'I, Rosemary of http://stitchontheline.blogspot.co.uk, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '17. I will endeavour to wear one me-made item each day including weekends for the duration of May 2017 and to make my first pair of jeans'
So - How did it go? Well, I did managed to wear at least one Me-Made item each day for the whole month, I didn't repeat many and on a few days I wore more than one. It was a challenge. Sometimes I felt really positive and at other times I wondered why I had put myself under so much pressure, especially when things got very busy. My husband was great, taking photos without complaining even when I didn't like the results and we had to do them over again. There were a few days when I cheated a bit and used a photo from my blog instead of taking a new one, but I can assure you that I did wear the outfit.
Here is a selection of some of my favourites
Successes
Looking back, I am pleased that I managed to wear something a bit different every day for a whole month. If you would like to take a look you can find week one here, week two here, week three here, week four here and the last three days in week 5 here . I needed to use a bit more imagination when I was getting dressed in the morning and this led to me getting out some old friends that I hadn't worn for some time, like this blue sparkly dress, which had been in my wardrobe and been overlooked for ages.
I saw myself in some outfits that I don't think I will wear again... And I learnt the importance of wearing the right underwear! This outfit reminds me so much of the Teletubbiess houses and I shall be careful not to wear a t-shirt bra under a jumper again
I really enjoyed looking at everyone else's makes and my head is buzzing with plans for things I would like to sew. I am not new to sewing but I am new to blogging and I feel like a child in a sweet shop. Every day I find a new blog that I like and I pour over the lovely things that I see there. I currently have three outfits cut out but not finished. (I am not sure whether this is progress. I will have to keep an eye on it because I could get carried away!)
First is a real summer dress in soft jersey that is nearly finished; apart from the zip and hem. Taking part in Me Made May showed me that I don't have any classic dresses with a full skirt so I am having a go at this Cynthia Rowley pattern, which seems to be very popular with other bloggers.
Second is a blouse which I have made before here. It is a vintage Woman's Realm pattern and I have chosen the version with the 3/4 length flutter sleeves because they seem to be back in fashion right now.
My third project is this shirt dress.
I have never used a Threadcount pattern before and haven't found many reviews for these patterns, which came free with Love Sewing magazine. The pieces are all cut out and ready to go but I haven't sewn the first stitch yet. I will let you know how I get on but I have a lot of work ahead of me so I may not get this one finished for some time.
I have confirmed that I like dresses. I make a lot of dresses because they are good for work and are quite expensive to buy. My work dresses get a lot of wear but I usually had a current favourite that I wear all the time. This month it would have been the pink flowery dress but this challenge has made me wear a more varied selection.
My wardrobe has proved to be short of Me Made separates for the weekends. I struggled to find a variety of things to wear this month when I wasn't at work - but, I am not really short of t-shirts and jumpers, I just didn't make them myself. I have some lovely t-shirts from Australia that were presents from my sister and that I really enjoy wearing and some nice warm RTW jumpers. My first thought was that I needed to make some casual tops, but now I am reconsidering. Is this really necessary? Isn't it better to use what I have and not to make things that I don't really need. What do you think about this? Surely we should be using our sewing skills to help us to have a more sustainable lifestyle and not as an excuse to make more things than we need.
Failures
I challenged myself to make a pair of jeans before the end of the month. I have completely failed in this part of the challenge. I haven't even bought the fabric yet, although I have a pattern, McCalls 5894.
I set this part of the challenge for myself because of Zoe's encouragement for us to stretch ourselves and get the most out of our pledge. In April I didn't anticipate how busy I would be in May. I don't feel at all bad that I didn't manage the jeans. By the middle of the month I accepted that it just wasn't going to be possible and set aside that part of the challenge. I will make some jeans but just not now.
In summary
I have loved being part of Me Made May. I have made new connections with sewists all over the world. I want to say a big thank you to Zoe and to everyone who posted their garments so that I could be inspired by their makes and who had a look at what I made. A special thank you to everyone who left me a comment, these are so appreciated.
Happy sewing....
Rosemary
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