The End of Me-Made-March: Day 31!

So here it is people, the final me-made outfit from my Me-Made-March challenge:

Me-made sailor trousers, blouse, Saint cardigan (not worn in this pic, obviously) and pants. Yes, NO vest! The last day of March was officially the first day of Spring, if my vest wearing antics dictate such things (as they do round our way). I celebrated the final day by wearing a new blouse, hot off the sewing machine, which I will blog about in more detail soon.

Thanks very much those of you who have followed my little challenge. On a personal level, I think this challenge has succeeded in making my relationship with my handmade garments a more comfortable, forgiving and dependable one. I freely admit, most of my pants were a little small, the zip on my jeggings wouldn't always close due to over-use and my Saint cardigan has become bobbley, but by and large my garments have held up very well, possibly as well as mass-manufactured garments would have under similar stress.

I am now able to analyse which type of garments I have many of, and which I need to focus on producing in the future if I am to follow my aim of being increasingly self-sufficient in the items I consume. For example, I didn't realise I had so many skirts! I have never worn skirts as frequently as I have this month. I always felt a bit 'done-up' when wearing a skirt, and would rush to change out of it as soon as I returned home. In fact I didn't do any changing out of outfits when I got home all month, and learnt that skirts can actually be just as comfortable as trousers, if not more so. For example, I was pretty ill on Day 20, and it was my skirtain that I turned to in the absence of a cosy dressing gown or fluffy pyjamas.

The thing that has made me really happy though is all the lovely comments that I have received throughout the month, whether regarding a specific garment, or the project in general: they were all very much appreciated. I was particularly pleased when people commented that I had inspired them to wear more self-made items themselves. If everyone who can sew begins to increasingly rely on themselves to produce their clothing, I believe it would encourage more people to give sewing and making things by hand in general a whirl, and start to create a more viable and visible alternative to the excessive consumption 'Western' countries seem to be cureently trapped in. Sewing is a political activity people! Arm yourself with some nice fabric and cool patterns today!