The Chai Shirt // Itch to Stitch Designs

This must be the year for woven, button up shirts! This one is a new-to-me pattern though and perfect for summer. The Chai Shirt and Dress pattern released last August, and I wanted to make it in the dress version as soon as I saw it. I ordered the pattern right away and since I had the perfect chambray fabric for the dress, I decided to make a muslin (something I never do because I'm a lazy sewist). I used this cheap woven gingham and cut out my muslin, but it sat in my sewing room nearly forgotten for almost a year!

I decided this past weekend that I was going to sew up the muslin, so that I can make my dress to wear this summer. However, instead of sewing up just a quick muslin to check the fit, I made the entire pattern. I'm glad I did because it is a great fit and completely wearable! I also will be more familiar with the pattern the next time I make it and hopefully that means less mistakes! 

The Chai Shirt and Dress is such a classic style and exactly what I was looking for in a shirt dress! The pattern includes cup sizes, which was something new for me. It has the options for dress or shirt length, a classic collar with collar stand, options for sleeveless or short sleeves, a button placket, and an a-line skirt. 

The fabric is originally from fabric.com from quite a few years ago. It is not the highest quality of fabric, but it worked for checking the fit! I actually really like the colors and I happened to have red buttons in my stash, and I think it makes for a great Fourth of July themed outfit. 

This might be one of the best fitting woven shirts I have made. The back fits really well! 

I didn't make any changes to this version, and since I like how it fits I plan on not changing anything for my dress version. I will probably add length to the skirt, but that is something I always have to do with dress patterns. 

My button placement could use some work, but buttonholes are not my favorite thing to do, so I am happy with how they turned out. I didn't have to seam rip any buttonholes this time, which is unusual!

I think this shirt will be a great addition to my summer wardrobe. However, this black skirt is the only thing I have to match, so I might have to change that!

My sister was my photographer this time and I think she did a great job!

~Elizabeth

Me-Made-May 2018 Recap

Me-Made-May 2018 has come to an end! It's hard to believe that this was my fifth year participating (and the whole challenge has been going on for nine years!). I posted my outfits on instagram, but I am going to do a quick wrap up here too. I managed to wear handmade everyday that I was not working and I repeated some pieces, but not entire outfits.

From left to right: Day 1 was my Cheyenne tunic and dropped waist Sybil skirt.

Day 5 was my brushed poly Union St. Tee and Veronika Skirt.

Day 6 was my Madeline Maxi dress and Julia cardigan.

Day 7 was my Lady Skater dress. 

On day 9 I wore a short sleeve day tripper top with my Blackwood cardigan, route 66 skirt, and Avery leggings. 

Day 10 was a Fringe blouse and double gauze tiered skirt. 

Day 11 was a Marigold dress and Avery leggings. 

Day 13 was my new Joy Jacket, a day tripper top, and a Sybil pencil skirt. 

On day 15 I wore a Union St. Tee and knit a-line skirt.

Day 16 was a Shoreline Boatneck and linen Street Fair skirt.

Day 18 was another Lady Skater dress. 

Day 19 was another version of the Union St. Tee and a knit a-line skirt. 

Day 20 was my rayon Fringe dress and my Blackwood Cardigan.

Day 21 was my favorite Daytripper top and denim route 66 skirt. 

Day 25 was my Union St. Tee with my Gabrielle Godet skirt (the oldest make I wore this month!). 

My sister is wearing a Oliver & S Hopscotch skirt made by me. 

Day 26 was my Wildflower Top and another version of the Street Fair skirt. 

Day 27 was one of my favorite outfits - my Felicity dress, Julia cardigan, and a handmade scarf.

Day 30 was a Lane Raglan and knit a-line skirt. 

Finally, on day 31 I wore my Wildflower top again with my Sybil pencil skirt (loved this outfit too!).

As you can probably tell, there are some skipped days. That just means I was working that night or the night before and spent the day sleeping. I wore me-made pajamas though and I have a few me-made long sleeve Union St. Tees for wearing under my scrubs.

The weather made the month of May hard too. We didn't really have a spring. It seemed as though we went right from winter to the middle of summer with temps getting as high as 90 degrees. There were a few cooler days thrown in and you can see with my outfits how the weather was bouncing around.

There are quite a few things I did not end up wearing (mostly my winter clothing). I also noticed that a lot of my clothes are from 2013 and 2014. I still wear those clothes quite a bit and it just goes to show that handmade items can last a long time!

My least favorite part of the month was taking a picture everyday because on most days I did not have a photographer and there is not good lighting in my apartment. That is not the main reason for the challenge, but I am glad I took pictures so I can look back on my outfits!

I will continue to wear my handmade clothes, because those include some of my favorite things to wear. It's fun to see how far I have come since the first year I participated in me-made-May.

~Elizabeth