Every year I intend to participate in Me Made May but the idea of sustaining an outfit of the day photograph for a whole month stops me in my tracks. This year @sewingworkshop provided a daily prompt in the spirit of their Sew Confident club May 2025 fashion show theme, with the added bonus that a new photo wasn't needed every day.
I managed to sustain posting to Instagram for each prompt through the whole of May. As some of my sewing buddies don't use Instagram I am sharing the 31 posts in two installments here, especially as it's a good representation of what I have sewed over the last four years of not blogging!
All garments made use Sewing Workshop patterns unless otherwise stated.
For those who want a quick flick through the pictures with no words here is an animation for 1-16 May.
Day one
For 1 May the prompt was head to toe Sewing Workshop - easy peasy!
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Left: Sterling jacket, Hudson pants and Crane Street tee with United Nude Zink Pop boot; Right: Deja Vu wrap, Trio pants and top (variation) with United Nude Arix Vintage Blue boot |
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Top: Picasso pants and Florence shirt (variation) with Charlotte Stone Adam Solimar loafers; Bottom: Trio pants and Venice Deux top with Keds Triple-Up Rainbow People sneakers |
Day two
For 2 May the prompt was sewing space.
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Clockwise from top: sewing space today; and in 2018 when it sprang a leak courtesy of the outside garden tap |
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My alternate sewing space set-up in the lounge to be close to the warmth of the log burner in winter |
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Sewing on the wild west coast (south island NZ). If we drive I can take my overlocker (serger) as well as my faithful Singer 221 Featherweight. |
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Clockwise from top: my hotel room in Wellington (with my Wellington sewing machine); Ahipara, Northland NZ; West Coast; Westport |
Day three
The 3 May prompt was Favourite Tee. I interpreted this in two ways. Firstly as the most loved tee in my wardrobe which is the London Skyline Swing tee. The clever embroidery design was created by Alex, one of the Sewing Workshop team. It is simple to stitch but very evocative of the London skyline.
The second interpretation was my favourite tee pattern which by happy coincidence is the Swing Tee although the Crane Street tee is a very close second.
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Left: Megan Nielsen Flint trousers with Ernest Whyler Keesha Sunflower boots; Top right: Getaway jeans with P448 Skate Pailettes Stroil Sneakers |
Whilst going through my photographs I found two pictures from June 2017 where clearly the Odette top was my favourite tee!
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Both Odette tees worn with RTW trousers and United Nude shoes |
Day four
The prompt for 4 May (May the 4th be with You) was hard. Seeking inspiration I searched the web for May the 4th street style, which just seems to involve wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. Not very helpful. My attempt was so uninspiring that I'm not going to replicate the pictures here. I think it's best to draw a veil over day 4!
Post photo session for my feeble attempt I did see a funny reel by Mitre 10 for May the Fourth. Wish I'd thought of putting a bucket over my head and using the mop as a lightsaber!
Day five
For 5 May the prompt was sewing machine with extra points if the said machine has a name. I have a small collection of five plus my overlocker (serger) - only three were photo shoot ready!
My Singer Featherweight 221 is the one with the most emotional attachment. She is called Dorrie after my mum who started my love of sewing as a small child.
My mum had a Singer 319K which I thought was the bees knees. Alas when I inherited it was broken. The early use of plastic in these machines didn't support longevity. I moved on to other brands Husqvarna and later Bernina but my heart hankered after a Singer which I finally got in 2013 with my little Featherweight. For its small size it is a real work horse and loves to travel around New Zealand with me (as hand luggage when flying!).
The big Bernina 830 is my everyday machine, living in the Horn cabinet in the sewing room. Whilst it does spend time in the naughty corner it has never illustrated enough personality to be named. Mousie looks after it and watches over my sewing.
The little Bernina (Activa 210) was bought to live in Wellington. Now I don't spend half my life in Wellington it gets to travel to patchwork class. Sadly it doesn't have a name either or maybe it does having always been referred to as my Welly machine!
Day six
For 6 May the prompt was mix prints.
Day seven
For 7 May the prompt was tonal. It was a bit of a struggle to find photographs of me being tonal but here I am. Is it a coincidence that my tonal looks are both yellow based?
Day eight
For 8 May which is my comfiest outfit? I couldn't really decide as any of the ones from the previous seven days could qualify for that. One of the reasons I sew my own clothes is to have them fit and be comfortable, nothing worse than tugging and futzing with your clothes all day. An outfit for me extends to the shoes and whilst I love funky shoes they too have to be comfortable and capable of walking miles without hurting my feet.
In the end I chose "comfiest outfit" as the one I wore to lunch, with pictures from the garden.
The dress uses the Maison top for the bodice with gathered rectangles for the three tiers and three-quarter sleeves gathered at the hem. The fabric is a polyester georgette and whilst I normally avoid synthetic fibres I couldn't pass up this fabulous print especially as it cost the princely sum of $8 per metre.
The Napoleon jacket is RTW by World (a NZ designer brand) from their 2016 Spring Summer collection
To balance out the RTW jacket my sneakers are sort of me made. They are Converse Lift high tops covered in Kaffe Fassett fabric using lots of Modge Podge. I need to find a way of using the Converse Lift sole with me made uppers to get a neater finish of fabric stitched to leather. Another project to work on!
Day nine
9 May is all about the buttons. When I first saw the schedule of prompts I wasn't sure what I could contribute for day 9. I thought my wardrobe had limited button options so I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.
Carnelian coat from Sew Confident series 13 which I made double breasted. Both the fabric and the buttons came from Joans Fine Fabric. The resin buttons were a set of eight (just the right number) by Pigeon Wishes who make beautiful colour combinations Hong Kong vest, also from Sew Confident series 13, which I made into a jacket by adding the Carnelian sleeves. This large feature button from Bernina Christchurch (my go to button source) was the perfect addition to this jacket Japonesque top yet another project from Sew Confident series 13. This top is special as it uses a gifted double sided jacquard fabric and souvenir buttons (on both sides) from one of my trips to Design Outside the Lines in Ashland, Oregon with Diane Ericson Origami-esque blouse made with a Liberty London sweatshirt fabric called Poppy's Patchwork. Choosing to use three different buttons still makes me smile
Day ten
For 10 May we are exploring favourite pants. I'm quite fickle when it comes to "favourite" and the latest make or pattern used is generally my favourite.
I finally decided to choose the Getaway jeans as my favourite trousers. In particular the pair made with an embroidered denim that looks like paint splatter. Unfortunately they are now too large and I'm considering taking them apart to get a better fit. With the jeans I'm wearing a modified Maison top with three quarter sleeves and gathered peplum, the ankle boots are Django and Juliette Kattat.
Day eleven
For completeness the prompt for day 11 (being Mother's day) was My Mom Made Me... I have things that belonged to my Mum but nothing she made me.
Day twelve
For 12 May which jacket is my most worn? My favourite jacket pattern is the Charlie Bomber. I have four - two are jacket length, two are coat length.
My favourite of the four Charlie bombers is the one which can be either a jacket or a coat (a zip enables the removal of the bottom half). It is my favourite partly because of this flexibility but also the fabric, a bright Andy Warhol-esque designer deadstock (Marina Rinaldi) printed scuba. As it was the only coat I had with me in England for five months last year I have decided it must also be my most worn!!!
Here are the other three versions of the Charlie Bomber plus my favourite in its shorter incarnation. This jacket likes being made in designer deadstock. The metallic jacquard animal print is by Trelise Cooper (a NZ designer) and the other long version is made from a quilted Dolce & Gabbana fabric. The fluffy black, white and red fabric is from Sewing Workshop, almost a replica of one they made for Sew Confident series 6.
Day thirteen
Pleats tucks and gathers for 13 May - one of my favourite ways of adapting a sewing pattern.
Day fourteen
Sewing outside the lines is my favourite way to sew. 14 May was definitely one of the best prompts. I chose the Maison top pattern to showcase how far outside the lines you can sew.
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A Maison top bodice with gathered rectangles of fabric for each of the dress tiers. This dress is nicknamed the Ice-cream dress for pretty obvious reasons. Worn with United Nude Roko Sport II Astro sneakers. The fabric was from The Fine Cloth Company, my favourite place for fabric when I want to play with colour. |
Day fifteen
For 15 May we have proudest fit, which is my Picasso pants.
These are my proudest fit for two reasons: it is an elasticated waist trouser and I adapted the pattern to have a zip fly and curved waistband; and I finally managed to largely eliminate the baggy bum look thanks to the Threads Fitting book. This book is the only place I have ever seen the full explanation for the flat bottom adjustment to reduce both the crotch depth and remove the extra fabric across the width.
Day sixteen
For 16 May the prompt was hardest garment.
When I was thinking about which of my Sewing Workshop makes was the hardest my first thought was the Toulouse jacket (lengthened to make a trench coat). It was hardest due to the fabric and some strange faux pas made when drafting the lining pattern.
Challenges: (1) the front lining piece didn't match the back at the shoulder seam by a couple of inches. Pattern piece fixed and two new fronts cut out; but (2) the bust dart is too high. Luckily it won't ever be seen plus it wasn't sewn - the dart legs were folded to create a tuck so the side seams match; (3) the outer fabric is densely woven and sewing gave a small outward punched hole on the underneath, fixed by a 60 microtex needle; (4) easing in the fabric around the collar and sleeves was challenging (with lots of seam ripper action) as puckers don't steam out; (5) needed a replacement belt buckle (and buttons) after the belt and buttonholes were sewn because the fabric was too slippery to use D-rings for the belt.
Positives: (1) every buttonhole was sewn perfectly without drama; (2) used the eyelet foot for the first time to stitch the belt eyelets; (3) great idea to use pink thread for the top stitching, buttonholes, belt eyelets; (4) love the finished coat.
My second thought for hardest garment was an Era jacket lengthed into a coat made in 2019. The sleeves were slightly too tight and the collar too tall. I did intend to fix the problems but the fabric was difficult to reverse sew and it languished in the wardrobe without buttons until 2022 by which time it had shrunk all over! The Era coat was chopped up and with the addition of a remnant of wool fabric for the sleeves morphed into the faux fur Charlie bomber which I love and wear often.
Stay tuned for part two 17-31 May...
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