Me Made May 12 - All the days

31 May 2012 - the final day

The last day of MMM12! The community of MMM12ers decided that as a thank you gesture to Zoe, we would have photo with "thank you" and also if possible, wear something a bit Zoe-esque.  I'm wearing my dancing ladies shirt from 7 May so it isn't really Zoe-esque.  I did have plans though as I too love 'the nautical' and a long time ago I purchased some pretty poor quality stretch that had anchors on it and did a few things with it for the boys.  I remembered it the other day and thought it might be good to see if I could make something out of it for today. There hasn't been much time for sewing this week but on Tuesday night (late, very late) I got out the material and drafted up a super quick pattern and sewed away.  It was pretty good although the side seams were making holes in the fabric -from a blunt needle maybe or poorly aligned fabric -but I  reinforced those seams and they were fine.  Unfortunately, the bigger problem that I noticed as the clock ticked past midnight, was the extremely uneven hem.  At first I thought I wouldn't worry and leave it uneven, but I remembered that I had a tiny bit of fabric that I might be able to put around the bottom to 'fix it'.  Anyway, I started attempting to fix the hem at 10.30 last night and needless to say the top is in no state to wear today - in fact it is in the bin.  I was happy with how the pattern worked out though so will try it again at some other time.  But not with panic sewing.

So no Zoe-esque homage, rather dancing ladies shirt returns but with my shorts.

Another thing we have to do is write a thank you to Zoe, so here's mine:

THANK YOU ZOE for organising and to all the other MMMers who made this such a fun challenge. I'm glad I challenged myself to not repeat an outfit, it was hard passing up my favourite items, but it was nice to get out some of the 'back of the cupboard' clothes. Starting up the blog also meant that I have now documented just about all my handmade clothes.  I've also stopped lurking so much on blogs and started commenting (as I realised just how fun it was to receive feedback).. and MMM12 introduced me to a number of new blogs that I now follow, inspired me to make a number of new things during the month (granted I'd classify them as 'panic sewing') and added more and more to a big list of patterns I want to try from others!  Phew, what a month!

30 May 2012 revisit day 1

It's cold and foggy outside, so again I'm sitting in my little corner.  I'm revisiting the Liberty shirt from Day 1 of MMM12, but with jeans and boots rather than dressed up for work.  One more day of MMM12...

hospital entertainment

Here is my hospital entertainment while I'm keeping vigil at Ben's bedside... this, (the internet of course via a tablet so I can keep up with the latest MMM12 creations), a great number of cups of teas and a secret stash of maltesers in my bag.. well it wouldn't be nice to flaunt these in front of someone who isn't yet allowed to drink water!
Thanks to reading Kristen Doran's blog this morning I was reminded that I had this in my drawer waiting to embroider.  It is a perfect hospital sitting past time.
..And this issue of Selvedge is particularly enjoyable but tomorrow I might be off to buy Hello! or something equally high class

29 May 2012 - off with the birds again

Today I'm wearing one of my all time favourites, which I wore to work on the 8 May to work: my bird shirt. To relive check out the post here.  I'm also wearing my skinny jeans and boots - both the same as yesterday.  I took this photo early this morning perched on my sewing corner before I started wrangling the boys to get them ready for the day and out the door, to school and preschool, managing to make it just in time, forgetting only Oliver's hat which I dropped off later on.

28 May 2012 - wiltshire again

As the end of May draws ever closer and I have run out of me made items, I find myself desperately looking for a super easy project that will see me finish the Month on a high.  Such a project is eluding me however and so for now, I am relegated to looking for different outfits made up of items already seen during the month.  Today, for a day pacing the hospital while Ben has his operation I have chosen to wear the Liberty of London Wiltshire again, pattern W from Les Couleurs Francaises.  (We dropped him off to the hospital early, so I'm updating this post while the boys are getting ready for school - or at least should be!) You may remember that I last wore this on the 16 May with a skirt and heels, eagerly anticipating (there is a bit of sarcasm here) a computer workshop:  http://kbfield.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/16-may-2012-wiltshire.html.
Today it is teamed with my skinny jeans, marc by marc jacobs boots and my blue cardi-vest. These shoes will provide the perfect clippity clopping in hospital corridors... so I think I am onto a winner.

27 May 2012 - Aladdin's magical pyjamas

What I started off wearing today - the magical pyjama outfit

Can you see the speckliness of the  fabric?

As you may remember, I have become enamoured with the idea of tracksuit pants for going out in and so yesterday spent more time than I should have coming up with these little beauties.  I thought they looked ok and so styled them with colours that I thought would work.  While not convinced, I made Ben take a photo of me.  He grumbled and mumbled that he 'wasn't a fan of the pants' but I persisted - even after every photo looked HORRENDOUS.  Surely I don't look that bad I said to myself.  Obstinately (and perhaps bravely) I grabbed my bag and off I went to the shops to get Ben some new pj's for his hospital stay.  The outfit started to nag at me though. I started to feel like I was in pyjamas.  Aladdins magical pyjamas!  Was it the little vest I was wearing with them?  the boots?  the shirt?  Was it the speckly green material?  Mmm.  I battled on but couldn't shake the feeling that yes, I was in magical pyjamas and at any moment I was about to sit on my magic carpet and ride back home.
We are going out for a friend's birthday for lunch, and while I don't think anyone would have been surprised to see me turn up to lunch in my magical pyjamas (after all, the birthday girl had her son in his pyjama top yesterday at a 4 yr old party), I have changed (relief) into a favourite: my clockwork orange top.  Last seen on the 10 May.  Damn, first repeat item, but different outfit, so I think I'm still good for the challenge!

What I ended up in for the day

26 May 2012 - to shir or not to shir

Today I'm wearing a new top I made during the week using Liberty Lucy Daisy A and trying Pattern F from A Stylish Dress Book again.  It was the same pattern for cheap cheap cheep top . I flirted again with shirring for this top, but I don't think shirring and I will have a long term relationship.  I had this material in my stash for a while, trying to work out what to do with it; because of the diagonal pattern of the print I thought something gathered would work best and I think it does. I think I am doing something not quite right with the shirring though.  Oh well.  The top looks ok though and I'm sure I will get lots of wears out of it.  I will now be putting on a big coat as it is pretty cold here today.

Tracksuit pants for going out in?

I have become a bit obsessed about making a pair of pants like these from Twenty8Twelve by s.miller that I saw on theoutnet last night as I was browsing the 'just in'.  Is it really possible to wear these sorts of pants out ? In a fashionable way I mean, not in a "I'm just popping down to the shops in my trackies - hopefully no-one will see me way".  Mmm. I wanted to go to the fabric shop tonight to see if they had any of this glittery jersey, but the weather was hideous so I only just popped into the little one next to the toy shop (yes, despite horrid weather, we still had to go out to buy presents for birthday parties that are on tomorrow!).  I found some cheap speckled jersey - unfortunately it didn't have any shimmery specks - but I think I might try a pair.  Do I need a pattern? I just found Carolyn's post on how to make tights, so surely I could wing it!!?!!

25 May 2012 - salvaged stretch: put a bow on it

The other day I posted the start of this story, where at the end of part one, I had tossed some salvaged scraps of re cut material (to start again a boat top from Built by Wendy Sew U Home Stretch) high up into the stash cupbooad.  To relive part one go back to "Stretch - how not to do it".

And so, we resume our story on Monday: I was home looking after Oliver who had contracted chicken pox, when I felt brave enough to climb back up into the far reaches of the top shelf to reclaim the plastic bag and material. I laid out the pieces carefully and with the remaining fabric, I cut out sleeves - perhaps a bit shorter than they should be, but I used what I had. I proceeded to follow the instructions, reasonably closely and carefully, to sew up the seams and voila a boat top appeared.  It was ok.  Not great.  The neck was wide and a bit floppy at the back.  It could work though I thought.  Perhaps I've made it a bit big and yes it is a bit short, but it's ok. Sort of.  Maybe not. The floppiness at the back of the neck bothered me, so I dug around at what pieces I had left and sewed them into a scarf, which I then proceed to sew onto the neck.  Ah ha.  When in doubt, sew a bow on it! You know, I love this top now!  Ok, ok, it has it's imperfections, like the scarf is made of about 4 bits of scrap.  But it's comfy, pretty flattering, has a bow on it, is in stripes.. so hey, I'll wear it!!

Today's MMM12 theme is water, so  I am standing in front of the water map of Australia outside the big boss's office.On the 3rd floor next to a canoe, but the shot is a bit blurry and sitting in my office next the Murray-Darling Basin Map!!! 

24 May 2012 - cats

My two boys (spotty and snotty) are still at home today, but Ben and my mum are watching them for a while, so I'm off to work for the morning.  First however, I decided to perch on my little sewing corner for a photo: I'm wearing my Nani IRO top Cwith self drafted collar in Powell B from the SS12 Central Saint Martins collection.    I first blogged about this top here. I love a fabric that has a story! To remind you all, the liberty website says of the fabric:
This print was designed by Timi Hayek who was inspired by Sylvia in ‘La Dolce Vita’ who wore a lacy provocative top and behaved in a feline manner. 
The top is jutting out in a strange manner - like I have something in my bra - but this was the best photo I had for Me Made May 12 documentation - so I'll just have to live with it!

23 May 2012 - peacock mini

I took this picture to show off my new earrings that I got for mothers day..

Tonight, we are going out to dinner. For steak. We really love the Charcoal restaurant in Civic but haven't been there for ages, so Ben and I are taking my mum out - for a belated Mother's Day and Ben is also determined that he must have a good steak before he goes in for his operation on Monday.  So the Charcoal it is. The surgeon made some stupid joke about not eating a steak too close to the operation otherwise he might mistake a piece of steak for the tumor.  Ha ha ha ha. I hope we'll be giving the steak enough time to digest!
The dress I'm wearing is an adaptation of my favourite pattern W from Les Couleurs Francaises, but lengthened into a mini.  I made this super quickly at the last minute last year for my birthday after realising I'd just spent 5 weeks leading up to my birthday in France without buying anything to wear for my party.  Now that was very bad planning. I do like the dress however and it's nice to bring it out for dinner tonight.