In celebration of me-made may (omg, it sneaks up on me every year!), this month\’s Social Sew theme is Me Made Basics. Zoe is very clear that #MMMay is never about frantic deadline sewing, but sometimes we get into it and realize we\’ve been relying on RTW jeans and tees and have nothing to wear come the weekend. I have three iconic basics assembled here, to form a mini last-minute capsule–which ones are missing from your handmade wardrobe?
Remember, my main goal is designing the Social Sew link-up was to make the theme narrow enough that someone unsure of what to make next could find some guidance, but broad enough that someone with sewing plans could find a way to make their pieces fit. If you\’re a bit stumped on what to make for this month\’s theme let me suggest…
A white blouse. Goes with everything, great in any fabric from silk charmeuse to cotton jersey, and endlessly customizable to your individual style. Plus, once you perfect your white shirt, you have a tried and true pattern you can easily make in a few more colors or prints. I have the Granville all traced and ready, it\’s just waiting for time and fabric…
Patterns: Granville, Roscoe, or literally any blouse pattern you can think of. Or do as I do and use your favorite dress pattern to make a crop or peplum top!
A blazer. This was first on my list of my Kate Middleton-inspired sewing plans last autumn–and in fact, I\’ve actually completed everything else on that list, except for this. I must admit it is because I am scared of tailoring! I have all my supplies (except buttons) and I even have my muslin done… Could it be time for me to just do it?
Patterns: My original plan for my \”Kate Capsule\” was Simplicity 1421, then I switched to Simplicity 2446. For a more casual option, Named\’s Kaisla or Grainline Studio\’s Morris seem like cool, chic looks. Simplicity 8093 has an cute notched front, like a deconstructed blazer, it\’s been calling out for me to copy it in camel!
A pair of dark denim jeans. My very favorite jeans are Paige denim skinnies from 2008. At this point, they are totally unwearable. Should I take them apart and try to clone them? Or should I just get over them and get myself a jeans pattern? I love love love the look of the Birkin flares… I\’d ideally make myself a pair of flares and a pair of high waisted skinnies so that I have great jeans whether I\’m feeling 70s retro or more 2016…
Patterns: Birkin and Ginger seem to be the top choices, followed shortly by Jamie. I like the flare on the Birkin better than the Ginger\’s flare option, but I\’m a bit reluctant to buy the Birkin pattern without seeing the skinnies option there…
I\’m slowly working on replacing my ready to wear with handmades. Adding my new labels from Dutch Label Shop (c/o) is a perfect finishing touch, making everything feel a bit more polished. Ideally, I\’ll be consigning some old RTW stuff… more money for fabric!
What\’s missing from your Me Made May closet? A shirtdress, maybe? Black pants? Pop over to my guest post on the Dutch Label Shop blog and check out the rest of my picks for the top ten items essential to any handmade wardrobe (post will be up later today)! While you\’re at it, check out their labels and take 15% off your order with code alliej!
These are great choices for May, and great wardrobe inspiration, very chic! I went to the comfy end of me-made this May with three of my makes this month being sweatpants, a long sleeve shirt and pjs, lol. But I'm thinking for my final make I'm going to do a shorts & crop top set possibly to inject a little bit style that isn't ultra-casual. I can't wait to see your makes this month!! 🙂
Great choices for basics! Chic and simple, and infinitely mixable with virtually anything else you have–perfect for the theme for May!I vote for cloning those rag-tag favorite jeans–it's so much easier than you'd think, and you're pretty much guaranteed a good fit right off the bat! (You'll probably have to adjust for a couple of stretched-out areas like knees and back yokes, but that's easy.) Having just done this myself with a pair of my husband's jeans, I know you can do it! Plus you can harvest the zipper if it's still working and you're careful in your deconstruction: free, recycled notions FTW! =D