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Right now, it is Me Made May. It is an anual challenge/invitation to make a point of wearing the garments in your wardrobe that you made yourself. Me Made May was initated and is hosted by Zoe Edwards. She also has a blog and a podcast that are worth checking out. I participated in previous years (for example last year, in 2021 – while being pregnant! and also in 2020).
However, this year I kind of forgot about it. And since I haven’t made any new garments except for one skirt and some socks since last May, I didn’t feel that excited about it either. So, I decided to miss one year. (I already have enought projects right now- ha!) But, I did feel inspired to look at my me-made items in my wardrobe.
One of my favourite patterns: The Odgen Cami by True Bias
And I realised that I have made five Odgen Camis! It is quite a magical pattern. You don’t need very much fabric and you can sew it in fairly little time – two evenings or afternoons and you have a pretty top! I love the fit – floaty but still a bit sexy. Perfect for warm days. I really like how it is cut quite low at the back without being so low that your bra sticks out.
Version 1: Black + white
This is the first one that I made, in 2019. I remember how fun it was to make over the course of a single week. (There is an Instagram post about it here.) I really like that the front and back are different colours. Also, I really love black and white. So classy! In the summer I love wearing white jeans and it pairs so well. And then I can add a yellow handbag or cardigan for a pop of colour and it’s a great outfit!
Version 2: Little anchors
This, like most of the following Odgen Camis I made during lockdown. Specifically, in May 2020. I was participating and very inspired by Me Made May to sew more clothes. I made the top from leftover fabric from a dress I hade made. The look and feel of the fabric are lovely, but it isn’t very good quality. It creases quite easily and is very thin. But it is great for summer!
Version 3: Maternity edition
The next Odgen Cami was made during the next year’s Me Made May in 2021. At the time, I was pregnant, so I made it a bit bigger to fit my bump. I still wear it now without needing to also fit a baby, the fabric is nice and drapey and it doesn’t matter that it is a bit wider. I actually quite like that it is longer than the other ones. Again, I used fabric that I had left over from a dress.
Version 4: Using scraps
Seeing that the pattern was so great to use up fabric remnants I got a bit overly confident. I had some fabric that I absolutely adored but it wasn’t quite enough. So I just shortened the top! However, I am not really a crop top gal. So it’s not getting a huge amount of wear other than in our garden on very hot days. For this post I paired it with the skirt from which the fabric was left over. I haven’t worn it like that before, but I quite like it!
For this version, I wanted to square the neckline. I think I should have made the straps longer with this adjustment (which would also made the top longer, which would have been great!). But I now know for next time.
Version 5: Little flowers
I made my final (for now) Odgen Cami last year in spring. SJ was still very little and on a very unreliable nap schedule, so making this felt like such an achievement! I really like the colours of the fabric, so warm and summery. I made the straps a bit thicker than in the pattern, so that they would cover the thick nursing bra straps better.
And those are all my Odgen Camis for now!
I am sure I might make some more in the future. There is also a way to turn the top into a dress, I might try that sometime! Have you got any sewing patterns that you keep going back to?
This is Day 79 of my 100 Day Project. You can learn more about my 100 day project by reading this post. If you want to do your own 100 day Project, I would recommend checking out the 100 Day Project website.
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