Friday 14 May 2010

Me-Made-May: Days 11, 12 & 13

Ugh! Midweek! So boring. Well, I guess days are what you make them and all that, but I've been longing for weekend fun and more exciting outfits. To be honest, I find the midweek difficult to dress for. My working roles are varied and a little incongruous. Some days I work with young kids, some days teenagers and some days adults, or more often than not, a combination. Some days I need to look inconspicuous, like a normal shopper looking at clothes (ironic for someone who hasn't bought a new garment for years! Oh, except in 2008 when I bought a top and jeans from Zara and jeans from Urban Outfitters). Plus most days I do a lot of walking and riding on public transport, spending time outside and inside. I rarely feel like my midweek outfits look very cohesive or exciting. That said, here's Day 11:

Me-made jeggings, tunic/dress, pants and saint cardigan. My amazing handmade bird necklace was created by the super talented lady who goes by the pseudonym Naughty Little Epoch. She has a range of awesomeness for sale at her etsy shop. This outfit would look like some sort of bizarre communist workers uniform without a necklace, I reckon.


Day 12:


Me-made stripey stretch top, nautical Jenny skirt, pants and leopard coat. Oh! And I made the flower hair pin. Well, I bought some fake flowers from the cheapy shop on the ground floor of my building, cut away the metal stalks and threaded them onto bobby pins.

This skirt is actually a little big, but it means it's still pretty comfy when I'm sitting down, so I'm torn between taking it in and leaving it alone. Having reviewed the pics, I'd say this outfit is simple but looks pretty good. Is that simply because it defines my waist and shows my curves a bit? Is that all I need to do to dress better? Some days I don't want to show my curves. Enter Day 13:

Me-made sailor trousers, Chinese takeaway top, saint cardigan, pants and leopard coat. Ah! The chinese takeaway's maiden voyage! Over at the Flickr group we are having an interesting discussion about our thoughts on Me-Made-May so far, and Quixotic Pixels wrote this:

'When clothes come "hot off the sewing machine," I tend to be hyper alert for fit problems and/or construction failures. If I focus on those things too much, my home-sewn clothes get relegated to the back of the closet.'

That's exactly how I feel about the Chinese takeaway top. So soon after completion I was hyper aware of the fit issue around the hips and the gaping around the neckline that I mentioned in this post. I'm feeling that it does need to come in at the hips, but I reckon another wear, perhaps with different garment at the bottom will help to establish by how much.

7 comments:

Brooke said...

Completely gorgeous, and I love that coat too. But that shirt - ! I made a friend of mine a little handbag out of that material, and now I'm wondering if I could get more of it and give it the same treatment. Totally adorable.

frk.bustad said...

Hope you'll feel more comfortable in your take away shirt in time. Why is it that we're more aware of the fit when it's something we made on our own, rather than retail fashion?

Did you btw see my post on the Me-Made-May-Murder..? http://frkbustad.blogspot.com/2010/05/me-made-may-conclusions.html

emily said...

ah, that dress is great! and the necklace... plus i think i like the takeaway top even more in action, if that was even possible...

Tasia said...

I'm much more critical of my me-made clothing than items I buy in the store as well...probably because I've been up close & personal with the zipper insertion, the hemming, the buttonholes and I know if they are (or aren't) done well!
I love Day 12 - the striped tee and skirt are so simple but cute! And of course, love the take-away top. In the photo the first thing I notice is the cute neckline, and I bet that's what everyone else will see first, too, not any fit issues :)

Tilly said...

Great outfits, as usual, Zoe! Re. the skirt, keep it on the loose side, I say - I've got a skirt a bit like that and it's sexy-tight but means I can't walk in it so hardly ever wear it. That one looks fine as it is. Also means you can eat lots of food and not worry about the buttons popping off, which is always something to bear in mind...

Fourth Daughter said...

The nautical look is so cute... I don't know why but I just cannot do marine fashion. You'd think with a stick figure like mine that horizontal stripes could be my friend, but for some reason the look just isn't me!

Five Guineas said...

I know you've got some issues with the chinese takeaway top so I thought I'd let you (and everyone else) know that I came across some really cute fabric that is similar at FabricLuv's store on Etsy (in case you want to make another :) ). There are 2 different kinds called "chopsticks please," and they also have other cute food fabric. Think I may get some after I'm done stash-bustin', you have inspired me!

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