I’m seven months into my Year of 100% Handmade; just five short months to go!! above is a selection of my favourite outfits in the last month, the whole kit and caboodle can be seen in my Year of Handmade flickr album here…
Yeah, so I’m still really enjoying the challenge, and of course I absolutely love wearing all my own clothes and shoes. Although, I am looking forward to warmer weather so I can start wearing some of my newer, spring-y shoes! I picked a really bad year to be doing this thing though… we’re officially having the coldest and wettest winter in like thirty years or something. Obviously I’m excited about wearing my own shoes… but when it’s bucketing down with rain?! which it’s been doing a LOT?! eeeeek! It’s a little heart-wrenching, to be honest! I’m sometimes tempted to whip off my precious handmade babies shoes and just slosh through the puddles and mud in my stockinged feet, shoes clutched protectively to my chest. I don’t, though. I stay normally shod, like a regular person, albeit sobbing on the inside and hoping like mad that my dinkie little handmade shoes-ies are going to come out of it ok.
Fortunately, they do. Surprisingly, everything is holding together just fine. My trusty winter boots are not just warm but completely waterproof, so yay for that! So chuffed about those things. Some of my casual walking shoes… not quite so waterproof, ahem, but shoes do dry out. I’m still wearing them all! My paisley oxfords are my go-to, casual “walking shoes”. They’ve done miles and miles and miles, they’ve been rain-drenched and subsequently dried… they then started to wear quite thin under the balls of my feet. I just glued new soles onto the bottom. If I can say one good thing about being forced to wear my shoes in the worst of worst weather; then it is that it’s proved to me that my shoes can take it, and are tougher and not quite so flimsy-whimsy as I feared. Confidence-boosting stuff 🙂
New soles. ‘Nother month of miles
Of course! Now you are your own shoe repair shop!
Haha! well for this year I am, anyway!
What an accomplishment honestly Caroline! I’ve recommended your blog to women in both my in person sewing group and my fb one as well and several women have commented, “She even makes her own SHOES!” Truly over the top accomplishment 🙂
thank you very much, Kathleen! 🙂
Lovely collection of clothes – they look great. I’m glad your shoes have survived the weather. That really is an amazing accomplishment.
thank you so much Norma! 🙂 xx
I love your outfits and especially your color palette! I’d love to get to the make-everything point. Maybe someday 🙂
I have a question for you — I’ve seen your multiple versions of the Vogue 1247 skirt and love the style. However did you lengthen it? I tried a couple of times and it just didn’t work for me (it was so short to start with!) Any tips?
Thanks!
thank you Tracy! I add length at the lower hem, just cut both lower front and back pieces a bit longer. The upper bit with the pockets stays the same and the horizontal seam lines both front and back are in the same place.
I really love your project. The shoes are just amazing but I LOVE that you make the same patterns over and over. I just started sewing clothes about two years ago. Most blogger makes something new every time they sew so, of course, so did I. I found your blog about 6 months ago and had the light bulb moment. I use to buy the same styles over and over so, of course, it makes sense that I would make them too. Simple concept but sadly it didn’t come naturally. I guess I got caught up in the new and shiny thing but since focusing on what makes me happy and comfortable, I LOVE my me made clothes tons more! Thanks so much!
thank you Vicki! and I’m so glad you’re enjoying making AND wearing your own clothes. 🙂
I am so glad you are wearing your shoes through all the different weather situations, it proves they are so well made that they can handle it all,
thank you Sharon! just steeling myself to walk out the door wearing my shoes in spite of the rain was maybe the biggest challenge of all! xx:)
You are quite amazing. So glad that your shoes are surviving all kinds of weather. Shoes must be the most put-upon items of our wardrobes. Clothes have it easy by comparison.
thank you Irene! and yes, you are so right. I didn’t give my shoes a whole lot of thought before making them for myself; only now can I appreciate how really tough they have to be! 🙂
I have been totally amazed at everything you have done, especially shoes. Fabulous!
thank you so much Tomasa! 🙂 xx
I feel for you. Our winter has been very mild and short fortunately but the last week has been grey and miserable (similar daytime temps to you). My heatpump broke down last week so it hasn’t been much fun.
I am glad your shoes are standing up to the ultimate test.
I’m that wuss who is miserable and merely “tolerates” days below 20C, so needless to say I’ve been whingeing WAY too much lately! 🙂
Boom! You shoes are kicking all the inclement weather goals – see what I did there?! #sorrynotsorry for bad jokes 😉 Being able to replace soles is so dang awesome!
Haha! your jokes are the best 🙂
love those outfits – must look over one or two posts again now that we are coming into winter – here…….wonderful your shoes have passed the rain test – getting the dubbins wax out here for all our boots!
thank you eimar! and what is Dubbins wax? maybe I should look some out for my shoes! 🙂
You are so inspiring Carolyn! I’m so glad to hear that your shoes are not just beautiful but durable. Great work!! Congrats on your 7 month anniversary!!
Thank you so much Margo! I feel so much better now I’m over the hump!
Love to read about your Year of Handmade and the milestones you achieve! So interesting to learn how your shoes are holding up and that you are not babying your ‘babies’ but striding forth no matter what. Cool. And your final picture reminded me of the days when every town had a shoe repair shop and it was not unheard of to take a beloved pair of shoes in to be re-soled and repaired.