…in which Lori apologizes for boring you to death with her daily outfits. Now that I’ve started this daily cataloguing, I can’t seem to stop, no matter how excruciating for everyone involved. Especially my #UnsungSewingBlogHero, my long-suffering photographer/husband. He’s the best.

May 8: I’m on the steering committee for an organization called Radio Trailblazers which mentors and celebrates women in the radio broadcasting industry, and today is our annual cocktail party / award gala. I’m wearing my Nettie Dress.

I did some refitting of this dress since I made it back in December. The back was gaping and the shoulders were riding up. So I picked off the neckband (all 7,856 yards of it — that’s a lot of friggin’ serger threads all over the floor), took up the shoulder seams, then refitted the neckband. I was hoping I wouldn’t need the lace ties after refitting but it still wants to fall forward off my shoulders, so the ties remain. It’s a better fit, but still not a perfect one. What I haven’t yet fixed is the safety pins that are keeping my bra cups in place! But no mishaps so far, so that fix may never make it to the top of my priority list.

May 9: This morning I recorded an interview with Kate of Time to Sew all about sustainable sewing. She’s awesome! Keep an ear out for that episode sometime in June on the Clothes Making Mavens podcast. I wore my Wardrobe by Me Skinny Haute Pants and a ready-to-wear white t-shirt. I’d be happy to make my own t-shirts like this one but I find it really difficult to find the right white jersey fabric. Do you have this problem too? With coloured jerseys you can get away with a lot but white has to be the exact right weight and feel or it just doesn’t seem to work. This shirt has a double layer of fabric in the front bodice piece, which is something I may duplicate if I ever get around to making my own white tees.

May 10: I don’t know why this is turning into a diary of my daily activities, but here we are. A side-effect of daily wardrobe tracking, I guess. My elderly parents have sold the house they’ve lived in for more than 50 years and are moving into a really great new retirement home next month. I attended the official opening celebration of the residence with them. My mom, as is her wont, is deliriously excited about it and has already made friends with everyone who will be moving in; my dad, as is his wont, is outrageously grumpy about it and is quite determined to have a terrible time despite all evidence that this will be the best things that’s happened to him in a long time. (I really have no idea how those two polar-opposites have survived 60+ years of marriage.) I’m wearing one of my Zinnia skirts with a ready-to-wear tee and jacket.

May 11: The stars align — I finished seaming this sweater last night around the same time that a cold front moved in, so the weather is perfectly cool to show it off today! This is the Fast Love Tunic by Wool and the Gang. I haven’t blogged this one yet so I’m afraid I’m going to subject you to lots of pictures here.

It is exactly what I wanted! (I am always surprised when that happens with knitting, especially a design like this that is knit in separate pieces and then seamed together. It’s a crap shoot whether it’s going to fit or not, really.) But I got my wish: a relaxed-fit, boxy, loose-knit cotton sweater. I like the design detail at the drop shoulder seams, created by using two strands of yarn to cast off the top of each sleeve.

Here’s a closer look at the yarn: Billie Jean yarn in ‘washed out denim’. It’s made with 20% up-cycled denim and 80% up-cycled cotton. Cotton definitely isn’t my favourite yarn to knit with; it doesn’t have nearly the same stretchy give as wool so it’s a bit harder on your fingers and hands. But despite that I enjoyed knitting this (lots of mindless stockinette stitch) and I love how it turned out. I feel like this is the sweater I’ll be able to throw on over anything.

It looks like you can only get the pattern by buying a knitting kit from Wool and the Gang. I got sucked in by the fact that the star of Jessica Jones (a bad-ass Marvel character with the ability to stop a moving bus with her bare hands and, more importantly, can easily punch out dudes that are pissing her off), Krysten Ritter, loves to knit and is schilling for Wool and the Gang. I’m a sucker for a bad-ass-female-celebrity endorsement, I guess. (And did you see her on the cover of a recent issue of Vogue Knitting? It’s the only reason I bought the magazine. I didn’t realize I was such a fan girl until all this happened.)

May 12: I didn’t take a pic today but I wore this Linden Sweatshirt:

May 13: I’m wearing my Deer & Doe Plantain Tee in fuchsia, Greenstyle Creations Capsule Cardigan, and me-made leather earrings.

Another view of this SAME plantain tee and further proof that my camera simply can’t capture hot pinks and fuchsias, or that I can’t colour-correct photos to save my life:

May 14: A Monday full of meetings. I’m wearing my Chai Tee and RTW culottes.

Thoughts on Me-Made-May at the end of week 2:

• No trouble so far meeting my goal of wearing at least one me-made garment every day.
• I don’t have many options for outfits made of me-made separates. I usually wear a me-made top with a RTW bottom or vice-versa. I would need to sew up some pants in solid, neutral colours to be able to put together complete me-made outfits.
• I’m still not convinced that I’m going to spend time trying to perfect the art of sewing jeans or fitted pants, but I’m thinking I could sew some wide-legged pants or culottes in a solid neutral colour. However, I already have some RTW versions of those in my closet so that’s probably pointless. I’m not aiming for a 100% me-made wardrobe just for the sake of it.
• I’m thinking of adding a solid navy blue Zinnia Skirt to my sewing priority list. I could wear that with any number of me-made tops I already have. I’ve already made two Zinnias and they’re such a satisfying sew.
• I’m feeling guilty about bombarding you with the mundane details of my daily wardrobe. Are you still reading? You are AMAZING.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

— Lori