MMJ - West African skirt - I leaked into July

MMJuners, please forgive me.  I'll stop w/ the Mohammed-Made-June stuff, though there's quite a bit more in my closet.  But I do love this skirt.  It looks like Adinkra, which is stamped fabric made in Ghana, though this is batik, not stamped. (BTW, that video is great and even includes the symbol on my skirt.)  The symbols have meaning, and you see a large variety all over Ghana, on fabric, artwork, decorating stores, buses, labels in the grocery store--everywhere.  Anyway, the Gye Name symbol (on my skirt it's the non-square symbol) means the "supremacy of God."

Wearing this skirt is always a great opportunity to get out my green/turquoise sandals, my turquoise sunglasses and my turquoise (as opposed to green) turquoise.

MMJ - West African print jacket - worn last day of June!

Yep, my favorite jacket!  The problem with all these photos is that I can no longer live under the illusion that my hair always looks great.  This photo could win me an award for very doofy bangs!  Anyway, I love the jacket & it's over a dress from Coldwater Creek.  I also wear it a lot with a brown skirt (w/ or w/out a sleeveless top).

My roommate and I had dinner in NW DC, then hung out at Politics & Prose a bit, before we walked over to hear Hundred Acre Wood at the free Fort Reno concert (every Mon & Thurs at 7:15 between now & the 2nd week of August--but not Monday 7/4!).  Low humidity, cooled off a bit, plenty of bug repellant, good music, handsome roommate--a great evening, all in all.

Mohammed-Made-June - Return of the pattern II - and this time it's pink

On our back deck with a cup of coffee in the flattering morning light.  Or perhaps you're thinking, "Not flattering enough!"  Anyway, here it is again.  I think you've seen all 4 versions of this amazing pattern.  I have gotten so much use out of these dresses & find they go everywhere, they're cool so great for hot DC summers, and dressy enough to wear to work.  With a sweater, they last until October.  YAY!  Oh, and probably the most important part?  Now that I've left Abu Dhabi, I think this would be quite an easy pattern...if I could just find it.  Music:  Pink...hmmm...pink floyd?!  How about Sparklehorse & Radiohead - Wish You Were Here?

I'm like Tilly, rather tired of having to remember to take pictures every day.  My roommate's been very helpful (as usual).  So, tomorrow, one of my all-time favorite MMJs - a jacket made from some fabric I bought in Ghana!

Mohammed-Made-June - Return of the pattern!

You can see by our kitchen what our decorating style is:  put as many things as possible into one small area so you never get bored or ever see the same thing twice! 

Anyway, here it is, the THIRD version of this great dress pattern by my dear tailor, Mohammed.  Shukria, Mohammed--it still looks great & is (I think) very flattering. I'm reading my grandmother's 1956 Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book (Revised & Enlarged).  

Fabric was very cheap in Abu Dhabi (but you could only get raw silk, some linen and lots of cotton or cotton/poly blends).  Anyway, most of what I bought for these dresses (and for my roommate's shirts) was US$1.08/yard.  I bought a lot.  At that price, I bought pretty much any fabric that appealed, looked neato, whatever.  I eventually figured out what to do with it. (I still have some that is awaiting use.)

Here's a picture of the fabric, up close.  I love that it has little camels & horses & suns on it in this cool rock-art drawing style.  As a former archeologist's assistant, it really appeals to me.  And I did buy the fabric in Abu Dhabi, so the camels are perfect.  

Mohammed-Made-June - Recognize this pattern?

Yes, here I am after that DHS hearing; Congress is always asking me over for coffee & cookies...

No, really, it's just a podium out back of Congress.  Anyone can have her picture taken there.  So, do you recognize the pattern?  You've seen it once, and will probably see it at least twice more...though I do need to get a move on or it will be Mohammed-Made-July.  We were meeting Tilly's SO before he heads back to Blighty.  A great dinner at Good Stuff Eatery - yummy hamburgers & fries w/ rosemary & thyme!

Appropriate music? The Go! Team, Get It Together

Mohammed-Made-June - comfy green dress

The purple dress from a few days ago...I have 5 different versions of that dress.  This one, with princess seams & buttons?  I don't know why, but this is the only one.  I definitely need to find a similar pattern & make myself another one or two of them.  It would also be a good dress to put pockets into.  Mohammed usually made buttons for me, if a pattern called for them. So these are fabric stretched over a plastic button back...or something.  Anyway, I've had it for years (5-6) and the buttons are holding up even though it gets washed in the machine regularly.

More Mohammed-Made-June

Okay, for all of you me-made-June-ites who are taking this seriously, please don't be insulted.  I'm doing Mohammed-Made-June because most of my non-pret-a-porter clothing was not made by me, but by my tailor from when I lived in Abu Dhabi.  A funny thing about this outfit:  I do NOT know where I got the fabric!!  I have this suit, and a similar ikat-look polyester/silk blend that was enough for a jacket, but don't know where it came from.  I'm guessing from our last trip to SE Asia?  Anyway it turned into a gorgeous suit, and I always get compliments on it.  It's in colors I like, and works well with my large collection of turquoise jewelry (a benefit of growing up in New Mexico).  The great thing about Mohammed, (and Marc's Mohammed, too) is they looked at the fabric & figured out ways to highlight the fabric's pattern on the outfit.  So the color & the hem of the skirt show the end of the woven pattern--a nice detail that most non-sewers never notice.  Apologies that it's a rather bad photo--we'd just got back from a Youssou n'Dour concert & it was late & we were tired, so didn't take a good look at the preview on our digital camera.

New hair, old dress

Okay, I cut my hair...I've been threatening to do it for a while & the last time it was short was for our 4th trip to Africa (in 2006).  FYI, most people in sub-Saharan Africa have short hair--easy to take care of, stylish & cool.  Anyway, mine was quite long (I'll try to find an older picture), and now it's not so long.  I was threatening to do a Julie Andrews in Sound of Music look, but maybe next time.  In the meantime, this bob.  

MD at the WH

In honor of me-made-June, I'm sitting next to 2 quilts I made (folded on the back of the couch), using fabric purchased on that last African trip, in front of a painting by a friend of ours, Layton Hower.  The dress, however, will have to go in Mohammed-made-June, as opposed to me-made-June...I don't have enough clothing that I made, though I could go a few more days if I could wear quilts in to work!  Anyway, I am thinking of a Mohammed-made-July because during the 6 years I lived in Abu Dhabi, my tailor, Mohammed made my life very easy & fun.  What is better than taking in a picture (from a magazine, from a sewing book, from the web) along w/ some fabric, coming back a week later, and there it is--exactly what you had in mind!?  I'd have to do it in the summer...the coldest it ever got in AD was 65F, so I only have summer clothes.  I have formal dresses, lots of jackets, skirts & dresses, some pants, even some clothes for travelling (with hidden pockets!).  Unfortunately, some of them are beginning to wear out (especially the linen ones) and some really aren't in style outside the Muslim world (ankle length skirts), which is just another reason for me to start sewing more clothing. My husband also had a Mohammed, and he's got an amazing array of suits, dress shirts & fun shirts (see above), including a tuxedo from our time there...