My makes in May

May always starts off with me intending to wear more of my makes as part of Me Made May, and to be fair I did wear quite a few this year. But I never remember to take photos. I really need to improve my selfies. Maybe I should take a course and set up a corner to act as a location for shots of my makes. Anything’s better than this late night phone pic in the hall mirror:

The start of May is also the start of the Summer 6PAC sewalong over on the Stitcher’s Guild forum. I posted about that here. I didn’t make much progress beyond cutting out the keyhole top in an oatmeal jersey. Still trying to shed a few pounds, to be honest.

Completed projects

I actually managed three complete garments this month.

We had a wedding at the end of May, and Alice requested a broderie anglaise dress. She found a picture of a style she liked:

 

I bought some broderie anglaise from a really helpful eBay seller, and we dyed it lilac. Note: the all-in-one machine dye from Dylon was NOT a complete success. Even though we fllowed the instructions exactly, the fabric ended up blotchy and spotty in places. Fortunately it was worst on the lawn lining, but there were a couple of patchy areas on the main fabric too. Next time I’ll use the standard washing machine dye, which I’ve never had a problem with.

She’s a dream to sew for. Tall and slender. Sigh.

It was hot in that marquee, but you know how the English summer is, so the new Aviator Jacket went along as a cover-up for when it got chilly:

This has been in the pending pile for ages, at least 12 months. I finally took the plunge. Projects you put off are never as daunting as you anticipate. Plus this one was a chance to try out the new Janone 6700p for real, and it was a big hit. I love it.

The final completed garment was a dress for me, also for the wedding. I used an old favourite sheath dress, sleeveless, in a stretch blue and white cotton sateen. No photo yet!

In progress

I’ve cut out a pair of Closet Case files Ginger Jeans and a Keyhole top from Christine Johnson. More in another post.

I’m a bit sad that I’ve neglected my embroidery this month. But I did design some applique for the back pocket of the Gingers, and I’ll post more about that soon.

And in the header image, you can see the start of a big project: a tweed French cardigan jacket embellished with embroidery. This one could take a while!