I look forward to Me Made May, I wear me made almost every day anyway, but Me Made May makes me take a fresh look at my wardrobe as a whole.
I started off the month in recovery from surgery and was in pyjamas most days, and I've missed a few days here and there where I was either having a lazy pyjama day or I just didn't feel like sharing a photo.
One thing I have discovered this month is that since my gallbladder surgery I have lost 3 inches off my waist, which means I can fit into all of my spring/summer dresses from last year. This makes me very happy! (Although my new found post surgery love of food may jeapordise that new waist measurement!)
Taking part in previous years I have tried to identify holes in my wardrobe, but this year I've been less bothered by that. I realise that actually I'm not that bothered about wearing some RTW clothing. There is a certain high street store that sells the perfect stretch t shirt for me, and another that sells the kind of fine knit cardigan I like, and of course despite my new found love of bra making and rediscovered love of lingerie sewing I still am a sucker for good quality lingerie, especially bras. Never underestimate what a good foundation can do for you, and especially for the look of outerwear.
Why would anyone spend time and effort making a dress (or buying one), to put it on over shabby illfitting undies?
And speaking of undies, these are my new favourite me made knickers.


Velvet knickers! Honestly these are the most comfy, most flattering knickers I have ever worn! The pattern is the same one I adapted to make my Daisy Knickers, the stretch velvet is from Funkifabrics and is the best quality stretch velvet I have ever worked with. As my friend Jayne pointed out there may be some issues with the nap under certain pieces of clothing, but since I usually wear dresses with a slip underneath, I should be ok. I'll be making lots more knickers in this design that's for sure. I might even put up my re drafted pattern as a freebie if there is enough interest?

So there we have it, I'm beginning June wanting to make more lingerie, but not stressing too much about buying basic tops and cardigans. I call that a result!

I love daisies, at this time of year lawns are full of them, and they really make me smile. I couldn't resist using up the last scraps of this gorgeous daisy print from Funkifabrics to whip up some more undies. This time a bra and girdle/suspender belt. Both experiments, but I must say for first drafts I'm pretty pleased with them.

The suspender/girdle is based on the high waisted knicker pattern I adapted from the girdle pattern I used for my last underwear experiments, with suspenders attached.



The bra is a copy of one of my bras that I know already fits me well. I'm really pleased with the way it has sewn together, I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Sadly the fit is not perfect, but for a first draft I certainly didn't expect much if I'm honest.
The daisy fabric really needed a non stretch lining to stabilise the cups, and the central gore is too wide, both modifications I can easily make next time, and there will most definately be a next time.

Recently I was asked by a local fabric company Funkifabrics if I'd like to try out some of their wares. Initially I was overwhelmed by their website and the hundreds of fabulous designs, after losing myself in the website for quite some time I made a list of everything that caught my eye and managed eventually to whittle that rather long list to a much shorter one. This Daisy print was a must, and top of my list.
I admit Lycra is not my usual go to choice of fabric, but having been experimenting lately with some underwear designs, I thought this Daisy print might work well.
I bought this Ladie's Panty Girdle pattern a few years ago, but never got around to making it up, so this seemed the perfect opportunity to give it a go.



My first attempt, I followed the pattern as closely as possible, using power net in the main body, and velvet (also from Funkifabrics) for the centre panel. (The gusset is lined with 100% cotton ).
The velvet panel was a bugger to insert, and I am left with a rather comical merkin style panty, which I hadn't really noticed until after I had put it on Instagram proudly only for Woody to point it out to me !
When worn, the velvet panel does stretch out and look much less merkin like, I promise you...but don't worry, no modelling of these!



For the second pair, I re drafted the waist to be 2cm's higher, and changed the shape of that centre panel. These work well, but I decided I wanted to try eliminate that seam joining the centre panel to the gusset.



Another re draft, and this pair are my favourite. I had run out of powernet, so this pair couldn't really be classed as a Panty Girdle, more a High Waist Knicker. The entire centre panel/gusset is lined with 100% cotton, and the body is simply one layer of lycra.
I am very pleased with these. The coverage is fantastic, perfect for under circle skirts on a blowy day, or under short skirts when you want to stay active. ( I often have an issue reaching for high shelves while wearing short skirts and dresses, never mind bending down to see to small children! )
They are also perfect for a bikini bottom....maybe something to work on?

Corduroy Weekend Doris and my short hair!

I hate the whole "busy culture", but I am the kind of person who needs to be busy. I don't cope well with boredom or being still. If I'm sitting down I'm generally knitting or making lists in my notebooks.
I often have several projects on the go at once, some work out and some don't. I never think the projects that don't work out are failures, they are just projects that didn't work, and chances are I learned something along the way.
The past few days I have been suffering again with my gall stones, which has meant enforced rest in bed all day yesterday and most of this morning on the sofa. I HATE IT!!!! There are at least a million things running through my head that I should be getting on with. Yesterday I wasn't even well enough to knit, I just lay in bed all day. Today I have at least made it to my desk and can post here.


I thought if I wrote a post about all the work I had managed to do this past week before I got poorly, I might cheer myself up and feel slightly better. So indulge me....please?
I've been playing around with lingerie designs again, which is fun. The knickers are fairly succesful, and I love the lounge pants, but the control body needs a lot more work.


I've also started work on my (hopefully) next pattern. A panelled skirt with integrated pockets.
I usually post most of my ongoing projects on Instagram  I love the atmosphere on there amongst fellow crafts people, I have found encouragment and friendship there, and being a very visual person, it suits me well. Pop along and follow me if you'd like to keep up with all my "busyness"

Oh and something really rather fabulous happened this past week too; I won a sewing machine! Well actually Woody did. He enters loads of competitions and over the years has won several including a dish washer, a sky tv box, and a hamper full of scottish shortbread , but this week he won a sewing machine for me. It's a Janome Atelier 5 and it is bloody lovely! Just wish I hadn't been poorly all weekend and could've played with it. I feel very very lucky and very very grateful.

Ok, so the light is crappy this evening, and linen does like to crinkle despite my best efforts, plus there are still some tailors marking pen marks on this...but hopefully you get the idea.
This pattern was originally inspired by a vintage dress design, but after much tweaking and re drafting, this is what I've come up with.
I'm hoping it'll be cool and comfortable to wear after my July baby arrives.
The neck edge and armholes are finished with white bias binding and the buttons are tiny little pastel hearts. Maybe I'll get a pic of those and add it later. My camera battery has just died though.

You know those days where the mood can change from one extreme to the other in an instant? well today has kinda been one of those days, even the weather couldn't make up it's mind, sunny and blue skies one moment, grey with freezing rain the next!
This morning I did some work on Heather's wedding dress toile no 2, and to my surprise liked the pattern way more when putting it together than I expected to. I even started to imagine how I could adapt the bodice design into a blouse one day when I'm not the size of a house.
Then I remembered I wanted to make some cool cotton pyjamas for after giving birth, and maybe I could adapt the bodice pattern into a pretty pyjama top, or at least the elements I liked.
So that's what I did. I'll be honest and say my first attempts are not exactly perfect, but wearable, and I now know better how to adapt the design , so may well have another go over the weekend.
I did try to take pics, but really all you can see is a hugely pregnant woman in pastel pj's...you'll just have to use your imagination.....

I am of the opinion that new Mums should stay in their pyjamas for at least a week after giving birth. I also think that having some nice new pyjamas to wear is a luxury at that time. (And if you are gonna stay in your jammies for a week, you need ones nice enough in which to greet any visitors.)
With that in mind I ran up this kimono style robe this afternoon. I used some vintage cotton I bought last year at the Antique Textiles Fair, and trimmed the whole thing with some white satin ribbon.
I just made the pattern up as I went along.
The cotton should be nice and cool, plus it'll be easy to wash and care for, both essential after birth.
I would show you a modelled pic, since I've made it generous enough to fit now and post partum, but I look rather like Demis Roussos. Infact I was trying it on, when Woody walked in on me laughing so hysterically at myself that I had tears streaming down my face!

...my corset! It's steel boned and well,it's bloomin fantastic! I think I need to wear corsets every day,cos without too much effort I'm 4" slimmer around my waist...heck I have a waist!
I'll own up and say some of the stitching is a bit under par,and I should've made a size smaller,plus I need to alter the pattern next time to fit my narrow ribcage,but those are all good lessons learned.
No pics so far,trying to figure out how to photograph it on without showing too much of me.I did ask Woody last night,but he was too easily distracted.
Off to order more corset making notions,can't believe I had everything to make this one for a year and only just got around to it!

ETA some pics,thankfully on my tailors dummy and not on me! These are not great pics,and honestly after a few days I've decided to take this corset apart and start again,I'm just not happy with the quality of my sewing,and that means I'll never be happy wearing it. (Oh and the sharp eyed amongst you will notice this corset is actually on upside down. I fitted it to me that way,and by the time I realised it was too late...doh!!)

I've been sewing more knickers!



This pair are not quite finished,I ran out of lace.

I've got the knicker sewing bug! I had such fun on Sunday,and then yesterday while looking for a t shirt I came across a pile of soft jersey camis that I never wear because they are too short in the body. So a cami to knicker recon was definately in order.



Using a pair of knickers I know already fit,I measured where to cut for the waist.I wanted to keep the pretty side slits as part of the final knickers.





Then I needed a gusset piece (two pieces,one for the lining.).I used the pattern piece I'd already drafted,but otherwise it's easy to trace the gusset part of a fave pair of knickers and use that.





I then neatened the edges of the gusset pieces with some elastic trim,but I could have sewn right sides tog and turned,or simply overlocked the edges in a co ordinating or decorative thread.(wooly nylon would be nice and soft)
Then matching the centre of the gusset back to the back of the knickers , I used a three step zig zag on the sewing machine to attatch the gusset. (this is when a coverstitch machine would be nice). I could have used the overlocker instead,but I wanted a flatter seam on this pair as the main body of the knickers was already hemmed.



For the finishing touches,I used elastic trim to edge the waistband.I used some plain elastic trim for the back,and re used the lace trim that was on the neckline of the cami for the front of the knickers. I used a three step zig zag again,stretching the trim slightly as I sewed.





The finished knickers.

I was having a grumpy day yesterday,but sewing these soon perked me up.
I used a pair of ordinary M&S boy cut shorts and an old cami top as a starting point to draft the patterns,and everything was sewn from stash.
The cami has nursing clips (salvaged from an old nursing bra) so when it's layed under another shirt,I can breastfeed without getting a cold tummy...or subjecting unsuspecting onlookers to my flabby Mummy tummy!

A few more pics