May 2019

May was a super-productive month for me! I sewed mostly simple projects with the exception of one button-up shirt, and made three summer pieces for each of my girls. They wore them on our recent trip to Cartagena on Colombia's Caribbean coast, and will wear them for the two months we are home this summer.

FINISHED PROJECTS

A short-sleeved Avid Seamstress Drop-Sleeved Top (blogged here).  One yard polyester crepe used.

A striped knit pencil skirt using 40 inches of fabric (1.1 yards) and this tutorial.

A striped knit dress using the Plantain pattern and 2 yards of ottoman double knit.

A sleeveless striped knit dress using the Plantain pattern and 1.1 yards of a rayon/lycra jersey from my stash. Both dresses blogged here.

Gingham seersucker shift dress for Z using the sheath dress pattern from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom - 1.33 yard used of fabric bought back in 2016. Blogged here.

Strappy-back layered sleeveless dress for N using the same sheath dress pattern. 2.2 yards used of J. Crew cotton shirting that has been in the stash since 2015 (and has the wrinkles to prove it). Blogged here.

Gathered knit skirt with waistband ("self-drafted" if you can call it drafting). I used 30" of jersey knit from the stash.

Simplicity 2246/Lisette Traveler in dotted chambray that has been in the stash since 2016.  Blogged here. This is my third item completed from my 2019 Make Nine.

A voile top from the Oliver+S Pinwheel Dress pattern, which I finally opened for the first time. 1.1 yards used of the yellow voile that I also bought this month. Blogged here.

Another voile top from the O+S Pinwheel Dress pattern. 1.1 yards used of the teal voile that I also bought this month. Blogged here.

Purl Soho Kids' Romper for my oldest. I used the size 6/7 width and the size 10 length. I used 28 inches of a cotton shirting that I bought earlier this year. Blogged here.

Purl Soho romper for Z.  39 inches used of a chambray that has been in the stash for four years plus trim that I bought at least five years ago in Tbilisi. Blogged here.

ALTERATIONS

This is most of the clothes that I altered this month. I kind of found a groove and ended up working on a lot of old pieces.  Not everything is perfect, but I had some good success with a few pieces.  Pictured are:  my yellow Bonn shirt, both my Josephine tank tops, my favorite Simplicity 1887 shorts, both my Pony Tanks, my green Ginger jeans, my houndstooth Alberta Street skirt (for the third time), and three Kirsten Kimono tees.

FABRIC PURCHASES

I was really tempted this month not to buy fabric, because of how solidly it would have tipped the year-to-date fabric in/out scale towards YTD fabric out.  But being overseas again, I'm finding that I want more options in my stash when the urge to sew hits.  So I'm relaxing my fabric buying restrictions just a bit.  

2 yards black linen/viscose/lycra woven for a pair of pants.
2 yards mint blue cotton/lycra jersey for kids clothes.
2.5 yards linen windowpane woven - I've been wanting a windowpane plaid shirt for years.
1.5 yards teal print voile for a summer dress or top for Z.
1.5 yards yellow print voile for a summer dress or top for N.

FABRIC IN/OUT

May Fabric In: 9.5 yards
May Fabric Out: 15.64 yards
YTD Fabric In: 43.65 yards 
YTD Fabric Out: 44.15 yards (16.98 yards of which were bought this year, which means I've sewn 39% of the fabric I have bought in 2019).