I’ve been doing Me Made May since 2013 (before I was even on Instagram!) and I’ve enjoyed it every year. I love getting to see how people wear their handmade clothing. And now that I’ve started designing patterns, I also get to see how people wear things made with my patterns. It adds a whole new dimension to the month.
Because I’ve been sewing garments for literally decades now, it’s not at all hard for me to wear something that I’ve made everyday. I usually am wearing something that I’ve made. Often, my entire outfit is me made. So, a goal for MMM did not feel as obvious to me. As May 1 approached, I considered what I could do that would be a fruitful challenge for me. I needed something that would keep my interest and hopefully teach me something too.
So, I looked back at my photos from previous years. (Previous MMM blog posts: 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. No recap for 2018.) I couldn’t help feeling that my outfits used to be more fun. More colorful and creative. I decided that my goal would be to have more fun with my outfits. Most days it was fun to wake up and be challenged with having fun. (By the way, I’m an enneagram type 7 so a challenge to have fun is perfect for me.) As the month went on, I did tire of the challenge; especially on days when I was just going to be working at home and wanted to be as comfortable as possible.
Looking back at past years, I think I am wearing fewer colorful things but it’s not super drastic. I’m living in a slightly cooler climate than the first few years I participated and that does limit my wardrobe choices. My summer dresses are just the most fun things in my wardrobe. I guess a takeaway for me is that I should consider incorporating more color into my wardrobe. I did buy a bunch of colorful fabric recently so that will certainly help.
I did try to wear different things everyday which wasn’t challenging because I have a lot of clothes. That did push me to wear things that I haven’t worn in a while and reminded me how much I loved them. In past years, I’ve changed up my accessories more often than I did this year. I’m a little more streamlined now carrying the same purse everyday (this one from Lo & Sons) and wearing the same shoes a lot. It really wasn’t warm enough this month for sandals so I stuck with flats or sneakers.
As far as actual garments, I really have something me-made in every category except for slim fit or skinny pants. Part of my Make Nine list this year includes the Ginger Jeans and I have grey stretch denim. So, this will be the year that I finally make the Gingers. I feel like everybody else has already made them a gajillion times so it’s high time that I tried the pattern myself.
I kind of wish I had had a bigger realization than “oh I need more jeans” but alas. It is what it is. I think about clothing all the time. And I make tons of things so it shouldn’t be a surprise that my wardrobe is packed with the things that I wear often. And things that I am happy to be wearing. So, I will continue doing as I have been. Sewing things I’m excited to try and using fabric from my stash.
