Today marked the start of Me Made May, and while I’m not officially taking part in it, I hope I’ll wear plenty of my handknits when the weather allows. The timing is cause for reflection, for me, as I’ve found myself itching to get back into sewing lately. I used to sew fairly often when I was in high school and through my first year or two of college, but as knitting gained greater prominence in my life, the sewing machine started gathering dust. I’m realizing now, as I’m thinking about taking it up again, that I’ve always been a bit of a “Well, that’s good enough!” seamstress; a little sloppy, if functional. I’d like to do better than that. I decided to pick a simple project to get back into sewing. I want to sew something that’s simple enough that I won’t feel like I’m in over my head, but that will be something I’ll actually wear regularly. I also decided I’d like to try a sewing pattern by an independent company, which is a corner of the sewing world I hadn’t explored before. I’m pretty sure I’ve made my decision; I’ve already purchased the pattern, and I basically just need to choose fabric and pick up the few notions needed.

(Image via Pattern Runway)

I landed on the Easy Short Sleeved Kimono Dress from Pattern Runway, because it seems to be, well… easy, but also something I’ll get a lot of mileage out of. No zippers and no darts is a huge plus, and I like the elastic waist (perfect with a belt). One of the biggest selling points for me was the step-by-step blog post on the Pattern Runway site that walks you through the whole process of making this garment. I’m happy to have a little bit of hand holding at this stage!

I have a few weeks before I’ll be able to start working on this, so I’m still trying to decide on fabric. When I was sewing a lot in high school I often didn’t give much thought to fabric choice. Sometimes I bought fabric for projects, but most often I pulled something out of my mom’s huge stash of old fabric. I think as my knowledge and skills in handknitting have advanced, and as I’ve started spinning wool and thinking about fiber and how and where it’s sourced, it’s affected how I think about textiles and clothing more generally. In this case, I think I’d like something light and airy, something that’s easy to work with, and I’d also like it to be made of natural fibers – so perhaps a light-to-mid-weight cotton? It will give the dress a much more casual feel than the black fabric pictured above, but as I’m looking to make more of an everyday dress, that seems just fine. I prefer to buy fabric in person, so that I can see and feel it, so I’m planning to head to Drygoods Design sometime soon – there are a few fabric listed on the website that I’m itching to see in person.

Are you taking part in Me Made May? I’d love to hear about your experiences with it! I’d also love any sewing advice you all have. I learned to sew as a kid, and I always thought that fact alone meant I was knowledgeable about sewing, but I feel like a total beginner coming back to it. I’d love to hear from you!