8 May - Colette Macarone

This was a working muslin that I put together from an old pale blue quilt cover and some scrap white Embroderie Anglais. When I made it I ended up looking like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. However a quick dip in some black dye saved this. I keep meaning to make another one but haven't quite got there yet. 

9 May - Blouse from the Japanese book "Get Started with sewing"

One I've actually blogged about before - www.thematerialgirl.co.uk/silent-night.

The skirt is my blue Colette Ginger too.

10 May - shirt refashion

A bit of a cheat day - the shirt is shop bought but I have appliqued the dice on the collar. This was for the Sewing room theme.

11 May - Top from Simple Chic

This was my nightmare top that I made and it shrank and fell apart - www.thematerialgirl.co.uk/jvwqqbqk-1. It's just about wearable but I have to be very careful with it. 

The "accessories" are an Angry Birds skittles game I made for my nephews birthday. I painted a red ball and made some pig bean bags. It went down a treat!

12 May - Nightie from a 70s pattern but I can't remember which one.

This was a dress when I started it but during its making it was obviously not going to be something I would wear out so its become a very warm nightie.

13 May - Blouse from "Unique clothes anyway you want" or "Shape Shape"

Another one you've seen before.  www.thematerialgirl.co.uk/jvwqqbqk-2. Don't you just love those slippers!

14 May - Uh oh

And, here's my one fail. I forgot to take a photo on Tuesday! I had Guides and didn't get in until late and my photographer was away.

 :-(

So, on to week 3 - and doing this during Guide camp. Should be interesting...

It's been a week of ups and downs for me. On the plus side I have actually worn something "me made" everyday. On the downside I lost my phone (i.e. camera) at the weekend and lost two days of photos.  Also I haven't blogged everyday - which might be a positive to you dear reader!

It has made me realise how far I've come. At the beginning of the month I put everything I have made together in my wardrobe rather than scattered in various places around the house. There's a lot - I should have no trouble making up outfits all month. 

It has surprised me as I always feel I'm on a catch-up with my sewing - I have so many things I want to do. But after work all I want is a cup of tea and at least an hour in front of the telly before I go to bed.
At the weekends I can usually get some time in - but with family across the country and Guides committments (I run a small Guides unit in South London) - that usually writes off 1 or 2 weekends a month. Sometimes I feel a bit spread thin.

So here is Week 1 of Me Made May 2013 (minus days 5 and 6)

Day 1 - The Colette Ginger in black

So, only another 22 days to go...

See online

A just a quickie post today to show off my outfit for Day 02 of Me Made May. 

It's a sort of self-drafted skirt from a mustard needlecord. When I say self-drafted, its actually a saved skirt from a distaster of an "easy whirl away dress" - Butterick 5368. This was so bad I seem to have deleted all photographic evidence of it!  However, I cut the skirt pieces off and sewed them together to create a very wonky, badly put together skirt, pretty much held together by wonderweb - but I love it.

Today has also made me realise that I need to plan my photo sessions a lot better. My friend and colleague Catherine has volunteered to help me but she couldn't go out at lunch today so it was a hurried picture in the stairwell.  Just standing there was dull so the silly pose came into play.

I'm also admitting to photoshopping the picture - not to rid myself of wrinkles but the skirt was in the shadows so the colour wasn't really showing.  I just changed the levels on the bottom half (which is why the shadow strangely disappears under the hand rail).

On the Sewing table...

Another half hour completed before work this morning - but it was mostly ironing so I won't bore you with photos! Hopefully a garment will take shape tomorrow...

See online

I, Tracy of The Material Girl, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear at least one self stitched or refashioned item of clothing each day for the duration of May 2013 - even when I am on a camping weekend with my girl guides and so have to wear my Guide leader uniform. I also pledge to finish a new item during the month and to actually update my blog!

If there's anybody out there - hello - I haven't fallen into a black-hole or otherwise disappeared.  

As you may have guessed I am not a natural or prolific blog writer - but the past few months have been quite lazy even for me. Sorry.

So, to get myself back into the blogiverse, I am using Zoe's wonderful Me Made May challenge to force myself back to writing. So, from tomorrow one post every day with a different outfit every day - this is going to be tough...

Just a quick note to mention that I have switched off the comments section of this site, the amount of spam I have been receiving recently has been ridiculous.   You can still comment via Facebook if you really want to - or email me tracy@thematerialgirl.co.uk. 
In the mean time I am having a rethink about the blog.  I am not a very prolific writer - but I do enjoy it and like have a record of what I have done so I am going to continue with it - but I need to find a platform that is a little easier to look after. Ideally one where I can keep the content I already have.
Anybody have any recommendations? I am fairly technical so don't have a problem with something I need to work at to get up and running  - but want something with low day-to-day maintenance.

I think this may have been my most satisfying project yet. This is the combination of a great pattern, lovely fabric (a digitally printed viscose jersey from Stone Fabrics - http://www.stonefabrics.co.uk/shop/3404/ which I think looks like a nebula) and it was easy peasy!

I’m finally working my way through my Japanese pattern books – with Drape Drape being this month’s favourite. It’s project number 3 - and very unusual as there is only one pattern piece.

As you can see in the line drawing, the piece joins back on itself to form the shoulders and the rouches at the waist.

Making it up was simple. I did make a muslin first – when I realized the given pattern is much too short for me so I added about 10 cm to the bottom plus I added 5 cm length in the body. I did that by cutting the piece straight across just under the bit that makes up the shoulder and lengthened it.

Construction was simple – I just followed the picture from the book. A simple case of overlocking everything with some hand stiches to create the gathers. I did add a neck facing for aesthetics as the back of the neck had a habit of folding over to show the overlocked back seam.

The dress was worn out for the first time last night – to my work Christmas party at the ballroom in the Park Lane Hotel, London. I was told they filmed some scenes from Titanic there – I’ve never seen it so I can’t comment. I should point out that the collar is not a collar – it’s a necklace which you can see in this photo from fairly late in the party. I am pretending to be a vampire – as you do.

Drape Drape 2 and Drape Drape 3 are on my Christmas wish list!

Is it really over a month since my last past about the Pattern Magic Challenge? It's been a month a frustration, work and finally defeat!

I definitely bit off more than I could sew when I fell in love with the Disappearing Scarf from Pattern Magic 2. The drafting went well and I quickly ended up with the pattern pieces I needed - then I made an idiotic fabric choice. I thought it would look lovely in this synthetic shiny fabric I've had for ages - shimmery and etherial. Ha!

It was a nightmare from the moment I stuck the first pin into it. It puckered, it pulled, it became something I dreaded even catching sight of.  And, then the sewing. Oh, the sewing. It was like a jigsaw - I had the pieces, I had the picture of what it should like at the end. I just had no idea of how to get there. 

So with no further ado - I present, the shiny mess of the Disappearing Scarf...

The one good thing I can take from it was that it did actually fit...

This was what I had at 10 am on the morning of the Challenge deadline. I really didn't want to just send this mess (believe me it looks much, much worse in real life than in the photos!). So, I quickly flicked through Pattern Magic 3 to find "The magic is in the wearing".

This was my fabric at 10:45...

And this was  me at 11:10 the same morning!

And at 11:15...

And at 11:20

I am in love with this! Pattern Magic  all is forgiven.

How exciting is this?!  Mariana over at Sew 2 Pro (http://www.sew2pro.com/pattern-magic-challenge/) is running a Pattern Magic challenge. 

The idea is to draft and make an item of clothing for showing off by November 10th.

My sewing mojo has been missing in action recently and this is just the sort of thing I need to get the creative juices flowing again. After my two courses at Morley college based on the books, I have made only one wearable item from the books - and that is the simplest item in there - the twist top (http://www.thematerialgirl.co.uk/pattern-magic-twist-top). Now is the time to get working on some new ones.

My problem is what to make. I'm on another course at Morley this weekend based on the use of interfaces etc. in tailored jackets - could I blend the two learning experiences into one and make a jacket based on the designs?  

My thoughts are that the stole neck or the disappearing scarf from Pattern Magic 2 could be incorporated into a jacket.

But this looks pretty difficult and probably beyond my skills to produce in a month.

Another option is a party dress - Xmas is coming fast and I'll want something nice for my works do. Perhaps the cowl nech or the tie flipover?

Mind you, if all else fails - perhaps the most basic pattern from Pattern Magic 3 will be my only option to do in time!

Well, I've been in the new house for 3 months now and I'm finally getting a little back to normal.  The sewing room is getting there. There are now sewing machines out on display and I even have a couple of new toys...

First up is a dressform - I've been after one for years but there was just no room in the flat. Its a Lady Valet from Adjustaform. I've set up the measurements - although I'm sure my hips aren't that big!

Next up is an industrial sewing machine!

I know - a completely ridiculous extravagance! I have absolutely no need for it - and at the moment I'm terrified of it as it seems to run at the speed of light.  I found it through the local classified ads - I was only looking for a solid table to put my existing machines on and this turned up. Well, it would have been rude to refuse this particular gift horse!  It weighs a ridiculous amount - I had to get both husband and father to help pick it up and get it into the house.

And yes, some actual sewing. Although it's not exactly a thing of beauty!

It's from Drape Drape - my first venture into the book. It's pattern number 1 - Loose drape top.  It was meant as just a muslin hence the car crash of fabric choice. I have no idea what I was thinking when I bought 5 metres (yes, 5) of this monstrosity. Well, I think I was thinking "Cheap!".

It's unbelieveably low cut - my boobs would sit just about where the dial on the form is.   That's more than anybody would want to see of me!  It should be layered I assume - but to be honest, it's not really for me.  I'm not a layered, slouchy style person.

But at least I can now say Ive made something from the book. That still leaves me with about 10 Japanese books where I haven't made a single thing - my New Years resolutions were a long time ago.