Me Made May – my thoughts on 2018’s challenge

#mmmay18

This was my third year of taking part in Me Made May, and probably the most challenging yet, what with having a baby part way through! Yes, I’ve had to deal with going from a pregnant belly to a post-baby body, and was already struggling with a very limited selection of clothing that fit me, let alone me-made clothing that fit.

This was my pledge:

‘I, Anna of annajosews.com (@anna_jo_sews), sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’18. I endeavour to wear at least one me-made item (garment or accessory) each day during May 2018. I also want to spend the month assessing which of my clothes will work for life with a newborn, and to plan a breastfeeding-friendly capsule wardrobe to sew for the summer.’ 

In the end I did fulfil the pledge, with the exception of the day I gave birth when I didn’t wear any me-mades at all (but I’d made a baby!). I didn’t get all that many photographs, though, for various reasons I’ll go into. First, though, I’m going to share the ones I did take.

Me Made May Day 1 Erin skirt Meghan Nielsen Patterns

Day 1: the only me-mades here were my striped Erin skirt and a polka dot headband, but I really liked the overall outfit.

Me Made May Day 2 Agnes Neenah dress and Jalie Drop Pocket Cardigan

Day 2: really chilly start to the day, so layered up my Agnes/Neenah dress with a Drop Pocket Cardigan. Not a great look, but it kept me warm!

MeMadeMay2018 day 3

Day 3: Much warmer, so I wore my Amber dress.

MeMadeMay2018 day 4

Day 4: My floral Agnes top got its final outing over the bump! This picture was taken about half an hour before we left for hospital, so please excuse the ropiness.

MeMadeMay2018 day 5

Day 5: I got one last pic of the bump in the hospital garden, while being induced. The weather had turned absolutely roasting! Wearing a self-drafted jersey maxi skirt I’ve never blogged, which I normally only wear around the house as it’s gone quite bobbly. Super comfy, though!

MeMadeMay2018 day 6

Day 6 – no me-mades–just little baby Lauren! This was my most popular post of the month over on Instagram 🙂

MeMadeMay2018 day 7

Day 7- back home, and trialling my Colette Wren dress over my deflating tummy. Really comfy and lovely in the heat, but didn’t cover my bust adequately. Would need an FBA to wear this pattern at the moment!

Day 8 = a bit cooler, so I wore that Drop Pocket Cardigan again, with a me-made jersey scarf.

Day 21 – bit of a jump in time here! I’m wearing my Erin skirt again, with a self-drafted hacci kimono. Also wearing Lauren!

Day 22 – An old broomstick crochet cardigan (pre-blog), with a me-made headscarf.

MeMadeMay2018 day 26

Day 26 – Demonstrating how easy it is to feed Lauren while wearing my pink tee from the Craftsy Sewing with Knits class (affiliate link). Also wearing the Erin skirt again.

So, that was the outfits I documented. The other days I wore pretty much the same mix of garments, which was why I didn’t feel particularly inspired to get photos. But there were other reasons the photos didn’t get taken too. I lost my favourite photo locations, because Andy has been digging up the patio to join in the ensuite in our new bedroom (garage conversion) to the existing waste system. There are slabs up everywhere and quite frankly my entire courtyard is a mess and doesn’t make an attractive backdrop. I could have taken indoor pics by the door and window I usually use (see the first four days above!), but that would have meant tidying the floor and vacuuming. I just didn’t feel much like that with a newborn to look after.

But documenting isn’t what Me Made May is really about. It’s about your relationship with your handmade wardrobe, and for me, sorting my clothes and planning my summer sewing was the most important part of the challenge. I did this bit, and have put all this lot into storage:

Admittedly, the box of winter clothes also contains gloves, hats and scarves belonging to the rest of the family, but I was still amazed at how many of my clothes I can’t currently wear (there’s another under-bed box of too-small clothes, but ones I reckon I’ll fit into first as they’re probably a size UK 12/14 rather than the size 10 that went into the loft). I don’t remember it being this bad after having Gabriel, but I suppose it was winter then, some of the clothes I wore then have worn out and are no longer with me, and much of what I’ve sewn since then is small and close fitting.

This is now the current state of my wardrobe:

The clothes on the right are the ones I can fit into. Those to the left are ones I didn’t want to squash into a box, plus a couple of party dresses that should fit now. Oh, and an unfinished coat project I really should work on this autumn…

That’s not all my clothing. I have scarves and bulky cardigans on the top shelf there, and I keep camis, tees and lightweight cardigans in my bedside drawers, along with undies, lounging clothes and workout gear. Still, I think it’s fair to say that my current selection of clothing I can wear is extremely limited and I’m bored to tears with it all. There’s lots of plain black and very little variety in styles. I’m stuck with a small selection of RTW jersey breastfeeding dresses or camis and maternity skirts. Yay.

Out of interest, I decided to check my current measurements against my pre-pregnancy size, and here they are:

Pre-pregnancy: Full bust 36″, High bust 34″, Waist 29″, Hips 40″, Bra size 34 B/C

Current measurements: Full bust 40″ (+4″), High bust 37″ (+3″), Waist 33″ (+4″), Hips 43″ (+3″), Bra size 36 DD

It’s no wonder not much fits, especially as I tend to favour close-fitting clothing 🙂

I know that this state of affairs won’t last forever. I will get back to my old size (I’ve managed it twice before!) but it’s going to take time and exercise, along with sticking to healthy food and not overdoing the carbs. I’ve just started week one of the Couch to 5k to get me back into running gently, so I reckon I’ll be in the size 12/14 clothes in a month or so, and hopefully back to my old size by the end of the year. Any clothes I make now will need to work for a variety of sizes, or be easily adjusted when I lose weight.

FWIW, I feel I should point out here that there’s nothing wrong with having a “mum tum”, and I know many women never get back to the size they were before having a baby (took me 7 years after Daisy!). However, I would prefer to get back to the size I feel happiest and healthiest at, and I know it’s achievable as I’ve done it before.

Now for the planning part. I’ll admit, I haven’t found time to design the perfect capsule wardrobe for summer, but I have identified a few key items I’ve found myself wishing for when getting dressed:

  • Maxi skirt – I definitely want one in black, in a lightweight swishy woven viscose. I’m thinking a simple elasticated waist would be best. You can get waistband elastic that’s designed to be exposed, and I might go for that. Should be a super fast sew that way! If that goes well, more maxi skirts in patterned fabrics would be great.
  • Dungaree dress – Something lightweight again. Possibly in dark chambray or a deep plum colour. I  like the look of the new pattern from Helen’s Closet, but might draft something myself as money is tight and I hate assembling pdfs.
  • Looser fitting tees – until I lose the baby tum these are what I want to wear! Perhaps just a couple: one plain (plum?) and one striped or polka dotted. I could use the Deer and Doe Plantain tee as that’s close fitted at the top, but looser over the waist and hips.
  • Tropical print kimono – Something lightweight with a colourful but dark background print. For a bit of fun, and an easy way to add some colour to my current all-black outfits. I could draft this myself.
  • Another Amber dress or two – prints, this time! Polka dots, tropical florals, bright colours. Something to cheer me up.

Not sure I’ll get around to sewing all these as time and money are in short supply, but we’ll see. It’s a good exercise in planning, at any rate 🙂

So, that was my Me Made May, and it was fairly challenging! Did you take part? If so, what did you learn about your handmade wardrobe?

 

 

 

 

 

May round-up and June’s sewing plans

May was pretty much dominated by the arrival of the little lovely pictured above! (the baby, not the blanket, although I did finish that too)

If you didn’t catch the news yet, Lauren was born on the 6th, making her just over a month old now. She’s a really sweet baby and most nights she lets me get a reasonable amount of sleep, so I have actually managed to start a bit of sewing again. Woohoo!

I did manage to wear me-mades pretty much every day of Me Made May too, although my photo documenting fell by the wayside after Lauren arrived. I’ll be doing a round-up post soon, though, as I still learnt a fair bit from taking part.

Blogged in May:

Anges maternity top, Eastern Jewels persian tiles crochet blanket

L-R: my final Maternity make, the Dark Floral Agnes Top, and my Eastern Jewels crochet blanket for Lauren.

Sewing done in May:

Vogue V8759 and Eastern Jewels blanket

I knew it was unlikely I’d get much done in May, but I made some progress with Andy’s  Vogue V8759 shirt (the yoke, collar and one sleeve partially finished) so that’s something. And I know it’s not sewing, but I also finished that gorgeous crochet blanket I might have mentioned once or twice already 😛

Money spent: £0.00

Cheapest month yet!

June sewing plans:

Cloth nappies, Satturland Rivers top, maxi skirt, Bucket hat Oliver & S

I want to do some really practical sewing this month, and make myself some washable breast pads (breastfeeding essential) as well as some trial cloth nappies. I made some cloth nappies when Daisy was a baby, but my sewing skills were nowhere near what they are now and I’m sure I could do a much better job this time around. It helps that there are so many more excellent free patterns and tutorials available now, and I still have some supplies to make them (elastic, PUL fabric, fleece fabric). I’m currently using prefold cloth nappies with Lauren, but I much prefer the fitted styles and all-in-one pocket nappies for ease of use and their poo-containing abilities! Making these might sound somewhat dull, but I’m looking forward to it as I love making things that I know will get loads of use and make my life easier 🙂

I’m also going to finish Andy’s shirt (getting there!) and I’m seriously contemplating taking part in this year’s Outfit Along (#OAL2018). I reckon I could find a place in my wardrobe for the knitting pattern, and I would swap the Landers for a self-drafted black maxi skirt, something like the RTW one pictured above but with a better waistband. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to make the Landers, but I’m not going to until I’ve lost the extra inches off my waist, hips and thighs as I know if I make something fitted there now, it will be falling off me by the autumn.

And if for any reason I find myself with more spare time for sewing (ha! I doubt it), I’m going to make Lauren a sun hat using the free pattern I made for Gabriel last year, and some leggings for her too if I can find a suitable pattern (or draft one myself). And I might get going on that Jalie 3131 nursing bra if there’s still more time. It’s all stuff that’s needed, so I’ll see if I can make time somehow. If you know how, do let me in on the secret!

What are you planning to make this month?

Nappy photo credit: MissMessie A Few More via photopin (license)

The 10×10 Wardrobe Challenge: what I learnt from taking part

Okay, I actually wrote this post about taking part in the 10×10 wardrobe challenge last month and thought I’d scheduled it to post automatically, but clearly I didn’t! Then I forgot all about it what with the excitement of Lauren being born, so here it is feeling a bit out of date, but hey, I’m posting it anyway. At the very least, it gives you a few more looks at some of my maternity makes and how I styled them in the final trimester.
10x10 Wardrobe Challenge days 1-5

10x10 Wardrobe Challenge days 6-10

I’ve been thinking about taking part in a 10×10 Wardrobe Challenge ever since I first heard about them. Basically, you take ten items of clothing (not including bags, accessories and outerwear) and try to find new outfits to make out them for a whole ten days. Documenting on Instagram with the hashtag #spring10x10 was I suppose optional, but I imagine most participants did so. This particular challenge ran in early April.

The Challenge was thought up by a couple of fashion bloggers and wasn’t originally aimed at sewists, but a few have started to take part using the extra hashtag #sewist10x10. The original idea was something to do with taking a minimalist approach to creating a capsule wardrobe and focusing on finding new ways to wear your favourite clothes, but I think you can make this challenge your own and use it however you want. You can find an excellent guide post over on the Unfancy blog here, by one of the two creators of the challenge: http://www.un-fancy.com/10×10-wardrobe-challenge/spring-remix-10-items-10-days-10-outfits/

I wanted to use the challenge to get out of a wardrobe rut, as I’d spent most of the winter wearing the same four maternity dresses in rotation. They were all long sleeved with high necklines, and I was getting really sick of them. Also, as the weather was hopefully warming up I wanted to experiment with some of the maternity separates I’d been sewing and find new ways to wear them.

My maternity wardrobe has been kept small by design as I really didn’t want to spend too much time and money on clothing that would only get a few month’s use (this child is definitely my last!). As a consequence I have a fairly boring selection of basics (mostly RTW from the last pregnancy), and I was hoping to find ways to jazz them up and make them feel fresh again.

My 10×10 items

My items were the following, with the number of times I wore each item afterwards:

Me mades:

RTW:

  • Brown Chelsea boots by Earth Spirit – 10
  • Lace cami (maternity) from Red Herring by Debenhams – 2
  • Denim skirt (maternity) from Next – 2
  • Black tie-front bolero cardigan from Wool Overs – 4
  • Black long sleeved top (maternity) from Mamas and Papas – 3

Initially I had chosen two pairs of shoes, but I swapped out the zebra Converse shoes for the lace cami after a few days when I realised it was going to be cold and rainy for the duration. I know it’s not great to wear the same pair of boots day after day as they need an airing, but since I’m in the house in my slippers most of the time I figured it wouldn’t matter too much. Plus they’re the easiest pair of footwear for me to put on at the moment, what with this huge belly getting in the way!

What I learnt from this 10×10 Wardrobe Challenge

  • I need more footwear to suit autumn and spring weather–namely ankle boots or shoes that are okay to wear with socks/tights. I’m thinking a pair of black ankle boots and perhaps a pair of two tone brogues in black and white.
  • This challenge is tricky to do with our typically unpredictable British weather! I normally layer up as much as I can so I can add or remove layers when the temperature changes, but with only ten items to play with it was tricky getting warm enough. I got around this by not including leggings and thermal tops/camis worn underneath others, but I wished I’d included a thick jumper as one of the ten!
  • The tops and skirts I chose were too similar in silhouette to get dramatically different looks with them. That’s partly because I’m not really into the boxy look so most of my tops are close-fitting, and partly because my maternity wardrobe is limited to classics I know I’ll wear lots.
  • I did end up nearly running out of ideas and then tried wearing the Erin skirt over my tops (and even over the dress on the last day). I’m not convinced it’s the best look on me, but it was certainly different.
  • I really appreciated the pops of colour from my purple cardie, the floral top and the scarves I accessorised with. I think you need this when dressing in “boring” basics (ie, mostly black and denim)

Thoughts for next time

  • Three tops with different sleeve lengths and necklines would really help to achieve a variety of looks.
  • A button-up shirt would be a really useful thing to have as one of the ten items, as there are so many ways you can wear them. Buttoned up as a top, open as a shacket, tied at the waist, sleeves rolled up… I’m sure there are more, too! Good thing I plan to get into shirtmaking this year.
  • A sleeveless knit vest would also be really useful for layering. I’m thinking I might need to knit or crochet one.
  • I think those of us with kids probably need to take at least one “laundry day” break, as I find I often can’t wear clothes more than one day in a row as they get child gak all over them. Washing these clothes so I could wear them again was a bit of an extra challenge for me!
  • I could do with getting hold of some more colourful and/or patterned lightweight scarves and warm cardigans–not just for this challenge but for everyday outfit creation. I’ll have to consider whether I’d be better off buying or making these.

***

I’m definitely interested in taking part in a 10×10 Wardrobe Challenge again, and they seem to run twice a year (spring and autumn). However, it’s the kind of thing you could do just for your own interest at any point. It’s like a mini Me Made May, with a really sharp focus on creating a capsule wardrobe.

I’ll leave you with a pic of my fave outfit from the ten days, and I think it’s no coincidence it’s one of the most colourful!:

Would you take part in this challenge with your me-mades?