Washi Dress V2.0 and Me-Made-May Pledge

So nice, I made it twice! Back to back. No waiting!!

So yeah, I was wearing the crap out of Washi V1.0. And lets just say I live in a very small town where my work circle and my social circle are pretty much just one big circle, which also overlaps with my errand running circle and my dog walking circle. After I'd worn Washi V1.0 for  the entire week following its creation, I figured I had better make version 2 the next weekend, so as not to run the risk of being that girl with only one outfit. 

I love this dress at least as much, if not more. Its made from another estate sale acquisition. I'm not sure what this piece of fabric was originally used for, but it had a big wax stain on it so I'm thinking tablecloth?

So, you guys caught me. Totally haven't hemmed it yet though I did wear it once already. I MUST hem it because I want to take it on my trip this weekend and its already started fraying a little. The pressure is on! 

I made the same modifications to the back that I made in version 1 but I was sure to stretch the elastic a little more tightly across the back because it was a little loose on the first version. I removed the 1 inch that I added to the center front of the bodice since this fabric is a little spongy and has some mechanical stretch. 

This fabric was pretty much a cranky little bitch to work with. Or maybe that its just that I was too lazy to iron it before cutting. But I was scared ironing would affect the natural texture of the fabric and plus I don't have an ironing board so ironing a huge piece of fabric is SO HARD. Obviously this is an easily fixable problem, but I'm just not sure where I would put an ironing board in my 800 square foot house. Speaking of... home upgrade with room for sewing is forthcoming (fingers crossed). ANYWAYS, the neckline ended up slightly wonky so I topstitched down the facing to try to stabilize things. 

So... I've been considering Me-Made-May. Obviously I've made a lot of stuff to wear. The Six Month Sew-iversary posts have already covered all the visible clothing I've made (the only stuff that hasn't been photographed is PJs, slips, and stuff for other people). That means I have a total of 26 wearable garments, plus the 2 washi dresses, 1 maxi dress, and 1 t-shirt I have made during April.

To the uneducated eye, I've made some pretty practical and easy to wear stuff. However, turns out I'm a geologist and am bound to a pretty specific safety-related dress codes at work- or at least the 50% of the time that I'm working outside and not in the office. I'm required to wear long pants, shirts with sleeves, and "sturdy work shoes". On top of the requirements, we sometimes get pretty dirty and have to deal with very variable weather conditions on a daily basis, which also affects how I dress. So, in reality, most of what I've made is not all that practical for about half of my life, between the 50% of my work that time I spend outside (its going to be more like 100% for the month of May- I have very little control over my work schedule) and the 50% of my non-work fun-times that I also spend outside hiking or rafting (especially during May!).  Plus, I'm going to Florida next weekend, will have two house guests for a week, and am probably going camping in Colorado the last weekend of May. So yeah, I've been conflicted about my Me-Made May contribution... both because of the logistical challenges but because I also really wanted to participate! Its something I've been looking forward to since before I started sewing and watching some of my favorite bloggers participate was one of the things that inspired me to get sewing to begin with!

So... without further ado...

'I, Megan of The Green Violet, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear AT LEAST two me made items each week for the duration of May 2013. I also resolve to make two items that will accommodate my dress code at work and outdoor hobbies (hiking/ rafting) so that I will be able to wear more than two items a week by the end of the month.'