Me Made May Week 2

Saturday...time for a weekly wrap up.  The weather has been bananas this week, so I was on and off with tights and boots.  Today I'm in linen and sandals, whereas last Sunday I was wearing a wool sweater and boots.  Go figure.  Go home, May, you're drunk.

I realized that I didn't really detail what I was wearing in last week's wrap, so I'll try to do better this week.  My unders are always me-made, but you'll just have to take my word for it.  😉  I'll go clockwise starting in the upper left corner, although the days are slightly out of order.  

Sunday (top left): Poet sweater, thrifted stripey shirt under, me-made jewelry from spring 2021, thrifted denim skirt.

Monday: Sage Toaster sweater, Purple Violet Squish skirt (original dress made 2019, made into a skirt 2021), etsy jewelry

Tuesday: Spruce noil Remy Raglan (2021), Woodrose French terry Elemental skirt (2021), etsy jewelry

Wednesday: I started out in sandals and changed mid-morning because I was so cold, so you get both outfits.  Upper right corner: thrifted Levi's stripey shirt, thrifted denim skirt altered to fit better in the waist, textured scarf (2019); lower right corner: Chili knit Coco shirt (2021), cuffs recently removed for 3/4 sleeves, thrifted/altered denim skirt.

Friday: a bit of a cheat, I admit, as this dress was made by my friend Kate.  She didn't care for it and so passed it to me to salvage the fabric, but I liked how it fit and swished, so have worn it a few times.  It's a little out of my current wheelhouse pattern-wise, but I feel pretty good in it.  I wear it on my "I can't even with a waistband" days.  I made the jewelry last fall.

Saturday: dawn linen drop shoulder shirt (self-drafted, 2021), much altered and embroidered English rose linen Everyday skirt (2020).  I never thought to put these two together and I love the combo.

Thursday (lower left): long sleeve cotton tshirt on clearance from Target, textured scarf (2019), black pepper Free Range Slacks skirt hack (2021).  That shirt was the best $5 I ever spent.  The fit is *mwah*.  

The thrifted denim skirt that I altered probably needs another tweak, since I'm not totally happy with the waistband fit yet, but it's okay to wear now.

I'm still not sure about the Purple Violet Squish skirt.  I mostly made it to salvage the fabric and feel less bad about the waste of it, but it is just okay.  It did look nice with the Toaster, though.

 
The Woodrose Elemental skirt had gone into a dark corner of my closet when it did not fit me at all in March, but it looks okay now with a loose Remy. It would look better with 10 more pounds off, but at least it is somewhat wearable again.

I let out my dawn linen shirt at the side seams after realizing it was just too tight across the middle to be comfortable.  I also noticed the fabric was pulling at the stitches and getting damaged. It is much more comfortable, although French seams are not my favorite thing to unpick.  At least the seams were short.  I may let out my other two drop shoulder linen shirts too, although they fit a bit differently for some reason.  It's those pesky little fixes that take almost no time that I put off forever and then wonder why I didn't do it sooner.  Contradiction, thy name is Juliana.

I've been thinking a lot about ease vs. flattering, and can't really come to a satisfying conclusion.  I like my clothes semi-fitted as a style matter, but sometimes overfit them as a comfort matter.  Or underfit.  Or something.  

My measurements have changed, although I admit I've been too much of a coward to find out how much, because the voice in my head is very mean.  After losing a few pounds over a few days last weekend and feeling like the dietary/activity changes I'd implemented months ago were finally having an effect, I gained it all back and then some.  Blerg.  But I need to take new measurements and move on, because wearing clothing that fits and feels well is more important than clinging to slopers that make me feel like a sausage casing.  I'm also in the middle of going down a big Saxon/Viking rabbit hole and their clothes were comfortable and loose.  And still looked great.   

I'm hoping to make some clothes for warmer weather in the coming weeks.  Dresses mostly, in search of that ever-elusive "one."  It will be interesting to see what comes of the experiment, as I'm planning to try a bunch of new-to-me patterns, including the much beloved Hinterland dress.  I'm realizing that I need to wear more woven linen in hot weather.  Knits, even cotton ones, get sweaty almost instantly and then just stay clammy all day, which makes me cross.  And since hot weather makes me cross anyway, I don't need my clothes adding to the fray.  Linen wicks and dries quickly, and if I can get the balance between fit and ease right, I'll be in a better place with my summer wardrobe.  At least that's the hope.

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." (F. Scott Fitzgerald)