Catching up, planning, and pledging

I find it ironic that with all my free time this year I haven't really updated my blog in forever. Case in point: I actually finished the Errandonnée in the allotted time, but it's waiting to be blogged. I have many posts in draft but it seems I'd rather spend my leave year being a hermit and reading or crocheting while marathoning forensics documentaries than blogging about it. Which is weird, because I like blogging. Not about forensic documentaries. Although I do have a drinking game.

I do want to properly blog the stuff I have done so far this year, but if I wait to blog everything I done did before blogging my future plans I'll never get anything blogged. Or something. Anyway, here's a quick highlight reel of the stuff I've made since January. Some of these were part of my FESA plan; better late than never, yes?


As part of my "make more casual clothes" push, I made a Lekala spiral gore skirt in tan denim and wore it to one of the final days of the Pompeii exhibit at the ROM at the beginning of January. That seems symbolic.

I spent the rest of January finishing up the DC's sweater vest, hurrying to finish it before I left for Florida with Aged P. It wound up being too long, and I finally fixed it at the end of March.
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I also whipped up this Blueberry Trellis hat for me before I left for Florida. I sadly made it too short and I haven't fixed it yet.









I spent most of my time pre-, during-, and post-Florida in February making up my Dana sweater. It's so lush, and I'm just the tiniest bit happy that it went back to being cold here so I could wear it lots before I have to pack it away. It's length is juuuust right, so fixing required. Although I may need to turn one of the sleeves inside out. Gah.









After 2 years of dithering about making up the Mathilde top or using the fabric for something else, I finally got around to sewing the blue one. And I love it, scorch-marks and all. And now I'm dithering about putting gathers or tucks and whether to go with bias binding or picot hems in the sheer green version.






I don't have proper pictures of my next few makes because remember how in March I said the weather had turned a corner? Well it just kept on turning until it went back to being cold. And snowy. I mean, we can expect at least one snowfall in April, but it's been days and days like that picture at the top of this post. Which means I have been hermitting instead of going outside to take nice pictures.

Of course, as soon as I write this, the temperature zooms back up into double digits. Anyway.

I made and wore a Vintage pledge 20s dress to the 4th anniversary of Electroswing. You can see a bit of the dress in the corner of the next picture, which is of a black mohair Swoon cardigan. I also finally made that red Bronte I've been wanting; this is made of the thin fleecy knit that I used for F's Swoon cardigan.



Oh, sorry, yes that is yet another two Swoon cardigans. For those of you keeping track, that means I have unleashed six of these cardis into the world. And I'm not done because I HAVE ACQUIRED MERINO. Teal merino. That teal merino swoon cardigan I've been coveting? Will happen.

I've also made another Zoe Edwards tank and a pair of Mary knickers from the rest of the red fleece. They are so comfy and I don't have pictures of them because they are in the wash because I wore them before photographing them. Turns out that works out okay for regular clothes, not so much for undies.

So that's me so far. I should probably do something about wearing these things, right? Oh yeah, it's that time of year again...

I, aem2 of PhysicsGirl on the Loose, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '16. I endeavour to wear 2 me-made/refashioned items each day for the duration of May 2016, repeating an item no more than once per week and without planning. I also pledge to make at least one item per week and finish my UFOs.

Shots!

This is very similar to last year's pledge, except I'm sort of at the point where I'm wearing something I've made almost every day anyway. To up the challenge, I will not wear the same thing more than once per week, because otherwise I would probably just hang out in my jammies all day. Not that that's a bad thing. As usual, I will try to photograph myself in different parts of the city using Fat Mum Slim's photo-a-day prompts. She's gone back to a monthly format, it seems. This is good because I can plan where to go in advance.

Anyway, we're not supposed to use MMM to do panic sewing in April blah blah blah but I've got nothing but time and plans aplenty so here we go. Some of these may will blend into May. I really should have more event deadlines set up.

Bottoms

I have one pair of viable jeans, my yet-to-blogged-but-when-I-do-it-will-be-back-dated Jalie pair. I need more pairs desperately and have the denim ready to go. I'm actually going to watch the Craftsy courses I bought several years ago to help me get the fit right and get a pair done by April 23 for K's birthday lunch and the Jean-ius version done for the One-Man Star Wars May 1. That is, assuming I can get myself out of the Murder, She Wrote hole I seem to have fallen down.

I have a pair of RTW black capris in swishy but sweaty polyester that I've been wanting to copy in a breathable linen/cotton/something. This is the year, my friends. Maybe for Against The Grain's A Little Too Cozy May 14.

A RTW long wrap skirt never gets worn anymore, but I really like the print. I'm thinking of turning it into a Simplicity 2451, trumpet version. I'll do this in time for Aged P's birthday May 17 because this print reminds me of a pair of her trousers.

I'm still working out the fit on the Mary knickers, so a few more of those will be forthcoming, and I want to make a few pairs of the Charlotte. And some Zoe Edwards knicks. And yes, I like saying knickers.

Tops

I'm going to make the sheer green Mathilde top for I Furiosi on April 23. Yes indeedy. Which means I need to get started on that, like now.

I'm going to make yet another Belcarra top out of the remaining pink paisley from the yet-to-be-blogged-etc-etc maxi Anna. Maybe also for Star Wars May 1.

That stamped giraffe silk Marfy needs to be stamped and Marfy'd. I will reveal it in the last week of MMM. How's that for a plan?

Yet another Swoon cardigan out of that lush teal merino. And then I swear I'll be done with this pattern. For a while.

I need to work out the fit on the Renfrew before I cut into some lush black merino^*. I'm not sure what to use; I got an abstract knit in Montreal that I was saving for either another Tiramisu or a Nathalie dress, but I honestly have too many dresses so we'll see. I probably have enough striped knit to make one, and one can never have too many breton tops, right?

UFOs

I cleared a bunch of UFOs last July (yay!), but the number has creeped up again. Sigh.

There are various items that will be finished once I sew the hooks on. Like, probably 7 of them. Or 10. I think this will be my goal for the end of the first week of May.

I need to fix the back of the tan Thurlows I made last fall but have not yet blogged because I have to fix the back first.

Sadly, the zipper on my granddad trousers sadly gave out last fall, so those need to be dealt with.

I took the sleeves off and bound the edges on my Alma last July, and it turns out the issue is with the armscye, so I'm going to fix that and put the sleeves back on and have a bloody wearable Alma by the end of May.

Did I say I have too many dresses? Yeah. I have a couple that have been started and really need to be finished at some point: what I'm calling my sassy secretary dress and a tan check sheath dress. These have been in various forms of unfinishedness for years now and it's time to get them done.

I need to unpick the sleeve and bottom turn-and-stitch hems of both of my Sorbetto hacks and do picot hems instead.

I need to take in the back on that RTW black vest I refashioned. Then it will be perfect. Yes? Yes.

Crochet-wise, I need to redo the fringe on my tangerine Sunny Skies scarf and add the button-hole ribbon to the Sylvia and Saturn sweaters.

Speaking of sweaters, I have a RTW burgundy tunic that needs to be untunic'd.

Wow. Looks like I've got a lot of sewing to do. Good thing I've got nothing else planned. Except for all that other stuff I want to get done around here.

^*I kind of got quite a lot of merino when I was in Florida, as one does. I also have some chocolate merino intended for another Jenna, but that can wait until autumn. So could the black merino Renfrew, come to think of it. Or any of the merino, really. Noooo. Must. Sew. The merino....