Well, despite not managing to post updates in the last ten days or so of Me Made May, I did manage to complete the month. I smashed my target – I had pledged to wear me-made five days a week but actually wore handmade clothes for all but one day of the month. And that was a much-needed pyjama day so I am not begrudging myself breaking the streak. My interest in taking photos waned a bit towards the end of the month (and of course, taking photos is not the point), so here is your slightly depleted final installment of bad photography and awkward poses!
Day 19: My Tilly and the Buttons Arielle skirt. Still love this one, though the lining does twist about a lot when I have a rucksack on my back. Not much I can do about that one, though!
Day 20: A long day at work and at Guides in my blue Colette Zinnia meant that all I wanted to do was get my feet up and have a glass of wine. That’s Chris in the background blocking the telly.
Day 21: If I look bedraggled in this one, it’s because we got caught in a downpour in Dublin. This is my second rayon Mathilde blouse.
Day 22: Feet up in my Margot pyjamas – made ages ago but unblogged.
Day 25: Not the best view of it, but here I am at the Book of Mormon in my gingham Grace dress. Enjoyed the show – not the best I’ve seen but still pretty funny with some catchy tunes. Top tip: don’t go if you’re easily offended.
Day 26: Believe me when I tell you that this is my bird print Scout. I’m at a Prince tribute night on ice at Alexandra Palace here and the lighting was not playing ball. It was good fun, though – basically like the roller discos you went to as a child but with better music. My name is Jo. And I am funky.
Day 29: And another unflattering photo of my zigzag Scout! I swear this one looks better in real life. Chris and I were on a walk in Oxshott woods, hence the greenery.
Day 31: Cheesy grin because I made it to the end! This is my blue Zinnia again, which I think is possibly my most worn me-made of the month (three times I think?). Hardly surprising though – it’s probably my favourite project this year.
So now that May is over, what have I learned? Well, as I said at the halfway point, I feel like I am sorely lacking in colour in my handmade wardrobe. It’s either blue (who am I kidding, it’s mostly blue), white or black. It’s summer now; I need more colour in my life! It doesn’t help that a lot of the fabric in my stash is blue. I’m relaxing my stash diet for the summer months so I can sew colours that suit the season and I’ve already got a few things planned that are a bit brighter.
Speaking of summer, I spent the month hoping that it wouldn’t be too warm as I would have struggled to find clothes suitable for work in hot weather. It would have been one long parade of Scouts for the whole month (it’s Me Made May, not One Week One Pattern). Light and airy workwear is on the cards for the future.
There are a few patterns that I’d like to revisit because I still like them, but I reckon I could do a better job with the fit. For example, my Mortmain has all sorts of problems in the bodice that could probably be solved with an FBA, and my Mathildes are ace, but again the darts are a bit high.
Last year I found that I wore mostly separates during Me Made May, whereas this year a few more dresses have crept in. That’s cool – I’ve made a few since January and I’m really enjoying wearing them.
It’s been quite an enlightening month for me and I’ve really enjoyed seeing what other people have been making/wearing both on the blogs and Instagram. Lots of inspiration on offer (e.g. have you seen Hila of Saturday Night Stitch‘s Instagram feed? AWESOME) so I’ve finished May wanting to sew all the things. I should really get a handle on what I want to sew and how it fits into my wardrobe – I’ve got a reasonably clear idea of what I want to do over summer, but before I make a start on my A/W2016 collection (ha!) I want to have a go at the Wardrobe Architect series. Maybe I’ll find out even more?
Stuff Jo Has Made 