A Week of Handmade Outfits - Summer 2021

Back in 2017 I did a round up of the handmade clothes that I brought with my on my summer holidays. Whilst I always intended to write another post like that, I somehow never got round to it. I always love seeing how people wear their handmade clothes and I know that the way I wear mine everyday isn't necessarily the same way that I photograph them for the blog post, so I thought it would be nice to do a roundup of a week of handmade outfits from time to time.

These photos give a more accurate depiction of the makes that I actually wear on a daily basis, and it's also a nice way for me to showcase the things that I made years ago. Although it's always fun to write-up new garments on my blog, to me sewing is about wearing the clothes that I make and this series should hopefully express that more clearly. I will add that it isn't always easy taking photos of my outfits! I'm sharing 5 handmade outfits that I've worn recently but they are by no means the only handmade clothes that I've worn over the last few weeks - I tend to wear something me-made most days.

True Bias Shelby Dress

The weather has been variable to say the least over the last few weeks but we have had some sunshine! It's often too cold for me to wear my summer dresses so they're the first thing I reach for during a heatwave. I made this floral Shelby Dress last summer and I still love it just as much, I'd definitely like to make another.

White Twist Top and Floral Midi Skirt

My other favourite heatwave make is my viscose midi skirt that I made last year. I'd never worn a midi skirt before making this one and I was unsure of how much wear I'd get out of it, but it's quickly become one of my all time favourite makes. I love the pretty fabric and its loose and flowy, making it ideal for summer heat.

I've started wearing it mainly with the white twist top that I made in 2019. I had no idea how successful this top would be when I made it but I wear it all the time - it's literally falling apart! You can see from photos of my gingham Lander pants, black joggers and checked Anima pants that it pairs well with everything. 

Sherpa Jacket

I've continued to frequently wear this jacket since making it, and though it may seem like a strange choice for summer it's been a great one to wear on cooler days. My newer corduroy jacket has also seen a lot of wear recently and I'll try and take some photos of that one next time.

Pink Fluffy Jacket

On the subject of jackets, I thought this photo of my pink fluffy jacket paired with RTW clothes sums up the way I wear my handmade clothes quite well. Rather than aiming for a fully handmade wardrobe I enjoy wearing things I've made with clothes I've bought. As for this jacket, it's probably my least worn make out of this list but not because I don't love it - it's pretty 'out there' but always makes me smile.

Button-up jersey top

This t-shirt is one of my most worn makes ever. It's another one that I made in 2019 but continue to wear now. I think its success is based on the fact that the style is very 'me', it's the kind of thing that I wear on an everyday basis because it's so easy to throw on and I really like it.

Like I mentioned at the start this is by no means a full list of all the handmade outfits I've worn recently and I'm determined to photograph my other favourites! Some of the other handmade items that I've worn a lot over the last couple of months include my Balloon Jeans, my Dawn Jeans, my Gingham Trousers, this zip-up hoodie and these tops.

DIY Tie Strap Top

Sometimes the most simple projects are the most enjoyable and can give the best outcomes. Sleeveless tops seem to fit best into this category, and for me they have the combined bonus of being really quick to make and requiring minimal amounts of fabric. I've been on a roll with these kind of tops recently, having made a couple of  sleeveless turtleneck tops and a ribbed vest. After seeing this floral jersey fabric from Craft Cotton Co the opportunity to make yet another sleeveless top became clear. I wanted to make something that was simple to sew and easy to wear, letting the pretty fabric do the talking. The great thing about these tops is that that the style can be easily changed depending on straps, neckline etc to give rise to lots of different garments.

My initial plan with this fabric was to try and do something with elastic, perhaps to include puff sleeves or create an off the shoulder top like this one. I'd still like to have a go at one of those projects but I decided to go for something more basic that I knew I could pair with different trousers. 

Last year I made myself a super simple pattern for a strap top that could be made from fabric scraps. I wanted to focus on the armhole and position of the straps to make it fit me perfectly, something that is hard to find with tops like these in RTW shops as they're often made cheaply. I'm so pleased with how well the fit turned out. It's a great pattern to use both for scraps that would be thrown away, or a fabric like this one where I wanted the design to be visible. Simple, easy to make and good for wearing on holiday. 

As mentioned I chose to go for a simple design in order to focus on the fabric. I did want to include some kind of fun detail though, so I decided to add a tie to the straps. It was so easy to do, I just cut the straps about 7" longer and tied them over my shoulder. It adds a nice bit of interest and works really well with this fabric as it's quite a small print. I went for a double knot with the ends hanging out, but a bow would look nice in a draper fabric or you could change the length of the ends.

One thing I like about the design of this top is that the straps also act as bias binding around the armholes. It gives the armhole a really neat finish and avoids a messy or weak attachment of straps to the bodice.

The first time I made a top like this, I left it un-hemmed and simply cut it at the length I wanted it to finish. It worked well on the rib I used for that project, but I wanted a neater finish on this top. Also, the jersey would have probably rolled if I hadn't hemmed it. I'd say the main thing I've learnt through sewing with jersey is that small hems do not work. They go wobbly and turn under, giving a messy finish to the project. It's something that's always bothered me about some of my older jersey tops like this jumper and this t-shirt, and I now make sure to finish all jersey makes with a hem that is at least 1" deep. 

For this top I sewed a double row of stitching, a finish that I love. It doesn't take a lot of effort but I think it shows that you've put thought into the whole sewing process and just makes it look a bit nicer. It's so tempting to rush hems but I think a neat hem does make a real difference. I do keep meaning to buy a twin needle but for now I just sew the two rows of topstitching individually.

I think this was the perfect project for this fabric and I'm looking forward to wearing this top in the summer, hopefully whilst on holiday. It goes well with my new Lander Pants too!

DIY Ribbed Vest Top

I really enjoy upcycling old items of clothing to turn them into new ones (this top made from old jeans remains one of my all time favourite makes) and often do this with clothes that I no longer wear. Upcycling isn't limited to RTW garments though, altering old me-mades which are no longer worn is also a great way to make turn something unwearable into something new - and as a bonus you get two items of clothing from one piece of fabric. 

I'm really proud of the fact that most of the things I make are really wearable, and pieces such as this skirt or this dress which I made years ago I continue to wear now. But often the things that I've made in the past require some small tweaks. For example, I have since added pockets to and turned up the hem of my Delphine Skirt to make it more wearable. I'm particularly pleased with the way I altered these Dawn Jeans into flares which I have worn a lot more. Other things that I've made in the past no longer fit me or the sewing isn't good enough (any knits made pre-overlocker feel rubbish in comparison to those I make now!) and so these require more drastic changes. 

Of course not all things that I've made previously that no longer fit can be adapted. My Ginger Jeans, for example, got a lot of wear at the time and whilst I was disappointed that I couldn't continue wearing them - they took so long to make! - I'm still so pleased I did make them and enjoyed wearing them. Those jeans were also part of the learning curve which has enabled me to make several pairs of jeans recently which fit perfectly. 

I made this stripy turtleneck top way back in 2017. In fact, the blog post was written in January so I probably started the project in 2016! I'd been making my own clothes for a couple of years then and was starting to learn how to self-draft my own patterns. I'm actually still quite pleased with how the turtleneck turned out as I hacked the Tilly and the Buttons Coco Top pattern which has a very different neckline, but since making turtleneck tops following actual patterns I haven't been wearing that one anymore. The sewing also wasn't great as the side seams were sewn using a zigzag stitch rather than an overlocker. 

I really liked the fabric that I used to make the turtleneck so I decided to salvage it and make a new top from the old one. The fabric I used was a black and white rib bought from Guthrie & Ghani, so ideal to make a vest top. I was obviously limited by the amount of fabric available and the fact that it was already sewn into a top, so a sleeveless vest top was probably the only option. 

The first thing I did was to entirely unpick the top, giving me flat pieces of fabric. I then cut out the front and back bodices from the old front and back and used the sleeves to create strips of binding. I copied a RTW vest top to make this and I really liked the detail of having the binding overlap round the edges to enclose the seams. It's possible to do with a rib that doesn't fray and makes a change from the method that I used for this top. 

This was such an easy make and I'm very pleased to have given this fabric a new life. I was able to enjoy it both as a turtleneck which I wore quite a bit at the time and now as a new top which better fits my current style. I'm wearing this top with my grey Anima Pants here and have also worn it with my wide-legged Dawn Jeans, it's a great basic that I'm very pleased to own.