My MMMay'12 Pledge!

Something I nearly do each time I launch a Me-Made or Self-Stitched challenge is forget to actually sign up myself! You'd think that all the signing up comments that ping into my inbox for the best part of a month would remind me to do so myself, wouldn't you?! And yet.

With MMMay'12 fast approaching, I've been having a good old think about how I can make my own personal version of this challenge a useful endeavour and interesting both for me and for those who may want to keep an eye on my progress. As I emphasised in the sign-up post, MMMay'12 is a challenge not just a participatory exercise, so those of us who have taken part in the past (me firmly included) need to think a bit harder to figure out how we can raise our game and up the ante.

I've been really heartened and impressed by the thought and consideration serial-participaters have clearly put in when carving out their personal pledges for 2012's challenge. I feel that those who have thought about what they hope to learn and gain from the month going into this challenge, are likely to get the most out of it. So it is in this spirit that I've written my own pledge. Forgive me, it's pretty long-winded:

'I, Zoe from 'So, Zo...What do you know?' sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '12. I endeavour to wear only me-made clothing (excluding bras, socks, tights, jogging trousers and shoes aside from my new sandals) each day for the duration of May 2012. I will allow myself to wear a second hand cardigan two times a week. I will not repeat any outfits. ALSO, someone I know will wear one me-made garment each day for the duration of the month'.

So, as I say, pretty long-winded but calculated to challenge the living-hell out of myself. Wearing only me-made clothing (with the exceptions stated) is do-able, but I don't think I could avoid repeated outfits without using any mass-produced knitwear. And seeing as I feel the no-repeats element is important to force me to work out new wardrobe combinations (for me, one of the major benefits of doing these challenges), I've pledged to keep the wearing of my mass-produced knitwear to a very reduced level. 

Adding the dimension of getting other people involved wearing the clothes I've made them, well that's kind of blown my own mind, so I'm not sure how you're feeling right now. That came about through the realisation that an awful lot of my personal sewing (as opposed to the sewing in my job) is done on behalf of others. Sometimes I get paid for those things, sometimes I get lunch and wine in return, sometimes it's part of a project or exchange, and sometimes it's just a plain old gift. I haven't fully figured out the logistics of documenting this part of my challenge yet, I'm going to keep it away from the MMMay'12 flickr group, but I definately intend to document it here on this blog.  

Phew! I feel challenged!