MMM14 Final Wrap-up...Yes, It's June 30th

Sigh.

Belcarra blouse + Thurlow Shorts

I've been thinking a lot lately about Me Made May.  It's a great way to analyze what you wear and what you make and how the two intersect.  

And after several weeks of deep navel-gazing, I've come to a couple revelations.

1). I dress for work.  Work gives me a reason to put on clothing.  

2) In the summer, I don't work.  If I don't work, I don't have a reason to put on clothing. 

Wait. That's not true.  I can't go the the grocery store naked.  Or the library.  Or cook; that's not safe. Or I guess the neighbors might mind if I went out to work in the garden in my underwear...

3) Maybe it's more that I don't CARE about dressing in the summer.  I throw on shorts and a t-shirt and go. My broccoli doesn't care if I'm wearing earrings. The beach doesn't care if I wear mascara.  The playground doesn't care if my ponytail is a little sloppy.  The grocery store doesn't know that today's shorts and t-shirt are only a different-colored variation on yesterday's shorts and t-shirt.

4) As you can tell, I'm currently on a slippery slope towards What-Not-to-Wear intervention.  

Only I know that I'll get my act back together by August

 when it's time to report back and sharpen up my pencils.

But here's where I'm struggling:

I've been TRYING to sew what I wear.

And God, is it boring.

I don't even want to blog about it.

Resized 2x tee + Renfrew + Day to Night Drape top + Renfrew

Huh.  I don't really LIKE making basic clothing.  Huh.

Well, I DO, in that it's fast and functional, but Imma tellin' ya, it does NOT stir the soul.

In fact, I just had a thought earlier today that I'd just rather go buy a quick tshirt and be done with it.

Well, shit.  That's not good.

Coming soon: Lisette Continental Dress

So on that note, I'm giving up.  I'm giving up on sewing everyday clothes for the summer.  Henceforth, I'm sewing things I want to wear--even if it isn't until someday.  An August or early September day.

Silk Belcarra

First off, apologies for the awful pictures.  It has been raining since noon, and the weather forecast calls for three more days of rain. 

Pattern: Sewaholic Belcarra

Fabric: 1 1/4 yards Roberto Cavalli silk, purchased from Kaplan's

Notions: thread

I originally purchased this fabric with no small amount of fear.  It's sik, and it's slippery.  It's also not at all within my comfort zone of print...but I'd looked at it and touched it and looked at the price tag everytime I went into the store.  On my last visit before they closed, Alan offered a discount, and I went with it.  I had no plans for it, but knew it needed to be something simple.  So when the Belcarra pattern was released earlier this year, I knew I'd found a match.

And then I went and decided to do the version with the tucked sleeves.

At which point I decided that maybe I should avoid handling this as much as possible.

So I decided against French seams.

You can now kick me out of the sewing community--I serged a silk blouse.

In my defense, (and I still stand by my decision):

a) there are a lot of bias seams here, which were just asking to be pulled all wonky

b) this silk has a twill weave, which wants to skew anyway

c) I did not want to risk having to unpick seams in this fabric

d) well, this isn't Project Runway.  You can't kick me out for that.

Will I still wear this?

Yes.

Am I happy with how it turned out?

Yes, if it ever stops raining.

Case closed.

On the sizing, I graded from a 10 through the shoulders to an 8 at the waist and hips, due to previous issues with tight shoulders.  I may have been able to get away with an 8 all over, as it is so drapey, and slighty prone to mechanical stretch, but I'm really okay with the looser fit through the top.  

Silk is supposed to be drapey.