something for one of my boys.  In this case it is the hubbie and a summery shirt.  This is actually the second time I have made this for him and he liked it so much last year, he requested another one.

The pattern is the Kwik Sew 3250 which I got from Sewbox which has a great range of patterns. Some of the Kwik Sew patterns might initially look slightly old-fashioned but I think a lot of the time it depends on your choice of fabric and your own 'interpretation' of the style.  This is only my second Kwik Sew pattern, but both have been for males and I found them great, very straightforward instructions and some nice wee touches, so I would highly recommend them.

So last years version was made in this handloom organic cotton bamboo mix and was great in very hot continental hot weather, very soft and cooling.  I was a bit short of time so used a similar fabric from organiccotton.biz which is a crossweave fabric called chirpy green, which I had in my stash.  I have used a lot of fabrics from this company now and personally I like them.  As the fabrics are handmade in a traditional way there may be marks which might look like flaws, but this is part of the nature of the fabric.  If you like this 'au naturel' look then you will like these fabrics.  The crossweave is slightly heavier and a bit more coarse than the bamboo cotton, but as we will be holidaying in the U.K.  I think it will be fine.

So this is Version C of the pattern, short sleeves, no collar and lots of practice of top-stitching, just in time for Father's Day. I would say it is a loose-fitting, very casual style ideal for those men who wear the tradional button up shirt and tie for work about 320 days of the year, like my hubbie does. Other male patterns to try might be the Colette Negroni or the range of patterns from Thread Theory Collection, there are a few in it I would like to try for my sons, which have a more modern edge.

So there you go, some selfless male sewing for a change.

Me-Made-May - the final week and a half.

So, was it just me or did May just fly by and, of course, Me-Made-May.  I only missed one day (unexpectedly had to stay with my dad as he had a fall) so that's not too bad.  I wore different things every day which does not reflect how I will be wearing my summer clothing.  It was an excuse to wear some things I hadn't worn in a while and also the first two weeks there were tail-end more wintery items which will be put away.  The idea, for me, is now to look at what I wore and decide on a capsule wardrobe for the months of June, July and August.  This I haven't done as yet, but will very soon so that will be for the next post.  So here are my final May outfits:

Day 22 - Colette Laurel & M & S trousers.

Wiksten Tova Tunic & black leggings.

Red bamboo jersey Briar & Tessuti Anita Ponte Trousers

Navy Camber top (Merchant & Mills)
Deer & Doe Chardon skirt
By Hand London Victoria blazer. 

Merchant & Mills Grandad Shirt (Tunic length)

Lisette Portfolio

Tessuti Laura Pants & bamboo jersey Sewaholic V-neck top

Top No 64 (Merchant & Mills)

Simplicity 1806 in Nani Iro Peaceful Cooing double gauze

Megan Nielson Banksia blouse in Liberty Travelling Threads Tana Lawn.

So most of my Me-Made items are tops or tunic dresses.  I have made some dresses, but most are jersey.  I have also made some trousers but again the easier type like jersey leggings or elastic waist linen trousers. I have only made one proper jacket (the By Hand London Victoria jacket) and it is slightly on the neat side.

Conclusions:

1.  I do not need to make any more tops for a while, I have way too many really. (that's not to say I won't, of course)
2.  I need to attempt proper trouser making (although I do have those unfinished Clovers).  In particular I would like wide-leg linen trousers.
3.  Some hand-sewn cardigans would be a good addition, because I love knitting, I just seem to have less time at the moment to devote to stitch by stitch projects.
4.  I don't wear skirts all that much (maybe holidays) so probably shouldn't really be on my list of things to sew, but I keep being tempted by lovely patterns and indeed the Bluegingerdoll Peggy is almost finished.
5.  Most of my necklines are round - I should probably try some crossover styles, more shaping, wrap dresses and embrace my shape (haha)
6.  Even though I only started making my own clothes two years ago, I have made quite a lot, but let's be honest they don't all work, so I should be hard and get rid of those items.
7.  I would love to make a proper jacket or coat.  After all if I can make one for the hubbie, here, I should really be able to make one for myself.

But what a great experience taking part in Me-Made-May is and a great bunch of positive, lovely people.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I hope to share my summer capsule wardrobe next time (which I hasten to add will be a trial, we shall see)

A Liberty Banksia and Me-Made-May Week 3

So May hasn't been quite the productive month I had hoped sewing wise, due to my lovely dad taking ill and lots of travelling to hospitals.  Life has a way of putting things in perspective and that's ok.  After all, one of my New Year Resolutions (for sewing) was to slow things down, make less and make well, so there you go.

So in spite of the change of routine I have managed to make another blouse, vvvery slowly, maybe 15 minute sessions at a time, but it is now finished.

This blouse is the Megan Nielsen Banksia top which I had made before, but hadn't quite got the placket right. (pre-blog) This really bugged me and I wanted to give it another go as I really liked the pattern.  For this one I had a rather special Liberty fabric - Travelling Threads which I had purchased last summer, so the pressure was on to get it right.

I hope you can see the detail - there are bikes, jeeps, boats  - all sorts of vehicles and dapplings of little red, mauve, yellow and teal flowers.  This is my first time using Liberty Tana Lawn so I was a bit in trepidation.  After I washed it and hung it on the line  and went to iron it I found there was actually a tear in it.  It was a particularly breezy day but still I didn't think it would be quite so delicate.  It is also extremely light weight so I can totally see the attraction with sewists who reside in hotter climates than Northern Ireland.  It was, however, a dream to cut and sew with.

To be honest I don't know where I went wrong with my first Banksia, maybe I've just got a bit more experience now, but this one went together very easily and I love the way the placket came together - I did the totally enclosed, slightly more tricky placket and it turned out great.  I also used Liberty buttons that I had in a button box so even managed to surpass my phobia of button- holing. yea!

I think on me it is ever so slightly long and I might take it up an inch or two - I suppose it depends on the way I will wear it.

As regard Liberty Tana Lawn, the proof is definitely in the wearing - it is just lovely to wear, so soft, comfortable, light and gorgeous.  If we get a heat wave in County Antrim, I will definitely be buying more!

I have managed to keep Me-Made-May going (I was determined to) and actually I can't believe how quickly it has gone.
Here are Day 15-21

Grainline Archer shirt.

April Rhodes Staple Dress

Papercut Ensis Tee

Tilly & the Buttons Coco Dress

Merchant & Mills Camber top.

Tessuti Mandy Boat Tee

Maria Denmark Birgitte Tee and Tessuti Laura Pants (with concertina pocket)

It will soon for time to round up Week 4... incredible.

A Japanese Camber and Me-Made-May Week 2

I am a little bit behind in my blogging and can't quite believe that May is over half way through.  Where did those first few weeks go to.  Sewing has taken a little bit of a back seat due to... well life, family stuff and also gardening.  I have, however, made another Camber top, this will be my third time making up this pattern, the first was the flannel top here and the second the wool camber dress here. Suffice to say I really like the pattern, it's just so easy to wear with different things and very comfortable.  You can also play around with fabrics for the yoke which I did with this one.

For the top I used this lovely fabric which is a double gauze called Fuwari Fuwari by Nani Iro.  This is only my second time using this type of fabric but I can now see why they are so popular.  They are lovely to cut and sew with, don't fray too much and are absolutely gorgeous to wear, brilliant for warm weather, but yet they somehow have a cosiness to them when it's not so warm.

So having already made two Cambers this one didn't take too long, the fun was in deciding how to use the fabric.  These double gauzes generally have two or more patterns on them so might be challenging and I suppose you may need more fabric accordingly because of this.  Anyway, I used the finer speckled pattern for the back yoke and sleeves and the bigger louder type pattern for the body and neck trim. It turned out pretty well, I think.

This was at the end of the working day and having driven over fifty miles, so not too creased, compared to linen or some cottons, so very practical.  I might leave Camber for a while, but I know I will definitely be back to again and again.

Incidentally Merchant and Mills have two new patterns out, the landgate pattern, which is a unisex over the head cagoule type jacket which I found myself purchasing and the other is the landgate pattern which is a coat.  I resisted the Landgate for now, but probably only a matter of time.

So I better do a quick round up of Me-Made-May Week 2 (before Week 3 finishes)

Simplicity 1806 blouse, trousers & waistcoat Toast

Sewaholic Renfrew longer version without waistband.

Tessuti Fave Top

Tessuti Alexa T & Sirdar knit 9662

Merchant and Mills Grandad shirt dress

Wiksten Tova top

Maria Denmark Yasmin Yoke skirt & Deer and Doe Airelle blouse.

Soon be time for Week 3 round up, I will get caught up eventually.

Breton basics & Me-Made-May 14 Week 1

Last week I just wanted to make a few basic jersey tops and as stripy Breton style tops are absolutely something no lady can do without this decade, it had to be that.  Any shop worth it's salt is stocking their version of the must-have top this year.  I really had wanted to make a stripy Coco as I love the style of my cobalt blue merino coco but the fabric I had ordered seemed just too stretchy for Coco (it was 4% elastane)

Anyway I made the red and white stripe one from a Japanese jersey using Birgitte basic tee pattern which is a favourite.  I had seen on the Jaeger website they had added two buttons on one of the shoulders of their version.  So if it's good enough for them.....

Liberty buttons from my Liberty button box.

The other one I made from the purple and white, more stretchy fabric and used the Alexa t top pattern which is another favourite of mine.  It has a higher neckline but I find it a useful style that goes with a lot.  So, no doubt, these will turn up in Me-Made-May.

Me-Made-May 14 Week 1

Tessuti Alea T top

Onion dress pattern (2007)

Tilly & the Buttons Coco top

Maria Denmark Day to night dress

Grainline Moss skirt & Merchant & Mills Camber top

Victory Patterns Lola dress

That's my week 1 round-up (only missed one day)