Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Days 6 & 7

I promise, this is the last One Week One Pattern post! These two pictures basically show you what I wore. We were away for the weekend, where it was much colder than it had been earlier in the week, so my t-shirts didn't quite cut it. I didn't wear one on day 6 (we just hung around the house all day and tried to stay warm), and while I did wear one on day 7, it was under another shirt and sweatshirt all day. Like so:



So that's it! It was fun to participate in an online sewing community activity. I am glad to wear other clothes, but it made me think more about what it would be like to always wear the same uniform, or style of clothing. I'm sure I'd own fewer clothes and be more creative, which is something to think about. I like to say simplicity is a good thing, but I'm not sure I really live it when it comes to clothing. It takes up much more of my thoughts than it probably should. 

Monday, September 15, 2014

OWOP Day 5

This was my pattern version for Day 5. Here also, this picture was taken over the summer, instead of on Thursday, but I pretty much looked the same, minus a scarf that happened to wear with it this time around.

We left for a long weekend vacation mid-day, so as soon as I was finished with my morning at MOPS, I changed into some traveling clothes (jeans and a t-shirt) and didn't get Dan to snap my picture.

This is probably my favorite version of my pattern. It's too heavy of a knit to wear on really humid days, however, so I have to save it for slightly cooler weather. I picked the fabric up at a local thrift store, so I really have no idea what the fiber content is, although I'm pretty sure it's not 100% cotton b/c of the feel of it and how warm it is.

For some reason, I think this dress looks better with the belt on my hips, rather than around my waist. And I think this is one reason I like it more. I'm used to my waistbands landing on my hips, not my waist, so it feels more natural and comfortable. When I wear other dresses with a belt at my waist line, I'm less likely to keep them on longer than the event I wore them for.


Thursday, September 11, 2014

OWOP Days 3 & 4

Yesterday, Day 3:


This shirt was made from a thin knit remnant I picked up at JoAnn's. The two pieces don't match up perfectly, because the bottom was smaller, which makes it more fitted than other versions I've made. But I still like it. And I got the shoulder seams lined up nicely, so that's a plus.



Today, Day 4:


Rewearing the dress I wore on day one. This time I wore it with a belt made from cutting about 3 inches from the length of the fabric and trimming to the right length. No stitching of any kind on the belt. I love how knit fabric doesn't fray like woven fabric, and since it rolls over on itself, you can't even tell that the long edges aren't hemmed.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

One Week One Pattern: Days 2 & 3

Here's what I wore Sunday, Day #2:


Confession: This picture was not taken yesterday. Dan was working most of the day, so I couldn't have him take a picture, and since I don't have a smart phone or camera that photographs well in the mirror, I figured I'd just use a picture my mom took of me a few weeks ago when I had her photograph me in the dresses I've made this past year. I wore the same belt and similar jewelry, so I figured this works!

When I first made this dress (it's a lightweight knit with some percentage linen fiber content), I sewed the tucks in the top as the pattern suggested. I wore it that way a few times until after I made another knit dress without the tucks. I decided I preferred the tuckless look and so I took this dress apart and remade it sans tucks.


Day #3:


Here's the first shirt I made using Simplicity 2147. I hadn't planned on making a shirt initially, but I had some fabric from a knit skirt I'd made a while ago that I wanted to repurpose. You can see the skirt in the picture below. The fabric was too thin for a skirt (and I'd made the skirt too tight), in my opinion, and I had enough to make a shirt. I basically took the yoga waistband off the skirt and then re-hemmed it. I didn't have enough gray fabric to make the top/sleeve pieces, so I found some very lightweight knit fabric at JoAnn's and figured I'd see how it all turned out. Overall, it's fine, but if you look closely, it's not the most professional-looking. I don't have a serger, so sewing with knits is interesting, I definitely like the shirt more than the skirt, so I'm glad I made the change!




Monday, September 8, 2014

And So It Begins

We made this...





in preparation for this...




It's a shirt to wear to "specials" classes at school: Spanish, music and movement, etc. Basically any class where he'll have a different teacher than the ones in his classroom. We were supposed to provide a "name shirt" that he'll put on over whatever he's wearing that day, so we hit up a local thrift store where I found a navy t-shirt. It has the words "Korea rocks" on the front, so I used some scrap fabric to cover that up and then ironed on the letters. I am taking bets on how long it will be until some of those letters fall off or are pulled off. Thankfully, I have extras.

The plaid shirt underneath is a men's button down shirt that will be his paint smock. I shortened the sleeves and took off part of the collar.

All went well. He was all smiles when we walked into his classroom and all smiles when I picked him up.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

One Week, One Pattern: Day 1

Today is the first day of One Week, One Pattern (OWOP). And I did it! I actually wore one of the dresses I made. I've been wearing the clothing I made from this one pattern, but part of me wondered if I'd totally lose motivation to wear them during a specific week. I wear my clothes based on what I feel like wearing, so knowing that I've committed to wearing certain clothes during certain times made me wonder if I'd decide to throw in the towel last-minute. But I didn't, so that's good. Just a reminder, here's the pattern:

Photo

Today is hot and humid (my least favorite weather, unless you have a pool or other swimming venue at your disposal, which I do not) and we spent a chunk of the day at Longwood Gardens, so I picked this version (View A) of my pattern. No belt. I didn't want anything restricting airflow!



It's a little boxier than I typically wear, but it was great in hot weather. I used a very thin knit, so it was pretty breezy and lightweight. If you look closely, you'll see that I don't have any tucks in the part of the skirt that meets the bodice (can you call that upper part a bodice?). I made two dresses with the tucks, decided the dress was way to billowy and poofy, and so for each of my subsequent dresses and shirts, I've left out the tucks. Much better in my opinion.

A few other notes, for anyone who cares (and I'm not offended if you don't!), I made this dress too short initially and so I added a band of about 4 inches to the bottom. I matched up the strips pretty well on the front, but not so much on the back. But you can't see that from this picture. It's not the best-made dress, but I think I'll be wearing it more than just this week!