refashioned shirt quilt

I've been blog-dead for many moons, but this year I decided to participate in The Refashioners, hosted by Portia, because it seemed like a fun and creative way to reengage with the sewing blogosphere. The challenge was to refashion a man's shirt, but I took it in a slightly oddball direction. I decided to make a quilt out of many men's shirts! My goal was to make a cool modern quilt that happened to use secondhand shirts, instead of making a "shirt quilt" that looked like a bunch of men's shirts, so it took me many thrift shopping trips to find these bold solid colors that matched my home decor.

Head over to Portia's blog to see my full post about the process, and while there be sure to check out the rest of what The Refashioners have done this year. Pretty amazing stuff! If you decide to participate yourself, there's an enormous prize package to be had by one random winner. Yeah, it's like laughably enormous. 

I do plan to be back soon with a brief tutorial, and perhaps a post about the Colette Cooper backpack I recently made. As you probably know, you can always keep up with me at Instagram (@foursquarewalls) where I'm slightly more active...

Get shirty!

me-make may?

Denim Archer shirt I made for myself (for fun!) a few months ago

I know. May is the time of year when all the AWOL sewing bloggers suddenly show up in your blog reader with bathroom selfies galore for Me-Made-May. Don't worry; I've definitely been AWOL and here I am suddenly on May 1st, but bathroom selfies ain't me. I decided that I wouldn't make a proper pledge for MMM15, because I tend to (try to) wear at least one item of handmade clothing everyday and I'm pretty aware of my wardrobe needs and desires already. 

Kimono thing I made two weeks ago. Sooo slapdash but I'm kinda obsessed.

My problem is actually making time to address those needs and committing to sewing for my own damn self. When you sew for a [modest] living, every moment at the sewing machine is a potential money-maker, so it's hard to shove my to-do pile aside and sew for fun. I figure May is a good enough time to spoil myself, though. I've been having major Insta-Envy, where I scroll through Instagram with a pit in my stomach because everyone's making Ginger Jeans and Morris Blazers and undies and cool bags and all the things I want for myself but don't have time to make. #PoorBaby. I know it's the price I pay for choosing this ridiculous career path, but I'm grateful that my passion for sewing is still strong and that my only limitation is lack of time, not lack of desire or inspiration.

Baby quilt for my future nephew I made in March. Really should have taken better photos on a proper camera.

So I'm calling it Me-Make-May, where instead of just wearing my existing handmade stuff, I'm going to try to set aside time to sew more clothes for myself... that aren't cut off-grain and slapped together on a serger and left unhemmed as per usual these past few months. I'm afraid to set quantitative goals for myself because I can't always predict my work schedule and deadlines, but I would love to work towards accomplishing the following:

• Tops. I wear black jeans like everyday and have few tops to pair them with. Maybe one knit tee and a short-sleeve button-up?
• Maxi dress. I still feel like I'm playing dress-up when I wear the one I have (never blogged), but it's so damn comfortable that I need another.
• Pajamas and underwear. Not very fun but the situation is dire.
• Dress for my friends' wedding at the end of May. I have some knit lace I want to use, but need pattern inspo.

Linden Sweatshirt I made as a sample for my knits class at Butcher's Sew Shop

Here's to hoping I can get all that done. My plan is to check in with you all again, either halfway through May or at the end of it (let's be real... how about July?), to see how I did. Fingers crossed!

Do you guys also have sewing goals for MMM15, or is it more about reflecting on and celebrating what you've already made?