Me Made May 2017 Wrap Up

Me Made May 2017 is over. This is my fourth time participating, and the most enjoyable so far. Here are my last three days of the month, followed by my reflections on the experience. If you are interested you can see week one here, week two here, week three here and week four here. A reminder of my pledge for this year can be found here.

Day 29 Monday:

Back to work wearing all Stylearc garments again. A Marita Knit Dress in a printed ponte and my very handy Nina Cardigan in black merino knit.

Day 30 Tuesday:

Off to work on the coldest morning yet, this season, wearing Vogue 8805 in black ponte and black and white printed scuba knit with a Deer and Doe Plantain tunic in black merino underneath. Also wearing my  New Look 6249 coat in a black wool blend knit. Drove through frost for the first time this year on my way to work brrrr.

Day 31 Wednesday:

Last day of the challenge. Off to work wearing my Stylearc Adeline dress in a khaki silk/cotton knit with a Deer and Doe Plantain tunic in cream merino underneath.

My thoughts:

I have enjoyed participating in Me Made May this year, much more than previous years. I have put that down to two factors: my 'me made' wardrobe is by far the most comprehensive it has been since I got back into sewing in 2012, and my very patient husband was available to take the daily photos, usually as I was running out the door on my way to work.

I introduced a new colour to my wardrobe, in the form of a rtw scarf in a bright orange. I have always been told that orange does not suit me and I should avoid it. However, I think the pop of orange has worked well in my existing wardrobe.



As I pledged to only wear 'me made' garments (except underwear, jeans and accessories), this increased the challenge and forced me to think outside the box, to come up with new outfits that were going to keep me warm enough. I realised I was relying far too heavily on a rtw black waterfall cardigan, that was getting quite shabby. This prompted me to replace it with a black merino Stylearc Nina Cardigan sewn up during the month. I have two merino Deer and Doe Plantain tees and two more tunic length merino plantains. I utilised these garments extensively as layering pieces under some of my warmer season outfits which would have been too cold to wear otherwise. I plan to by some more merino knit from The Fabric Store Online to make some more of these handy layering garments. I realised I need to make more warm casual tops for weekend wear and some more jackets/coats for work.

A selection of my favourite outfits

Something I hadn't thought of at the beginning of the challenge was sleep wear. All my pyjamas and dressing gowns are rtw. Time to start sewing my own sleepwear, I think. A few patterns spring to mind: The Carolyn Pajamas from Closet Case Patterns; Fifi Pyjamas from Tilly and the Buttons and the Asaka Kimono from Named Patterns.

Well, Me Made May may be over, but I plan to continue to wear 'me made' everyday. I feel quite accomplished for sticking to my pledge for the entire month and posting daily photos on IG. Thanks so much to all the lovely people who took the time to comment on my daily posts. I have so enjoyed following the other participants and the friendly banter shared amongst fellow sewists. Sewing would be a lonely hobby if it wasn't for social media. And finally, a huge thank you to Zoe for hosting this annual event.

Happy Sewing

Jean