MachMade

The fixing process: Last time I showed you this nightmare inducing disaster. Let me list the problems. Bad fit (waist, back, boobs), overwhelmingly busy print, huge sleeves, fussy neckline. Overall a highly unflattering dress. I could never have worn it in this state. So. I started by putting it on inside out and Mr M pinned me until I had shape! I did a quick movement test... ...then stitched new seams! I also hacked off the sleeves to make 3/4 length ones: I folded it like this so that the sleeve hem would still be even around my arm. To make sure both sleeves matched, I then did this: Lined up and cut! By that point it looked like this (I hadn't finished the sleeve ends - that's a TV watching job for tonight). Apologies for the trousers. Much better, no?! Just needs that neck sorting!! I just unpicked the gathered seam, hacked off the offending ruffles and then resewed it.  I'm not going to claim that this is a nice dress. Mr M says that the fabric itself was a bad choic...

Hooray for half term!! I've been mostly chilling in my me-made PJs or tshirt/jumper thing, but today I planned to wear a new dress.  This was the plan: I wanted a shirt dress, but a normal one wouldn't work with my waist-hip zone, so I thought this pattern was a real find!  But then I made this monstrosity. I am so ashamed of this that you can't even see my face. It's horrific, isn't it! I think it looks like a cross between an old ladies housecoat and a Shakespearean men's tunic. Urgh. Mr M has suggested removing the sleeves, but I'm really not sure that can save this. It fits SO badly that I'll just end up with gaping around the armpits. I might try adjusting the fit a bit.  I'm especially sad as this is the pattern I had in mind for the pretty fabric that I bought to match my fascinator. That plan has gone out of the window now. Rethink needed. Thank goodness it's half term, so I can get on with another project. If this was my only chance to s...

Monday 18th: Lovely pencil skirt from the sewing bee book. The facing has a tendency to pop up as this fabric doesn't iron well, so I can't brutally press it into submission like I normally do.  Tuesday 19th: Oscar still trying to get in on the photographic action!! This skirt was unearthed in a charity shop. It was size 22 and floor length, but I thought the print was so cute that I bought it. A few days later, I was really chuffed skipping about in it! Wednesday - Friday: I did wear Machmade all week, but failed at photos again. :-( A couple of tops and a skirt on Friday. And today, I'm chilling in my me-made jumper/tshirt. This is my only really casual me-made item, so I have very little choice for non work wear! It is the same outfit I wore last Friday for the film night of hen do, so here's a pic from then: Haha!! I was about to dig into that choc... Yeah, you can't see the top that well, but you can see how much fun we had! Thanks to Aunty Jill for the pic! It...

Although I love blogging about what I'm sewing/wearing/doing, I am still sensible enough to know that actually living is more important than talking about living. And this week has represented that ethos perfectly. Apologies for the lack of pictures. On Monday I wore my awesome new red dress for the second time. I didn't blog on Monday night because I went to a powerhoop class instead. Seriously good fun, but I was bruised and sore the next day! On Tuesday I wore a stretchy pencil skirt which I love! Unfortunately it was a hot, uncomfortable day and I was all bruised from powerhoop, so I had to do a mad dash to buy an alternative outfit from tesco before heading from work to dinner with some lovely (preggers - super congrats guys!) friends. With us moving away in the summer, we're really trying to make the most of our friends being nearby. So that's my excuse for the lack of blogging on Tuesday! Wednesday was a fairly casual outfit - chinos and my blue mimi blouse. We g...

So far in my sewing journey I haven't been much of a copycat. I love just picking a pattern, picking some fabric and then just going for it! I like the creativity of chucking things together to see if they work, and I like that my clothes look totally different to any others. But in the last couple of weeks I've been working on TWO projects inspired purely by photos that I wanted to copy!!  One (unfinished) is a gorgeous mustard wrap dress that a colleague at work was wearing. In the end I've gone for a slight variation, but my main intention was to copy. The other is this: I wanted the dress on the front of the Colette sewing book: But I decided to use some stash fabric for a 'wearable muslin'. I've never bothered before. A wearable muslin is essentially a practice version of a garment that is finished to a wearable quality. So by doing this, I've figured out that I could get away with a size smaller. And my shoulders are narrow, so that'll need adjusti...

I haven't kept you posted for a couple of days, mainly because I've been busy, but also partly because I forgot to take a photo on Friday and was ashamed! Friday (day 8): NO PHOTO!! I wore a cute brown suede lookalike pencil skirt. I completely adore it and it fits fairly well. I'm certain this'll come up again this month, so I'll make sure I take a photo next time! Saturday (day 9): Sadly this was a work day for me as I had BIG plans for Sunday. We just popped out for lunch at Wagamama, so I apologise for my make-up free exhausted looking state. My me-made is the top - I wore it earlier in May, I think. It is just a white tank top with little brown hearts. With hand-sewn bias binding. I like it quite a lot, but I'll admit that in this case it was just something to chuck on for lunch out between work and more work. 'Have you taken the photo yet? I want to eat!' Mmmm... Cha Han. Wagamama Leamington Spa is pretty awesome, to be honest. I dra...

Did you vote? I hope so. I did it in style with my mimi blouse.  Emily

Sometimes you just need something comfy. Today was one of those days.  This was a very early make for me. Before I had discovered ballpoint needles or zigzag stitch, let alone overlocking, all of which are pretty important when sewing stretch fabrics. As a result, I end up stitching up holes every time I wear it! I will take a moment to explain why these things are important. Ballpoint needles are best for stretch because they push aside the fibres rather than piercing them. That means that you're less likely to get ladders or holes as the fibres are stretched and pulled. And if you use a straight stitch on a stretch fabric, when the fabric stretches, the stitches won't, so the thread snaps. More holes. :-( Overlocking is a super neat and tidy way to sew stretchy seams and finish edges at the same time! Now that's cleared up, here is my beloved badly made skirt: That's Oscar making a cheeky photobomb! This skirt is just a stretchy tube. In greyish-brown jersey. Sounds a...

Parents evenings are both brilliant and horrible at the same time. I love meeting parents and telling them how wonderful their kids are. I love that the face to face conversation forces the kids to be honest, so it has real impact. And I love that I get the insight into the kids' lives. But despite all those wonderful things, parents evenings are exhausting!  My outfit for today wasn't strictly me-made, but it was me-adjusted! I have a big bum and small waist, which means that most trousers gape at the back. I recently bought a pair of navy trousers that I love, but they gaped badly at the back. I nearly gave up and donated them, but I hit Pinterest instead! I found an excellent tutorial for adding elastic to the waistband. It was easy peasy, and now they fit just right. Unfortunately, after my super long day, I just wanted to get into PJs when I got home. So there is no pic. But I will leave you with this: 'Thank you for your support this year, Miss' Suddenly it's ...

Sunday is normally work day - planning lessons and catching up for marking ready for the coming week! With this being a bank holiday, I thoroughly enjoyed not working yesterday, but I needed to knuckle down today. Normally, work at home days involve leggings or even PJs. So I was a bit worried about how I could make this work in terms of MMM. But then Mr M. pointed out my home made PJ shorts that I made earlier this year as a quick project. I used the free pattern from Melly Sews  (amazing blog - I love her!). I had to make it a little bit bigger, but it wasn't too tricky. She has instructions on her blog which I now use whenever I need to make a pattern bigger or smaller. I love these shorts - they're perfect for lounging around (or working!). Since I made them, they've been well loved and washed, so I've learned yet another lesson... fraying! Yep. I never bothered finishing seams. So now I wander around the house with trailing threads constantly. I als...

Today was a lovely day! Nice breakfast with Mr M., then a beautifully relaxing tea and cake date with my work BFF, who I've been missing all week! We went to Vinteas, which is a really gorgeous tea shop on Leamington. They have great cake, comfy chairs, a huge selection of teas and a super relaxing chilled atmosphere. And the service is brilliant. :-) I wore a top I made last year. I was pretty happy with it then and I've worn it a few times since. However, I've lost a little bit of weight since then, and my 'fit' standards have risen. As a result, I'm not as keen on this as I was. Despite that, it's a nice easy top to wear out and feel good, so I can't complain. Check out the super cute teacup! I've spent the rest of the day sewing like crazy. Almost finished one project (need to buy a zip) and now getting going with another.  I love bank holiday weekends!  Emily

This morning, as I was heading out to Park Run , I had this sudden guilt that I was leaving the house without any me-made garments! But running gear is far in the distance in terms of my sewing ability. So I did my run, showered and headed back out again for brunch in this me-made shirt: Eggs Royale - breakfast of my dreams This shirt was a long time coming. I wanted to make a shirt for ages, then bought this pattern ( Simplicity 1538 ) on an impulse, before I really had thought about what makes a shirt suit me. As a result, this doesn't really suit me. There are bust darts, but no other shaping. I also failed to realise how important it is that a shirt is the right size. This just fits me on the bust (there is a little gap-age when I stretch, but I think that's inevitable), but it is too wide on the shoulders, too narrow on the hips and saggy on the waist. Bit of a shame really.   The fabric combo was fished out of the bargain bin at my local haberdashery. I thoug...

First day of MMM15! And a Friday - phew!! My work BFF has abandoned me to have a baby, so I've been pining all week. The kids keep asking me 'Miss, are you grumpy because Mrs C is gone?' and I'm like....Shut up and do your work. *cries*. But I've made it through the week. And I refused to leave work until my desk was clear and I'd sorted some stuff out for next week, so feeling ready for next week. And BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY! Hooray!! Self drafted skirt! This is a mid-calf length skirt. It is (was - I've made a couple more now) my first pattern made exactly from my measurements (using the Winifred Alrich book ), and although I'm delighted with it, there are definitely some issues. But first the positives: Check out that dart! I'm fairly pleased with the darts in this. They're all fairly symmetrical and pressed out really nicely. Now here's a positive and a negative in a single shot: Super neat lapped zip! And a disaster pair of ...