Sewing Workshop Me Made May 2025 Part 1

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!

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

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

Left: Charlie bomber jacket, Valencia pants and Crane Street tee with Mi Piaci Matt red snake boot;
Top right: Charlie bomber jacket, Pencil pants and Swing tee with Fly London Biaz ankle boot;
Bottom right: Maison joggers and Crane Street tee with P448 Skate Pailettes Stroil Sneakers

Left: Carnelian coat, Metro skirt (dress variation) and United Nude Solid Fold Mono shoes; 
Top right: Tremont jacket, Valencia pants and Crane Street tee with United Nude Fold Rainbow 2 shoes; 
Bottom right: Maison top and joggers with P448 Skate Pailettes Stroil Sneakers

Day two

For 2 May the prompt was sewing space.

Clockwise from top: sewing space today; and in 2018 when it sprang a leak courtesy of the outside garden tap

My alternate sewing space set-up in the lounge to be close to the warmth of the log burner in winter 

Sometimes when we travel (within NZ) I take my sewing machine and set up a temporary sewing space!

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.

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.

Roses and polka dot trousers unknown pattern even though I know the fabric came from Fabric Vision (a sadly no more Christchurch shop). The shoes are Trippen Evoke red sandals.
The black and white stripe with red poppy trousers are the Maison joggers worn with United Nude Zink Pop black boots

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.

Clockwise from left: Stencilled swing tee with pleated sleeve variation worn with Valencia pants and United Nude Fold Rainbow 2 shoes; Pencil pants and United Nude Zen Merlot shoes; Style Arc Palermo jacket

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!

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.

Clockwise from left: Maison joggers in a viscose crepe are a favourite worn with my spin on the Classic Florence shirt (from Sew Confident series 12) in gingham. Worn with Converse X Comme des Garcons Play sneakers;
A RTW dress hanging forlorn in the wardrobe was refashioned into an Edgewater dress, using a mix of new fabric and some harvested from the long sleeves. Worn with Mi Piaci Matt red snake boot;
The Zayn top is ideal to mix fabrics and this one uses fabric left over from another Edgewater dress. Worn with Getaway jeans and P448 Skate Pailettes Stroil sneakers.

My riff on the Venice shirt (sort of like the Venice Deux), started in January 2023 for the Pattern Review Print Mixing contest because I was fed up moving these fabrics when I wanted something else. I made some very stupid mistakes in the fitting of this that led to time out in the naughty corner. I eventually "made it work" with only scraps left ready for Christmas 2023! It is worn with Pencil pants and the Katy Perry Stephanie Mule in mulberry (which you can't really see!).

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?

 Left: Sterling jacket in a cotton double gauze, Swing tee, Megan Nielsen Flint trousers and Ernest Wyler Keesha Sunflower booties;
Right: a modified version of the Florence shirt (the bodice and shortened sleeves of the Florence with a large pleated rectangle attached for the skirt). Worn with Charlotte Stone Darcy sneakers. This dress was inspired by the Tory Burch Claire McCardell dress (Look 18 from the Spring 2022 RTW collection)

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

Celebrating the quirky details of Sewing Workshop patterns. Left: the Florence shirt and its faux button placket up the centre back; Right: the Venice shirt with its real button placket at the end of the frill

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.

Left: My 2024 travel wardrobe Getaway jeans using a cotton canvas printed with faces, worn with an Olive top and me made fuschia/orange sneakers;
Right: my first Getaway jeans made in black cotton twill with red top stitching, which are a close second for favouritist!

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.

Maison top slightly shortened with a pleated peplum and elasticated sleeve cuff. The pastel version is a polyester fabric from Sewing Workshop and the pleats are crisp and defined. The pleats in the navy seersucker are hardly noticeable (even when I'm standing up!)

Pleated sleeves help add variety to a much loved pattern. Left: Swing tee in a (wrinkled) pink lightweight scuba knit uses the pleat sleeve design from Liam by Ruby Pack O Sleeves pattern. Ruby is a NZ ready-to-wear brand that has created home sewing patterns for some of its designs; Right: Crane Street tee in the red kit colourway from Sew Confident series 11 with a self-designed sleeve from a random post that appeared in my IG feed. I'd love to give someone credit for this sleeve but all I have is a drawing on a scrappy piece of paper

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.

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.

Two garments inspired by Trelise Cooper designs (which unusually reside in my wardrobe).
Left: blue and red cotton poplin dress inspired by the Cosmic Girl dress from the Cooper Winter 2022 collection. Maison top bodice with an asymmetrical circle for the skirt. Worn with Mi Piaci Red Snake Matt boot
Right: blouse inspired by the Raw Emotion Top from the Pre Fall 2021 collection. The pastorale floral stretch cotton Maison bodice has a pleated peplum underlined with nylon organza for extra pouf. The organza is also used for the pleats at the sleeve hem. Worn with RTW Untouched World jeans and Django & Juliette Fuchsia Riana espadrille sandals

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.

Three pairs of Picasso pants out in the wild having fun. Clockwise from top left: Jacquard spot linen with RTW sequin top and bomber jacket, and Fly London Biaz boots; Summer Blossom cotton twill worn with a RTW top and Charlotte Stone X Lorien Stern Chelsea Black Floral loafer; pink and orange linen worn with a Trio shirt in a cotton seersucker and Keds Triple-Up Rainbow People sneakers

The before and after images of the Jacquard Spot Picasso pants. A very wearable muslin albeit a bit shorter than I wanted. The Threads instructions to remove the extra fabric at the centre back seam were a game changer. Added bonus it can be done after the trousers are made. These pictures were to help me assess the fit and not meant for sharing so I am wearing my garden clogs!

Picasso pant make 2 and 3. The pink and orange linen pants look great when first worn but tend to stretch across the seat slightly with wear. They are still my favourite pair. Worn with a RTW top and Charlotte Stone Adam Solimar loafers. The Summer Blossom Picassos are worn with another RTW top and United Nude Fold Horizon shoes

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...