Thoughts on Me Made May

Some of you may have noticed that I have been somewhat silent during Me Made May – doesn’t take much guess work to realise I just didn’t take part.

I first became aware of Me Made May last year, around the time I started my blog and started discovering more sewcialists online, but as I was only just regaining my sew-jo after a long absence away from the sewing machine, I knew I literally did not have enough clothes to participate without wearing the same thing every day. Wind forward to 2016 and I once again chose not to participate as I still don’t have enough me-mades to wear.

However, I did observe from the sidelines, and whilst being massively impressed at peoples amazing hand made outfits, it has made me start to evaluate where the gaps are in my own wardrobe.

You may remember that about 6 months ago I wrote a post about my sewing goals for the year ahead, which contained a list of the patterns I would like to make over 2016. As it turns out, I have made exactly zero so far. (One of my other goals in the post was to lose some weight but that hasn’t really happened either, shhhh….)

However my sewing goals for the remainder of the year are more or less the same – my focus is still on making separates, although the Seamwork Adelaide has now crept onto my list to make over the summer! Hayden’s Negroni shirt is still top of the sewing pile as he has been waiting since Christmas, but over the next few months I will have plenty of sewing time to catch up on some selfish sewing!

I am hopeful that next year I will be able to participate in Me Made May (if it runs again) – I really loved seeing how much thought people had put into the challenge as well as how the clothes that they make work with other pieces in their wardrobes. I’m never going to be a capsule wardrobe kind of girl but I do want to reduce how many clothes I own to more accurately reflect what I actually wear. It is so tempting to get caught up in the whirlwind on social media when a shiny new pattern is released, but as I get  older (maybe even a little wiser?) I have realised that not all that is new will suit me, so I hope that this year is the year I really get to know what shapes do and don’t work on my frame. And if I do shift a few pounds along the way, then there’s an added bonus! But for now, I’m off to drink a bucket of sweet tea, rewatch the last episode of the Great British Sewing Bee and buy some beautiful cotton-linen blend for Hayden’s shirt. Might even tackle some unpicking…Probably not though…