The Green Violet

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 21:52:00 +0000

Welcome, sewing friends! I've moved ye olde and neglected blog from Blogger over to Wordpress and I'm going to see how this blogging thing goes (again). No promises on where this is going, but it feels like a lot of things are coming together right now and I just want to put some positive sewing energy out there in the world and see what manifests.

To cover the technical details, you can now find me at www.thegreenviolet.wordpress.com. I've migrated my old blog over here with varying degrees of success and redirected my bloglovin' followers. That's the extent of my technical abilities, but let me know if there is something else I can do to make your following life easier. There are some buttons over there on the right that you can click, I hear they do stuff. If you feel like you are missing out on the last two (three?) years of my life, you can find me over on Instagram @thegreenviolet.

Welcome back and thanks for finding me again!

Me Made May 15 Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 08 May 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Some of you have probably already seen these over on instagram, so I'll keep this ~~short~~ ~~shortish~~ APPARENTLY SUPER LONG. Pretty much all of these items are things I haven't blogged (though I'm thinking of easing back in with a post about the Southport dress if anyone is interested, since I've gotten some questions on fit for the largest size/curvy figures), so let me know if you have any questions or want details about anything.

This dress is the "long fitted dress" (I think) from the Alabama Chanin Alabama Studio Sewing + Design book and you will definitely be seeing it at least once a week. In fact, I'm wearing it right now. I think the design is incredibly flattering and easy to wear. I made it out of a black ponte and just serged it up and used bands to finish the edges. Their website is shit at giving any relevant info that you might want if you were actually planning to sew something, so I'll go ahead and let you know that the largest size in that book is a very small XL that I had to grade up significantly. My understanding is that their most recent book includes all the patterns they have ever released, all graded up to an additional XXL size (46-40-44), though you may want to confirm that by calling or emailing if you are interested. I'm definitely considering it. Sorry, that was way longer than intended.

The cardigan I hacked from the Colette Pattern's Moneta dress, which I am basically using as a knit block at this point. This design still needs some work, but its pretty close to achieving what I want in a drapey cardi. Unless stated otherwise, you can assume I am wearing one of my 5 Marlborough bras.

Pretty poor photos, pretty lame me made outfit. I had to attend a trail cleanup with my local co-operative market (for some reason, they put me on the board), so I managed to wear a me-made quick dry tank top that is a rub-off of a Comfy brand RTW top, which I thought maybe I had blogged about, but I just looked back through my archives and apparently I haven't blogged about much of anything. Later in the day I went out for drinks at our new co-operative brewery (!!!) and wore what you see below, because I also wore it on day 3.

Another horrible photo, complete with wet hair. What can I say, it rained all day and then I had to run out the door to another meeting for the co-op. This is a Vogue 1234 dress and it took a LOT of work to make it fit right and look the way I wanted it to. I really like it now, though. The top is a Papercut Patterns Coppelia Cardi made out of an amazing french terry and I really love it and need to make like 10 more. I just love the combo of wrap top with raglan sleeves.

The dress is a knit pattern I am working on, what I'm trying to achieve is basically maximum usage of a small yardage because that seems to be a problem I always have. It is just a lengthened big 4 tank top pattern with an elastic casing at the waist, hidden on the inside. 1 pattern piece for the front and 1 for the back, using the full width of a 60 inch piece of jersey. So basically, the amount of yardage I need will just be determined by how long I want the dress to be. It still needs some tweaks, the way I increased the width only at the side seams is making it hang really funny. The leggings (as always) are drafted from this tutorial on the Etsy blog. The cardigan is the same as day 1. Bra is Marlborough and undies are Seamwork Geneva (very modified, the fit was not good for me straight off the pattern and it ran really large).

Its getting boring! The dress is the same as day one, the cardi the same as day 3, the undies the same as day 4 (well, same pattern, different pairs!). The shirt is from the staple dress pattern , again very modified, made from a sheer poly chiffon. What can I say, I love repeats and part of the reason I sew is to make getting dressed in the morning easier. I always found it hard to find things in RTW that mixed and matched easily or could serve as basics without too much fuss. I'm so pleased to have two me-made gray cardis and this black dress in my closet for those days I can't be bothered with what I am wearing.

Yes! My new True Bias Southport Dress, which I finished the night before. I really like it. Its exactly what I want to wear in the summer and layers well with leggings, too. I need 10 more (and just ordered some fabric that I'm hoping will be perfect). Leggings are same as above and cardi is RTW. I could definitely stand to make a black cardigan, but ugh, so boring.

Ugh, another horrible picture. I made the mistake of going out for drinks after work, which meant not only was I slightly tipsy, but the lighting in my yard was also crap. Oh well. This is a linen dress that I somehow hacked from the Washi dress pattern. Don't ask, it can't be explained, but it is somehow fairly wearable. Leggings as above and cardigan is RTW but primed for a rub-off. I love this thing.

In other news, I learned how to make buttonholes this week! And it wasn't even that hard with my new machine. I love you, janome (I think it needs a better name).

I also got my greens planted!

And, cleaned out my closet and both my dressers. And, yes, I still have too many clothes but this was a good start and now I have space to make more!

Phew, well I'm feeling pretty good about myself now, especially since its the weekend! How are your Mays going, me-made or not?

Me-Made-May '15

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 01 May 2015 17:54:00 +0000

Shit, ya'll. I'm back (?) ! I've dusted off the 'ol blog, (probably) blocked all the flickr creepers, might at some point review my comments for spam, and I have a brand new (as of like 9 months ago) laptop. And, just in time for Me-Made-May '15. That fun time of year that everyone loves to hate. In fact, I'm doing y'all a favor by posting this on May 1st, now you can go ahead and start drinking according to the SSSF drinking game! Its Friday and I'm sure ~~I'm~~ you're looking for any excuse to start drinking early. You're welcome.

My fave 100% me-made outfit of all time: Moneta, Copellia Cardi, leggings. Horrible photo though.

Yep, finally made an Anna or 2

Don't worry, it didn't escape my notice that I forgot to blog for the last 11 months. To be honest, I've just decided that I'm not going to use my free time to do anything I'm not super excited about doing, so I've obviously been doing a lot of super exciting things like sewing, watching too much netflix, drinking, neglecting my bills, and talking to my dog. I've really been enjoying instagram since I got started on it during the last MMM, but I'm feeling a little blogging urge again, so let's see where this goes.

So here we are for MMM:

I, Megan of various places on the interwebz entitled The Green Violet, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I will endeavour to wear at least one me-made item every day of May with two days comprised of entirely me-made outfits (underthings included).

Hacked from the moneta, need to make more.

Papercut patterns Clover dress, love this pattern. Almost as much as ya'll are loving my bathroom selfies, i'm sure.

Most likely things will go up on instagram, they might show up here at some point too. Other May goals include making more panties, resurrecting the abandoned bathing suit project (the bombshell was just UN-fixable), making more cardigans/layering pieces, a lightweight robe to wear for those three weeks in July when I curse the fact that air conditioning doesn't exist in New Mexico, and hopefully tackling some new patterns since I've been in a major sew-the-same-thing-over-and-over rut. But these aren't hard and fast rules, we will see how they go.

Can't believe this is going on the interwebz.

Ditto.

In other news, enjoy the random instagram shots of a very few of the probably ~~100~~ many things that I made over the last year.

Highlights include:

I've gotten VERY into lingerie sewing. Turns out the me-made stuff is better than the RTW.

I still haven't made made any pants that I actually want to wear. Not sure if I intend to.

As of yesterday, I'm the proud owner of a sewing machine that can actually sew a straight line. Now I understand why everyone says that bias tape isn't that hard to sew.

I still love knits. Yep.

I finally sucked it up and payed someone to cut my hair, so you can expect something slightly better than in these photos. Jeez, embarassing.

Yeah, the new one is in the front. And it sews straight lines, ya'll!

That's all for now, folks!

Me-Made-May Reflections

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 23:16:00 +0000

Whats the take-home message from Me Made May 2014? KNITS KNITS KNITS. I've been sewing knits since I started sewing 1.5 years ago, and I have no intention of stopping. Its what I like to wear and the main reason I started sewing. The really nice thing is that the blogosphere seems to have caught the knit craze, so I have a lot more patterns and inspiration to work with than I did a year and half ago. In fact, I made up ~~six~~ ~~SEVEN~~ EIGHT new knit items during MMM! Shit, ya'll. I can't count.

New SBCC 314 for the first day of MMM (so I guess I technically made it the last day of April)

Moneta V1 (which shortened horribly in the first washing even though I pre-washed. ugh)

Moneta V2, still rocking on

Dixie DIY Summer Concert Tee V1 (wearing it as we speak/type/read...whatever)

A self drafted pencil skirt

A cardigan hacked from a T-shirt pattern

Dixie DIY Summer Concert Tee V2

And finally... Moneta V3

In other news, I should probably sew some cardigans. I had one me-made cardigan prior to the start of MMMay and sewed up 2 more during the month. However, I fell under the alluring spell of ALL THE PRINTS so those two cardigans ended up being not-that-practical. When I am not in crazed-sewing mode (happens occasionally due to inspiration overload), I try to sew dresses and tops in prints, all else in solids (and typically neutrals) so that things can be mixed and matched. I wore a non-me-made gray cardigan 11 days during me-made-made, so clearly this is a gap in my me-made wardrobe! I could also use a few me-made black and white cardis. And maaaaaaaaaaaybe a solid dress or two so that I have something to wear with the printed cardigans.

RTW cardigans in need of copying!

In general, MMM showed me that I don't really NEED many more clothes. I have a lot of stuff that I didn't wear during MMM2014 (see MMM2013 posts for evidence) and the act of taking a photo of my clothing every day forced me to realize that I am pretty lazy dresser (see: KNITS KNITS KNITS). A few tops that go with jeans, some easy to wear dresses, leggings, and cardigans pretty much get me through the week. I think that having about 2 weeks worth of outfits to rotate through, with some special occasion stuff and some active wear would greatly simply and improve my life. Right now, my ~~three closets~~ closet is seriously OOCT (out of control) because I haven't yet purged the RTW clothing that I no longer wear. This is on my agenda for the weekend. Are there any great closet organizers out there that want to lend some advice? This is my most dreaded task.

I've also given some thought to things I DON'T want to sew (for now). I've finally found some RTW jeans that fit decently well, so I've put sewing jeans on the back-burner for the time being. I used to HAVE to wear pants to work, but recent change in positions means I can basically wear whatever I feel like wearing (which is AMAZING!!!). Bras? Someday, but for now RTW will be fine. Anything structured/fitted? I have never worn that kind of stuff, so why sew it? I would like to do a few projects to expand my sewing skills, but the thought of sewing something I won't wear just for the sake of it isn't appealing to me right now.

So, what am I planning to sew (was all this anti-sewing talk worrying you?)? I've got a few things up my sleeve...

I'm working on perfecting this kinda self -drafted/cobbled-together dress pattern so I can make a few more out of linen this summer.

SHOES are totally still happening, people. Anyone want to jump on the shoe making bandwagon with me?

Knitting! Yep, I'ma kinda scared, but hopefully I can figure this sweater out with enough googling (the Myrna from Andi Satterlund, any tips?)

And, as always, I could use more active wear!

'I, Megan @ TheGreenViolet.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear one Me-Made item each day for the duration of May 2014. Additionally, I will strive to create some more field-work-appropriate garments. '

So, MMM14? Mission (mostly) accomplished! I would be remiss if I didn't mention the second half of my pledge, which I totally didn't accomplish, but with GOOD reason. Around the 1st of May I received the exciting news that some of my work responsibilities would change due to a colleague's retirement (I only wish I could call this a promotion- more work but same title and same pay). I am doing almost no field work now (I haven't done any since the start of May) and am officially in charge of all GIS/graphics needs for our small office. It has been SO nice to have the change of pace and the change of outfits. No more pants required!

MMM2014 33-100% done!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 21:56:00 +0000

Here is a much belated wrap up of the latter 2/3 of May, better late than never?!? I wanted to get a post up so that I could pontificate about my feelings on the experience this year as compared with MMM2013.

Days 11- 14. I feel like these are a pretty good representation of my personal style! On day 11, I wore my me-made Jalie 3132 tunic. I should not have looked up that pattern number on the Jalie website, now I have a long list of things I 'need'. Day 12, I wore a me-made tee (staple dress pattern) and fleece cardigan (SBCC pattern) and made Peter pose with me since my outfit was kinda boring. I wore a me-made dress (bess dress pattern), my same old-self drafted leggings, and a scarf I got on my recent trip to Ecuador. Day 14 was my favorite Washi dress and the brown version of my favorite leggings.

Day 15, I wore my new New Mexico patterned Moneta and posed in a very New Mexican spot! I need to make a rub-off of that cardigan, its about a bajillion years old but I just keep wearing it because it works so well with dresses. I wore my (only) maxi dress on day 16 and realized that I would be happy to welcome a few more maxis into my wardrobe. On day 17 I did yard work most of the day in my Jalie skort. Cute, no? On day 18 I sewed up the fabric I bought at a yard sale the day before into a Dixie DIY summer concert tee and then put it on to run errands. I love this top!

On day 19, I wore my new shirt again (why not? hardly anyone saw it the day before) paired with my favorite leggings/skirt combo (both self drafted). On day 20 I wore one of my favorite dresses that was drafted then modified from a rub-off of a Comfy brand dress. I have two versions of this in dress form and maybe 3 in shirt form, its a great, easy to wear shape! The only me-made item on day 21 is the skirt (from the same self-drafted pattern as the black one). This is another RTW cardigan that I clearly need to copy! On Day 22 i wore a very old me-made Dixie DIY ballet dress and my favorite leggings (again).

Are you guys bored of reading this yet? Because I sure am bored of typing it! Lets speed this thing up! Day 23: me-made cardi hacked from t-shirt pattern, thrifted dress. Day 24: me-made tank from the aforementioned Comfy brand rub off made of quick dry poly for travel/sport, all else RTW. Days 25&26: Yep, I think ya'll have figured this one out by now. Day 27: One of the first few dresses I made, hacked from the Dixie DIY one-shoulder dress pattern.

So close! Day 28: A new Dixie DIY Summer Concert Tee, self drafted leggings and skirt. Day 29: Yep. Day 30: Another Moneta! I thought I hated this fabric, but once I sewed it up, I LOVED it. The only problem is that it requires a slip, so I haven't been wearing it quite as much as I would like to. Day 31: Seriously, why did this week have to end on a weekend, during which I spent all day BOTH days spreading mulch by myself. Xeriscaping is hard work, ya'll. So is being single. I wore my (seen above) tank-top and a skort that is a combo of the Jalie Skort shorts and waistband and my self drafted skirt.

Whew. Hope you didn't fall asleep while reading that riveting wrap-up of my wardrobe. I think I better save my thoughts on the experience until tomorrow to spare you any further pain!

Finished: The Summer Concert Tee Duo

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 03:16:00 +0000

Look, y'all! A finished item post! I made two of these Dixie DIY Summer Concert Tees during Me-Made-May, and also three Colette Patterns' Monetas which will hopefully be coming to you in a post soon (as well as a wrap up of MMM). I wanted to get this post up now so that I could take part in the wonderfully inspirational Sewing Indie Month and, more specifically, the Everyday Casual Contest hosted by the fabulous Jenny of Cashmerette. But enough chit-chat, you came here for the photos, right?

I made my first version of this pattern from a fortuitous fabric find at a garage sale earlier in the month. Its an amazing vintage fan print, and I knew it would be perfect for this pattern! In fact, I had been waffling on buying this pattern for over a year, but when I found this fabric I went home and purchased it immediately! I'm glad to see that polyester is getting some slightly better press in the sewing blogosphere recently, as I have always been a fan (no pun intended). No sweat stains and it dries quickly (TMI?), what more could a girl ask for in a summer shirt?

For this first version, I graded the largest size (XL) up to what I would guess would be a 2XL. I was worried about the limited stretch in the vintage fabric and it worked out great, but I ended up just using the straight XL size for the second version because the fabric had much more stretch and drape.

I also lengthened the pattern about 2 inches since I couldn't see myself rocking the crop top look! I think this length is just great with skirts.

Pattern close-up! I also lengthened the whole thing about 2 inches, I couldn't really see myself rocking the crop top!

I finished the neckline by folding it over and using the double needle, a technique that I have practically mastered in the last month with all the knits I've been sewing! I just thought that the binding would look really busy with this fabric.

I also omitted the cuffs on the sleeves, I think they look super cute on the other versions I have seen (including Dixie's original), but I tried the top on after sewing it together but before adding the cuffs, and I liked it that way and thought the sleeves would be too long with cuffs.

On to the second version! This guy is made of a much more drapey rayon-blend knit. Like I mentioned above, I used the straight XL size on this (though I don't meet the size chart requirements). I feel like it is a really good balance of fitted though the bust and flowy at the bottom, just like I like it!

I didn't realize how similar these two prints look from afar until I took these photos! They are so different up close!

I had very limited yardage of the floral print (one 3/4 yard piece and one 3/8 yard piece, which both shrank in the wash a lot), so I had to get creative with the color blocking. Good thing I had some black left over from my favorite leggings. Its always wise to keep a black knit in stock in the stash!

I also added about an inch to the front pattern piece so that I could wear it with jeans without having to layer it. I didn't hem because I wanted to maintain the length, I kinda like the look of a rayon knit that is un-hemmed (it rolls the best of all the knits), and I'm lazy!

I wore it the first time without the pocket, but I decided that the color blocking on the back looked kinda out of place and didn't tie in with the front well. So, I added a little black pocket! I think its pretty cute.

Well, thats my Concert Tee story, and trust me its just the beginning! I'm thinking of being rebellious and attempting this in a lightweight woven...like chiffon...mmm...

Go forth and make one for yourself, its going to be PERFECT for the summer! I promise!

Me Made May 2014, 33.333% done!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Tue, 13 May 2014 16:14:00 +0000

Well, I thought I would do a week 1 round up. Then I thought I would do a 7 days in round up. But here we are on the 13th, so I figured I would do a 1/3 of the way done, 33.3333% finished, or (in other words)10 day round up of Me Made May! We've already seen Day 1, so onwards........

Day 2

This is my very hacked dixie diy ballet dress and self drafted leggings (again). Scarf from recent trip to ecuador! The dress is made of a thrifted light-weight sweater knit. I modified the dixie diy ballet dress pattern to make a faux wrap bodice and added a band at the waist for extra length. Its a little too short (especially without leggings), but what are you going to do when you are working with a limited quantity of thrifted fabric?!?

Ughh, awful picture. Saturday was crazy and I only managed to squeeze in a photo between a maragarita party at my boss's house and loading up the car to go rafting the next day. This shirt is actually made from the same fabric as the moneta that I wore on Day 6 and I am so pleased that I was able to squeeze a tank top and a dress out of 3 yards. Once again, I'm wearing my favorite black self drafted skirt and leggings combo. Best substitute for jeans ever!

Rafting! Yay! I think one of the biggest wins of learning to sew was my ability to make some cute AND functional clothing for outdoor adventuring. I am out of the size range for a lot of the outdoors brands (which is a whole other rant that I won't subject you to), so it is SO liberating to be able to make what I want! The skort is Jalie 2796 with my self drafted knit skirt instead of the one that was included. The tank top is from a rub off of a Comfy brand shirt that I love, made out of a bathing suit material. This shirt is AWESOME for drying quickly and looking passably like I'm not wearing work-out clothing everywhere. I wore the crap out of it in Ecuador last month.

Oh look, I'm an idiot! The photo says day 6 but it was actually day 5. Guys, this is one of a my favorite shits EVER. I wear it at least once a week. Expect to see more of it. Its a heavily modified version of the staple dress because the fit on the original version of the pattern was ATROCIOUS on me. I have major kimono sleeve pattern problems.

Ok, actually day 6. My new Moneta. I seriously love this pattern. This is the dress pattern that I have been trying to find since I started sewing. As much as I love the lady skater/ dixie diy ballet dress, there was something I didn't quite like with each of them. THIS is the pattern I have been looking for.

Day 7. My favorite Washi, one year later and still going strong. Actually, I don't know if this is my favorite Washi, I love them both equally and I can't choose a winner! Must make more Washis! Also, me-made leggings (again).

Yes, this was the week of crazy dresses. I love crazy dresses! This was hacked from a basic tank top pattern from the big 4 (?) and my self drafted knit skirt pattern with darts added at the waist. Love this dress, but I seriously need to hem it before I wear it again. Yep, leggings (again).

OMG! Another Moneta! And more leggings! Are you shocked? Don't worry, I wore the brown leggings this day for fear that you all think I'm super gross. Prepare to see this Moneta a LOT more.

Is that a caulk gun or are you just happy to see me? Me made T-shirt from a big 4 pattern. I really like this tshirt and I need to make more!

Well, thats it for now, folks! If you feel the need to see more gratuitous selfies, step on over to my flickr.

Lessons learned? I like leggings and gray sweaters. Will wear black or white sweaters if I think someone is paying attention to the repetitiveness of my outfits. Must make more Monetas.

Me Made May 2014 Day1

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 02 May 2014 20:24:00 +0000

Shirt: made by me, Anna's tank pattern (?? I'll have to look up the details)

Skirt: made by me, self drafted

Cardigan: made by me, SBCC 314 (love this pattern!)

Leggings: made by me, self drafted from etsy blog tutorial

I wanted to get started off on the right foot by posting a photo on the first day of MMMay 2014. I was HOPING to have a new-to-me item to wear, but I had to settle for a 100% made by me new-to-everyone-else (i.e. never blogged) outfit instead due to a disastrous combo of poor fabric choices/shitty grading/general laziness. I think I'll try to take daily photos and post them to instagram and flickr, with a summary post here every few days.

How did everyone else's MMMay kick-off?

P.S. Susan and I have decided to finish our new Colette Monetas by Monday! Anyone else want to have a Moneta Monday?

Me-Made-May 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 19:19:00 +0000

So... I realize I have hardly blogged since last Me-May-May, but I have decided to rally all my (blogging) strength, draw from my best sources of inspiration (Susan @ Moonthirty and all the lovely ladies at the Curvy Sewing Collective), and jump in with both feet to Me-Made-May 2014.

I thought I would post a round up of some photos of me wear me-mades that have been taken in the last year, but it turns out I'm not that great at remembering to take photos (especially of myself). Here is a random assortment, stolen from my facebook friends. Hope they don't mind!

When we last left off, I had just returned from my rafting trip to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. Here is a photo of me wearing my me-made shorts as a refresher.

After that, surprise surprise, I went rafting again. We were here:

And I wore my Jalie #2796 skort most of the time. And my PFD (even when on dry land)- safety first!

Then Halloween happened. I'm pretty sure I was wearing some me-made leggings on the bottom half, but even if I wasn't I had to share this photo since its so ridiculous. I was a Santa Fe Trophy Wife/ my future self (and I think you might have to live in New Mexico to get the joke).

Also during the fall, some lovely college friends were in town. Obviously, we went wine tasting (in my me-made leggings, skirt, and probably a shirt though I can't tell what it is in the photo).

Over the winter, I'm sure I did some stuff, I just neglected to take any photos. You know, skiing, major home improvement projects... the usual. The pictures start back up again from a couple weeks ago, when I met my sister in Ecuador for a little adventure. I haven't downloaded my photos yet, so I stole these that her boyfriend took.

I wore red self-self drafted hiking skort and self-drafted quick dry leggings...

...while hiking at the Lagunas de Mojanda near Otavalo, Ecuador.

And here is my sister and me looking rather bedraggled at a waterfall. I had to include the photo (though I hope my sister never finds out) because I am wearing 100% me-made outfit (scarf excluded) and she is using the bag that I made her for christmas.

So, with that pretty lame attempt at a year long review done, I suppose its time to make some sort of Me-Made-May promise. I've done an OK job of getting some more lifestyle appropriate garments made in the past year, though I have to admit that home improvement projects took precedence since I bought my house last May 31st!. Lets just say it was a bit of a house wide overhaul, it was a ton of work but at least its a lot more aesthetically pleasing now. And trust me, I can get a lot more sewing done now that I don't have stained carpet, poor lighting, and bad paint jobs to bring me down. Of course, the yard is still a wreck, but I don't have to look at the while I am sewing...

Anyways, while I wear me-made items most days, its still not 100% and I am still lacking the more practical (i.e. boring) clothing that I need for work. As I think I've mentioned before, I am a geologist, so for about 50% of my work time I am out in the field and have to wear practical/boring clothes. Long pants, long sleeves (unless I want a major sunburn), hats, layers, etc. Since I have yet to master pants-making (which is partly because I hate wearing pants and only do so at work), I have maybe two tops that are acceptable for work and I still need to do some work in that area. I have the Grainline Archer all printed up and ready to go, but the mere thought of figuring out how to grade that up while also learning new techniques is giving me nightmares.

The moral of the story is: non-work clothes? Mostly me-made. Work clothes? Not so much. But the point of Me-Made-May is to challenge ourselves, right? I mean, and obviously to also be inspired by all the other fun folks participating. So, without further ado (I think I've already have enough ado for one post):

'I, Megan @ TheGreenViolet.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear one Me-Made item each day for the duration of May 2014. Additionally, I will strive to create some more field-work-appropriate garments. '

Wish me luck? I hope to blog most days, since I think that's part of the fun of MMM, but don't count on it!

I'm Back... with bonus Plus Size Pattern Pyramid Giveaway Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 20:54:00 +0000

Hey ladies (and gentlemen?), I'm back! I had a lovely time (wearing my me made shorts) on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River for a week in Idaho. Then I experienced some post-vacation fatigue.. you know, when you are wishing you were still on vacation while scrambling to catch up on all the stuff you got behind on while on vacation. Add getting my new house organized to that, and here we are at the end of July with little sewing or blogging to show! Hopefully you'll forgive me if I share a few vacation photos and announce the Plus Size Pattern Pyramid Giveaway Winner.

We started at Boundary Creek near (and by near I mean 2 hours on a dirt road) Stanley, Idaho. The views were amazing and the river was full of boats waiting to launch the next day for 100 miles of rapids and wilderness on the River of No Return. And yes, you do have to lower your fully loaded boat down that crazy wooden ramp with ropes. It was crazy.

I didn't get a lot of pictures the first few days because things mostly looked like this. Plus, the first day was full of big rapids and its hard to take photos while you are rowing a raft. Good thing my dad brought a water proof camera!

We camped in some awesome locations every night- though half of them were spent huddled under the tarps because of the rain!

Finally, things cleared up and it was beautiful and sunny! Then came the big rapids...

I didn't get a lot of good photos since I was busy rowing, but let me just say it was an exciting ride! HERE is a link to a video if you don't believe me. I'm not tech savvy enough to figure out how to upload it to ye olde blog.

Bonus! Hot springs! As I think you can tell, hot springs make me ridiculously happy. So basically, best trip ever. Especially because I got a lot of use out of my me-made shorts and rafting skort (more on that later).

With that said, its time to announce the winner of the...

I only had one eligible entry (since a requirement was having an active blog), so the (un)lucky winner is Susan of Moonthirty! She said she didn't need any more patterns, but she is about to have a few coming her way. Susan, this is the perfect opportunity to de-stash, just add them to the pile and send them on along to the next person! If you will email me your address, I'll get them in the mail to you ASAP. And by ASAP I obviously mean as soon as I am motivated enough to make it to the post office :)

P.S. How are your blog reader transitions going? I'm using bloglovin... but I'm not convinced. Especially because I first posted this yesterday and it took an entire day to come through in my bloglovin reader. Ugh. I've updated the photos in this post because they weren't showing up for everyone, so I'll go ahead and include the bloglovin link so that maybe I won't get the second class blog treatment anymore! I wonder what other blogs aren't getting posted in a timely fashion? I hope I'm not missing any of your lovely stuff, dear readers.

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Plus Sized Pattern Pyramid Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:28:00 +0000

Guys... I am so bad. I've had this giveaway on my to-do list for SO long now. Can ya'll forgive me?? I won the plus size pattern pyramid on Dixie's blog (check her out!) way back on April 10th. Now, two months later, I'm finally getting around to posting the giveaway here! No excuses here, that's just embarrassing!

In case you didn't already know, the Plus Sized Pattern Pyramid was started by the awesome BeaJay of On the Road to Sew Wear. Pop over to her blog and meet her if you haven't already, her dedication to getting things just right is totally inspiring, not to mention the fact that she is so friendly and always leaves the nicest comments. So, without further ado, here are the rules:

THE RULES (as stated by BeaJay)

Anyone, anywhere can enter the giveaway by posting a comment below by midnight June 30th, 2013 (in your time zone). BUT you must have an active blog. (Reasons to become obvious.)
I will randomly select 1 winner.
I will post a selection of approximately 5 - 6 patterns to the winner.The winner will pick one pattern to keep for themselves, then host their own giveaway. They will randomly select a winner, post the remaining patterns to that Person C. Person C will pick a pattern for themselves, host their own giveaway and post the remaining patterns to the winner, Person D. Person D will…
All patterns are in the plus size category - ie - if the pattern comes in 2 sizing groups, then it will be the larger category. Patterns to go up to at least go up to a size 20 (most go higher). Patterns listed as "all sizes" will include plus sizes.
If you wish to take more than one pattern you can replenish the stock with a pattern you no longer want - but please make sure it is in plus size range

You get the idea!

THE SMALL PRINT

We are taking it on trust that all pattern pieces are there
Your selection of patterns will be picked at random - please don’t contact me asking for specific patterns.
If you’re a winner, I would love it if you could make a small contribution to The Brooke. This is a charity close to the heart of Catherine, who so generously provided the original patterns. These plus sized patterns have been contributed by me in the spirit of the generosity of the sewing community
Please engage in a timely fashion, launching your own giveaways soon after receiving a parcel
You must be be happy to post patterns worldwide.

Here is what I received in the mail, I haven't decided which pattern to keep yet! What do you guys think? I'm also eying my pattern stash with a critical eye to see if there is something I can bring myself to part with.

Alright, ladies. Jump in here and spread the word! Receiving free patterns is awesome, but I think the really hidden bonus to this giveaway is discovering a bunch of awesome and inspiring new blogs!

Me-Made-May Outfits 14 and 15- THE END!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:55:00 +0000

Sorry to go all MIA there at the end of MMM, things have gotten a bit insane. I think you will see why shortly...

Dress: Washi Dress V2

Day 14 was just a regular old day at the office, nothing special. I'm fairly certain I could wear a Washi dress every day. In fact, I'm considering making quite a few more!

Dress: Washi Dress V1

Oh, and here I am wearing my Washi Dress while buying a house. NBD. Ahhh!! Prepare yourself for an onslaught of DIY related posts. This place has a long way to go.

In other news, I spend the entirety of last weekend doing this... by myself!

before...

not quite after...

Man, this homeowner stuff is turning out to be a lot of ~~manual labor~~ work. Up next... the big move in!

Also, we've had a bit of this going on.

Fire season :(

So yeah, its been busy! But I did manage to make my Jalie 2796 Skort for my upcoming river trip. Stay tuned!

Me-Made-May Outfit 13

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Tue, 28 May 2013 01:19:00 +0000

Shorts: newly made New Look 6710

Here are the new shorts for rafting! I wore them on Saturday and they were awesome! I have several pairs of ready to wear shorts that I've worn for rafting in the past but none of them are quite right. Too short, too long, not enough room through the thighs for sitting around on the raft, etc, etc, etc. These, however, were just right! Plus, the more ridiculous you look while on the river, the better, at least in my opinion.

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live in northern New Mexico! Not everyone can leave their house at 9 in the morning, spend most of the day in a place like this, and then be back home in time for dinner.

Also, these makes one of the two promised sewn items during MMM that can be used for outdoor hobbies. Yay!

Me-Made-May Outfit 12... and, oh yeah, that other MMM pledge I made...

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:33:00 +0000

Shirt: Grainline Studio Tiny Pocket Tank V1

Hey oh! Happy Friday! And, for us in the US, happy long weekend Friday! Yay! I wore this yesterday to the office... boring. I think Me-Made-May has forced me to be little more creative with my outfits, which is great. For a while there I was just wearing me made stuff because I was so excited about it, but now I'm trying to integrate it more with store bought clothes, which means that 75% of my wardrobe is no longer going to waste. After all, the most ethical clothes that you have are the ones that are already in your closet, right? I love my me-mades, but I need to either start wearing the rest of my stuff or just get rid of it!

In other news, did ya'll forget about that other half of my me-made pledge?

I also resolve to make two items that will accommodate my dress code at work and outdoor hobbies (hiking/ rafting) so that I will be able to wear more than two items a week by the end of the month.

Oh yeah, that one. I actually hadn't forgotten, i had just been insanely busy and had set aside about half of last weekend to work on my awesome gear making plans. But then there was THE EBAY SAGA. In which I had ordered and received the Jalie 2796 Skort pattern (and even the associated sports bra pattern), consulted with the amazing Kathy of Kathhhhhy Sews about her experience with the pattern, and ordered some awesomely printed supplex from Ebay. Which was clearly my first mistake. Because when the fabric got here, it was SO NOT SUPPLEX. After about 24 hours of panic (during which I revenge sewed B4790) because MUST HAVE SKORT FOR RIVER TRIP IN A MONTH, I took Kathy's advice and ordered some supplex from fabricmart, like I should have done in the first place. Plus, it was 30% off, so that was a nice bonus. Note to self: don't be taken in my awesome looking printed supplex on Ebay, its not the real thing!!

And then I decided that when life hands you ~~lemons~~ non-stretch nylon, you make ~~lemonade~~ a pair of shorts that will also be completely awesome for the river trip from that pattern you picked up a thrift store a few months ago.

And guess what, guys? They are totally awesome (if not a little eye-bleed inducing)! Pictures forthcoming, hopefully live action shots from when I get the raft out this weekend. Speaking of, what exciting plans do ya'll have?

Me-Made-May Outfit 9, 10, and 11

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:52:00 +0000

Are you guys breathing a sigh of relief that I combined these outfit photos?? Its seems that single outfit post are not quite in vogue for MMM. Whatever!

Shirt: Grainline Studio Scout Tee V2

Jeans: Marginally me made- from my closet, skinnified by me but still don't fit very well.

I wore this to work last Friday- its not very exciting nor is the photo very flattering! Sorry! I wore my new Colette Hazel V1 (not yet blogged, but worn twice in May) out to dinner that evening in Santa Fe, but neglected to take a photo.

Shirt: Alabama Chanin Fitted Tank V3

Jeans: Same as above

Worn for a casual Saturday of sewing (see tomorrow's outfit!), house cleaning, and hanging out with some friends. It fit the bill! I look strangely cranky here- chalk that one up to my growing impatience with taking self timer iphone photos.

Dress: Newly made Butterick 4790

Umm... yes I do wear my flip flops everyday, thankyouverymuch. In other news, NEW DRESS!!!! Yep, whipped this one up over the weekend. After my trip to Florida and then accommodating house guests all last week, I was having major withdrawal from my precious sewing machines. My preciouses!! I was so sad. So I got to work mid-afternoon on Saturday and had this just barely completed for a baby shower on Sunday afternoon. Like I was hand sewing the hem in the car on the way. Anyways, I think I love it. But note to self- do not wear double wrapped circle skirt in New Mexico in the spring. I might have flashed a lot of people the (me-made) shorts I was wearing underneath. I look cranky here too- but I promise that I was just drunk :) Yes, it was that kind of (co-ed) "baby shower".

Umm. P.S. I hate it when they update flickr. I think this new layout looks awful and I can't figure out where anything is. Ughh!

Me-Made-May Outfit 8

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:41:00 +0000

Dress: Washi Dress V1

Here's what I wore to work today, and to do other mundane things like cook dinner, clean up a little, and give the poor dog a bath (see below). I'm not going to lie, I'm not running out of motivation to wear me-made items (I've worn them for at least two days that haven't been photographed), but I am TOTALLY running out of motivation to photograph them. Or maybe its just been a long week and half of moving-out-of-town festivities for some close friends while also entertaining house guests and enduring a strange personal drama. While work is crazy. And trying to finalize a house purchase. Whew, just typing that is wearing me out! Its all good stuff, its just overwhelming! Time for bed.

Me-Made-May Outfit 7

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:24:00 +0000

Shirt: Staple Dress T-shirt, just finished and unblogged

Skirt: Self Drafted Short Skirt V2

As soon as I got back from vacation, I had a joyful reunion with my sewing machine and cranked this top out after work on Wednesday and Thursday. It was kind of a botched job, the fabric piece wasn't nearly large enough and was printed all of grain and wasn't square at all. I think it turned out OK, considering, but I thats probably just because I really love the color of the stripes!

So, the theme for MMM on Friday was sharing photos of where you sew. So here it is, my sewing ~~house~~ spaces.

Welcome to my sewing house!

Here is where I cut my fabric on my ~~sewing~~ coffee table.

Here is where I store (about a third) of my sewing supplies.

And here is my ~~sewing~~ dining room. Have I mentioned that my house is about 900 square feet?

This is my guest room turned pattern storage area. What you can't see is the desk :)

My photo studio/ place where a hot tub should be but sadly isn't.

And finally, my ~~ironing board~~ kitchen counter!

As I think you can tell, my house has become one big sewing space. I have house guests coming into town tonight and I have been cleaning like a crazy person. There isn't room in this house for three people and all my sewing crap! Otherwise, my weekend has been absolutely lovely and full of very unexpected surprises, and I hope yours was too!

Me-Made-May Outfit 7

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:47:00 +0000

Dress: Dixie DIY Ballet Dress V3

Leggings: Self drafted from Etsy tutorial, unblogged

Well, its back to the grind around here, my glamorous life of s~~ipping champagne~~ wearing a raincoat on the beach is over. On the 7th and 8th I was doing field work and wearing boring clothes, but on the 9th I had a little break and got to work in the office. Yay for wearing fun clothes! Except, the thing is, I think I kind of hate this dress. Or, at the least, I like it less and less each time I wear it. Its too short and it is SO not flattering. It might be time to let it go- or at least turn it into a skirt. What do ya'll think? In other news, my garden is growing VERY slowly. (Fingers crossed) I'm buying a house at the end of the month (holy shit, ya'll), so I'm trying to keep most things in pots until then.

Me-Made-May Outfit 6

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:34:00 +0000

Dress: Newly made by me, McCalls 6700

Here I am at the Albuquerque airport again, during my three hour layover waiting for my 20 minute flight that saved me a two hour drive. Poor planning!! Oh well, at least I was wearing my new maxi dress and got to spend a little time at the ~~park~~ dog peeing and airport employee smoking area. Plus, I enjoyed this fantastic view on the short flight home. Guys, I was seriously the only person on the plane other than the pilot. As in, there was no co-pilot. Terrifying!! But at least it was scenic!

Me-Made-May Outfit 5

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:32:00 +0000

Dress: Washi Dress V2

Leggings: newly made by me, unblogged

On Sunday, the final day of my Florida trip, the sun finally came out (though it did certainly remain windy)! We took full advantage, visiting a historic lighthouse, the original spanish fort in the area, and finishing up with a bike ride on the beach. It was a busy day, good thing I had my Washi to see me through!

I'm back home now, and back to a busy work schedule. Boo. Hopefully I can catch up with Me-Made-May posts before this coming weekend, when I hope to wear some me-made stuff again! So far, I've worn me-made stuff 6 out of 7 days in May, so I think I'm doing well on my pledge.

Sorry to be MIA from commenting on your lovely blogs over the last week, I haven't mastered discus or wordpress or the captcha thing on the iphone yet. I'm playing catch up right now, because I've seen so many lovely new spring items and me-made outfits on your blogs!

Me-Made-May Outfit 4

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Mon, 06 May 2013 23:52:00 +0000

Dress: made by me Washi dress v1
Leggings: recently made by me,(unpictured)

This was day 2 of 2 of constant downpour in Florida- hence the indoors picture. Every time I was somewhere scenic, I was bundled up in my raincoat. Thank goodness I threw in these leggings last minute, or I would have frozen my ass off! On Saturday, we moved operations to Saint Augustine, Florida in hope of enjoying the beach! I think that was overly optimistic! However, it was actually a pretty interesting place (though a but touristy for my liking). Did you know that it claims to be the oldest town in the States? I thinly there are several places in new mexico that would beg to differ, but it was still enjoyable!

Me-Made-May Outfit 3

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Mon, 06 May 2013 01:32:00 +0000

Dress: newly made by me colette hazel (photo clearly taken after one or two or three too many glasses of wine)

On Friday, I was in Gainesville, Florida, home of the University of Florida. My sister graduated with a masters degree in women's and gender studies. Gainsville was much more charming than expected, but it did certainly have a seedy underbelly! Also, it rained HARD the entire time we were there, hence the lame inside photo taken during my sister's graduation party.

Me-Made-May Outfit 2

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:35:00 +0000

Dress: newly made by me, McCalls 6700
(Taken in the Albuquerque airport- keeping it klassy!)

I have to say, this dress was absolutely perfect for a day of flying practically all the way across the country. Nothing beats a maxi dress when it comes to squeezing yourself into those uncomfortable airplane seats!

Speaking of airplanes, here is the one I took my first ride of the day on. It was a thrilling ride, to say the least!

P.S. please don't mind my iPhone blogging! I'm not sure I have the system quite worked out.

Me-Made-May Outfit 1

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Thu, 02 May 2013 05:24:00 +0000

Clover Pants V 1.0, Alabama Chanin + Blank Canvas Tee Tunic

I wanted to kick off Me-Made-May with a bang, but once again I had to deal with safety related dress code requirements at work. I spent the morning in a laboratory- long pants and closed toed shoes were mandatory. Clovers to the rescue! I spent the afternoon in my ~~lovely~~ cubicle not being very productive since I go on vacation tomorrow and was getting antsy, so instead I attempted to take a self timed photo with my iPhone. I think you can see how well that worked out above! I've provided with you with something pretty below to make up for it.

So, that was my day of me-made wearing while learning how to detect high explosives in groundwater, walking the dog, and packing!

Washi Dress V2.0 and Me-Made-May Pledge

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 04:51:00 +0000

So nice, I made it twice! Back to back. No waiting!!

So yeah, I was wearing the crap out of Washi V1.0. And lets just say I live in a very small town where my work circle and my social circle are pretty much just one big circle, which also overlaps with my errand running circle and my dog walking circle. After I'd worn Washi V1.0 for the entire week following its creation, I figured I had better make version 2 the next weekend, so as not to run the risk of being that girl with only one outfit.

I love this dress at least as much, if not more. Its made from another estate sale acquisition. I'm not sure what this piece of fabric was originally used for, but it had a big wax stain on it so I'm thinking tablecloth?

So, you guys caught me. Totally haven't hemmed it yet though I did wear it once already. I MUST hem it because I want to take it on my trip this weekend and its already started fraying a little. The pressure is on!

I made the same modifications to the back that I made in version 1 but I was sure to stretch the elastic a little more tightly across the back because it was a little loose on the first version. I removed the 1 inch that I added to the center front of the bodice since this fabric is a little spongy and has some mechanical stretch.

This fabric was pretty much a cranky little bitch to work with. Or maybe that its just that I was too lazy to iron it before cutting. But I was scared ironing would affect the natural texture of the fabric and plus I don't have an ironing board so ironing a huge piece of fabric is SO HARD. Obviously this is an easily fixable problem, but I'm just not sure where I would put an ironing board in my 800 square foot house. Speaking of... home upgrade with room for sewing is forthcoming (fingers crossed). ANYWAYS, the neckline ended up slightly wonky so I topstitched down the facing to try to stabilize things.

So... I've been considering Me-Made-May. Obviously I've made a lot of stuff to wear. The Six Month Sew-iversary posts have already covered all the visible clothing I've made (the only stuff that hasn't been photographed is PJs, slips, and stuff for other people). That means I have a total of 26 wearable garments, plus the 2 washi dresses, 1 maxi dress, and 1 t-shirt I have made during April.

To the uneducated eye, I've made some pretty practical and easy to wear stuff. However, turns out I'm a geologist and am bound to a pretty specific safety-related dress codes at work- or at least the 50% of the time that I'm working outside and not in the office. I'm required to wear long pants, shirts with sleeves, and "sturdy work shoes". On top of the requirements, we sometimes get pretty dirty and have to deal with very variable weather conditions on a daily basis, which also affects how I dress. So, in reality, most of what I've made is not all that practical for about half of my life, between the 50% of my work that time I spend outside (its going to be more like 100% for the month of May- I have very little control over my work schedule) and the 50% of my ~~non-work~~ fun-times that I also spend outside hiking or rafting (especially during May!). Plus, I'm going to Florida next weekend, will have two house guests for a week, and am probably going camping in Colorado the last weekend of May. So yeah, I've been conflicted about my Me-Made May contribution... both because of the logistical challenges but because I also really wanted to participate! Its something I've been looking forward to since before I started sewing and watching some of my favorite bloggers participate was one of the things that inspired me to get sewing to begin with!

So... without further ado...

'I, Megan of The Green Violet, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear AT LEAST two me made items each week for the duration of May 2013. I also resolve to make two items that will accommodate my dress code at work and outdoor hobbies (hiking/ rafting) so that I will be able to wear more than two items a week by the end of the month.'