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Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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Hey hey hey! It’s Me Made May!

May 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Hey hey hey! It's Me Made May! - Read about one maker's Me Made May-inspired handmade wardrobe goals, and how she plans to leverage a modest sewing skillset into a well-fitting, sustainable wardrobe.
Here, I’m working on a vintage sweater knitting pattern and wearing a handmade skirt worked from a modified dress pattern.

For years, I’ve been wanting to improve my skills in another needlecraft area: sewing. Sure, since childhood I have been competent enough with a sewing machine and hand sewing to make the odd throw pillow or simple Halloween costume. For those skills, I can thank basic family and consumer science class lessons, plus relatives and friends who sewed. But I never felt confident taking something in, making a pattern adjustment, or installing a zipper correctly on the first try – that sort of thing. But recently, something changed, and I’ve found myself so motivated to tackle my one-time crafting white whale: sewing my own clothes.

What’s changed?

Without going into long, boring detail, I’ve gotten some thyroid issues under control over the course of the last 2 years, which has led to losing 20 pounds and having the energy to exercise regularly. Unsurprisingly at the beginning of this year, I found myself without a lot of clothes that fit. (Hot tip: nothing makes this 30-something adult woman look more like a weirdo at the grocery store than saggy butt jeans that were a bit busted to begin with.) My body shifting coincided pretty nicely with becoming a more serious Knit & Crochet Designer. Without meaning to, I started thinking about fit and stitch math when my mind wandered. So as my body slowly changed, I kept coming back to how much of a difference it would make to wear properly fitting clothes on a regular basis.

Hey hey hey! It's Me Made May! - Read about one maker's Me Made May-inspired handmade wardrobe goals, and how she plans to leverage a modest sewing skillset into a well-fitting, sustainable wardrobe.
A recent make, which I’ll blog about soon: the Decades of Style No. 107 TLC Caftan

Late this winter, I figured that now is as good a chance as any to buck up and learn how to sew, knit, crochet, and otherwise make or adjust most of my own clothes. If I need something I don’t have, I want to try to make it, improving my sewing skills one project at a time. (Don’t worry, I’m pacing myself, starting with easier things that I know I can handle, and trying to choose a more challenging pattern or fabric to work with every time I make something new.) With this attitude in mind, I took in a few existing wardrobe pieces slowly over the course of the spring. I donated some old staples and replaced them with thrifted or handed down items. However since we’re talking about most of my wardrobe, there are several gaps yet to fill as of this writing. Enter Me Made May.

What’s Me Made May?

Although I’ve mentioned it a few times in my weekly newsletter and on my podcast, Very Serious Crafts, I haven’t gotten around to blogging about Me Made May before now. What began as an online challenge for garment sewists in 2010 has grown over the last decade into a challenge for makers of all stripes to wear something handmade each day in the month of May. There are a lot of folks, myself now included, who like to also use Me Made May as encouragement to create a certain amount of garments to flesh out their handmade wardrobe.

So what are you making?

May involves lots of travel for my husband and I this year, so I’m trying to be reasonable about my making goals.

1.There’s a 1940s swimsuit set I’ve been dying to make, and I finally bought the pattern recently. I fully need a new beachwear option, for one thing. Plus, I’m specifically interested in beachwear that’s comfortable, but also a two-piece with some coverage (I couldn’t tell you why, but that’s what I’ve always wanted in a swimsuit). While not technically a swimsuit, the Boardwalk Duet pattern from Decades of Style looks exactly like what I’ve always wanted to wear on crazy hot summer days that may or may not also involve a beach. Plus, I plan to make this in a fabric that can get wet or dry without going full see-through or taking forever to dry.

Sewing Pattern: Decades of Style #4010 1940s Boardwalk Duet
Decades of Style #4010 1940s Boardwalk Duet (Image via Decades of Style)

2. In April I attended a vintage knitting retreat to learn more about vintage sweater construction and working with vintage knitting patterns. I wanted my first post-retreat project to be a sweater that allows me to practice my new skills. Therefore I’m in the midst of knitting my first vintage sweater, and I plan to finish it this month. I’m working from a free vintage pattern called the Fernlace Pullover, and the yarn I’m using is Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen in Party Line Breakup.

Fernlace Pullover Pattern #1168 via freevintageknitting.com, originally published in Spool Cotton #124 The Sweater Story
Fernlace Pullover Pattern #1168 via freevintageknitting.com, originally published in Spool Cotton #124 The Sweater Story (Image via freevintageknitting.com)

3. I want to sew at least 1 or 2 tops this month as well. I’ve been making a lot of dresses and skirts to get back in the groove of sewing and to work on basic skills, so I’m finding myself in desperate need of tops that are suited to pairing with skirts, but also suited to my own body. This tops project is the one I have the least specific plans for, but I think that’s ok. With my luck, I’ll end up winging something that ends up being my favorite hand sewn garment yet. ;)

When I finish my Me-Made makes I’ll post about them here. Stay tuned for blog posts featuring the latest additions to my handmade wardrobe, those I’ve made over the last couple months, plus new ones for MMM.

Hey hey hey! It's Me Made May! - Read about one maker's Me Made May-inspired handmade wardrobe goals, and how she plans to leverage a modest sewing skillset into a well-fitting, sustainable wardrobe.
Another recent make on the to-blog-about list: Simplicity 1803

Beyond Me Made May

Internet crafting challenges aside, my wardrobe is in need of several other items that didn’t quite make the MMM cut. Specifically, the garments I have on my to-make radar are everyday workhorse cardigans that FIT, darn-worthy socks, overalls, quick-to-make sun dresses, and some fun blouses.

Since this is clearly a new creative passion project, I plan on continuing to share the journey toward a more handmade/sustainable wardrobe, even after Me Made May. Inspired by everything I just rambled on about, I want to launch a new blog series, Handmade Wardrobe. In Handmade Wardrobe, I want to offer pattern recommendations for less experienced sewists, information on basic tweaks you can made to help a pattern fit your body, and more! Nothing crazy in-depth, but the sort of handmade wardrobe inspiration that is hopefully a little more accessible to folks who aren’t masters of sewing.

Last but not least, I want to end this long post with this. It may be a daydream at this point, but one day I’d specifically love to make my own jeans that really fit my wide hips, high waist and flat butt. A HUGE part of this handmade wardrobe project for me is learning to accept my body for what it is. Making my clothing meet my body where it is on its own just seems a bit healthier than trying to force my weight further down in an effort to wear pants in the same size family as my petite shoulders.

I’m decidedly not promising myself nor you that any of these last projects will see the light of day in a timely fashion. However, as long as I’m making baby steps toward a more handmade wardrobe and self-acceptance, I’ll consider that a victory.

Happy Me Made May 2019!

Filed Under: Handmade Wardrobe, Inspiration, Knitting, Sewing Tagged With: handmade clothes, handmade wardrobe, me made may, sew, Sewing

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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