It’s Been A Year Or Two Since I Was Out On The Floor

In August 2019 I bought tickets for the May 2020 Green Day concert in Stockholm. Then it was pushed to May 2021. Now, June 2022, it finally happened! And in the meantime Weezer was added to the lineup, which was such a pleasant surprise!

shakin’ booty, making sweet love all the night

I saw Green Day in concert in 2017, so I kinda knew what to expect. And, let me tell you, they know how to put on a show. There are great songs, pyrotechnics, this time they had added interesting cameras (I was mesmerized by one placed one the head of Mike Dirnt’s bass guitar as he was playing the Longview riff). Weezer on the other hand didn’t have so much of a show, but man are those songs great. It felt like seeing an old friend again wondering why we don’t meet up more often. So, to counteract the fact that I haven’t listened to a lot of Weezer lately (I did listen to them back in the day, and they were in my top 3 band for 2020 on Spotify)) I’ve been blasting them in the car these past days. And singing out loud, thankfully I drive alone. I’m a born again Weezer fan! (I never stopped being a Green Day fan)

It’s time I got back to the good life

Just as five years ago, I feel at a loss at the what to wear to a rock concert, my wardrobe doesn’t reflect my inner rocker persona (even if I did try to rectify that, I didn’t get to the interesting black and white fabrics of this plan). I have some ideas how to rock up my wardrobe. This outfit, however, is not one of them.

It’s time I got back, it’s time I got back, and I don’t even know how I got off the track

I don’t know what prompted me to make a cheerleader outfit, but here it is. I wanted a petrol light jacket, to be worn indoors, and I bought some extra of this stretch cotton sateen to make a matching set. To spice things up, in my very subdued way, I bought a silver lining fabric, silver zipper and some iron-on stars, also silver. Such a good combo, the petrol and silver. 

Both patterns are Burdastyle, and both were in that good place of having interesting details to sew, but still not too tricky (even if the jacket had to pause following a scant week of covid). The instructions were a bit sparse regarding the insertion of the zipper with the main fabric, lining and rib neckline, I did my thing which I don’t think is entirely correct, but it works. As for alterations, while the skirt has none, the jacket body is lengthened 5 cm, and the sleeves by some bit. I didn’t write it down. Unfortunately, I should have added a bit more, they were designed to be ¾ sleeves, I wanted them full length but they are a tad too short. I think I’m the only one it bothers. I also added what became over-dimensioned welt pockets to the front of the jacket, following this tutorial (in Swedish) by Frk Wiberg.

I wanna go back, YEAH!

Even though they are designed as a set, I haven’t yet worn them as such. The pieces have been worn individually but not together, and I’m not sure they will. Unless I’m at some point going to a fancy dress party as a cheerleader. 

Patterns: Burda 125-02-2013 (jacket); Burda 109-10-2017 (skirt)
Fabric: Petrol cotton sateen from tyg.se; Silver acetate lining and grey rib knit from Selfmade
Notions: Metal zipper; invisible zipper; interfacing; iron-on stars
Also wearing: Covid Briar (not sure it’s a good match). I really did like my Me-Made-May outfit of the skirt paired with the floral Aubetura.

Soundtrack: The Good Life by Weezer.

Me-Made-May 2022; Day 13-24

May is moving on and here are my next 12 outfits. For the first half of the month, click here.

Days 13-16

Day 13: Today at work, I just wanted to be comfortable. A t-shirt dress to the resuce!
Wearing: Venus Dress and RTW Cardigan.

Day 14: We had friends over for dinner today and out of context my exclaim that “I hate this time of year” seems off. But in context, it was that we discussed how hard it was to get dressed for these in-between temperatures, especially if you’re leaving the house. You want to go bare-legged, and during the day you can, but in the evening you need to cover your legs and that’s boring. Still, I was at home, so I had more freedom.
Wearing: Purple Aubépine

Day 15: Cleaning up from yesterday’s gathering, biking and sewing a toile for a very exciting project were the items on today’s agenda. The very exciting project? My husband and I are going to attend a ball (!) in Vienna (!!) in August, so today I sewed the first torn bedsheet version of How To Do Fashion’s Marrakesh pattern. I love the neckline and style of the dress and I hope it will look good in the purple taffeta I’ve bought. First toile looks very promising, but I need to ponder it for a while.
Wearing: Covid Briar and unseen shorts (cause they don’t deserve to be seen. Very comfy though).

Day 16: Back to the office after a nice weekend. I stopped by the library to pick up a book I’d booked (Egalia’s Daughters) and took todays photo in the library.
Wearing: Coral Trousers, Striped Wrap top and RTW jacket.

Days 17-20

Day 17: One of my favourite fabric and pattern pairings in a while, and premiere wearing of my recent denim Chardon. This skirt is so lovely!
Wearing: Denim Chardon, Simone T-shirt and RTW jacket.

Day 18: Right before snapping this picture I managed to cut my finger on my key, don’t ask me how, so the pose is a bit awkward. The 1.5 cm cut on my right index finger had just begun to bleed, but I didn’t feel like going inside to take care of it and then going back out for the photo.
Wearing: Green Aubetura and Rhombus trousers

Day 19: Fun day! After work I met my sister and dad for “dinner and a show”. The dinner was delicious tapas and the show was the music of Benny Andersson. Mostly known for being one B of ABBA, his musical deed is so much bigger, covering everything from pop, to musicals, to Swedish folk music. I love listening to live music, and hearing a symphony orchestra, well there’s something special about it. I scoured the internet and found the music sheet for Födelsedagsvals till Mona (birthday valse to Mona (Benny’s wife)), and I hope to learn them over the weekend. It’s such a beautiful piece!
Wearing: Sunshine shirt dress and white zip cardigan. The tights came off later in the day, making this my first bare-legged day out and about.

Day 20: Apparently, I dressed in discarded French military uniform today; blue, white and red. The story, which I was told, was that the French didn’t believe in camouflage, that they would intimidate the enemy just on presence alone, and then they had to make their presence known by dressing in bright colours. I did as well, but not as a not the French military. However, the fit of these trousers is really bothering me, excess fabric in the crotch and too tight over the calves. I was ready to rip them apart, salvaging the zippers and button, but then I was distracted by my recently printed music sheet.
Wearing: Coral Trousers, Denim Datura, White Zip cardigan.

Days 21-24

Day 21: My husband and daughter were away all weekend, my son and I were home together. To both our tastes we did our own things and met for mealtimes. We both enjoyed the day.
Wearing: Pinda Trousers, Eloise Hoodie and T-shirt with bows.

Day 22: The intention was to spend this day in the same manner as yesterday, but since it was my sister’s birthday she invited us to a café for some cake. Can’t say no to that! I got compliments on the dress, specifically the tucks along the bodice and sleeves. I had been worried that they’d get lost in the busy print, but as it turned out; they didn’t.
Wearing: Purple Aubépine and RTW denim jacket

Day 23: Despite better judgment, I wore the coral trousers again and they were still ill-fitting and too tight (I mean, there is a reason why the linked post for them is “Sewing fails 2019”). So I ended the day by ripping out all those zippers and the buttons to go on a new project. At the same time I also noticed that the turquoise chinos I wore earlier in the month were pretty badly torn (cheap fabric) and now I’ve ended up with no trousers in a fun colour. I need to change that!
Wearing: Coral Trousers, Scissors Shirt, RTW jacket.

Day 24: I’m abroad (Outside Royal Arena in Copenhagen)! In November 2019 my sister and I bought tickets to see Trevor Noah and today was the day it was finally happening. Even sitting in the arena waiting for Trevor himself to show it was a surreal feeling. My sister, having admired the tucks two days earlier, said she liked the skirt, but was relieved to find out that I hadn’t made all the embroidery, the fabric was bought as such.

Wearing: Denim Chardon, Striped Stella, RTW/Thrifted Jacket

Stay tuned for the final days and my lessons learnt.

Me-Made-May 2022; Days 1-12

The Pledge

While I never did announce it here, over on Instagram I am taking part in Me-Made-May 2022. As this was the month we returned to the office full time, as well as having several social engagements; my pledge was focused on that. After 2 year of social distancing, how does my wardrobe hold up?

Days 1-4

Day 1: One aspect of returning full time to the office is that I can finally remove the last pieces of office from my sewing room. I put the screen in the closet and tidied up the rest. I do look forward to having separate spaces for work and play, even though I need to commute every day. It’s about 20 minutes one way, a mostly lovely drive in the countryside while listening to a podcast, it’s not that bad.
Wearing: A Sysysy-dress in pique.

Day 2: For the first days of Me-Made-May I must squeeze in the garments that are soon no longer weather-appropriate. I did this in this combo, one I found I liked a lot more than expected. The blouse is polyester, so it’ll be uncomfortable in warmer temperatures, and while I hemmed it sing bias tape, I can see that the hemline is beginning to unravel. This day I solved it by wearing it tucked in, but I really should mend it properly.
Wearing: Aubetura blouse and Burda skirt

Day 3: Again, an outfit for a bit more chilly weather. These will very soon get put away until the autumn.
Wearing: Airelle blouse and Burda trousers

Day 4: Pairing this dress and my pink Converse shoes has been on my mind for quite a while, so today I pulled them out of the wardrobe. I like the combination!
Wearing: Aubépine dress, RTW blazer.

Days 5-8

Day 5: One thing about my work is that it sometimes requires long legged trousers (it’s, at the moment, partly a construction site and to enter that part that type of dressing is mandatory). Since I might need to go out there today I wore my chinos, paired with a t-shirt and sweatshirt. While I do like the pieces individually, I felt this outfit lacking in something; colour perhaps, especially in the t-shirt/trousers combo. In order to be able to dress more freely, this was the day I brought an old pair of trousers and a long-sleeved t-shirt to keep at work, that way I could go the construction site no matter what I dressed in that morning.
Wearing: Sara Chinos, star sweatshirt, blue striped wrap top (unseen)

Day 6: This day I knew I needed long-legged trousers (in addition, we also need high-vis vest, safety shoes, hardhat, goggles and gloves; I didn’t take a photo in full get-up). While it’s not more colourfulthan yesterday’s outfit; I still liked it more. Same trousers, same sweatshirt, just a different top. And shoes. Maybe pink Converse can save any outfit? I made these trousers in a cheap twill, and I noticed later that they have ripped along the back welt pocket. Sigh!
Wearing: Sara Chinos, Bruyere shirt, Star sweatshirt (not in picture)

Day 7: Weekend at last! That in-between weather. After my workout I ventured into the city to listen to a concert in which my kid was playing. The School of Cultures is in a 100 year old building, so I posed in the staircase, I love old time staircases (this one is my favourite), so I couldn’t resist the opportunity. In the evening we had friends over for dinner and hanging out (laughing till I cried. Good times!)
Wearing: Coral trousers and Covid Briar

Day 8: A chill Sunday at home. Cleaning up after last night, and finishing my purple Aubépine were the items on my agenda.
Wearing: Grey Brumby and Red Knit top.

Days 9-12

Day 9: I wanted to add some colour to my work outfit and settled on a green Aubétura and denim skirt. I really like the design lines of the skirt, they shine in this fabric, but I’m not convinced it pairs well with the Aubétura blouse. Ah, well.
Wearing: Green Aubetura and Olga in Denim

Day 10: If yesterday was about colour, today was about neutrals. Premiere wearing of my rhomb trousers, paired with my scissors shirt. I think the shirt lends enough humour to the outfit as to not get boring.
Wearing: Rhomb Trousers and Scissors shirt.

Day 11: Work again, but with an added team activity of shuffleboard and dinner in the evening. In order to have some wine, I took public transport today, which is why I am wearing my work backpack on the way to the bus stop, instead of having it in the car waiting to be driven to work. I can take public transport door to door, however it takes at least 45 minutes each way and clashes with pickups/drop-offs at school. And in the same time I could theoretically bike to work.
Wearing: Coral Trousers and White Bruyere.

Day 12: Tired morning. I wish it was Friday, so I went for a casual Friday look. That said, around the office you see people in all types of wardrobe around here. If you’re eagle-eyed, you’ll see that the bomber jacket of today, matches the skirt of day 1. Although I haven’t worn them together yet.
Wearing: Rhomb Trousers, Teal Bomber and RTW t-shirt

Sewn: A Pentalogy of Briars

T-shirts are often something I come back to when I need a palette cleanser. Or when I need a t-shirt. After inevitably catching Covid at the end of January (which, in my case, omicron variant, was in line with a mild flu) I wanted an easy project to get back to the sewing machine, one that didn’t require a lot of thinking or complex techniques, as the project I’m otherwise working on at the moment is a bomber jacket.

I had found a fun piece of viscose jersey in the remnant bin at Selfmade (formerly Stoff och Stil), which was enough for a t-shirt. After looking through my collection of t-shirt and other knit top patterns, I eventually settled on Megan Nielsen’s Briar. Viscose knit are a bit of my Achille’s heel, I like the look of them, but for me they very easily can fall into nightgown territory, especially the more light weight ones, and they can lose shape with time.

Since I’ve made 5 Briars in total, I figured I could present them all in order, as I honestly don’t have a lot to say about each one.

Number 1 – The Yoga Briar

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This one was sewn as a layering piece in a very soft cotton jersey from Ohlssons tyger. It’s the cropped top, but lengthened, I found the original length of the cropped version way too short and it would probably end up cutting off my breasts in a weird and unflattering way. I wore this over dress shirts and t-shirts, for work and for leisure, however after some rounds in the washing machine the fabric began to pill and lost its finesse. It has since been regulated to yoga wear, and it’s a great layering piece for yoga, providing warmth without getting in the way of poses.

Number 2 – The linen Briar

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Linen knits were heavily discussed in my FB wardrobe planning group and when I found some in the remnant bins at Ohlssons I picked it up. For this Briar, I straightened the hem. The fabric was too see-through to wear on its own, which is, to be honest, not what you want in a t-shirt. The fabric was very delicate and after a while I got some runs in, delegating it to the trash. Sad, but true.

Number 3 – The Faux denim Briar

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For this one I sized down, since the grey version felt a bit too big and made the shoulders a bit wider. I used a denim cotton/lycra knit from Stoff och Stil. However, when cutting the pattern I didn’t consider which way had the greatest stretch, so the greatest stretch runs lengthwise. It makes for a very tight t-shirt, also the neckline binding became very lumpy. Also I’m not sure about the pocket placement as is, though I’m not sure what would have been a better one. This square pocket is an odd shape on me, I prefer the semi-circle pocket of my grey Briar. Sadly, due to the aforementioned reasons, I don’t wear this Briar a lot.

Number 4 – The Pleated Briar

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I needed to replace my grey layering Briar and this time I went with colour! A cotton/lycra mix, with pleats, purchased at Bernt I Lund. I like the pop of colour this sweater adds to an outfit.

Number 5 – The Covid Briar

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The most recent one! In the end I think I cut off 15 cm from the long-length version. With these normal-waisted trousers my tummy does do a bit of peek-a-boo, so it might not be office appropriate. But the t-shirt is very comfortable and I do like the length, I think it will look good over high-waisted shorts.

So, if I had to pick a favourite… Well, it’s not that hard. The emerald green Briar!