Me-Made-May 2013!

I'm in!

"I, Erika, of ErikaMadeIt, sign up as a participant in Me-Made-May '13. I endeavor to wear at least handmade garment each day for the duration of May 2013. Also I pledge to finish and wear two new items, with the fabric from my stash."


I can't even remember how many of these I have participated in but I'm in again. It's always a good challenge and it's great to wear some of the things I've forgotten about. I always come out of the month realizing how far I've come with garment making and how much I've really done. I have plenty of outfits already lined up, and can't wait for Wednesday!

Who else has signed up? Any reservations?

Jiffy Dress: Simplicity 1609

When the new simplicity books came into the store (I work at Fabricland) and I flipped the page to this new re-released Jiffy dress, I gasped. "OMG we have to make this".  So I whipped up a sample for a summer camp class. When I first saw this pattern, it looked like the dresses from Moonlight Kingdom, but now in this color it's reading as Megan from season 4 of Mad Men. Perfect for the Mad Men challenge! (My second entry!)

The fabric is a cotton, with a bit of spandex in this BRIGHT coral color, I just love it. The collar is in a white cotton pique, with some covered buttons also in white. This pattern is an excellent reprint. It has french darts in the front, and one piece facing. I LOVE one piece facings. It makes such a clean finish. This dress was so easy to put together, It took me a little more than a morning. Good thing too because I have to teach this class to teenagers this summer!

Cherry Print Vogue

Don't you love it when a pattern and fabric come together perfectly? This is my second version of the vintage reprint Vogue 8728, I love how flattering the gathered bust and how easy it is to put together. The last version I made was too big (even though I followed the finished measurements) so I made this one two sizes smaller. I measured the actual pattern and it was 2 inches bigger than it said it was. This is not the kind of pattern that you would want too much ease!

For this version I used a lightweight rayon with some stretch in a cherry print, from Mood in NYC. I love this Fabric! It's lightweight and silky, but was easy to sew. I used a ballpoint needle in the smallest size I could find, the only difficult part was sewing the skirt to the bodice, it kept wiggling around. 

I made this dress for Easter, and it felt very springy. I even ordered a matching belt from Pat's Custom Buttons and Belts. This dress is the perfect blend of vintage and modern, I could even make a third version!