Me Made May Giveaway

As promised today I have one of my almost-unworn Me Mades to giveaway. This here is the gorgeous Alice Dress/Top. This one is made from a Nani Iro double gauze*.

I adore this top in theory however sadly for me I just don't wear it as it doesn't feel like me. That said this top looks great on every other person that has made it. Go and have a look here to see other versions to see if it's something you want to put your hand up for.

It would suit bust sizes from 32-38-ish inches and I'm happy to post it anywhere in the world. Just leave a comment with what you love about Alice and I will pick someone on Friday.

Edited to add: If you are novice sewer looking to start sewing your own tops - like Alice - then have a look at our Simple Sewing 101 series! It's written just for you. x

Enjoy.

Felicia x

*It has been made on a home sewing machine without an overlocker so all seams are finished with a zigzag :).

Me Made May 2016

Most of you I'm sure know of Me Made May. If you don't then head over here and take a look.

My take on it is that this little handmade community of ours comes together to elevate and celebrate our handmade wardrobes, whether we are just at the start of making our #handmadewardrobe or like me we have been at it for a few years.

I took part last year - but I didn't plan to this year as I'm a little dis-trac-ted! But as I wear handmade nearly every day then I just started taking snaps. Last year I was religious about my photo taking but this year well life isn't working quite like that. And I don't think it matters.

The point is to celebrate what it is that we do. We make stuff! With our hands and our hearts! As a community! It's super.

This last year I have only made a few extra bits and pieces to fill some gaps - like a few Lou Box Tops and my Annie Dress but the consciousness raising that is the month of Me Made May has made realise that there are a few handmade pieces that I do not wear. Like ever. They don't feel like me, even though I love them.

Normally I give those kinds of garments away to my girlfriends, but as this one won't fit any of them due to boob/shoulder size, then if you pop back tomorrow I'll take a photo and give it away to one of you lot. It's pretty special - Nani Iro! :) I just thought it might be a nice way to celebrate Me Made May.

And as an aside if you aren't yet sewing your own clothes but think you might like to then head on over and have a look at our Simple Sewing 101 series. Many a newbie sewer has got started using Simple Sewing and I love watching your tops pop up on Instagram.

Join in over on instagram. I find it truly inspiring every year and often find people and patterns I had never heard of.

Felicia x

PS. If you are interested in popping back in for the top then I have a bust size of about 35/36". You would need to be similar to make use of it.

Stash Less Challenge #4 - Stop Shopping

In 2016 we invite you to join us in your own personal Stash Less project. Stash Less is a project whereby we work towards having a mindful stash. Each month we will be posting a challenge for you to use in your own journey of discovery and change. Please feel free to join in at any time. We can't wait to hear what you find out! Last year's Stash Less posts can be found here but to follow this year's Challenge then please use the links below.

Stash Less January - Challenge #1 Taking Stock
Stash Less Feburary - Challenge #2 Make a Plan
Stash Less March - Challenge #3 Make a Making List

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So big apologies for last month. I dropped the ball because of registration (and life) and I didn't post a challenge for the month. But I'm sure you didn't mind. It gave you a bit of time right? Changing your habits around purchasing means making better decisions over time, which means that extra time gives you more opportunity to shift?

Challenge #4 - Stop Shopping

So the challenge for this month is to stop shopping - unless you need something very specific for a project you are working on right now.

So what does not shopping actually involve?

Not shopping means more than just not purchasing. It means window shopping or online looking as a pastime. It means unsubscribing to yarn updates, latest pattern collection release emails and many many newsletters.* It involves not popping into the wool shop even if you are in the area.

It involves only walking into a shop to buy supplies for making with a list.

I still fail at this one, but the improvement on where I was is massive. I've made this change in my life slowly. Initially just with sewing and knitting blogs and stores. But over time I've extended it to all area's of my life. I can clearly see how my behaviour around all shopping has shifted and changed my perspective.

These days I get newsletters from my very favourite stores only, so in each category (knitting, sewing, clothes) it would be down to three or less. As I said, I'm still a work in progress :). Maybe you could get yours down to zero?

What is the problem with looking?

So why does it matter if we aren't purchasing? Why is does it matter if we are just looking?

Here's the thing. I actually think there are a couple of problems with shopping as a pastime. Pastime? Well, if we aren't shopping to purchase something we need, then we are using it simply as a pastime. And why is it bad for as a way to spend our time?

1. Window shopping leads to shopping shopping.
Maybe it's late at night you are a bit tired, and you forget yourself. Or you see something that you really really need. Or you find a pattern that you just know you are going to use really soon. Except that you don't.

You don't need it - otherwise it would be on your making list as something you need. Or it would be on a supply list as something you need. Window shopping creates needs (that aren't really needs) from of the emotions we have when we see them - excitement, longing, admiration and my old friend desire.

2. Shopping as a past time has us sitting in desire rather than creativity.
If we spend our time looking rather than creating, it means our heads are in the wrong place. When we get an email newsletter (eg. did anyone else get Brooklyn Tweed's Wool People collection today?), we get distracted by the new and shiny and follow the worm down the wormhole. And who wants to be in a hole with worms?

“Comparison is the thief of joy!”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Window shopping as a pastime means that we are sitting with our future selves, looking at things we don't need, for projects that we know we don't have time to make - cause we know what is on our making list - right? It means we are looking at what we don't have rather than what we do have. It means we are sitting in desire rather than gratitude.

Window shopping means are not looking after our head space! Even if we don't see anything super sparkly that we want to buy, we are still looking for satisfaction elsewhere. It's like flirting with the barista** rather than appreciating the ace fella at home who just did the dishes. We already have a wonderful stash of materials at home. If we didn't, we wouldn't be doing Stash Less.

Sometimes we stop appreciating the wonderful stash we have simply because we've had many of the materials for so long that we almost can't see them. And window shopping? Well that is essentially looking for a barista to flirt with because we are a bit bored. It means our head isn't in the game, and isn't thinking about our values and our long term happiness.

We want to change our relationship to purchasing over time. We want it to be about meeting a need we have, in a way that fulfills us in the long term because it sits with our values - rather than giving us a quick fix of dopamine that makes us feel great for a few seconds, or maybe a few days while we wait for the mail to arrive. Living our true values gives us true freedom.

Over time we want to shift out of desire and into creating. Creating is a wonderful place to be - it's why we got into this making gig in the first place. It fills us up and makes us feel that crackle of joy that makes us feel truly alive. We want to be using our materials to bring us joy with substance and makes our hearts sing. 

So talk to me, about your purchasing habits, your window shopping and your newsletters? Do you think they affect your behaviour? What are you going to change?

As always if you are posting on any of this then please add your links in the comments.

Felicia x

*I have my newsletters now down to about 2 or three - this was down from about 20 in the good old days before Stash Less.

** The first (and sadly only) analogy that came to me - and now I am wondering if the reason that I thought of it was because I've used it before on this here blog? I am in no way judging barista flirting as a pastime ;) and I really need to head to bed.

Best Of: Annie Dress

So I love this dress. I will love it forever. And I think you will to.

But before we start talking about the love, I need to tell you that I screwed it up as I was making it, and so the photos and the dress aren't quite what it should be. I'm going to fix it but I haven't got around to it yet. In the meantime, as I am wearing it all the time regardless, I wanted to share it with you. Me Made May has just begun so I thought some of you in the Northern Hemisphere might be revving up your sewing machines and be looking for inspiration.

I'll tell you more about my howling error in a minute.

So when Tessuti first released the Annie dress/top pattern I wasn't that interested. I had this idea that because Annie was a long dress* and because it had a yoke - which I don't often wear - that it wasn't for me. I thought it would make me look short and like I was wearing a tent. But because of the super clever drafting team at Tessuti it does neither.

You can find many other splendid versions on Instagram here. There are many pretty versions.

The way I found out that it would work for me was by total accident. I popped into Tessuti over the summer and had had a nice chat to the lovely Collette who was wearing one. They had a rack of samples of their patterns and on on a whim I tried the Annie on. And it fitted beautifully. Like it was made for me.

I purchased the pattern and the linen on the spot. A rare thing for me these days but when you know, you know.

Tessuti patterns often do detail in the drafting, beautifully. Where another pattern company might make a line straight because it was simpler, they take the care to curve where they need to curve, even if that curve is very subtle. 

With the Annie Dress it is the subtle line of the yoke, the line of the side panels and the line of the top of the skirt mean that this long gathered skirt actually has shape. The lines of the dress follow the lines of my body and is really flattering, as opposed to swallowing me whole. And then the curve of the straps has it sitting beautifully on the shoulders.

Beautiful non-tent-like line where you can see the pretty curve of the yoke. The odd bit around the armpit is due to my error.

There is an issue though! The issue is that if you don't get the strap length right - as everyone has different shoulders, then you could end up as I did, with straps that are too long. You might do this by accident as you might not know to check. I did it through stupidity.

As I was in Tessuti trying on the sample, Collette was fiddling with the straps. She said in a clear and cheerful voice "You would need to make the straps about an inch shorter". Just like that, she said it, plain and simple.

However, when it actually came to making Annie I thought I knew better. The straps looked super short and so I ignored her knowledge and her advice, and lo and behold the straps are way too long. And the dress shows the side of my bra**, hangs a bit funny, and I need to fix it. It will look much better as it has weirdly odd draping going on in the side panel. You can kind of see the odd draping above and how the side yoke is way too low in the photo below.

It is not easy to fix the length of the straps once you have finished Annie, as the beautiful finishing means that they are fully enclosed. I will be doing some professional hacking to fix it in the next week or so, and I'll post some photos when I'm done.

But as you haven't started yet, how could you get around it, and get the strap length right?

I suggest you try the top on when you first sew the straps on to the yoke. Assess the straps while remembering that the skirt pulls the yoke down and think about whether you will need to make them shorter. A simple step that I should have taken.

Annie's insides are as beautiful as her outsides, especially if you were to take the time to handstitch the inner yoke. I didn't but you could. She also has pockets and is magnificent to wear. She is swishy! People keep asking about her.

While she is clearly a summer frock I plan on wearing her all winter under sweaters or with long-sleeved merino tops underneath. I'm as surprised by this as you are. Not my normal style and yet feels just like me.

You can find the Annie pattern here .

Enjoy x

Felicia.

*She can also be a top.

**Newly purchased strapless bra for this dress. Strapless bras have come a long way in my 20 years without one. This one has some silicon stuff that actually means it stays up for a couple of hours without hitching. It also needs to put on with some thought and not thrown on for a quick photo..... so please excuse the weird side boob.

Ideas and Joy and Sustenance!

Wow!! - so I asked the question and you responded - which I truly appreciate! - and now I have some thinking to do. I've heard all your wonderful suggestions and they will go into the mix with all the other things we need to think about - like other non-craft sessions work commitments and family life and some more travel. Big decisions. I'll let you know in time what magic we come up with. But let me tell you I am excited by the idea of doing something more!

Scholarships

We have some great news that we are really thrilled about!

We are going to give away TWO scholarships!

If you saw the original scholarship post you will know that the scholarships are very personal to me. So to finally be able to offer them was very exciting. After putting in place the things I needed to - like an external scholarship panel to make the decision - and then we were good to go.

But when the applications for the scholarships started coming in and we started talking in more detail about why they were so important and why we wanted to run them in the first place - because we believe in the power of craft to provide joy and sustenance for our souls - then we realised that actually they were even more important than we thought. And so we decided to offer more. I think initially the idea was to start small and build, but in the end we have decided that we might as well start where we want to go on from! 

So two scholarships this year and then two scholarships next year and so on.

The panel is getting back to me today with their decisions and the two recipients will be notified by Monday.

Happy days!

Felicia x