So as usual Me Made May really was useful for showing me the big gaps in my wardrobe. I think really I already knew what these were but forcing yourself to wear as much me made as possible and if possible wear ALL me made, means you really notice what you do NOT have. What I need to make is not particularly interesting which is why it does not get done. I need vests.
Running vests, racer back vests, ordinary boring vests and maybe some halter necks and strappy vests as well. I have tons of patterns and spent yesterday and much of my evenings this week, finding, printing them and tracing them and then putting the printouts together, and my back hurts because of this from bending over the table for hours, and despite this I did a couple of tests where I had drawn round another halter neck from my youth and made two testers from two old dresses.
Its has to be done else I must waste money and good fabric if they don't work, and making my own patterns is not something I have done that much of, though it does seem to be a direction I am starting to move towards. Also one thing about this is, besides its boring to make these small tops, its also very easy and to buy new ones will cost me at least £4 for each top, and probably more unless I buy from supermarkets and lets face it what they make is fine and functional but does not last very long. Also I know if I go clothes shopping I will end up with 2 or 3 very expensive lovely new small tops which will probably really not be better than the ones I intend to make. I also, do get real favourites which I tend to kee for years even when I buy new ones and the new ones end up thrown away and I go back to the old ones, especially in small tops so thats why I am trying to remake tops from the 90s which I am still wearing all this time later. I prefer to wear something I realy like thats a bit old and worn rather than buy a new ill-fitting top. Hence the lack of good summer, small tops in my wardrobe!
Even more boring I need mostly black vests. They go with everything and can work with summer and wnter work clothing so they are a definite must for me to make. Though I am going to make some others as well just because - like the underwear projects its just as easy to sew an extra 5 or 6 while you do the one item. To make this easy I intend to cut lots and sew them all at once so for example all the overlocked bits at once on several tops and then all the twin needle bits. However the two I made as testers are both bright and fluorscent - and summery! But then it is upcycling so never mind and I actually wore both this week.
OK so thats what I have been up to.
The dresses these are made from were both quite nice fabric but just not very wearable - too much brightness maybe??
These are the original dresses made back in 2019.
I virtually never wore the yellow one after the summer I wore it but I did
wear the pink dress last winter, but underneath things like tracksuits
so it got all caught up being too long but I like the colours of both
so decided to reuse. In
fact the fabric is perfect for this kind of summer halter neck top. 
Both of these photos were taken when I needed a hip replacement - you can tell by the poses. Weird how you see it after, but not at the time. The bent leg is bent because it hurts to straighten it. Still all fixed and sorted now!
Aren't doctors amazing! In a different world I would be an old lady unable to walk by now using a walking stick to even move around my own home. My ancesters lives would have pretty much have been over, but because I live in this time, I am sorted and back to being " young" again. We all have these romantic notions of olden days - of Napolean or of vikings and things like that, but when you think about it really, the reality is we are very lucky to live in this world now. I remember several films where an old warrior wants to die as a warror. Now I can understamd why a 50 something would choose to die defending their people, and die a hero, rather than stagnate and be stuck unable to do anything because they wore their body out. Because of the doctors I am able to cycle and walk miles! And I do!
Anyway back to my world! I also want to make some short summer skirts and shorts in something like stretch scuba so when next I am camping its easy to get everything washed and dry. Holiday clothes! It was a real problem when I was camping the other week. I took far too many clothes for one, and then I just wore the same stuff over and over because it worked for camping, but that meant having to wash it. Two weeks is a long time to have dirty clothes and althouth washing turned out to be relatively easy, with most sites having washing machines, I did not want to tumble dry my good me made clothing and trash it, so dried it in the air, and this takes ages with things like cotton sweatshirts - I never notice at home, but when you want to travel about its a real pain having lots of wet washing with you!
So after this weekend, I have the fabrics and the patterns so here I go.
These are my self drafted halter necks then - pattern made by drawing round my old one !
Excuse the closed eyes it was seriously bright and sunny that day!
These shorts are not me made and are very low waisted making the top looked cropped. It isn't. I think the shorts are circa 2007-8. The look does not suit me these days but I only wore them like this for the photos to show the top. The tops are constructed different to each other because I wanted to know if sewing the neck edge first or second - so having the neck tie as part of the front or back was the best way to go. My old tops do both depending on where bought from. It seems not to matter anyway. Both tops work.
I did do a high low hem on the pink top to see how it looked - rubbish and probably I should do it with the low bit at the front to hide my belly! Still you learn by these kind of experiments. It does not show with higher waisted trousers like the bugs ones I wored with the yellow top.
The end result though despite sewing up differently is both tops do work and I am glad I recycled / upcycled my old dresses rather than send them to charity. I actually do still have some left over bits of this fabric n both colours, which has never been made up, but might make some matching knickers in the future or another top. Both of these could also be worn as tankini tops of I had matching knickers.
I will show you my next smalltops once I actually make them,
Have a lovely week and thanks for popping by,
Bracken
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