Well I didn’t manage to get a photo of my garments each day but I did document them so I thought it would be fun to see my month in numbers. How did you do?
Category Archives: Embroidery
MMM’15 Week 1 Round Up
Though I didn’t really plan it, this week saw many old favorites!
Day One 5/1/15: Colette Monetta hack. I added a color blocked waistband and cowl neck to the basic pattern.
Day Two 5/2/15 : Colette Monetta straight from the package. I wear this dress a LOT.
Day Three 5/3/15: Colette Monetta deja vu. Worn at Biltmore Estate to see the Dressing Downton exhibit!
Day Four 5/4/15: Kate and Rose Patterns Roza blouse. Added gingham lace embroidery to the front.
Day Five 5/5/15: Colette Oslo cardigan. This is from the December 2014 issue of Seamwork Magazine.
Day Six 5/6/15: Cake Patterns Cabarita top. Originally made for July 4th baseball viewing but I typically wear all summer.
Day Seven 5/7/15: Old Navy Tee embroidered with Anna Maria Horner design
Nothing new this week but everything I wore is much loved. How did your first week of Me Made May go?
One Week One Pattern Round Up
This was my first year participating in the One Week One Pattern challenge and I must say it was nice to wear some clothes that are not in my normal rotation. I chose to wear my Roza tops from Kate and Rose Patterns. I ended up wearing four blouses on five separate days.
Day 1 (Saturday 9/6) & Day 7 (Friday 9/12): I wore my University of South Carolina Roza. It is football season after all!
Day 2 (Monday 9/8): No Roza 😦
Day 3 (Monday 9/8): I wore my Gingham Embroidery Roza
Day 4 (Tuesday 9/9): I wore my Birthday Roza.
Day 5 (Wednesday 9/10): No Roza 😦
Day 6: (Thursday 9/11): I wore my Monogram Roza
This pattern is such a great starting point for all kinds of creativity. I recently developed an interest in smocking so I think my next Roza may incorporate that technique. Thanks Jane for coordinating the challenge. Can’t wait until next year!
MMM14 Week 3 Round Up
Week three ended up being much cooler than expected so I broke out some hand knitted sweaters. Of course, my love affair with the Colette Mabel pattern hasn’t cooled so I stitched up yet another!
Thursday, May 15: Colette Mabel skirt, review here
Friday, May 16: Anna Maria Horner embroidered shirt, review here
Saturday, May 17: I worked all day so wore the same as yesterday!
Sunday, May 18: Shalom sweater, Ravelry notes here
Monday, May 19: Juliet sweater, Ravelry notes here
Tuesday, May 20: In House Patterns Cool Cowl Tank, review here
Wednesday, May 21: Colette Laurel dress, review here
MMM14 Week 2 Round Up
Week 2 of Me Made May reintroduced me to some garments I hadn’t worn in a while. Funny how this challenge makes you rethink your everyday wardrobe choices!
Thursday, May 7: Colette Mabel skirt, review here
Friday, May 9: Kate & Rose Roza Blouse in honor of JD Clowney from the University of South Carolina (my alma mater) being drafted #1 in the NFL draft, review here
Saturday, May 10: A repeat of my navy and white polka dot Mabel skirt
Sunday, May 11: Unfortunately I only wore RTW 😦
Monday, May 12: Jamie Christina Miz Mozelle dress, review here
Tuesday, May 13: Kay White Sew Serendipity dress, review here
Wednesday, May 14: Colette Sorbetto, review here
MMM14 Week 1 Round Up
One of my goals for this year’s MMM is to determine where there are gaps in my wardrobe and fix them so this week’s Me Made May (MMM14) round up is a mixture of old favorites and new patterns.
Thursday May 1st: Liesl knit sweater by Ysolda Teague, Ravelry notes here
Friday, May 2nd: Cabarita top by Cake Patterns, review here
Saturday, May 3rd: Mabel skirt by Colette Patterns, review here
Sunday, May 4th: I spent a relaxing day reading and sewing so only wore PJ’s!
Monday, May 5th: Roza blouse by Kate & Rose Patterns, review here
Tuesday, May 6th: Giselle dress by Kate & Rose Patterns, review here
Wednesday, May 7th: Afternoon Blouse by Jennifer Lauren Vintage, review here
Wednesday, May 7th:
Finished: Embroidered Roza Blouse
Mary Corbet recently published a series of articles and tutorials on chicken scratch or gingham lace embroidery. I made an apron a few years ago with this type of embroidery had never tried it on clothing. I was itching to make some summer tops and the Roza pattern was specifically designed for embroidery so I took the plunge.
Chicken scratch embroidery involves making cross stitch, double stitch and running stitches over gingham squares then running the thread through the top stitches to create ovals or circles which results in a lacy look. This type of embroidery is traditionally done using one color, usually white, but Mary took gingham lace embroidery to a new level by creating floral patterns in multiple colors. I took her lead and combined white and green threads to create a lace border down my latest version of the Roza blouse. 
I love how this turned out and already have another one using turquoise and red in the works. If you have never tried embroidering your clothes, chicken scratch is a great place start!
Kate & Rose Pattern Review
My favorite pattern of 2013 was the Roza pattern so when Kati of Kate & Rose asked me to review her new pattern, of course I said “YES”!
For those unfamiliar with Kate & Rose, this is an independent pattern company based in New York that specializes in Hungarian embroidery motifs. Kati, who grew up in Hungary, is the mastermind behind the company and her desire is to preserve the beautiful handwork by inspiring new generations to embroider.
Her latest project is hot iron transfers. She sent me a package to try and I must say they are wonderful. I am a big fan of iron transfers and love trying new designers. Since I am impatient and don’t want to have to pull out my light box and trace designs when I am ready to sew iron transfers work well. Kati sells 4 different designs and the one I chose was Faraway Garden.
Each package comes with a 12″ x 18″ transfer sheet and instructions. Though the instructions recommend transferring to light fabric, my rebellious side kicked in so I chose to use dark red fabric. I had no issues with the image transferring and was able to iron the design twice with no problem. If I had used a light colored fabric I would be able to transfer three or four times before the design became too light.
After transferring the design, I opted to use white thread instead of the traditional multiple colors. My main reason was so the napkins could be used for both Valentine’s and Christmas. One of the nice things about these designs are the multiple sizes. Some are intended for borders or to be used down the front of the Roza blouse while others are suitable for single motifs.
The instructions include information on how to transfer the designs as well as how to sew each embroidery technique. The design I chose used both stem and satin stitch which were easy to master. I love how these napkins turned out and my next project is going to be a simple a-line skirt with an embroidered border!
As a thank you for reviewing her pattern, Kati graciously offered a couple of patterns for my readers to try. Please check her shop and post a comment about which of these patterns you like best and I will randomly choose a winner next weekend.
Top 5 Hits and Misses of 2013
Gillian of Crafting a Rainbow had a great idea about posting top five hits, misses, reflections, inspirations and goals of 2013. Since I think that is a great way to sum up my crafting activity, here goes…
Hits: I discovered a new (to me) indie pattern company, Kate and Rose, early in 2013 and went on to make three tops using the Roza pattern. This pattern brought my love of embroidery together with garment sewing and resulted in three of my top five hits for 2013!
Also making the top 5 hit list was my Sewing Cake Cabarita top. This was the first time I had sewed anything from Steph’s company but would definitely not be the last. Her original take on sizing is refreshing and significantly reduces the amount of modifications required.
I also took part in Colette Patterns Laurel contest and ended up wearing this version all summer! This was my most fun challenge all year and resulted in many cool versions of this rather simple pattern.
Misses: There weren’t many but unfortunately I have to put my Pantone Anna Dress from By Hand London in the “miss” category. I have never worn it and it is a shame. I think the biggest issue was my fabric choice. The bodice flops out a bit which makes the cleavage a bit too pronounced. I haven’t given up on giving this pattern another go since I do think the overall shape is super flattering!
Another FO making the “miss” list is my Monthly Stitch It’s Elementary My Dear Watson cape. There is nothing “wrong” with it but living in South Carolina doesn’t lend itself to wearing capes often. Perhaps I need to start a new trend…
Probably my worst fail of the year was the Maria Mexican Folk Dress. I had such high hopes for this dress. I wanted to marry my love of embroidery with sewing but it was NOT to be. Better luck next year!
Tomorrow I will continue the list with reflections and inspirations from 2013!
I’m Baaaccck!!
Sorry for being gone so long but I promise I was up to something worthwhile…mostly watching lots of high school and college football but I did manage to squeeze in a bit of sewing and knitting. First up is my third version of the Roza blouse. This time I embroidered a South Carolina Gamecock and used college specific fabric. I made the same modifications as my previous two by omitting the band around the sleeve but other than that it was straight from the pattern.
I even managed to wear it over a long sleeve black tee to the USC vs Kentucky game a few weeks back and cheered my team to victory!
This month has also brought a ton of knitting. I finished my Patterns and Notions Swap jacket for the The Monthly Stitch Vintage Pattern Challenge a few days late but was able to wear it once already and can tell it will get a lot of rotation in my wardrobe. The Charlotte Yarn Crawl was from September 27-October 6 and I was able to visit 11 of the 13 participating shops. Of course I couldn’t visit without getting some yarn so I’m now set for about a year! I have almost finished one sweater and cast on for a circle vest. Since it is starting to get chilly here in South Carolina, I am motivated to complete these projects quickly!
I’m going to the Stitch Craft Create Live convention here in Charlotte this weekend with some friends so I fully expect to blow both October and November’s fabric budget before Sunday. I also need to finish my dress for the Monthly Stitch Frocktober Challenge so my next few weeks are certainly filling up with stuff to create!
