Wearing what I make - swimsuit issue

No pictures of me wearing swimsuits (thankfully), but while I've been digging through what I have made but aren't wearing I found this:

I made this and wore it (quite a bit if I remember) when I was living in Knoxville. 

I believe it is a combination of these two patterns:

View C from 9352 and view D from 8234, both in size 10.  I remember especially liking the bottoms as they have a bikini liner.

Anyway, why don't I wear them?  because the elastic has gone on them and they're all faded out - they used to be a brighter green.  So, now they have become this:

I have plans to make some of my own knickers using the free knickers patterns from Sozowhatdoyouknow .  I've already cut out the pattern and altered it to have more of a leg shape closer to my RTW knickers I like - and I'm thinking this salvaged fabric might be good for making a trial pair.

While I was looking for the patterns I used to make these I found that I have quite a selection of swimwear patterns.  I have these three too:

 I have used the two McCall's ones at some point in the past, but the items I made have gone already.  But it looks like I'm all set for making more swimwear in the future.  

Wearing what I make - Vogue 1806

Next up on looking through my wardrobe is this dress:

 

I made it when I was at University - I think it was for my 1st or 2nd year ball - using Vogue 1806 by the designer Badgley Mischka.   I sewed view B, which is the longer version but no doubt made it shorter as I'm only 5'2".  Looking at the pieces I graded halfway between a 10 and a 12, which should be about right, even for now.  I remember liking it on the night I wore it, but feeling that it was a bit revealing and gaping at the front for my liking at the time. 

 I still like the design and think the green fabric is a really nice colour.

 So, why don't I wear it - apart from the obvious that I've got 2 small kids and nowhere to wear it?  Well, what the above photo doesn't show is that it doesn't actually do up at the side :-(  So I guess I'm a little different shape than I was at University (not ssurprising after 2 kids and nearly 20 years).  I think I'm going to hold onto it though - maybe at some point I will have an occasion to wear this to, and it shouldn't take too much to take it out a bit at the sides - I've also got the remnants of this in my stash so I could always do a major refit on the bodice if need be.

Thursday night pizza club

For a little while we have been having Thursday Night Pizza Club - basically we have home made pizza on a Thursday night.  We have it for a couple of reasons - it's fun for the kids and it's one night of the week when we don't really have to decide what we're going to eat.

I thought I'd share this weeks pizza:

I had been just using tomato puree as my pizza sauce, but this week I decided to try out an actual pizza sauce recipe.  I pinned this one from petitekitchenesse and kind of followed the recipe missing out any ingredients I didn't have (poor preparation on my part).  We then topped with bacon, salami, olives, mozzarella, parmesan and artichoke hearts.  I'd recently read that mint and artichoke hearts went together so I sprinkled fresh mint leaves over it rather than my usual oregano. 

And my pizza making helper:

Vintage Vogue blouse patterns.

I've been reading quite a few sewing blogs recently and am always drawn to the vintage inspired or made from vintage patterns clothes.  We spent last Saturday wandering around the old part of Bern and called in at the flea market that's held down by the river Aare (It's held from May through October on every 3rd Saturday of the month in the Mattenquartier).  While I was having my turn to nose around (the kids were playing at a play park nearby) I spied a paper bag filled with vintage Vogue sewing patterns mostly from the 50's and 60s, with a few from the 70s.  In my rudimentary German I enquired how much they were and was told 1CHF each!  After looking through I picked out the following four:

I think I'm mostly in need of tops and I'm looking forward to making these (I'm thinking the dress will be redrafted into a top).  I've been drawn to clothes with feminine details recently - so pintucks, bows, ruffles etc, so hopefully these will help me to expand my wardrobe in a positive and wearable way. 

I've never sewn with a vintage pattern before - but intend to trace them before using them.  I'm really excited and curious to try them.  Now, where's that sewing machine - yep... still at the repair shop :-(

Wearing what I make - McCalls 3247

Next up in my going through my me made but not worn wardrobe is this top:

 It is McCall's 3247, and it looks like I made view C in Xsm.  It also looks like I made some alterations on the inside with the addition of some support at the front by extending the front facing and adding some elastic to sit under the bust.

I don't think I've ever really warn this - I think it seemed like a good idea to make at the time when I was living in the sultry south of the US, but really backless tops aren't my thing.  I still like the necklines and may at some point revisit some of this pattern, but most likely not the backs.

This top has now become this:

I'm going to cut up the bits to help with salvaging 2544 - the plan is to add some side panels along the seam lines and also a border around the bottom edge to make it a bit longer and hopefully make the addition of the panels look as if they're a design feature rather than me fudging it so that it will fit.

Wearing what I make - Vogue 2544

I was reading some blogs this morning including this blog post by Jennifer Lauren about making the most of your handmade wardrobe.  It made me think about what I'd said in my last post about joining in Me Made May in 2015 and why I don't wear most of the things I've sewn in the past.

I made quite a lot of clothes during University and when I was living in the US, but then it slowed down in 2003 when I moved back to the UK - I'm definitely feeling the urge to get sewing clothes again at the moment (frustrated by the lack of sewing machine while it's still in being serviced) and this blog post made me really think about what I should be sewing and what I have been sewing in the past.

I had a quick trawl through my me made wardrobe and have taken a picture of (nearly) everything with the intention of going through each item, trying it on and figuring out why I don't wear it.

First up is this shirt:

It's Vogue pattern 2544 by designer Anne Klein.  I made view B in a size 10, which is described as:  Shirt, has collar and collar band.  French seams.  Fitted, short sleeves with mock bands.

 

I remember being pretty pleased with it when I made it, as I like the colour of the fabric and was pretty chuffed with the detail of the shirt and its finish with the French seams and button band.

Why don't I wear it?  Basically it's too small - I burst out of it in the front.  I think I'm going to have a go at the side seams and see if there's anything I can do to make it bigger, but as it's been made with French seams and I'm most likely to have cut off any seam allowance as part of making them I doubt there's much room for alterations.  Shame really.

Scrolls

There's been a disappointing amount of sewing going on here - my machine is still in at the service place, apparently they've been at some large fair and so nothing has happened :-( .   I've had some time to peruse the internet to find some other things that I might like to make and had a few ideas of how to use up some stash - hopefully more on them to come when I get my machine back.  I've also been looking at some of the me made may 14 challenge posts and am starting to think that I should do this next year... let's see what I think when next May comes aorund.

I have managed to finish my holiday knitting - a pair of socks that were meant to be for my MiL for Christmas - I had great intentions of them being her size but managed to knit them my size instead.  Next pair I'll manage to get bigger.

They're on ravelry here.  They're the scroll socks from More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. 

I hope my sewing machine comes soon...