Blog • Page 15 of 31 • Jessica Smith Creates

May 27, 2015August 23, 2022

Completely Different

And now for something completely different…

As a short person, I always assumed that I wouldn’t like maxi skirts, no matter what people say about how they can make you seem taller…

Those people wear heels.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against swimming in fabric. Why do you think I love circle skirts?

I also love the feeling of fabric against my legs when I’m ballroom dancing, and jeans are just not cutting it. Frankly, this won’t work for that either, but still.

But I think I’m in love. (I did just say that about my couch to everyone, but it definitely applies to this skirt).

And I fell hard.

If you’ve been following my pictureless MMM15 posts, my Syrah skirt has made quite an impression, and not just because of a trip with limited outfits. (P.S. I got the pattern as part of a Perfect Pattern Parcel! Love those things) (ETA The Syrah skirt seems to no longer be available online, sorry!)

It’s just so darn comfy! Perhaps the comfiest I’ve been barring pajamas. And maybe even then… but that could mean that I need to make some pajamas.

I cut it out, and I’m pretty sure I took off maybe an inch of lengthdue to me being short. I went for the ruched waistband, which is great, but I bet I would’ve preferred the straight one.

Also pockets. I now require them in anything less than a ballroom only dress/skirt. So I pulled out the Hudson pockets and used them. I should draft them a little differently for the curved waist, but like ’em!

The fabric is some kind of mystery fabric that is at least 75% of definitely polyester. But it dries in a split second!

I followed the instructions and bought swimsuit fabric for the “slip,” and because I’m short I probably have enough for at least 4 more, since I didn’t quite add in all the length to that one either.

There was a bit of an issue easing in all the fabric, especially when I added the pockets, but I don’t mind a slight wrinkle or two!

Because the fabric is a knit, I made the executive decision not to hem it. Instead it got caught on my sandals for a week. I fixed it by cutting down the sandals instead.

So, definitely a super comfy make, that was concurrent with some Tania culottes… Also green. Do you sense a theme? Because I definitely do. And I’m pretty certain that my next make will be too.

May 22, 2015

Week 3 – MMM15

Here’s another roundup! Next week I should be able to get some pictures of my unblogged makes to share with you!

Day 15 – Unblogged shell, again

My mom and I went on a fabric shopping binge, and I needed something comfy! This jersey shell is definitely that. It is another repeat, but what else is new? Jeans and a drapey cardigan, my favorite kind, completed the outfit.

Day 16 – Unblogged Syrah, again

Great for long car trips! I wore it with a favorite purple RTW top, and felt like the Little Mermaid all day.

Day 17 – Rainforest Purse

I feel almost like this was cheating, since I use it most every day, but I was running out of clean me-mades at this point of my trip. So I’m gonna count it!

Day 18 – Knockoff Shrug

The weather app on my phone lied to me. So I desperately needed this shrug to stay warm, since it was certainly not 82 degrees. Shorts were not enough…

Day 19 – Knockoff Shrug, again again

Always helpful among overly air conditioned places, even with jeans and a RTW top.

Day 20 – Unblogged shell, again again

I was on (and off) the road for about 12 hours. This shell provided lovely comfort.

Day 21 – Syrah again.

Paired with a cream shirt, This was the epitome of comfort for a rainy day.

May 15, 2015

Week 2 – MMM15

Here we are again… I guess I’ll jump right in!

Day 8 – Hudson pants

I stayed in all day on Friday, and I honestly wasn’t thinking I would end up wearing a me made, since I had ended up in what I had worn the previous day. I was covered in yarn sheddings though, since I was winding all my yarn into cute little cakes. I was going to count that. And then I changed into my Hudson pants.

Day 9 – Syrah skirt – unblogged

Super comfy and super easy to wear… Great for hanging around the house sewing!

Day 10 – Simple staples black dress

Again, super comfy, practically pajamas! My recipe for success!

Day 11 – Unblogged Nettie Shirt

This fabric is a dream. It feels like I’m wearing nothing, and I hate to admit it, but sometimes I have to double check. So another win! Even if the fabric is starting to pill a bit…

Day 12 – Culottes for a minute, and then my copycat hoodie

I hemmed these culottes by 9:15, because I was absolutely convinced I had a meeting. Until I didn’t. I think I’ll have to adjust the hem, since the waistband is causing the shorts to hang lower on my hips than is comfortable with the shorts aspect. But then since I knew I was baking with a friend I chose to non me made clothing until a birthday barbeque, where I adopted the hoodie. I wish I had worn jeans, since I ended up getting lots of bug bites. Not fun…

Day 13 – Refashioned me-made dress, again

So I definitely wore this last week, and I’ll have quite a few repeats this upcoming week, but it’s so comfy to travel in. Did nothing to help the itching of bug bites, so late in the day I wore jeans and a RTW top to dinner, with my knockoff hoodie to top it off!

Day 14 – Unblogged Bronte, again

What can I say? It’s comfy. I also didn’t pack for cool-ish weather, so the thickness of this shirt was quite helpful.

That’s been my week! No pictures again, but I’ve learned to accept this now. See you next week!

May 8, 2015

Week 1 – MMM15

So there aren’t really any pictures new this year in this post. This first week has been more about me moving into a new place and trying to find everything I own rather than taking pics of outfits… And I couldn’t find my comb or tripod for maybe four days.

Day 1: An unblogged as of yet Bronte top…

Yes, I am behind. Will you see this top ever? Probably… This week no. But it’s a comfy sweater knit that probably wasn’t meant for a t-shirt, but its oh so comfy. Along with a slight increase in size, as well as swinging the side seams out to be less fitted, this one is a keeper!

Day 2: An old cardigan

So this was the day I actually moved. So I wasn’t gonna sweat all over my really comfy me mades. But I did use the sweater throughout the day… Cold morning. Cold restaurant for lunch. Cold house. Cold restaurant for dinner. Trying not to die from allergies and asthma that night. You know, normal stuff!

Day 3: Cardigan again, and Hudson pants that night.

Some more moving, but once I was alone to unpack and settle I put on my hudson pants, a t-shirt, and a tv show… Oh wait, I didn’t have internet. This was when I watched the Lion Witch and the Wardrobe twice, and the recent movie Star Trek 3 times. Cause that’s how I roll.

Day 4: A redo of an old dress, that is unblogged…

Sensing a theme? I had this me made that I had made with some cousins, but I felt a bit frumpy with my version. Unflattering neckline and not enough room in the bust with the faux wrap top, so it always sat weird. I took it apart, and added a new top. One day I’ll tell you all about it!

Day 5: Chocolate bodysuit and eventually a grey crocheted cropped cardigan

I always forget how much I love wearing my oversized onesie. So comfy, and so easy. And then my crocheted cardigan is great. Always.

Day 6: An unblogged top

I pattern tested this top… Super comfy and once again, I’ll let you see it sometime!

Day 7: Uganda dress

It was supposed to be a slightly cooler day, so I would be able to wear this with leggings. I did not think I’d be walking halfway home. Could have been better. But now I know that I really do need to put in dress weights and always keep things in the pockets.

So that’s this week’s roundup! I’ll try to keep you updated. And maybe, gasp, there’ll be new pictures!

April 23, 2015

Me Made May ’15 Pledge!

It’s nearing that fateful month of May! The month where me made garments rain out from the blogosphere heavens and sprinkle all over participant’s blogs and on Flickr and Pinterest.

And it’s high time I join in!

I sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’15. I endeavour to wear at least one me made garment for at least half a day each day for the duration of May 2015.

Once again, I’ll be moving, but my move is less stressful this time. For one, its only five minutes away, but it’s also positioned at the beginning of the month, and I’ll be done with classes. And finals for that matter. Plus most of my me mades are suited for my pseudo office summer employment, so it’ll work out quite nicely!

I’ve counted up my Spring/Summer appropriate Me Mades that are not on the alterations pile and here’s my tally:

2 bodysuits
12 shirts
1 vest
5 skirts
6 daily dresses
2 fancy dresses
5+ cardigans

I definitely think this’ll be plenty to get me through!

Now I can’t wait!!

But I should go study for those finals now…

April 14, 2015August 19, 2018

Green Gable Hat

My main reason for naming this was because it was green… and cables rhyme with gable.

Do you remember this hat? Fluffy looking and blue where you couldn’t see the design or shape?

I almost don’t since I can’t actually find it.

I made that pattern again, the Aran Tam from 101 One Skein Wonders, but this time in wool so I could block it. And it came out so much better!

Unfortunately it is a bit small, and I couldn’t make it grow bigger at the end, since you start with the brim and work inwards, so it’s a little small on me. But I like it, and if I’m going to wear a hat, I’ve got to like it!

Now if only the weather hadn’t suddenly realized it was spring, and not the time for warm hats!

Next year, this hat and I will get along well!

April 3, 2015August 19, 2018

Bronte

This should be the last make that I’ve been holding onto forever.

Last fall I let a lot of projects fall behind on the blog because of the dreaded math class. But now that it’s over I’ve been posting lots!

Partially it’s in anticipation of beating the last month of school in this semester and that means it’s likely that I’ll have yet another spotty posting record. But you don’t mind, right?

Back to the point.

This is my first Bronte! It’s comfy and cute, though I should’ve decided against the baseball vibe. Also I’m definitely sucking in for these pics. In reality, it doesn’t much matter whether I am or not, since its not as noticeable in the real world, but in pictures I can see it terribly. Maybe it’s because I wear cardigans all year round, which hides all manners of extra cookie eating excursions, but sometimes photographs miss… the way that I want stuff to be.

So the fabric is this t shirt jersey that I bought specifically for this. It’s got a bit of stretch, but it’s not the softest ever. But because it’s not fluid, cutting was easier!

The brown is yet again the mystery fabric that I made my comfy tee and chocolate bodysuit from. I’m almost out, I promise!

The shirt itself was quite easy to put together, and other than the decision on how to tack down the neck and, pretty simple from a decision standpoint. The seam allowance was small enough that you kinda have to follow the rules, which is good. I like to overthink things so whenever decisions are taken away from me the entire process comes out less stressful.

I’ve actually got another one cut out, ready to sew and hopefully post soon, so look forward to that!

March 19, 2015August 19, 2018

Green and Grey

This may be my most comfy “work appropriate” dress.

I say that in quotes because, as a graduate student, my work attire is pretty much jeans and shirts. But as a tutor, especially one so close to the age of my students, sometimes I dress a little dressy to stand out.

But I don’t care, because this Dandelion is fantastic for both worlds.

I made this up last November, I think. I was giving a presentation, and I needed to get my mind off of it, so I made this!

The grey fabric is the same as my swingy circle skirt, and I think I’ve still got a bit left… some kind of slightly stretchy lightweight suiting. The lace was given to me by my mom, ego had gotten it from a friend who previously taught home ec for a school that then got rid of the sewing side.

As much as I find it unfortunate that the kids are missing out on the wonders of sewing, I’m pleased that I got some awesome French lace! There was also some lace in black and a burnt orange, so I’m looking forward to some nice lace makes!

So I made up the sweetheart neckline version… I ended up not needing to put in a zipper, which was perfect, due to the stretch of the fabric. When I don’t have to fiddle to put a zipper in, everyone’s life is happier!

Plus being able to just pull this over my head feels fantastic!

I did have a problem with the facings that was pretty much all my fault. Even though I have some interfacing, all I’ve got is the sew in kind, so after making a muslin for this dress, I just used the muslin facings as interfacing… which added tons of bulk in the neckline.

For a while I got away with just folding the facings under, but they started to roll out. So I stitched them, and the excess started to roll out. So finally a few days ago, I tacked down the ends of the facing to the seamlines in order to keep everything in its place.

Have I mentioned comfy? It does ride up a bunch when I wear it with leggings, but soon it’ll be too warm for leggings, and then I’ll be sailing smooth!

March 17, 2015August 19, 2018

Emerald Circle Skirt

During one of the big storms that hit the South this winter I started dreaming of a wool skirt. And then I remembered my plans to make another circle skirt, this time out of a real color.

Grey is a great color, but it’s not someone’s first thought when you say “Pick a color!”

So I went online to the magical land of eBay and got this great emerald wool crepe. This one’s a nice weighty fabric with a loose weave and a lovely texture.

This time I made a 3/4 circle skirt, since the fabric already had enough body, and twirling would be dangerous enough.

I just had acquired a bunch of mystery fabric, and done of it was stiff and canvas like, so I used that as interfacing, since I always forget to obtain heavy interfacing.

And pockets. I put in (drumroll please: tssssssssssss) two pockets! Not one, which is acceptable, but two. Cause I love pockets!

Everything was going perfectly… until the hem. Now, I should have known better than to attempt using my rolled hem foot for such a thick fabric… but I don’t learn. So after an hour of attempting, I gave up.

My piles and piles of vintage bias tape called to me, and I found this nice goldish beige. I’m pretty sure it isn’t the original color, as I think it just aged that way, but I love it!

So I attached this lovely double fold to the bottom and called it a day!

I think I’m in love with this skirt, and I’m proud to wear it for St Patrick’s Day!

Of course, though, it’s now quite warm out. Oh well!

March 16, 2015February 6, 2020

Yellowtail

I’ve had this project done for weeks now.

Maybe even a month or two.
Definitely a month or four.

A long while… but I’ve finally fixed it up so I like it and wear it, so ours time to share!

This is my first version of the Yellowtail Cami. It’s a cute pattern and fills in with my wardrobe needs.

I’ve been buying camisoles from Forever 21 for years now… they’re just so comfortable and inexpensive and great for layering. But all of mine are stretching out. The elastic to hold n most of them up had stretched out to twice the normal size. Now, I could just fix it with new fold over elastic, but where’s the fun in that? Plus slippery fabric.

I bought this pattern at the same time as the Dandelion Dress pattern (which I still need to show you), since the design lines were so unique. And it looked more sophisticated than my normal ones.

But for my first time through I wanted to use scraps and scraps only, so I happened to have enough t shirt weight fabric, so I started with that! It came together rather quickly, with only some minor confusion involving the top front pieces, and especially with me sewing them in backward.

And I had a top! But I found that, at least for this fabric, the fit was off. Some of this was due to pressing errors, but I think I should have just sized down on the pattern.

I ended up taking in the side seams and adjusting the angle of the front top pieces so it would lie flatter across my chest, but it still gapes a little. With a smaller size and stretchier fabrics this problem will probably go away.

I also will probably lengthen it in my next make as well, since I like my tops to reach at least a couple of inches past my belt. This was in part due to my cutting choices, and partly due to the cut off the pattern.

Most of the time I wear it as an undershirt-type thing… Which is really how I wear camis anyway. But I like that the top is pretty and peeks out nicely at the top, since its a higher cami than I normally wear.

But all in all a nice little top! I can’t wait to make more!