Hello internet friends!
Long time no talk...but I'm back and today I'm sharing with you my current two fave spring makes :) A light as air Carrie Cardigan in grey cloud sweater knit from Blackbird Fabrics and an Ogden Cami in a blush cupro and viscose twill, also from Blackbird fabrics.
Let's start with the Carrie Cardigan shall we? I got this pattern as part of the winter 2017 Indiesew bundle and while winter is over I realized that I was in need of a 'transitional' piece that I could toss on with most outfits. I happened to snag some cloud knit during one of Blackbird's remnant sales, and while I thought it would be enough for the whole cardigan I just didn't have enough for the collar portion. This also after I had done my customary short person adjustment by shortening both the body and collar by about 3 inches, so I had really under estimated the total yardage for this cardigan. Luckily, Blackbird got some of the grey colour way back in stock and I bought just enough for the collar piece!
It's really hard to see in the photos but the collar is actually a shade or two lighter than the rest of the cardigan, probably because it came from a different dye lot. The difference in colour kind of adds a bit of dimension the cardigan so I really don't mind it :) The pattern itself was very easy to follow, the only note I would make is that the lengthen/shorten lines have not been replicated on the collar piece so please remember to alter both the front and back, and the collar if you do decide to make a change in length. I really like the overall shape of this cardigan, it has a nice swooping hem which adds to the whole 'comfy but stylish' vibe. I probably could have made the whole thing about an inch or so shorter as I find the hem gets kind of caught when I sit down but it's nothing I major. I also really like the sleeves on this cardigan, they are close fitting which helps balance out the oversized nature of the piece and it allows you to push up your sleeves and not have them slide down :)
Moving on to the Ogden Cami! I know I'm seriously behind the sewing blog-o-sphere on this one but I was waiting for the right fabric and weather to fall into my lap before trying it out! ;) I think this twill fabric really pairs well with this pattern, it has enough body and drape to make sure that that the top has some structure without being stiff. I ended up shortening the straps by a good inch to reduce the overall 'boob-a-llicious' ness of the top but I think I'll need to either attempt a FBA, since there is some puckering, or possibly to try what Heather did over on The Pug & Needle and make a size larger around the bust and taper down for the rest. I will also probably raise the back by a bit so that my bra dosen't show, I'm ok with the shoulder straps showing but the bra band is a bit much. I can't wait to have a few more camis in my closet to layer with :D
On to my MeMadeMay 2018 pledge! This will be my third year doing MMMay and I'm really excited! I like using this month to really delve into my closet and to challenge myself to ensure that I'm really getting the most out of my me made wardrobe. I had originally wanted to dedicate this year's MMMay to expanding my athletic and work out portions of my closet. I asked for FehrTrade's new sewing you own activeware book for Christmas and was really pumped to get started! But the book didn't land in Canada until mid March, so I didn't really have enough time to explore and really figure out what I wanted to make. I also have the 'looming deadline' of a wedding in 4 months time so I realized that I probably wouldn't have enough free time to really get into making activeware.....so instead for this MMMay My pledge is to have a complete me made outfit (meaning a me made top and bottom, or a me made dress) Monday to Friday, so 5 days of the week, and then try to wear as much me made on the weekends. Expect to see a lot of ginger jeans in rotation people! I'm excited to see how many of my current favorites make 2nd or 3rd appearances this month! It's going to be a tricky one, since I have two weddings to attend and a week long conference in Chicago but I'll make it happen! :D
I'll be documenting everything on my Instagram, @beccamadethat, and then doing a weekly wrap up with my thoughts on the blog :D
I can't wait to see everyone's makes this May! and I hope you enjoy my outfits :D