Me-Made-May second week roundup

Why do my photos look so terrible in Blogger and so much better on Flickr and on my phone?  What's up with that?

So, me-made-May revelations.  Although I didn't explicitly state it in my pledge, I realize I'm trying to do no repeats throughout the month.  Or if I do repeat an item, like my new jacket or a t-shirt, I wear it with a different me-made I haven't worn yet.  I'm a little amazed at how underutilized my hodge podge wardrobe actually is.  I have some decent clothes and viable combinations yet I'm usually too lazy to wear them.  You know, because I have to pick them out, or hand wash them, or make some kind of underwear decision or something, and why bother when I can get away with wearing yoga pants any day.  In fact I did wear yoga pants Monday, but in my defense I was going to a yoga class.

 

Day 8

Sewaholic Renfrew made by me
jeans: Freddie's of Pinewood, rolled up too high for the rain boots I had on earlier (downpour!)
shoes: Dansko (birth control shoes, as a friend calls them)
glasses: Fabulous Fanny's
bag: something vegan from Daffy's

Day 9

pinstripe wool blend vest made by me from a 70s pattern
t-shirt: Banana Republic cast off from my sister
jeans: Gap
hat: Goorin Bros
shoes: Crocs
necklace: glass pendant was a gift and I designed the necklace at a bead shop
bag: the vegan thing from Daffy's
glasses: Moskot

Day10

poetry celebration in the garden at school
Gertie's Portrait Blouse and Oliver & S Music Box Jumper made by me
skirt: BCBG cast off from my sister
shoes (can't see): leopard Crocs flats, same as yesterday

Day 11

Garment District, NYC
Cake Patterns Pavlova skirt and 3hourspast Blank Canvas Tee (unblogged) made by me
scarf: Liberty for Target
shoes: Converse
glasses: Bevel

Day 12

picnic in Central Park
Deer and Doe Pavot jacket, Grainline Scout woven tee, Oliver + S Ice Cream Social top, and refashioned flower skirt made by me
jeans: Gap
hat: Goorin Bros.
sunglasses: Moskot

Day 13

Weird outfit for an unusually sporty day.  I spent most of it in running clothes doing chores, errands, and finally going for a run.  I wore this to a yoga class.
tank/vest, scarf, and socks made by me (see Ravelry if you're interested)
yoga pants: Target
tee shirt: ?
glasses: Bevel

Day 14

self-drafted circle skirt and 3hourspast Blank Canvas Tee (can't see, unblogged) made by me
silk scarf: gift
wool cardigan: grandma
tights: American Apparel
boots: Frye
sunglasses: Moskot

pavot!

The Facts
Fabric: heavy weight blue cotton twill and lightweight cotton with woven houndstooth pattern from B&J Fabrics
Pattern: Deer and Doe Pavot
Year: contemporary
Notions: interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply, buttons from Mood, topstitching thread, a ton of self-made bias tape for the seam finishing and jacket hem
Total cost: About $80.  ($60 for fabric, but I overbought since I had a different pattern in mind.  $14 for buttons.)
Time to complete: I lost track.  Not a quick project.

Once upon a time in the latter 90s, in a German town called Bremen on the river Weser, I had a bright blue jacket from a thrift shop that I loved.  It had a bunch of white topstitching, shiny white buttons, and a happy houndstooth lining.  It was also way too big.  Even so, I wore it a lot in my travels about town by tram and by bike teaching "business" English.  Now that I can sew clothes for myself moderately proficiently (how's that for a tagline? sewing clothes for myself moderately proficiently since 2011. . . or maybe 2013), I wanted to make a better version of the Bremen jacket that actually fits.  I bought the fabrics last year for a Sew Weekly challenge but couldn't commit to a pattern.  I'm so glad I finally settled on Pavot and had more than a week to work on it.

There's nothing difficult about the Deer and Doe pattern.  However, the instructions are minimal, so I think the "Intermediate" rating is accurate.  You need some experience to know how to put the thing together-- how to sew a princess seam, when to understitch, and how to finish with bias tape.  The jacket is hemmed with bias tape turned to the inside, and I used bias binding to finish all the seam allowances except for the pockets, which I serged.  The sleeve hem is a narrow hem.  All the seams are topstitched.  I used my blind hem foot as a guide and a stitch length of 3, and if I may say so, the topstitching looks GOOD.  I limited the white topstitching to the collar, waistband, and placket because it was painstaking, my machine did NOT like it, and I only had one small spool of the white topstitching thread. 

Unlike the Bremen jacket, the fit is excellent.  I did a narrow shoulder adjustment, graded, and used a smaller hem allowance for the sleeves instead of lengthening them.  That's it.  The jacket feels exactly right the second I put it on, so rare and so pleasant.  The style works well with my body type (petite on top and pearish), which makes me think I should sew more Deer and Doe patterns.  In Bremen I could wear this most of the year.  Here in New York, I probably don't have a lot of spring jacket days left, but that's okay.  I'll be ready. 

Happy Mother's Day to the mamas!  We had a picnic near the Central Park Reservoir, where these photos were taken (I believe that is the iconic Dakota building in the background), and then played soccer and hearts and tried to fly a kite on the Great Lawn.  

punk at the met

John Lydon, 1976

Yesterday I went to see the new exhibit at the Met, Punk: From Chaos to Couture.  My experience was overwhelmingly positive-- after staying home the previous day with a sick kid I was joyful to be out of the house on a sunny spring day in Manhattan wearing a dress with bare legs and examining Vivienne Westwood designs up close.  What stood out most is the stark contrast between the early garments from the 70s-- all Westwood and McLaren, all grungy and rough and obnoxious-- and the luxe, high end reworkings by contemporary designers.  Chaos to couture, I guess.  There were somewhat lame constructed sets of Westwood's London shop, Sex, and the bathroom at CBGB's, as well as a soundtrack of loud alienating beeps that obviously annoyed some of the elderly patrons.  I found the Met's staging amusing.  I mean, this is a well-funded major institution of high culture, the polar opposite of punk!

Later in the day I read Sasha Frere-Jones on the exhibit.  He's harsh but not wrong. 

Although I did have Sex Pistols songs in my head, I left the museum with a sense of punk as just a style, abstracted from the context of a particular moment in history, with a distinct color palette (black, white, gray, a touch of red) and design elements (studs and spikes, safety pins, D-rings and straps, zippers, rips and holes).  As someone who makes my own clothes, I was fascinated by the details of how the individual designers in the exhibit worked within those parameters, and I wanted to go home and immediately start sewing. 

I also started thinking about the punk possibilities of a few items in my wardrobe, like the tartan kilt, the black tuxedo-style jacket I picked up recently (when I was working on my Bowie jacket and knew it was a bargain at $20), and the black leather pants my sister cast off sometime in the 90s.  Remember when leather pants were in for a minute?  They're from Ann Taylor, very well made, unfortunately a size or two too small.  I've tried to squeeze into them many times over the years, but I think the time has come to cut them up and use the leather for embellishment.  Though my personal style is far from punk, I have some ideas that still feel like me and would be fun to try.   The future of no future is DIY, as I saw proclaimed in the opening gallery at the Met. 

Go see Punk: From Chaos to Couture yourself if you can!

Me-Made-May first week round-up

Day 1

upcycle oxford scout woven tee and rowan denim boneyard shawl (unblogged) made by me

jeans: Levi's
jacket: Fossil
merino cardigan (not visible): J Crap
bag: Target
shoes: New Balance
hat: Goorin Bros.
sunglasses: Moskot
scooter: Xootr
The last time I thought this hard about the brands of my clothes I was in middle school.  I'm following the convention I've seen and appreciated around the blogs for outfit posts.

Day 2

wool jersey pavlova wrap top made by me
corduroy wrap skirt: Wrangler (thrifted)
boots: Frye

Day 3

Brooklyn waterfront, taken by a gorgeous Italian tourist stranger since I ran out time to meet my husband as planned
plaid wool challis skirt made by me
navy merino crewneck (not really visible): J Crap
jacket: Ralph Lauren Sport (cast off by my sister at least 10 years ago)
hat and scarf: Lisa Schaub (traded for work also years ago)
bag: Fossil
boots: Hanna Andersson

Day 4

Kentucky Derby party in Centreville, Delaware
refashioned leopard top and Imogen cardigan (unblogged) made by me
skirt: Donna Karan from the mall in Boardman, Ohio circa 2000
shoes: Converse
fascinator: Goorin Bros.
regular glasses: Fabulous Fanny's
pearls: grandma

Day 5

Brooklyn Botanic Gardens treehouse upcycled from the mess left by Hurricane Sandy
simplicity 3668 trousers in cotton linen denim made by me
sweater: Ibex
jacket and bag: Fossil
scarf: Liberty for Target
shoes: New Balance

Day 6

at home with a sick kid
Renfrew made by me
jeans: J Crap cast off by my sister
glasses: Bevel

Day 7

taken by Fenna, who went back to school today, hurrah
Macaron made by me before I had a blog, featured on the Coletterie
cardigan: Boden
boots: Frye

last week's menu + this and that

Point Dume, Malibu

Hello!  We were in Los Angeles!  Every time I go to Southern California-- which is fairly often since we used to visit my uncle when he lived there, and now E has to go for work-- I ask myself what the hell we're doing over here on the East Coast. 

I cast on for a shorter, less voluminous version of Flicca in Berocco Vintage Chunky.  My fleece seems to have a goiter.

Before we left I cooked some stuff, I don't remember what, but I did write it down:

cream of broccoli soup, romaine with anchovy dressing and fried potato croutons

beef barley stew with shitake mushrooms

fried brown rice with kale and scallions

chicken noodle casserole (recipe from current May issue of Cook's Country, good enough but a lot of work, probably won't make again)

shrimp and grits (last night)

I have nearly zero interest in cooking right now.  It happens.  Having seen this video, E's been talking about fasting, so maybe we'll give that a go. 

sneak peek

Thanks to jet lag, I've been sewing Pavot late into the night and am close, very close.  A couple more days.  Almost every seam has required 7 lines of stitching-- 4 to attach the bias binding to each piece, 1 plain old seam, and 2 for topstitching each side of the seam.  Plus I ran out of binding and have to make more.

Me-Made-May has commenced!  I joined the Flickr group pool this year, such a kick, and we're only on day 3.  I better go get dressed.

pavot in progress and MMM13

Yep, I'm in.

I, Lee of theslowsteady.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May 2013 (hereafter MMM13).  I endeavour to wear at least one me-made-item each day for the duration of May 2013, take daily photos, and post them as a round-up at the end of each week.  I will also clean out my closet, organize my wardrobe, and do some me-made-focused assessment and planning.

That last part might not seem impressive as a challenge since all of us have to go through our closets a bit for MMM.  Don't be fooled.  I've been meaning to get to the assorted closets, shelves, drawers, and boxes-- which contain a lot more than just my clothes, unfortunately-- for a while. 

pile of ill-fitting me-mades I don't wear

So I'm counting on the thrill of MMM13 and seeing you all in your homemade finery to get me through! 

I've needed a chic spring jacket this past month and was hoping to whip up Pavot while the weather still calls for it.  That's royal blue medium weight cotton twill below and a woven cotton houndstooth that I'm using for bias binding to finish the seams (no lining). 

I bought these fabrics last year to recreate a jacket from my past.  At first I meant to use a 70s pattern for a wrap coat with a shawl collar and a belt.  Then Anise came out and I was swept up in Anise excitement.  However, after a first tailoring project in cotton twill, I really want to use wool for the next one, which will most certainly be Anise in the fall.  I splurged on Pavot because I love its unfussy combination of details: the length, the rounded collar, the structured waistband (without a belt), the flared skirt.  Hope to show you soon.

this week's menu + bento

Rough week, what with the terrifying drama in Boston and the intimately depressing task of updating our wills.  A few hours on the Cherry Esplanade at Brooklyn Botanic Garden this afternoon has helped reset.

Here's what I've been cooking:
mustard roasted red snapper, asparagus tart (from current issue of Cook's Country)

crispy black bean tacos with feta and cabbage slaw

spaghetti puttanesca

eggplant parmesan, romaine with anchovy dressing

beef stew with anchovies, thyme, and red wine over egg noodles

lentil kale soup with chicken sausage

bento:
cilantro and curry hummus (free recipe last week), carrots and tomatoes, hard-boiled egg

sushi rice with smoked salmon and cucumber, carrots and tomatoes, strawberries

eggplant parm, pretzels, carrots, pineapple

bulgur salad with tomatoes and feta, hummus, labane, carrots

 Japonica rice, furikake, pork and shrimp meatballs, steamed asparagus and green beans