(my favourite outfits worn during Me-made-May 2019)
I'm sure that every year I state that Me-Made-May went by in a flash, but somehow I feel that it's especially true this year. By writing this post, I hope that I can draw some conclusions from the fleeting experience that was my challenge, and extract some lessons that I can make use of.
So my challenge was to wear a unique combination of me-made garments each day throughout May, and to wear a dress, skirt or pinafore at least three times a week. The first part was basically a repeat of my challenge last year, which I had found super helpful when picking out garments for the rest of the year after MMM was over. This year, I did manage to create a different outfit every day, however I don't feel that I was as inventive as last year with my combinations. I added the second part in the hope that those garments would start to feature more regularly in my wardrobe rotations during the rest of the year, but I just don't think that's going to happen, at least not until the weather gets properly hot. To be honest, I'm not sure if I did manage to wear a dress/skirt/pinafore three days a week during my challenge, I kind of lost track of that part. However, the challenge has helped me ascertain that I should make more and less of the following:
More jeans!
I love wearing jeans, particularly skinny ones, but I currently only have one pair (plus one pair of jeggings that aren't as comfortable). I'm not going to be able to wear my Gingers when is gets hotter because they sit so low that I don't feel comfortable wearing them without a vest/camisole tucked in. Spoiler alert: I've already started a second, higher-rise, pair of Gingers in turquoisey-blue denim, however I think I should also make a black pair ready for the Autumn.
More dungarees!
I really enjoy wearing my black linen Heyday dungarees and my freshly reworked Burnside bibs, although my Mila dungarees have mainly been assigned to allotment use these days. I own another three patterns for dungarees that I have yet to make, and I can't wait to give them a try as soon as I've got through enough of my stash to justify buying some more fabric.
More coats/lined jackets!
May is often a weird month for weather, and this year that was definitely true. I wore both my winter coat AND shorts (not at the same time!) at different points during the month. I really hate that I basically have to wear a coat for eights months of the year, and my Cocoon coat is starting to show signs of the frequent usage, so an additional lined coat or jacket would be great both to add variety and to prolong the life of my Cocoon coat.
More summer clothes!
I only own two pairs of shorts and two sleeveless tops at the moment, and if this summer gets anywhere close to the consistently hot temperatures of last year's, then a couple more or each would be very welcome.
A jumpsuit/playsuit!
I do not own a jumpsuit or a playsuit, which is ridiculous because I have wanted one for years. I treated myself to the Yari jumpsuit pattern by True Bias, making the most of the Me-Made-May celebration discount code, and I thought that the short version might be a great alternative to actual shorts (see above).
More fitted knit tops!
Looking through the pics of this year's challenge and I can see just how much I wear my stripy Gable top. Which in itself is no bad thing, of course, but I've already had to mend it once, plus I'm often at a loss of what to wear under dungarees and pinafores when it is in the wash. Therefore, for next Autumn, one or two more long- or 3/4 length- sleeved fitted knit tops would be awesome.
More volume!
This is at odds with my previous statement about preferring skinny jeans, but I'm starting to want to play around with volume in my garments a bit more. I've bought a cardigan pattern that offers a slight deviation from my usual silhouette, so I'm going to start there and see what happens.
More colour!
This feels a bit scary to me to admit, but maybe it's time to branch away from only wearing black, white, navy, denim blue and mustard. Maybe.
No more dresses/skirts/pinafores!
I did enjoy wearing my pinafores on certain days and for certain roles that I perform, but I now have four pinafores and that is definitely enough for my current needs. And although I often see other people's amazing self-made dresses, I know that if I had them, I wouldn't reach for them often enough to justify the time, money and resources that would be required.
If you challenged yourself this May, did you learn any lessons about your wardrobe? What conclusions did you draw? What came as a surprise to you?
6 comments:
Very thoughtful insights from the month.
Great wrap up post and really shows the value of doing a wardrobe evaluation once a year - which is how I always look at Me Made May. Actually I like that you have a small palette to work with, so don't feel the need to add more colour to it unless it works for you. I constantly have dilemmas as I just seem to have too many colours in my wardrobe.....
Like Steely I like a small palette for my wardrobe. My basics are all in navy (includes denim), grey, and white, with accent colors of pink, turquoise and light blue. This ensures that everything goes together and lets me play with proportion, pattern, accessories, and telling details. I like your choice of colors, especially the mustard which really brightens up your outfits. Some of your earlier outfits include red - have you considered small touches of red again?
Firstly, thanks for the effort you put into MMM19. Much appreciated - and I managed to use some of the discounts too. I managed to get through the whole month wearing at least one of my me-mades each days, and it also spurred me on to finish my Ottoline jacket when the weather changed. I was surprised at how many of your conclusions chime with mine too, including relegation to "allotment wear". So here goes.
- Although I wore me mades every day, I didn't manage to finish some of the half started projects I have hanging around. Not a completer-finisher by nature, but I definitely want to be more disciplined about finishing things I start and not having too much on the go at once.
- I need more colour variation in my wardrobe. I like the idea of a more imaginative colour palette rather than variations on safe navy blue.
- I need some trousers! I decided when I retired that I was not going to live in jeans and now have none. Need to move on from that now.
- I like to wear dresses but now find it too limiting now I'm a carer for an ageing parent and a three year old; I want more skirts and also need some quick win tops.
- I discovered the joy of dyeing. Will be ding more of that to extend the life of favourites.
- I need to avoid synthetics which I buy in local markets to make wearable toiles. However, I really dislike wearing them - several went off to the charity shop. Result!
- I was forced to think about why some things that I like in theory were hardly ever worn and it normally came down to comfort and practicality. I spent ages making a Walkaway dress that looks fabulous but is too fussy. It's on its way to becoming a skirt.
So all in all, an inspiring month with lots of food for thought and inspiration for greater discipline and care in what I choose to make in future. Win, win. And thanks again.
Thank you all for your comments!!! I really appreciate them.
@anonymous, you are so right about the red! I don't know why it has been phased out in recent years, but I agree that I should work to get a bit more of it back in there.
@colleen, thanks so much for sharing your own takeaways from your challenge, it was super interesting to read. I wish you all the best with implementing them to make for a happier and more successful sewing output going forwards.
xxx
Oh I learned so much! Thank you so much for this challenge!
What surprised me the most was that I need to buy new shoes!
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