Can you see me get progressively more tired?
You might have spotted that I stopped posting for Me Made May. I managed to post 21 days in a row on instagram, and I shared weeks 1 and 2 on the blog so I partially met the goals I had set for myself but if I were to be completely honest, week 3 of Me Made May is where it all began to go wrong.
Wearing me-mades on a daily basis is a pretty normal thing for me nowadays so I had no problems with this part of my pledge (apart from some outfit repeats) but taking daily photos has been a really tough challenge for me. More difficult than anticipated, which is why I’d made it part of my pledge… I know lots of people chose to share outfit posts for Me Made May as flat lays but I decided not to do this as taking outfit photos was going to be the bigger challenge for me and I was not wrong. As well as using the challenge as a way of exploring my wardrobe, I wanted to use Me Made May as an excuse to make an effort to look a bit more presentable than I normally would and whilst that was a refreshing change from my normal ‘chuck on what is clean and hope for the best’ approach, the selfie-taking has made me feel quite low and self-conscious about my body as it is right now. I’ve made no secret of my body image struggles and although I never photoshop my photos, although I’m partial to a good instagram filter for colour correction, like most people I do tend to share the photos where I feel I look ok – the good lighting, the flattering angles etc. I found that when I was taking the daily photos I had to consciously make an effort to not care quite so much about what I look like and although I’ve found this month quite difficult, I have been pleasantly surprised that I actually can manage a decent on the spot selfie!
Now this is not a pity post because although emotionally it’s had some unexpected consequences, my first Me Made May has actually been a really helpful tool for addressing my wardrobe requirements and I have learned (and in some cases reconfirmed) a few things about my clothes! I’ll post my outfits for week 3 at the bottom as I have done for the last 2 weeks though, just to keep a record but the repeats did start then!
All this posting and soul searching has helped me identify some wardrobe gaps I’d like to fill:
- underwear. I have one pair of handmade knickers (edit: and multiple RTW ones) and I’d quite like a few more! Making a bra is one of my Make Nine for this year so hopefully I can make a couple of nice sets
- trousers. I mentioned this in week 1 and if possible a couple of pairs of jeans and a more casual chino type trouser would be useful additions to my wardrobe
- cardigans. I love layering and it would be useful to have a few more cardis in different colours to mix and match better
- workout tops. I have enough leggings to see me through but I would like a couple of loose fitting tops for running in
- jackets. Something like a denim jacket or even a neat little blazer would be nice to throw on over tops etc
If anyone has any great pattern suggestions for the list above, please let me know in the comments!!
After Me Made May
Moving on from this month, I would like to really knuckle down and starting working through the Curated Closet. That’s partly why I haven’t expanded extensively on what I hope to achieve with my wardrobe going forward. I am hoping that I can use the Curated Closet to help and I also plan on trying on every single garment I own and getting a bit Maria Kondo with it – if it doesn’t fit or doesn’t make me feel good, it’s out (unless it can be refashioned). This could take a whole day but I think in the interests of wardrobe science it will be worth the effort!
Jenny stitched this 
You look lovely in your Selfies . If you already wear your hand made clothes all the time anyway, I can see it would not be a very interesting challenge for you. It’s probably meant for somebody like me who makes quite a few things and then, for one reason or another, doesn’t tend to wear them.
As for pattern recommendations, I’ve made Sew Over It’s Ultimate Trousers which are quite a handy style to build your wardrobe. Ginger jeans seem to be the ones everybody raves over although I haven’t made them myself (yet).
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Oh I know what you mean about all the selfies – it takes perseverance for me too to get to the end of the month. Pattern recommendations – I love my Muse Jenna cardigan – I’ve only made one and should make more, but it gets a ton of wear. Has lots of different variations too; different sleeve and body lengths.
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