May 2017 in Review

May has always been my favorite month of the year. It's my birth month, as well as the first month that fully feels like Spring in the Pacific Northwest. These days, I also have Mother's Day to look forward to, as well as Me-Made-May. It has turned into a very busy month, and I'm always a little bit sad when it's over. Here's what I finished in May. 

Moonlit Gems Gretta Tank 

Years ago, I bought several yards of Cotton + Steel Moonlit Gems lawn online. I thought it would be gray, but it's actually more of a taupe, which isn't really my style. I dug it out the other day to make a wearable muslin of the new Gretta tank pattern from Seamwork. The fabric sewed up well, and is soft and cool to the touch. I'd definitely buy Cotton + Steel lawn again. For my first Gretta tank, I did my normal grading between sizes, omitted the shoulder ties, left off the pocket, and used bias strips to finish the neckline and armholes, instead of a facing. It was super simple and quick to sew, so I took the extra time to flat fell all the seams, which made it nice and neat inside. While I still don't love the color taupe, I'm satisfied with this make and have added the Gretta tank to my list of patterns I'd make again.  

Pearl Bracelet Mini Colfax Dress 

During my preparations for Me-Made-May, I pulled out my Pearl Bracelet Bettine dress to mend. My daughter saw it on my sewing table, and asked for a matching dress. How could I say no? My plan was to make both a Colfax dress and Mini Colfax dress from Lizzy House's Mini Pearl Bracelet double gauze in time to wear for Mother's Day. Sadly, I ran out of time and was only able to finish the Mini Colfax dress before the big day. My daughter and I still matched, just not exactly. The construction of this dress was interesting, with visible binding, a slit facing, and an unexpected way of closing the bottom of the pockets. One of these days, I'll get around to making the Colfax dress in my size. 

Heather Gray Mabel Skirt 

While I really enjoy my Seamwork subscription, not all of the patterns speak to me. Since I've subscribed from the very beginning, I have a nice chunk of credits saved up. I used a few of them to purchase the Colette Mabel skirt pattern. I sewed Version 1 out of Robert Kaufman Arietta Ponte De Roma Heather in Graphite, lengthening it by seven inches. I was super happy with how the resulting skirt looks and feels. It only lacks pockets to make it the perfect skirt. Still mulling over the best way to add pockets to the next one. 

Bento Bag 

I used some stash fabric to whip up a quick Bento Bag to wrap a gift. I'm still loving this pattern. It's fast, easy and versatile.