Sogosew

A whole month of wearing my me-made clothes!  Marvellous.  Because I’m a bit mad, I don’t buy clothes any more.  Extreme I know, but I just love making them.  So wearing something handmade everyday is what I already do, but making the most of the clothes I have instead of making more?  Now that is a challenge.

So I got some help.  I invited one of the mums at school who is  stylist Camilla Turner (a stylist!  yay!!) to do a skill share; she put together outfits (I would never have thought of) out of my clothes, and I am going to help her sew.  And – just as helpful – she taught me how not to feel so totally gormless in my photos.  She did more for my image in half an hour with an iphone and a clothes peg than I had achieved in months.

Here are my 10 favourite outfits, I’d love to know which you like too 🙂

1. Cropped t-shirt + man-ish trousers

My completely favourite outfit.  If I’m honest I wore these trousers most days. They are my absolute favourites, I love everything about them, they are my garment BFF.  I am also delighted with the cut of this t-shirt, I’m so happy I can now make classic t-shirts, thank you Wendy Ward!

The patterns:

• Wendy Ward Derwent T-shirt
• Merchant and Mills Strides trousers

The fabric:

• The t-shirt was upcycled from an XL mens t-shirt from our local charity shop
• The Strides were made from a beautiful linen my generous brother in law gave me

2. The basic white t-shirt + 80’s style baggy jeans

This is my everyday outfit (must confess the heels were only to posh this up for the photo, usually I’ll wear trainers).  It has elastic in the back waistband so lends itself well to large lunches.

The patterns:

• Sew Over It Carrie Trouser hack
• Tilly Walnes Frankie T-shirt (from her book “Stretch“)

The trouser hack – super-simple, I just widened the legs by drawing straight lines down from the hipline on the outside leg seam, and the top of the inner leg seam.  Then I turned them up twice to add a cuff.  I was trying to create a nice mom jeans 80s vibe.

Fabric used:

• Optic white cotton interlock jersey fabric from Fabworks
• Robert Kaufman 6oz indigo washed denim from Oh Sew Ditsy (sold out sorry, but this is quite similar: Robert Kaufman washed denim

 

3.  2 vests + cropped jeans

I like this for work because it feels neat and put-together, but not too poshed-up.

The patterns:

• Merchant and Mills Bantam Vest  (The Workbook)
• Hacked Sew Over It Ultimate Trousers.

The trouser hack – I widened the legs slightly from the knee line to create a very straight leg, and cropped a couple of inches from the length.

The Fabric:

• Mustard cotton muslin from Merchant and Mills
• 97% cotton, 3% spandex stretch denim with 20% stretch from The Fabric Godmother

 

4. Tunic = easy everyday

This tunic is one of my oldest makes, and I still love it.  It looks nice over leggings on colder / between leg-waxing days.  I’ve made a few tops and dresses from this pattern, and there are more to come!

The fabric is a gorgeous Indian hand block printed 100% cotton from Abigails Drapery 

5. The posh frock

This Sew Over It Penny dress is my party dress (written about in more detail here), but because I never go to parties I wear it every now and then to do the school run and feel ever so fancy.  Then a gust of wind shows everyone my pants.  Sigh.

The Fabric is one of my favourites ever!  A Merchant and Mills 100% cotton hand block printed cotton from Oh Sew Ditsy.  And I LOVE the penny dress, I feel one or two more coming on…

6. Sun dress + huge bag

I think this will look better in a dark colour, but I was so excited when the pattern arrived (I pre-ordered it before it was printed) I just NEEDED a wearable toile IMMEDIATELY.  Perhaps a sun tan would help, its hard to tell where dress stops and skin starts.

I made this in white 100% cotton, and lined it so I can wear it as a sundress.  The bag is the Merchant and Mills Orton bag, a free pattern and a really nice easy sew.

The dress fabric was a bedsheet that got torn, so I stashed it away for sewing.  The bag fabric is 1980s IKEA, once my mam’s kitchen curtains!  Top points for sustainable fabric sourcing!

 

7. Floral Kimono + cropped jeans

I’m not sure about this outfit, I think I will turn the kimono into a dress by adding poppers or buttons to it.  I think its voluminosity works quite well in this woodland setting though 🙂

The patterns:

• Sew Over It Kimono jacket 
• Sew Over It Ultimate Trousers (as in outfit 3)

The fabric is a silky smooth cotton voile from Oh Sew Ditsy

8. Green floral cami + cropped jeans

I love the fresh apple green of this cami, and it works well with denim (what doesn’t?).

The patterns:

• Sew Over It Silk Cami
• Ultimate Trousers

The fabric:

• The green floral fabric was bought eons ago so I can’t remember what it was, it feels like viscose.
• Jeans are stretch denim from Fabric Godmother (as in outfit 3).

 

9. Stripey cropped trousers + basic white t shirt

I feel clown-like in this vertical stripe trend.  Or deckchair? But thats the look, and dammit I like it.  Extra points for frugality here – the pattern came free with Love Sewing magazine and the fabric was a 100% cotton duvet cover from a charity shop 🙂

The patterns:

• Simple Sew Sailor Trousers
• Tilly Walnes Frankie t-shirt

 

10. Stretch pencil skirt + kimono jacket

Date night outfit, might I add with elastic waist to encompass large dinners.  And the colours are very Dalai Lama, if not so much the style 🙂

The patterns:

• Merchant and Mills Bantam Vest
• The Maker’s Atelier Stretch Pencil Skirt
• Sew Over It Kimono Jacket

The fabric:

• Vest: Merchant and Mills mustard cotton muslin
• Skirt: Girl Charlie burgandy ponte de roma
• Kimono: brushed 100% cotton from Ditto

In conclusion

I felt much more stylish at the end of May than I did at the beginning.  And I got massively excited about using charity shops as a source of fabric – I feel a series of posts coming on about duvet cover dresses and t shirt upcycling.  You have been warned…