Kalle Shirts 1, 2, and 3

July 13, 2017 Becca

Hi internet friends!

oday's post is about one of my favorite MeMadeMay makes, the Kalle shirt /shirtdress from ClosetCase patterns.

it's this image again but it's one of my favorites!

When I first saw this pattern I was a bit hesitant....I'm still learning about how to fit things properly and one of my biggest fitting concerns is fabric pooling at my lower back, so with such a loose fitting and flowing pattern I was worried that I would just end up with tons of extra fabric around my rear end which probably wouldn't be that flattering......

However! Knowing Heather and her amazing-ness I was willing to bet that things would workout and after seeing a few Kalle-ies show up on the interwebs I was sold and I had to try one for myself.

The first one I made was the pop-over tunic length version in a light weight viscose with an interesting stripe/bird pattern. I did my customary short person adjustment (taking in about 2 inches at the waistline) and dug in! While it did turn out awesome the high/low hem was simply too long on the back for me, it honestly looked like I was wearing an old school nightshirt/gown thingy (the blue and white stripes didn't help with that...) So I carefully unpicked the hem facing and used the pattern as a template to shorten shape the hem. In the end I took another 3.5" off of the bottom of the top.

I love the way this shirt turned out, it has a causal look while not being simplistic. It's super flattering with both jeans and leggings, and it is just so comfortable to wear to work :D (Side note: I developed a little 'shirt tail flip' action while wearing this shirt...because the back hem covers my bum I found it got really wrinkled if you didn't flip it out when you sat down, kinda makes you feel like a world class pianist flipping out your coat tails before sitting down to play....or maybe I've just watched too many bugs bunny cartoons as a kid where he played a pianist or conductor....)

A little wrinkly but that just means it's been lived in :)

Since I love getting the most out patterns I went ahead and made a second Kalle shirt, again with the pop over variation in a solid forest green tencel twill from BlackBird fabrics. This fabric is a bit of a heavier weight than what I used for my first Kalle shirt but it still has really nice drape and I was interested in seeing what the pattern would look like in a more structured fabric. I am also trying to incorporate more solids into my wardrobe and I'm having a thing with green at the moment :P

This second Kalle came together super quick and I'm really happy with the result! Overall I like the striped version a smidgen more than the solid one but that's mostly due to the hot weather we've been having here, the striped one is just a little bit lighter. (really hot for Vancouver I mean...I have a backlog of knitting projects to share with you guys but they will all have to wait until the weather cools down somewhat) Speaking of the hot weather this top also looks pretty awesome with shorts (see the pic on the left!)

I now have two really awesome work and life appropriate shirts that both came together really quickly so I did what I always do....and made another one!

If you've been lurking my Instagram you'll know that I've had a cropped top version of the Kalle in the works. Well....here she is!

The hat made the photo! and new sunglasses :D

The cropped top version is a little outside of my comfort zone....but it's so stylish that I had to try it.....and guys......I LOVE IT! I love the shape and again, like the other two, it's just so comfortable to wear, more so than I thought a cropped top would be! I wore it to work all day and didn't obsess over the fact I was wearing a cropped top (I only tugged on the front once or twice to straighten it) and I got so many complements :D

I made this version in a lovely linen chambray from BlackBird Fabrics to give the top both structure and to make it summer appropriate ;) You'll notice that I am wearing a tank top underneath and that's because I'm a smidgen shy about my tum tums...I kept the same torso shortening adjustment as on my two other Kalle tunics but I think I may lengthen the front of the cropped version by about 1/2" in future iterations because I think I would then feel more comfortable wearing it sans tank top (although I would still wear the tank top when wearing it to work...). I should probably get on making some mid or high waisted jeans to go with this top ;)...and so the sewing list grows!

I find that little bit of short hair that won't stay in my bun hilarious!

I'm sure there will be many more Kalle shirts in my future! I'm actually really proud of myself for adding more solids to my wardrobe, two for two here for June and July! I've got many more summer sewing plans in the works so stay tuned!

Me Made May 2017 Review

June 12, 2017 Becca

Hi friends!

It's been about two weeks since Me Made May 2017 ended so I thought it was about time for me to share a bit of a review and what I learned from this year's challenge :D

I'm proud to say that I completed my challenge (minus 1 or two days where I was migraine-y so I'm giving myself a pass there). I set out to wear at least one me made item each day with at least 1 complete me made ~look~ or outfit once a week. Thanks to my new ginger jeans obsession I often had more than one me made outfit per week! It was super satisfying to have so many me made items to choose from everyday, and it really helped me see how far I've come on this me made wardrobe journey.

Marylebone Cardigan for the win! This may started off pretty chilly so this oversized, snuggly cardigan was a must have and it's featured in a number of the #MMM2017 shots (and of course my eyes are closed in this one..

I love the back detail on this cardigan....hopefully I'll get my act together and dedicate a full post to this project in the future, I'm thinking closer to the fall again when it will see more use.

May started off a bit on the chilly side so I often found myself leaning on two of my newly finished cardigans, the Marylebone cardigan and my Earnest cardigan. I finished both of these earlier this spring (however I still need to update my revelry notes :S). The Marylebone is an amazing Bristol Ivy pattern which I splurged and bought Brooklyn Tweed Quarry for. SOOOOOO worth it! Quarry is a really lovely 'fluffy' bulky weight yarn, by fluffy I mean that it's very loosely spun and airy so you get the thickness of a bulky yarn without the weight. It is a bit tricky to seam with because it is so loosely spun, but so long as you give yarn a good extra twist as you go you should be fine. I haven't put the pockets on it or buttons, I'm still debating if the pockets are really needed or not...as for buttons I bought a bunch to add but I'm second guessing my decisions....by the fall I'm sure I'll have a decision made ;)

apparently I had a thing for grey this spring.... well technically last summer since I started this last year but you get the point....Also featured are my favorite Datura Blouse and on the right, Bruyère shirt both by Deer and Doe

The second cardigan that I wore a lot was my Earnest cardigan by Joji :) This was knit in Spud & Chloe's fine sock yarn and it was a beast of a project! Because it was such a fine weight of yarn and it's mostly knit in double seed stitch it made for a very long, but so worth it, project. I actually started this shortly before traveling to Mt. Robison last year and knit part of it while on the trail :D To speed up the process I also knit the sleeves two at a time but this was difficult because of the double seed stitch pattern, I had to keep untangling the yarn.....but it was all worth it in the end! I love layering this cardigan for the days that are just a shade too cool, or at work where we've been having heating and cooling issues :S

What I seemed to reach for the most over the month was for one of my many Cheyenne tunics (Hey June patterns), Datura blouses (Deer and Doe), and my two Scout tees (Grainline Studios). The photo one image up has my fave Datura blouse, sewn for last years me made May, in a rayon blend stripy fabric, this guy has seen a lot of wear over the last year! The beach photo show cases one of my most popular Cheyenne tunics, by most popular I mean the one I get the most complements on at work haha! I was inspired by this post by LLADYBIRD where she made an archer shirt in the same flannel. Archer and I haven't really gotten on in the past, possibly because it was something that I tried to sew early on and couldn't get the fit right, but the Cheyenne tunic and I get along real well! I pretty much exclusively sew the popover version, no clue why but that's what I like :

One of my two scout tees, the first is shown in the first photo in that amazing Rifle Paper Co. fabric!

With my two scout Tees (one featured in the very first photo and the other right above) I found myself constantly wishing I had more. I have two cut out waiting to be sewn, and a third fabric choice waiting to be cut, but they keep getting bumped on the sewing list for more 'exciting' patterns. Patterns with more frills like collars or interesting design details instead of 'just a shirt'. It's ironic because what I do need more of are just straight up causal shirts that I can wear to work without a second thought. June's mission is to finish up these scout tees! I just need to remind myself that not everything has to be a challenge, I can just enjoy sewing up a simple top that I know I'll get a ton of use out of :)

New pattern that I can't get enough of is the Kalle shirt dress! I sewed up this stripy/bird-y one for my 31st birthday and I LOOOOOVVVVEE it! It's such a wardrobe staple kind of top, I can wear it to work and then dress it up a bit to go out later. I'm already sewing up at least two more, one again in the tunic length popover style, and the second as the cropped top version! (I have my eye on some high waisted ginger jeans to wear with that one ;) ) When I first finished this shirt I was seriously undecided.....I had shortened the torso by my standard 2 inches but the back of the shirt was SOOOOO long, like it kinda looked like I was wearing an old school night gown (probably because of the stripes) I had to cut off around 3 inches off of the 'tail' of the back before it didn't make me look super short (and by that I mean shorter than my already short personage)...

Despite starting off the month with 3 new pairs of ginger jeans AND starting/finishing a 4th pair during May, after looking back on all of my photos I noticed that I really didn't take many photos where you could actually see them! They've become such a staple in my wardrobe that I sometimes forget that 'yeah you made those' and 'yeah you should take pictures where you can see them'. With plans to make a few more, including maybe some more 'funky' versions, I'll have to make sure I document them well :D

As usual Me Made May was a fantastic start to spring/summer! It made me really pumped to get sewing and knitting! I had tons of new ideas from seeing all the different posts! I love being constantly inspired by the amazing #maker community on Instagram and in the sewing/knitting blogger-verse. I also feel like I personally grew a bit, I was able to let go more and be less stressed about taking photos of myself. I even posted makeup-less photos which is kinda huge for me and I think is huge for a lot of women who feel the need to present the most polished and perfect version of themselves when on social media. Don't get me wrong I still had photos where I had my make up all done for work or for a night out like my birthday, but it was really freeing to also just take some photos while camping and at the beach and not be stressed about it. By the end of the month I felt like my daily photo session became more of a 'oh yeah I need to do that, I'll just snap some now' instead of something I was dreading to do. What more can you ask from a challenge than to inspire you and help you grow? :D

How the Ginger Jeans Helped Me Get My Sew-Jo Back

May 2, 2017 Becca

Hey Internet! Long time no blog post......

I know....for a while there I seriously lost my sewing mo-jo....I was still doing crafty things and knitting all the time but work and life just started to get the best of me and I found I wasn't enjoying any of it anymore....and it made me sad :( It's not that I no longer loved doing crafty things I just wasn't getting the joy and satisfaction out of it anymore. So I took a step back, and just allowed myself to chill and remove the 'pressure' I had put on myself to continuously do creative things at every spare moment... When I wanted to sew, I sewed, and when I wanted to knit I knit, and when I wanted to be a vegetable on the couch or go to spin class, or play HOURS of Zelda (breath of the wild what have you done to my life?!) then I just did those things and tried not to be mad at myself for not doing #AllTheThings all the time. And that really, really helped...just letting myself be myself without beating myself up for not doing every single thing on my massive 'I want to do all the things' list. I also started a bullet journla which also really helped because it let me write down all the ideas I have in my head for all the projects I either wanted to start or have started and create realistic goals for when I can get those projects done (I also got to deep dive into bullet journals on Pinterest which is highly satisfying) :)

Snoqualmie Cardigan

September 7, 2016 Becca

Hey Friends!

Hope you've been having a blast enjoying the last bit of summer! For us in Vancouver the rain is beginning to set in, heralding the time for COZY SWEATERS! :D If you've been lurking my Instagram you've probably seen some sneak peeks of my newest sweater weather addition over the summer, the Snoqualmie Cardigan by Michelle Wang for Brooklyn Tweed.

Multiway Sallie Jumpsuit

July 25, 2016 Becca

Heeelllooo Internet friends!

I apologize in advance for the gratuitous amount of images in this blog post but when you find that special relationship you just want to shout it to the world you know? And no I don't mean with a person (love you @fluffyblondemonster!) but with an item of clothing that just DOES it for you! Like the type that makes you feel good about yourself in a 'dammmm look at you girl' way after which you give yourself a hair flip emoji and sashay away.

Now that you've had enough time to ponder that little mental image, I present to you the Sallie Jumpsuit Multiway Hack!

Please note the full glass of wine in all of these 'on a boat' pictures. It helps explain the 'day after' photos later on

The inspiration for this amazing (if I do say so myself) piece of clothing was two fold: First I had a wedding celebration coming up that was going to be on a boat, hence the idea of pants vs. a dress as those have a tendency to fly away, pretty much always unflattering so, whist traversing the high seas. Second was this pin that I found on Pintrest, an advert really, for a multiway jumpsuit that literally had me going 'YAAASSSSSS'. Being ever the DIY'er I took one look at the price tag and cried the eternal DIY pledge "PFFFTTT I can make that for way less!". Time, more often than not, proves this pledge void however in this instance time was kind to me, and proved that I could in fact make it and for less than the original price tag #DIYWIN

For once i feel like a one piece makes me look a smidgen taller!

To whip up a Multiway Sallie Jumpsuit of your own you'll need the jumpsuit portion of the Sallie Jumpsuit pattern by Closet Case Patterns and a smidgen of math. I used this tutorial, which I also found on Pinterest, as well as the video detailing all the different ways of tying the original multiway jumpsuit as a guide to drafting the straps. In total I bought 3 meters of a navy blue bamboo/cotton jersey, a large portion of which went unused, #ShorttieForTheWin, that can be re-purposed for another project.

Crossing the straps at the back to cover your bra means no struggle with a strapless!

I shortened the length of the pants by about 3 inches but as you can see in the photo above I could do with a bit more shortening as they still pool a bit on the ground even in my tallest heels. Once I had sewn up the pant legs I then drafted a waist band casing for an elastic waist band to keep the pant legs secure even without tying the top (this is important as a) it helps you tie the top the way you want and b) it means you don't have to tie the top portion so tight). To do this I simply measured the width of the finished pants at the waist, doubled it to get the circumference and then cut a rectangle whose length was the circumference of the waist (plus seam allowance) and width was double the width of my elastic (I recommend something between 1/2-1") again plus seam allowance. For the straps I originally took the advice from the above mentioned tutorial, which suggests calculating the width of the straps using the measurement from between your breastbone, over the largest part of the bust and to the middle of your underarm and calculating the length as 1.5 times your height. That tutorial also recommended an overlap of between 3-5" at the center front, with less overlap for a more plunging neckline. I went with an overlap of 3" which may explain why I ended up having to remove a full 5" from the width of the straps as the creator of the tutorial used an overlap of 5". I removed this extra width because with an overlap of 3" at the center front the straps ended 5" past the side seam of the pants, which would have made tying the top difficult in my opinion (also the original multiway had thinner straps). The 1.5 times your height for length was also grossly over estimated as I ended up chopping off over half a foot to get the tail length you see in these photos. I later took off the remaining 5-6" when I got home as it was still too long.

Yes the tails were quite long....I didn't want to run the risk of cutting them too short though....

I had a lot of fun tying a few different configurations before settling on this one. As an added bonus I was able to configure the back part of the straps such that I could wear a normal bra!! This coupled with the super softness of bamboo/cotton, and the comfy-ness of jersey in general, made this a super comfy outfit (minus wrestling with my overly long tail now and then). To get an idea of all the different ways you can wear this hack you can check out the original multiway jumpsuit here or take a peek at some other configurations below (these pictures were taken after I had recovered from the double header of wedding celebrations that I had that particular weekend so keep that in mind....there's also icing on it by this point because there was cake.....)

I really think that the real versatility of this multiway lies the fact that it is a jumpsuit, pants instead of a skirt! It give it that 'power outfit' feel that a dress version doesn't always have (in my opinion the dress versions often have great promise but you can never really get too many uses out of them) With a jumpsuit version you can tie it one way for an evening out, tie it another way (aka with less cleavage) pair it with a blazer and you have a smart outfit to wear to a meeting while still being comfy! It really is quite the comfy wardrobe workhorse!

Hope you guys like this hack! let me know if you have any questions in the comments! And just two more pictures below, that's it!! I promise! (I really love this thing!)