#MMMAY17 and lessons learned!

I participated in the Me Made May challenge this year. This challenge was started by blogger Zoe 8 years ago and it is great. Go to her website for all the details but it is basically a challenge to get you to wear your me made wardrobe the whole month of May. You can put a specific challenge to wear so many pieces of me made a day and also it is encouraged to make a certain amount of items per week or month during the challenge. You also post a picture each day to your favorite social media sites with yourself wearing the items. This year was my first year participating and while I have a lot of me made items it was harder than I thought but that was a good thing because it made me realize what was missing from my wardrobe and decide on what I need to fill those holes.

Here is my list of things I need to work on.

  1. Summer work clothes
  2. Good basics tops in neutral solid colors: black, blue, white tops
  3. Casual skirts
  4. Shorts
  5. Workout clothes

 

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Here are some of my me made may outfits(Note I was on vacation so there are more casual outfits than normal:

Summer Sewing Plans!! Texas Style

I have a ton of sewing projects I have been stacking up as I finish my current projects so I wanted to share my planned makes for summer(in Texas). I sew mostly clothes but I have a few bags planned as well. I also am going to do a Pinterest  Steal each time I do a planned sewing post. It will be a complete outfit I like from Pinterest that I will try to duplicate. It could be a work outfit or casual. I will do a separate post on those makes as well.

So lets see what I am planning….and eventually what I make. 🙂

  1. A sweater for my mom: McCall’s 7055 View D
  2. A cream dress:McCall’s 7593 View View D
  3. A…pj’s: Sew News Magazine June/July Issue Freebies
  4. A button down for my husband:McCall’s 7206 View A
  5. A tribal print dress:Vogue 9253 View B
  6. A….harem pant:McCall’s 7682 Out Of Print
  7. A blue floral dress:New Look 6491 View A
  8. A peach top and pant set: McCall’s 7606 View A and D
  9. A green guaze redo(I made this top years ago and will share my original make and this one in a future post):McCall’s 4453 Out of Print
  10. A pink floral top: Butterick 3970 Out Of Print
  11. A styled outfits: peplum tom and slim fit pants: Top, Vogue 9084 Pants, Burda 129B
  12. Two gift cross body bags: Vogue 7862 Out Of Print
  13. The Amy Butler Weekender Travel Bag: I will be using the old version but here it the link to the new version. 

 

January/February Makes

To launch the blog I thought I would share my makes for the first couple months of 2017! I was a busy girl and had a lot of fun. I have so many great things planned for 2017 and hope the craziness of life is done getting in my way.

Without further delay here are my makes for the first two months of 2017.

  1. Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse
  2. Black Knit Circle Skirt-From Freehand Fashion Book-Chienelo Bally
  3. Kwik Sew K3554 (View A without the lace) Nightgown
  4. Butterick B5152 Robe(View B without lace and bell sleeves)
  5. Simplicity 1426 Ankara Halter Top
  6. Ankara Circle Skirt- From Freehand Fashion Book-Chienelo Bally
  7. Seamwork Jane Classic Tee
  8. McCalls M7476(View E) Long Sweater
  9. Self Drafted Boho Purse
  10. Floral Swoon Nora Bag

 

  1. To say I love the Pussy Bow Blouse from Sew Over It would be an understatement. As a professional women it is such an easy top to wear. It is a conservative cut that I like to play with and make it in a not so conservative print. I do want to make some more basic colors of this pattern soon as well. Stay tuned. There will be more!
  2. As I mentioned I want to add some basics to my wardrobe and a basic black circle skirt fit the bill. I used the Chienelo Bally’s book Freehand  Fashion book circle skirt directions to make this one. I added a surprise red zipper that you can only see a hint of. It was born out of necessity because it was the only invisible zipper I had but I kind of love the little hint of color. 
  3. This Kwik Sew Nightgown was a quick make from some damaged fabric I purchased off a clearance rack. I love the look and it is very comfortable. I look forward to wearing it during spring and summer. It is an easy make if you are looking for a good nightgown pattern.
  4. This robe is so romantic! I love retro robes. They beat those “note so cute”  robes they sell in the stores. Those are either made for ladies that are about 100 years old or  that are completely blind. This was a fairly easy make even though I must admit I was  little nervous taking it on. I made View B but did not add the lace and kept the sleeves bell instead of adding the cuffs. 
  5. I am a sucker for a cute halter top. I remember the cute little girl ones that my mom put me in. Things have not changed much. Some may wonder where in the world I am going to wear this. I can see myself working in my garden in this and some shorts or pair it with a long flowing white skirt and lay in the hammock with a cold drink this summer. Or I may pair it with the matching Ankara skirt and add a cute sweater over it so only a hint peaks out over the sweater. This was such an easy sew. I only had one mess up when I did not read the instructions carefully.

6. I love this Ankara print skirt! I made this using Chienelo Bally’s book Freehand  Fashion circle skirt directions. Such an easy make once you get the basics of making these skirts down. I will be making several more. I think the siholotte looks good on my figure. If it doesn’t don’t tell me. 🙂

7. I am going to admit something. I hate tee shirts! I haven’t worn t-shirts in years. Probably 8 or 10 years. I don’t think they are very feminine. They don’t flatter the female form but I thought it was time for me to be more open minded about them and also if I make them I can customize it to my shape and I can also customize them. This is Jane from Seamwork was a quick and fun make. I still am not a t-shirt girl but this will be good to throw on when I need to.

8. Anyone that knows me knows one thing. I am always COLD! Yes I live in Texas and, yes, I am still always cold. In the winter I am cold and in the summer in Texas people turn the A/C up so much I freeze. I always have a sweater with me year round. I joke that I have to have my old lady sweater with me. 🙂 Well here is my latest. Such an easy make. I picked this sweater fabric up at Joann’s Fabrics and besides a bit of shedding it was perfect.

9. I have had a skirt for 5 years that I never wore. It was in my closet and had the tags on it. It was so cute with this faux suede fringe. So what is a girl to do? Cut up my brand new skirt of course! I made it into this super cute cross body boho bag. I love this thing. My sister does too. She tried to steal it. I compromised by agreeing to make her one if she sends me the fabric. I am working on editing the pattern and thinking about putting it out for you to purchase but I have work to do on it before it will be ready. If you are interested please comment below. This bag is fully lined, has a zipper pocket and two slip pockets. It is perfect for those summer concerts.

10. My Bag of the Month! Yes I am now obsessed with making bags. This was my fifth. This was the one I planned just for me. The boho one just happened. This one I searched high and low for the right fabric and hardware for a bag just for me. I love it!! This was my third Swoon pattern. If you have never made a Swoon bag I highly recommend them. Great directions. Let me know what you think of this bag. Do you love it? I do. I would change two things. The vinyl was not the best and rubbed off in parts and I wish I had done a pink lining rather the yellow. Other than that I LOVE IT!

 

I hope you enjoyed one of my very first posts! I enjoyed making it! Please leave comments and suggestions and check back often. New things are on the way.

Lovely

 

 

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Hello world!

Hello and Welcome to Lovelyforlife1!! This is my little lifestyle blog! Here you will find all my creative adventures in one place. Adventures such as fashion and handbag sewing, natural body care product DIY’s, gardening, photography, home improvement and decor and so much more. I will also be adding a shop with a curated selection of things I love that I think you will too.

Please check back often and leave your email below so I can contact you when  a new blog post is uploaded. I am open to suggestions on posts, reviews, and items you would life to see. Also be sure to check me out on my Instagram at @Lovelyforlife1 and I will be relaunching my Youtube channel soon as well.

Thanks for stopping by and please tune in for my adventures.

Leah…Lovelyforlife1

 

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