Unexpected culottes and MMM17

So I have to tell you my first ever me made May crashed and burned on the rocks of illness. The first couple of weeks were interesting. My goal was to not wear exactly the same clothes two days in a row (all me-made). I found that  exposed me to more ways of combining clothes while still allowing me to feel the comfort of wearing the same few clothes over the course of a week.

Once I got a bronchial infection plus laryngitis, I began slathering medicated ointment on my chest and throat night and day. That ointment stained clothing, so I just wore a couple of ratty old RTW t-shirts night and day for the duration. End of me made May.

While sick, I did manage to make a pair of trousers that turned into culottes purely as a result of an accident. I had cut the front pattern piece down the centre and spread them 2 inches apart on the fabric, intending to use those two inches for an inverted box pleat. But when I started cutting out the enlarged pattern piece, I inadvertently treated it as two pieces and separated them at the ankles for about 4 inches before I caught myself.

So, culottes it was. I used a pattern from my stash, New Look 6132. I used some quilting fabric. I don’t like to make clothes from quilting fabric, but I had bought a piece because I liked the print and didn’t realize it was quilting fabric. Anyway, I thought this would be a useable toile.

Wow, the depth of field of my phone camera is not great is it? In focus at the level of the camera, out of focus above. Strange.

The fit on these was surprisingly good. The only adjustment I had to make was to lower the front waist by an inch, and that’s pretty standard for me. In case you’re wondering, the print is paint-splash effect.  I’ve blogged about the shirt and the tunic in previous posts.

I quite like them, although I am kind of self-conscious about my skinny lower shins. But they’ll do for summer casual wear, eh?

Okay that was an attempt to include a fully-focused picture. Which failed, obvs. Will try to do better next time ….