Me-Made-May'14: The End!

(Day 25: my favourite photo of the month. I love our nautical looks and Dolores's cheeky smile!)

Ah, it's always so sad when Me-Made-May comes to an end. The amount of wonderful inspiration and friendly support provided by the other participants is something that can't be beaten, and the rest of the year doesn't feel quite a vibrant by contrast! BUT, there's a whole year of makery ahead that will hopefully be inspired and directed by what we have learnt from this year's challenge, edging us ever closer a wardrobe full of handmade delights that express our personal style, fit with our lifestyle and flatter our physique.


Practical things I achieved during MMMay'14:

• I found time to repair my school boy trousers where holes had started to appear through excess wear. I don't think they are very flattering, but I can't deny how useful they are at the moment. 
• At the 11th hour I re-fit my mustard trousers meaning they are firmly back in regular wardrobe rotation.
• Despite my early misgivings about how much day-to-day use my nautical palazzo pants would receive, this challenge has helped me find what other garments they go with and I now wear them A LOT. 
• I didn't quite achieve my aim of reworking every piece of second hand knitwear that needs work, but I have fingered out which pieces I no longer wear and can therefore be sent for recycling or refashioning into something for Dolores.

(Day 31: My favourite outfit of the month. This t-shirt fits me well and is lots of fun and the trousers are the most comfortable I own whilst still being flattering)

Things I've learnt from MMMay'14:

• When I was creating my pledge, I thought I'd be able to use this challenge to get back to wearing clothing that reflects my personal style more than I have been recently. Very soon in to the challenge I realised that the realities of mumming a baby and the practicalities of breast feeding meant that wasn't really going to happen as I had envisaged. 
• I realised how much I'd got into rut in recent months of grabbing the same clothes that I wore the previous day if they were still clean. There's nothing inherently wrong with doing that of course, but as someone who really enjoys clothing and expressing themselves by deciding 'who I was going to be today', it kind of makes me feel pretty far from who I used to be. This challenge made me more mindful of getting dressed, albeit in a limited manner compared to previous years, and helped me shake up my outfits a bit from day to day and I think that I will continue to do so going forward. 
• I have a great selection of casual, comfortable me-made clothing. Keeping on top of laundry is a challenge in itself these days, with a baby who is being weened onto solid foods and is going through two or three outfit changes a day, plus no outside space to get clothes dried. However, I have a sufficient quantity of jersey tops and some comfortable trousers and skirts that mix and match well. My continuing obsession with navy, red, mustard-yellow, black and grey (plus strips and leopard print!) means that I don't have any clothing orphans and my separates can make a squillion outfits when put in different combinations. This is through luck not planning but I am grateful for it and I hope it continues. 
• I really enjoy making useful things for Dolores that she gets lots of use from. I have soooo many plans for making garments for her, but that's another blog post...

(Most worn garment of the month: Captain jacket! Worn nearly every day)

Things I want to work on/make before MMMay'15:

• The documentation photos of this challenge have helped me highlight a few garments that I realise don't suit me or have seen better days. I plan to refashion/remake these into garments for Dolores or send take them to the textile recycling bank. 
• A few day appropriate dresses would be really nice addition to my wardrobe selection to help me feel a bit more 'put together', but that's something I'll focus on more closely once I have stopped breast feeding during the day. 
• I'd also like to make at least one pair of shorts and maybe a stretchy skirt which I can run after a baby in!
• Lots of clothes for Dolores! By next year I hope she will be wearing something made by me everyday and join me in each documentation photo. 

Thank you all so much for checking out my personal challenge and for the lovely and supportive comments you left. If you took part, I hope it was illuminating and fun for you. Here's to #MMMay15! 

Me-Made-May'14: Days 26 - 31

The last round-up of MMMay'14 documentation photos. I can't believe the month is over! It's flown by.  Come back in a day or two for my thoughts on this year's challenge.

Day 26:

Me-mades:

Bird print jersey top (not blogged)

School Boy trousers

Undies

Second hand cardi as per my pledge

Day 27:
Me-mades:

Breton top

Nautical palazzo pants

Vest and undies

Second hand cardi as per my pledge

Captain jacket (not in shot)

Dolores wears: mum-made dribble bib

Day 28:

Me-mades:

Breastfeeding hack Coco top

School Boy trousers

Undies

Captain jacket (not in shot)

Day 29:

Me-mades:

Leopard print top

Mustard trousers (finally refitted!)

Vest and undies

Captain jacket (not in shot)

Dolores wears nothing mum-made but wanted to be in the pic (probably)

Day 30 (Stash fabric day of the Flickr group's photo challenge, so here's most of mine):

Me-mades:

Breastfeeding hack Coco top

Denim skirt

Undies

Captain jacket (not in shot)

Dolores wears: mum-made dribble bib

Day 31:

Me-mades:

Modcloth ripoff striped T-shirt remake

Mustard trousers 

Undies

Captain jacket (not in shot)

The End! 

Thanks so much for all your lovely comments throughout this year's challenge. I'll be writing my summary of the MMMay'14 experience in a couple of days. I'd love to hear how you found the challenge if you took part.

Me-Made-May'14: Days 20 - 25

Day 20:

Me-mades:

Modcloth ripoff striped T-shirt remake

Nautical palazzo pants

Undies

Day 21:

Me-mades:

Breton top

School Boy trousers

Undies

Dolores wears: mum-made dribble bib

Day 22:

Me-mades:

Magpie batwing top

Denim skirt

Vest and undies

Captain jacket (not in shot)

Day 23:

Me-mades:

Nautical palazzo pants

Vest and undies

Second hand cardi worn as top

Captain jacket (not in shot)

Dolores wears: mum-made leopard print trousers

Day 24:

Me-mades:

Black batwing top

School Boy trousers

Undies

Second hand cardi as per my pledge

Day 25:

Me-mades:

Breton top

Nautical palazzo pants

Vest and undies

Second hand cardi as per my pledge

Dolores wears: mum-made dribble bib

Me-Made-May'14: Days 14 - 19

Day 14:

Me-mades:

Black batwing top

Back leggings (too worn out to wear outside the house!)

Vest and undies

Customised cardi which I plan to blog about soon

Dolores wears: mum-made leopard print trousers

Day 15:

Me-mades:

Breton top

Nautical palazzo pants

Vest and undies

Same customised cardi as the previous day

Captain jacket (not in shot)

Day 16:

Me-mades:

Ceylon dress

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when I went out

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

Day 17

Me-mades:

Bird print jersey top not interesting enough to blog about 

School Boy trousers

Vest and undies

Captain jacket (not in shot)

Dolores wears: mum-made leopard print trousers

Day 18:

Me-mades:

Breton top

Denim skirt

Vest and undies

Day 19:

Me-mades:

Bustier line t-shirt

Ruby shorts

Undies

Dolores wears: mum-made dribble bib

MMMay'14 Vintage Pattern Giveaway with The Polished Button

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING***

The weekly #MMMay14 celebration giveaway continue.... Like last week's giveaway, this one is open to everyone, not just participants of the challenge.

So we are half way through MMMay'14 now, have you discovered some holes in your self-stitched wardrobe that could be filled with the help of a lovely vintage sewing pattern? Even if you're not taking part in the challenge this year, which pattern would help you make something special that perhaps you'd like to show off during MMMay'15? ;-)

The Prize:

Your choice of vintage sewing pattern from the amazing inventory at The Polished Button. What's not to like about that?!

How to Enter:

Go to the Patterns section of The Polished Button's website and find a pattern you'd like to own. Leave a comment on this post including the link to the pattern you've chosen, why you've chosen it (because I'm nosey!) plus your email address if I can't find it within a couple of mouse clicks. Email addresses will only be used to contact you if you are the lucky winner of this giveaway. Leave your comment before midnight GMT on Thursday 22nd May. The following day I'll pick a winner by random number generator and contact the lucky individual who will receive their pattern completely free of charge.

Me-Made-May'14: Days 8 - 13

So we're half way through MMMay'14 now. If you're taking part, how's your challenge going? Are you finding illuminating? Surprising? Too easy? A struggle? If you are finding that your personal challenge is the latter (actually even if you're not), you should check out this awesome, thoughtful and timely post by Jen of Jennifer Lauren Vintage on how to make the most of your handmade wardrobe.

In the meantime, here's some more pics of me with no makeup, just what you've been waiting for...

Day 8:

Me-mades:

Breton top

School Boy trousers

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when I went out

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

Dolores wears: mum-made dribble bib

Day 9:

Me-mades:

Breton top

Skirtain

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when I went out

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

Dolores wears: mum-made leopard print trousers

Day 10:

Me-mades:

Ceylon dress

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when I went out

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

Dolores wears: mum-made dribble bib

Day 11, hanging with the legend that is Miss Demeanour:

Me-mades:

Leopard print batwing top

School Boy trousers

Vest and undies

Captain jacket (not in shot)

Day 12:

Me-mades:

Mariner T-shirt

School Boy trousers

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when I went out

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

Day 13:

Me-mades:

Breton top

Nautical palazzo pants

Vest and undies

Captain jacket (not in shot)

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

Dolores wears: mum-made dribble bib

MMMay'14 Sewing Pattern Giveaway with Indie Stitches

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING***

I am very excited to announce the second weekly giveaway celebrating Me-Made-May'14! This week's giveaway is open to everyone, not just #MMMay'14 participants, and you can win a sewing pattern of your choice from Indie Stitches. The giveaway is hosted here on Jen's blog so head over there for full details.

Oh and I know you were just about to ask me, 'Zoe, what independent sewing pattern company's pattern would you choose, if you were allowed to enter?'. On a self-less tip, I'd go for the Jedediah Pants by Thread Theory to make for Mr So, Zo (AKA Pat). He's recently got into creating himself a new look and has even set himself up a Pinterest board to help him harvest ideas (!), and I think this pattern would fit the bill.

Me-Made-May'14: Days 1 - 7

And so the accountability commences...! I'm not going to make lots of comments under each outfit this year. I think it'll make more sense to summarise my findings at the end of the month. Only one week in and I've already figured out lots of things though, the main one being that this year is the hardest I've ever found this challenge. Anyway...

Day 1:

Me-mades:

Breton top

Nautical Palazzo pants

Vest and undies (you'll have to trust me)

Captain jacket when I went out

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

Dolores wears: mum-made dribble bib

Day 2:

Me-mades:

Magpie batwing top

School Boy trousers

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when I went out

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

The empty cocktail glass (which didn't remain empty for long!) is part of this year's flickr group's Friday photo themes. FYI. 

Day 3:

Me-mades:

Breton top

Denim skirt

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when I went out

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

Dolores wears: mum-made dribble bib

Day 4:

Me-mades:

Pussy bow blouse

Nautical Palazzo pants

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when I went out

Day 5:

Me-mades:

Bustier line t-shirt

School Boy trousers

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when it got colder

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

Day 6:

Me-mades:

Swallow applique sweatshirt

School Boy trousers

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when I went out

Day 7:

Me-mades:

Bird print jersey top (not interesting enough to blog about)

Nautical Palazzo pants

Vest and undies

Captain jacket when I went out

Second hand cardi, as per my pledge 

Dolores wears: mum-made leopard print trousers

Spring/Summer Sewing Strategies

(image source: Sewionista)

A month or so ago I was emailing with Jen about ideas for posts that might be useful or interesting for Me-Made-May'14 participants to read during the challenge. An awesome idea Jen came up with was writing about creating clothing for the seasons we are coming into as May descends in our corners of the globe. You can read Jen's fascinating take on creating clothing for Autumn/Winter in the Southern Hemisphere here. Which left me thinking about the weather we currently have here in the Northern Hemisphere and how best to fill our wardrobes with suitable clothing...

I swiftly realised that that is just too big a topic to cover! The Mays I enjoyed whilst living in Barcelona for example, are no doubt entirely different to the Mays going on in Canada, for example. So I thought it would be interesting to throw the question out to various points of the Northern Hemisphere's blogosphere: 'How do you approach clothing to make and wear for around this time of the year?'. Just to clarify that despite the title of this post, I'm of course not just talking about sewing, I just can't resist a bit of alliteration. 

(image source: Roobeedoo)

Ruth in Scotland (pictured above):

"Spring (or Summer) in Northern Scotland can sometimes feel more like a Southern English winter. Just the other day (end of April) I was walking along thinking "This feels like a Brixton February morning: frosty, with the sun fighting to get through the fog". As a result, I sew heaps of optimisitic sleeveless or short-sleeved tops in bright cottons... and then have to pile on layers of wool to keep warm. 

Despite an addiction to knitting, I suffer from a severe shortage of work-appropriate handknit cardigans. Every me-made month I come to the same conclusion: I need to knit more full-sized woolies instead of heaps of socks and scarves. So a garment I expect to wear a lot this May is my handknitted Audrey in Unst cardigan. It is made out of locally-spun wool knitted at a fine gauge. It has enough structure to look smart for work, but left unbuttoned it appears quite relaxed. It goes with everything! But that doesn't let me off the hook - I really really need to buckle down to knitting another!"

(image source: Stale Bread into French Toast)

Tasha in USA (pictured above):

"If I had to pick a theme for dressing in May, it would be versatility, which to me means layers. I usually spend a lot of the month traveling around the US, selling my husband’s photography, visiting friends and camping out in various cities and parks, and with my wardrobe limited by what will fit in our truck (read more about our life on the road here). I feel like adding travel just adds another level of unpredictability to what is already a transitional time with a lot of varied weather. My strategy for what to make and wear for all of this is what I learned growing up in the mountain Southwest, where temps vary hugely from day to night: dress in layers. I have several lightweight tops, a couple of sweaters and a soft jacket that I can wear all together under my rain jacket if it’s really cold, or in various other combinations. One of my goals for MMM’14 is to knit a light cardigan to replace one that’s been a staple of my layering for many years! 

The undisputed most-worn garment of my MMM’13 was my purple corduroys. Last year, we had more cool and rainy days in May than usual, and I wore these pants/trousers all the time. I think a good pair of pants is essential for transitional weather, they work for warmer and cooler days (with different tops of course) and even with long johns underneath if it’s cold. I now have a new pair of me-made trousers, which I expect to get a lot of wear this May!"

(image source: Dedal, Aguja E Hilo)

Mari in Northern Spain (pictured above): 

"As soon as you asked me to talk about an essential garment for Spring I didn't thought about a dress or a jacket, I thought in an accessory, a foulard. Weather in Barcelona on May can be unpredictable and a foulard is a good choice, it is an elegant accessory. It warms my neck in the early morning or I cover my shoulders if the air conditioner is too high. I have a good foulard collection but this one is my favourite, it's silk and I painted it ten years ago, I still love it."

(image source: Sewionista)

Julia in Germany (pictured above and at top of post):

"Here in Southern Germany, Bavaria to be exact, May can be kind of unpredictable. Last year was very cold and rainy, this year it will probably be very warm if April is an indicator. In addition, the temperature shifts a lot during the day. Mornings and evenings are still quite cold while it might already be summery during the day. So it is necessary here to wear layers most days that work for walking to work in the morning as well as sitting in the warm office during the day. Since it is often still too cold for bare legs, my usual outfit consists of pants, T-shirt/top and a light jacket or blazer. After the long winter I'm always really sick of dark colours and thus I tend to go for light/pastel colours during this time. I also noticed that I really gravitate towards floral prints once it gets warmer. Pieces I have worn a lot last spring/summer were these floral pants and this white jacket. The colours and print of the pants put me instantly in a good mood and they work well with differents tops. The jacket is made from cotton and unlined, which makes it perfect for spring/summer and in white it fits into every spring/summer outfit. I also really like this type of short jacket/blazer because it can be combined with pants as well as with skirts and dresses. 

When I plan a new wardrobe for a new season, it helps me to create a Polyvore-board of my sewing plan. This prevents me from getting distracted or sidetracked which normally happens a lot with all the great inspiration on the blogosphere. It is important for me that the pieces on my sewing plan complete my already existing wardrobe and can be combined with each other. They also have to fit my life and style, which is mostly casual as I don't have to follow any dress code at work."

(image source: Aventuras de Costuras)

Merche in Southern Spain (pictured above): 

"Where I live, in the South of Spain, Spring is almost non-existent. That means you go from wearing your coat one day and in a week's time you'll be dressed in your summer clothes. That usually happens in the middle of May. Up in the North is a complete different thing: you always, always need a light cardigan or a jacket to have around when the night falls. One garment that I made and find very useful and wearable during this Spring-Summer period is a maxi dress I wore on many occasions. I think that due to the neutral colours and the shape of it, it can easily go from formal with high heels and a shiny bolero as I wore it to a wedding, to more hippy-like style with a denim jacket and flip-flops. It is, quite frankly the most worn item in my summer wardrobe!"

(image source: The Sewing and Life Adventures of Emerald Erin)

Erin in Canada (pictured above):

"My strategy for the springtime is definitely layers! I'm all about layering clothes so you're always prepared to keep up with temperature changes through the day. For me this means it's time to make scarfs in spring colours (crochet or fabric), and it's time to make light jackets and light shirts to go under the jackets. Then, when the really hot weather comes along, you can ditch your scarf and jacket and have a nice light top.

A light jacket that I have been living in recently is my Islander Sewing System denim jacket- I've been wearing it with sweaters and long sleeves right now, but I predict that I will be wearing it constantly with t-shirts and tank tops underneath, and lighter scarves! - http://emeralderin.blogspot.ca/2014/04/my-first-me-made-may-mmmay14.html - and I think this is a really great example of what I will be wearing this May, and it includes my jacket, which I know will be my go-to piece!"

And myself? I agree with the layerettes, it's all about the layers for me. Looking back at previous MMMay's, I have to say it's my Captain Jacket that has proven the most used and the most useful. If I remember correctly it was something of a faff to make, but in terms of the ratio of 'hours to make : hours worn' (yes, that's a thing) it was totally worth it.