Me Made May days 1-9

Okay, this is a little late (fashionably late?), but here are my first nine days of Me Made May outfits:

Left to right, top to bottom:

Day 1: I wore Jalie’s Criss Cross Top made out of a teal and blue star print jersey (unblogged). I made this last year when I had a need for nursing-friendly clothing, but I’ve lost quite a few baby pounds since making it and it no longer fits properly. Shame, as I’ve hardly worn it. Not sure about the fabric really, but I’ll shove it in the loft with all my maternity clothes “just in case” (ha! No way, but ask me again in a couple of years…)

Day 2: A more recent make, worn for the second time ever: the Knot Your Average Dress by Five out of Four Patterns (unblogged). I made this in a gorgeous grey jersey from Girl Charlee, and although the style is a bit dressy on top, it’s plain and comfy enough that I know I’ll be pulling it out of the wardrobe fairly often in future.

Day 3: A broomstick lace crochet project today: the Hourglass Jacket from Stitch Diva. I made this years ago but hardly ever wore it because the bright pink never went with my other clothes. I had a brainwave, though, and put it in the wash with some freshly dyed fabric (dark brown). The residual dye knocked the pink back just enough to make it more “me”, and I’m pleased to have found a way to make it work over a denim skirt and black tank. The cardie is a little loose on me these days, but I still love it.

Day 4: I wore my plain black ponte pencil skirt today. A bit boring, but such a versatile piece! This is the free Color Block Skirt pattern from So Sew Easy, except I didn’t actually colour block it. I blogged about it here.

Day 5: Today’s make is Simplicity 1469, which I’ve now made (and blogged!) as a dress and top. This is the original top which was only intended as a muslin, but which actually got a huge amount of wear last summer as it filled a gap for a nursing-friendly sleeveless top. I’m not convinced about the colour blocking, but I had to do it as I didn’t have enough of the maroon jersey left to make the whole thing.

Day 6: It’s so hot today I couldn’t find any suitable me-made clothes out of the wash, so I’ve gone with a necklace instead.I don’t do much jewellery making as I discovered I don’t actually enjoy working with wire and metal; fabric is my jam! However, now and again I like to make a statement piece. These huge fretwork ebony beads strike just the right exotic note for scorching days like this.

Day 6: Another crochet project today. I actually completed this gorgeous purple lace bolero (from The Happy Hooker Stitch n’ Bitch book) back in January of 2015, but didn’t wear it till today! I really do need to get my “special” pieces out more often, as they look fine for everyday so long as I dress them down with very plain and simple clothing. Also, the amount of time and money invested in them is considerable (this is silk and merino blend yarn–so luxurious!) and it seems like a terrible waste if they sit waiting for special occasions that never arrive.

Day 8: England’s unexpected heatwave is causing me some wardrobe issues as many of my me-mades are more spring/autumn appropriate. Fortunately I’ve found some sewing time this week, and today’s make is fresh off the sewing machine and onto my body: a red and black polka dot jersey maxi skirt. I drafted it myself following an online tutorial and using some gorgeous fabric from Girl Charlee. It has a yoga waistband so it’s seriously comfortable. Daisy calls it my “Ladybird skirt” 😀

Day 9: It’s a repeat appearance for the purple lace bolero today as it felt so good, but this time I’m teaming it up with a hot pink tank top rather than plain black. I think this combo works too 🙂 (Note to self: you need to block your crochet pieces. This is probably larger and more beautiful than you think!)

General thoughts:

So far I’ve really been enjoying the challenge of not only wearing one of my me-mades each day, but of taking a photo and posting it on Instagram (I’m josephine_myles over there, by the way. Keep wondering if I should set up a new account for all the sewing stuff…)

It’s made me realise I might enjoy doing more social media “challenges”, so I’ll look into others that might be fun.

I’ve also realised that most of the clothes I used to make were either party dresses or statement cardigans. I really enjoy making fancy crochet pieces with bright colours and complex lacework, but then never wear them because they always seem too much when paired with my other clothes. Me Made May has made me search for ways to wear my statement cardies on ordinary days, and I’ve discovered that they work well with jeans/denim skirt and a plain tee or tank. They elevate an everyday outfit into something polished, but which doesn’t look too fancy for the school run.

Another really welcome effect of participating in Me Made May has been finding the motivation to work through some of my mountain of clothes to mend and alter. It helps that I’ve finally got my sewing table set up in the new place, and it’s a much nicer, roomier end of the lounge/diner than in the last house. And fingers crossed, if we can get the garage converted into a bedroom over the summer, I’ll get Gabriel’s current (tiny, windowless) room as a sewing room. It would be so nice not to have to pack everything away all the time!

I’ve also been pondering what my overall goal is with me-mades. I don’t feel any need to swear off buying RTW in future, but I am enjoying making more everyday items that will get lots of wear (and that fit perfectly, of course). Perhaps I’ll choose future projects based on a combination of need (plugging gaps in my wardrobe) and interest. I have a huge list of new techniques I’d like to try, and sometimes that will mean making party dresses. I make no apologies for that!

I just need to get invited to more parties…

Anyone else out there taking part? If so, how are you finding it?

Me Made May days 10-18 coming up soon!