Finished Project: Jupe Chardon Rouge

Hi friends! I'm back with another skirt sewing project under my belt (hah!). For the past couple of weeks, I've been in a sewing frenzy. As soon as I finished my denim Miette, I started cutting out my second Chardon skirt. Can I just say, again, for the record: I love that indie patterns always seem to fit. Thank you. Moving on to my new skirt.

This skirt is so simple to sew up and yet so cute and interesting to me. I now want one in every color. A bright yellow one would be fun for spring and summer, maybe even something made in a fabric with some more drape to it.

For my latest version, I left off the pockets and belt loops -- such a quick sew without those fiddly parts. I used a bright red cotton twill picked up on a recent trip to Joann's. I tend to buy most of my fabric online, since I don't live close to any super amazing shops. Joann's is usually just good for thread and notions, but sometimes I get lucky.

I've worn this skirt twice in real life already. It's fun to style with a striped shirt for a nautical look, but it also works well with a lot of other things in my closet. Would you guys be mad if I just wore this baby every day of Me-Made-May?

Finished Project: Denim Miette

UK indie sewing patterns are my thing right now, it would seem! My latest completed piece is Tilly's cute Miette wrap skirt. I gleefully printed the pattern, taped it up, cut it out, laid out the pieces and fabric, cut the fabric, and sewed this baby up in a day. After picking up the 4oz lightweight denim at the fabric store that morning. Yay!

There are so many awesome things about this skirt!

• it's a wrap, so not only super easy to pick a size and fit, but also adjustable while you're wearing it
• nice, roomy pockets!
• no zippers, snaps, buttons, buttonholes, or other fiddly fastenings to deal with
• fast and simple to sew
• casual and super easy to wear -- with virtually no risk of flashing anyone with the back wrap, you can walk and move about without fear :)

I know there are already a LOT of denim Miette skirts out there on the internet, but I'm so glad to have my own! I've already worn it to work once, right after making it, hence the signs of wear/wrinkles in the photos (whatever!).

If you're considering making this skirt (especially with Me-Made-May coming up), definitely just DO IT! I'd say there are just two little things to keep in mind:

• pay attention when stitching the pockets -- I'd initially had them set to go on sideways, without realizing
• prepare yourself for the slightly tedious task of turning the ties right-side-out, which I somewhat successfully used a knitting needle for. 

That's it, though. I'm already considering making another Miette, maybe without pockets, and might even try switching the ties for a button closure, like Lauren's done.

Finished Project: Floral Anna

Remember last June, when I participated in Kerry's Spring Sewing Swap? Lucinda of SewWrong sent me the best sewing goodies, one of which was this amazing blue floral rayon fabric. I've finally found the perfect project for it, the Anna dress from By Hand London (have you seen their Kickstarter? They're SO close!).

I'm loving the elegant 1940s feel of this dress in flowy rayon, with the cute kimono sleeves and pleated bodice. It was a breeze to sew (BHL calls it a beginner pattern), though not necessarily the quickest of projects due to all of the seams in the paneled skirt. I used French seams for everything and, after stitching up the entire dress, decided the bodice needed taking in by about half an inch on each side. 

Other than that little tweak, I didn't change anything. I even went ahead and used the facings prescribed by the pattern instead of making my own (beloved) bias tape to face the neckline.  The fit on this baby is pretty great (thank you, indie patterns) and I definitely recommend this pattern (just keep in mind that a drapey fabric is pretty essential for the skirt to look right). I might try pairing the bodice in a stiffer fabric with a gathered full or shorter straight skirt -- there are almost endless possibilities with this one!

Thanks Lucinda for the beautiful fabric, and BHL for making this awesome pattern! Have any of you sewn it up yet, or am I truly the last sewing blogger on the internet to give it a try? 

Finished Project: Colorblocked Coco

Welcome to my first bona fide knit sewing project! As soon as I saw Tilly's Coco pattern, I (squealed out loud, and then) ordered it right away. I prefer printed to PDF patterns, so I ended up being a little late to the party, but now it's finally here. My very own Coco top.

What a fun, satisfying project! It only took a few hours, spread across a couple of week nights after work, and it turned out so cute. I've already worn it out and about twice in the short time I've had it. On the occasion pictured, we went to Union Market in DC where we got to browse some boutiques at the pop-up market, Thread. There was a bit of artwork there, in addition to the clothes, shoes, and accessories, etc.

For this top, I used two ponte fabrics from Fabric.com. The polka dot bit is just a regular ponte de roma, and the solid teal is ponte fino, which is slightly smoother and more drapey than the spotted ponte.  This was also my first time trying out color blocking, and I think it came out pretty well. Next time, I'll cut the upper part off just above the armpit, instead of just below, and would probably also add the 2nd fabric to the sleeves, too.

I've got two more spotted fabrics lined up for Cocos (both ponte knits), and am thinking of trying out a lighter weight jersey fabric, too. Maybe stripes? Hopefully these will work well during Me-Made-May 2014. That's right, I'm participating again this year!

This year, I'll be wearing one me-made or me-altered/refashioned (including me-mended, if need be) piece each day of the week for the month of May. Last year, I was a little bit worried, and wrote in the backup clause that if I ran out of things to wear, I had to wear vintage, but this year I'm feeling confident (and excited!), as I didn't end up needing to resort to vintage once last year.

Here's to MMM'14 and more Cocos! :)