Me-made May 2025 (and 2021)

Another long gap with no blogging...

I decided to sign up for this again having not done so since 2021 - along with life and the world in general the contents of my wardrobe have changed quite a bit since then so I thought it would be interesting to see if what I would choose to wear had changed.

My pledge was to finish a skirt, make two more and one dress, plus get an ME2016 cut out, if not sewn up.  I also had a cardigan which I'd started knitting in December 2023 and wanted to get finished.

I took outfit photos on the days when I wore something me-made. 

Details here, here, here, here, here & here

Details here, here, here, here & here

Details here, here & here

Details here, here, here & here

Details here, here, here & here

I actually ended up making four skirts and three dresses and did finish the cardigan (I've written about them here).  However I didn't cut out the ME2016 (still haven't, hoping to get that made this year).  By the end of it I thought I would make some more fit and flare dresses although that hasn't happened (yet).  In fact I haven't sewn anything since.

And looking at the above photos there isn't really much change in the style of what I wore in 2025 from what I wore in 2021 - which I can see I didn't write about here at the time, but did record on instagram, so here is a quick summary.  I pledged to make three dresses (only made two, but did cut out the third and finished it in June) and to wear something me-made on every working day - only 13 days due to bank holidays and taking annual leave.  Some dresses which I wore in 2021 I wore again in 2025, some I've since passed on.  And May 2021 was clearly colder than May 2025 because there are a few handknits here (and a couple of rtw dresses - the first two in the batch of four photos).

Details here & here

Details here, here, here & here

Details here, here, here & here

Details here, here, here, here & here

Two more Demeters

This is the second of the three unpublished posts and, as the title suggests is for two Anna Allen Demeter dresses - the first is in Butternut linen from my trip to Merchant & Mills 

and the second is some striped linen I bought in a sale a few years ago.

Nothing more to say about these really, this is a great pattern for hot summer days as is, and in the autumn/winter with a long sleeved top, cardigan and tights.  Like the Felicia pattern, it's a quick sew because it doesn't have any fastenings.

Four more dresses on repeat

Here are four dresses which I've made last month and this - they are all repeats of patterns I've made before.

In order of me making them the first is an Anna Allen Demeter, made with some viscose / linen mix fabric which I bought from Fabric Godmother at the Stitch Festival in London earlier this year.  Nothing much to say about it really, it's quick and easy to sew and wear, although I've put it away for the autumn because it doesn't scream summer to me.  (Unless we were having a serious heatwave in which case I think the terracotta / ochre colours in it would work fine.)

The next finish was another linen Mattea which I've also put away for autumn wear.

Then came a third version of Willow made from two metres of Tana Lawn from stash.  I recut the front and back necklines and front armholes, but it still isn't an ideal fit.  It's better than the first two I made, but I think I need to compare the bodice pieces with other patterns that fit better and recut again.  Not a job for now, I'd rather be sewing other things, but maybe next year.

And finally a Tessuti Felicia - I first made this pattern four years ago.  This is made from seersucker gingham which I bought recently from Abakhan intending to make an ME2016 with it.  However, I then bought a cardigan which is a perfect colour match and would definitely not go over the ME2016's sleeves, so I decided to make it up in this pattern instead (and now have nearly a metre of left over fabric).

I'd already cut out the bodice pieces before I decided to try on the yellow one I'd made back in 2020 when I weighed more than I do now (lockdown baking 😉) and made the decision to cut the bodice a size smaller.  However, the neckline and shoulders had to stay a size M because the size S cutting lines weren't inside the size M ones.  Changing the armholes, side seams and bust darts was straightforward though. 

I'm really pleased with how this has turned out and will be making some more Felicias, although I think I'll probably bind the neckline and armholes rather than face them.

Still here... a quick catch-up on the last two years

 Well... long time no see.  Two and a bit years since I've written anything here.  Both the knitting and the sewing have slowed down a lot partly because, despite regular wardrobe culls, I've really got enough clothes, and partly because I've been doing other things with my time (and money).

However, last weekend I went to the Stitch Festival at the Business Design Centre in London hoping to kickstart my sewing mojo (it has, I have plans...).  It was a very enjoyable visit, not crowded which was a blessing, even pre-Covid I was not a fan of crowded enclosed spaces.  I bought three lengths of fabric for dresses (left to right Dolores cotton lawn from Fabric Godmother, Saffron Flower Sienna viscose/linen also from Fabric Godmother and Cebolla Garden Liberty Tana lawn, an Althea McNish design, from Sewbox).

a dress pattern from Tessuti

I've made their Felicia and Lisa dresses so am hoping this will be as straightforward.  I also bought some bias binding to go with the Sienna fabric - I'm pretty certain this will become another Anna Allen Demeter dress - and a circular knitting needle which I think I'll probably need for my current knitting project when it gets to the stage of joining the sleeves to the body of the cardigan.

Looking back, since I last wrote I have knitted a couple of things - a cardigan which I started in February 2021 and didn't finish until January 2023

based on this pattern.

I knitted the body in one piece up to the armholes and after using one skein of the yarn, despite having the right tension, it looked much too big so I unravelled it and started again - one of the reasons for the delay in finishing, I was fed up with it.  I also did plain top down sleeves, by the time it got to them I just wanted it finished and couldn't be bothered to knit patterned sleeves, seam them and sew them in.

I've also knitted a jumper which didn't take so long!  I started in August last year and finished in November.  I wanted an easy knit from stash and this was it.  I've knitted four versions of this design (here, here, here and here) over the years and they wash and wear very well.  I've worn this a few times recently - it's definitely a jumper for spring because of the colours - and it's been really miserable weatherwise.

I'm currently knitting a cardigan on 2.5mm needles, so I don't imagine that will be ready until next spring.

On the sewing front I made four dresses in 2022 - two Bardons (the teal one is linen from Merchant & Mills, the yellow check one is cotton from Minerva),

one Demeter (linen from Merchant & Mills)

and a mash up of Simplicity 2886 and 1801 with Liberty Tana lawn.

I also altered two which I love but wasn't wearing because I now prefer a longer length (original versions here and here).  Fortunately I had some leftover fabric for both of them.

There was no sewing at all last year and I find I'm missing it, so with a couple of bank holidays coming up in May, I should be able to make some time to sew.  Probably not this weekend though as the garden is in desperate need of a tidy up!

Sleeveless Demeter dresses

I've decided to just write one post for all the sleeveless linen Demeters I've made so far this year, rather than give them each a post with about two lines of text!  They are all view B (which has a higher neckline and longer and slightly narrower skirt than view A) with the skirt lengthened by about 3" and the plain ones all took 1.8m of fabric.

In order of me making them they are this one, which I made in April

with Forest Green linen from LinenOholic who have an Etsy shop and their own website.

Then I made a few other dresses before version two came along in an absolutely beautiful pale pink colour.  Started in late May and finished in early June.

After that in mid-June (again, with a couple of other dresses in between) came this in Lollipop linen from Merchant & Mills - I absolutely love, love, love this fabric - orange is such a happy, summery colour.  this took 2m and I also had to cut the front skirt piece slightly narrower - this isn't quite as wide as the plain linens.

This was the next Demeter off the blocks in a gorgeous yellow linen called Faded Sun which again came from LinenOholic and which I finished in early July.

Five other dresses later, in August, came this one in Penzance linen from Merchant & Mills,  I cut the skirt slightly shorter and wider and it took 1.65m

Closely followed by this one which has the skirt width of view A and took 1.7m.  

And that's as far as I've got until now, although there will definitely be more.  Great in summer just as they are, and in winter with a warm cardigan and boots.

Anna Allen Demeter - irises top & cobalt linen dress

I'd seen several Demeter dresses popping up on my Instagram feed and really liked the look of them.  I'd been meaning to make some looser fitting dresses for ages - initially because I didn't enjoy wearing very fitted dresses in hot weather, but more recently to accommodate the lockdown baking increase in my waistline.  So in April I made these.

I started off making a short-sleeved top (view C) to see whether I would need to make any fit adjustments.  I've had this fabric for years, it came from Classic Textiles in Goldhawk Road I think, and had already cut out and marked up a Vogue 8666 dress but never got around to sewing it up.  I had a metre and a bit left, which was enough for this top.  It's a pretty good fit, but the bust darts needed moving - it doesn't really notice on this busy print, but definitely would on a plain fabric, so I'm glad I made this toile before cutting out a dress.

And this is the first of several linen dresses I've made from this pattern this year (and no doubt there will be more).  A lovely cobalt blue linen - this colour is available from several fabric shops.  I cut pattern view A, with the skirt length of view B.  I didn't give it a 3" hem though - I liked the unhemmed length, so just overlocked it and turned it up by 3/4".  I also adjusted the bodice front with the bust darts moved.

I'm very pleased with how it's turned out.  Linen is great in summer (cool) and winter (doesn't stick to your tights, so no need for a slip).  Love it!