Me and Me-Made-May ’12

I’ve been wanting to participate in a me-made challenge since I first read about it a year ago. Sadly at the time I only had an apron and a skirt in my me-made closet. “Oh well, maybe next time…,” I thought. Well, next time is next month for me. After meeting Zoe this weekend, and getting some great suggestions as to how to go about Me-Made-May my way, I decided to jump in feet first and do it.

“I, Melizza of Pincushion Treats, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’12. I endeavor to wear a me-made garment or accessory at least three days a week for the duration of May 2012.”

I am quite bad about not going through my closet when looking for something to wear. I gravitate to my flavor of the month, be it a t-shirt or pair of jeans that I will wear to death. One Pattern One week taught me to think beyond my go-to outfits. I became more thoughtful in what I wore and loved how I looked every day. Now if I can feel like that for most of May I will be one happy bunny. And surely I will pick up some good habits along the way. I’m looking forward to marrying my forgotten ready-to-wear clothes with my me-made garments and accessories and seeing what new outfits come of it.

OWOP: Day 7 with Stripey Ginger

Yesterday was the last day of OWOP. I really had a great time doing this challenge. It forced me to think outside of the jeans-and-t-shirt box and spruce up my look a bit. I definitely felt extra special every day because I knew I actually spent time deciding what to wear.

A group of us celebrated the end of the challenge with a few cocktails and friendly chatter. Meeting up with fellow stitchers never gets old. On the contrary. I look forward to meeting up more and more. It’s nice to chat about your hobby with someone who understands what you’re on about. Poor hubby just grins and nods when I explain what I’m trying to do with a garment. Bless.

A great night is always guaranteed when you mix three things together:

1. Alcohol

2. Chocolate (Find my tutorial on how to make these lovely macarons/macaroons here).

3. Great company.

Stitch and Witter and House of Pinhiero

Pimp My Curtains

Did You Make That, Auxetically and Lazy Stitching

Pimp My Curtains and Claire

Tilly and the Buttons and Did You Make That

What fun!

Thanks to Tilly for thinking up an awesome challenge that got my creative juices flowing. Thanks to Karen for organizing another fab meet-up. And thanks to y’all who humored me by listening to me go on and on about The Tube. I am obsessed with that show!

OWOP: Day 6 with Prince of Wales Ginger

See those cute teal shoes above? Yeah, haven’t worn those since I lived in Texas and drove EVERYWHERE. I am not even going to pretend that those shoes will be worn today. I haven’t worn heels since I moved to London. My poor ankles aren’t suited for balancing over cobblestones and uneven pavements. All my heels are gathering dust in the closet. Maybe I’ll start using them just for picture purposes. But really, how do women in this city rock heels so well? My calves hurt just looking at them.

So…this is my first Ginger skirt. It fits a bit big now (hurrah!) but I don’t think I will go through the trouble of taking it in. I bought some wool Prince of Wales fabric and hope to replace this one next winter. When I made this skirt I used a pattern that I graded up to a size 20. I found the pattern a bit too roomy around the hips so I’ve since started using the 18 with a modified waist. I used the slash-and-pivot method to add some inches at the waist and keep the hips the same. I’m liking the new look and will soon retire this skirt. But it’s had a great run.

Let me end this post with sending a MASSIVE congrats to Dibs and family. She and her husband welcomed Noah into the world late last night. Can’t wait to meet the little guy.

OWOP: Day 5 with Crochet Ginger, the Remix

Gail‘s comment recently lead to today’s outfit. She suggested that my Mustard Jasmine would look good with the crochet Ginger and she was right. I think the look is quite sweet. But I love my layering pieces (viva cardis!) so I think I will have to start making vests (tank tops in the UK). This outfit so needs a coolio 1990s vest. No, really.

A vest would give it a bit more umph, yes? I thought about making vests earlier in the year and completely forgot about it after the weather got warmer. Must add that to the to-sew list. Who knows how long this warm weather is going to last? Oh oh. Did I jinx us? Sorry if I did, London!

I used the belt from my Madhatter Ginger to define the waist. I turned the bow to the back and ta-da…a clean look in the front with a cute bow in the back. Sadly, no photo of the cute bow was taken.

Tomorrow: Prince of Wales Ginger.

OWOP: Day 4 with Fan-tastic Ginger

After reading Handmade Jane‘s post on the Marilyn exhibit I knew I had to check it out. Today I met a friend at the Getty Image Gallery and had a leisurely look around.

And since we were in the neighborhood we browsed around Liberty, fondling fabric, checking out their housewares and stationary section.

Here’s a closeup of my newly made Fan-tastic Ginger. I made it from a Japanese fabric that has a gorgeous pattern of fans on it. It was much too sheer to wear alone so I lined it with black acetate.

As we left Liberty I just had to capture a photo of two women wearing gorgeous kimonos.

If you browse through my collection of photos through the years you’ll find that I am a bit obsessed with alleyways. I love taking photos of them: the lines, the shadows. I saw this alley and asked my friend to take my photo. I am clearly a great actress because you would never know from the look on my face that the alley smelled of buckets of urine. Or can you? Hmmm…

Once home I was stuck trying to take my own photos since my husband is working late today. It took AGES! It’s so hard to get a good self-portrait. The sun is almost gone and I assure you it was high in the sky when I started.

It appears I am still suffering from a sugar high from yesterday’s sweets.

Sugar crash. Enter Artistic Mela…

I’m loving sharing all this Ginger love. And I have more to give!

OWOP: Day 3 with Madhatter Ginger

The lovely Rachel and I planned a baking date ages ago. And today was finally the day that we met to bake to our heart’s content. No tut-tutting over calories or substituting regular for diet. Oh no.

Rachel had a great idea to bake with a theme in mind. We decided to bake all the goodies (cakes, scones, and French macarons) for a nice afternoon tea. Minus the tea. But lots of yummy rosé wine.

Ack! Rachel made us matching aprons! The adorableness is too much, I warn you…

Yes, lots of yummy rosé wine.

We did manage to take our OWOP pic for the day. And then we went back in for seconds.

A great day. A great day indeed.

OWOP: Day 2 with Crochet Trim Ginger

Thank you for all the lovely comments on Denim Ginger! I will definitely keep blue and red combos in mind for future makes.

I made this Ginger last week, using leftover crochet trim from my first Jasmine blouse. I loved the way it peeked out under my jacket.

I kept the skirt simple, using some remnant black cotton twill. I didn’t have a black skirt in my closet until I made this one. Glad I made it because a black skirt will prove useful. It’s easy to dress up or down and matches everything easily.

The best thing about black bottoms is making them pop with a bit of color. I may be in the running for Cardigan Queen; I can’t get enough of them.

The waistband camouflages against my black tank/vest top but the curves still show a bit. Subtle and sweet. I’m really looking forward to styling this skirt with solid and patterned tops*.

I apologize for another short entry. My brain is mush from the fitting workshop. Who knew two days of pinning, observing and toile-making could be so exhausting?

*must make more tops!

OWOP: Day 1 with Denim Ginger

With the excitement of the first day of my fitting workshop, I completely forgot that today was the start of OWOP. As soon as I got home, I threw my Ginger on and took a walk with the mister to enjoy the sun. Londoners, wasn’t today AMAZING?

This Ginger is my least worn simply because it’s still quite snug. Six months ago the skirt didn’t even close around my waist. But today it zips up. Small victories, yay!

Sorry to keep this post short and sweet but there’s Pimms to be had.