mmm'14 update and new tops

MMM'14 Selfie!

Thanks for all your kind comments on my last post! I'm glad me-made-pjs count when you are feeling cruddy. I'm feeling a lot better finally (and my house bunnies are starting to feel better, too!), and have actually put on real clothes the past few days.

May 2nd - One of my favorite makes from last year, McCalls 6751!
May 3rd - A brand new Grainline Hemlock Tee... which doesn't really go with the hat, but it was sunny out on the deck :)
May 4th - Here I'm wearing a favorite infinity scarf out to dinner with some friends. I was wearing my grey, knit maxi-skirt earlier... but sick bunnies meant I had to change before going out, and before I'd taken my MMM'14 photo.
May 5th - A new  Megan Nielsen Eucalypt Tank with gold sandals, skinny jeans and a cardigan.

I made the Grainline Hemlock Tee with a sheer, striped,  sweater-knit from Fabric.com. I love the look, but it already started to snag after only one day of regular wear. Also, I constructed this on my serger, and the seams didn't come out great. I know a lot of folks like to sew knits on a serger, but I just don't have the hang of it yet. I do better constructing on my regular sewing machine with a zig-zag, and neatening up the seams afterwards on the serger. It's a wearable shirt that will be good on days I'm in the art studio, nothing I'll be upset over should I get it covered in ink. Still, I do really like the pattern and may make another version!

I made my  Eucalypt Tank from the same fish-print cotton that I used to line my me-made purse. I love this print! For this version I cut the fabric on the bias to allow a little more stretch and shape. Even with that, I think I will add some bust darts next time I use this pattern. I used french seams, a narrow curved hem, and homemade bias binding along the neck and armholes. I'm really, really pleased with the construction on this top.

I've also finished my black, silk, copy-cat maxidress! But that will deserve it's own post, so stayed tuned. :) 

In the first week of MMM'14 I've realized I need some khaki pants to go with a number of my me-made tops, so that's what I'm sewing currently. I found some nice twill (I think?) with a fair bit of stretch that had come from my mother's stash and have started a pair of Simplicity 1696 Amazing Fit Pants. It probably would have been way smarter to use the StyleARC Elle Pants pattern that I had success with before... but I guess I just want to make things difficult for me! Really, I wanted a more traditional pant look with front pockets and a lower rise waistband, and I found this amazing red version while searching pattern reviews that are seriously cool! I at least laid my StyleARC pattern pieces on top of the Simplicity pieces to (hopefully) confirm a similar fit... but more on that project later!