Me Made May Kickoff...
Me Made May 2018 is off to a great start on Instagram. There are lots of tags to follow.
#mmm18
#memademay
#memademay2018
#mmmay18
...and many more variations. Some photos are repeated on all of them... but others are unique... so it's fun to poke around and discover new tags and new photos. I've already started to follow some new makers with amazing makes and style. I'm sure before the month is out, there will be lots more!
I think the community aspect of MMM is my favorite thing - I always see a ton of new patterns I want try and get very inspired by all the makes and styles of me-mades out there. I totally re-organized my pattern Pinterest Board to better capture & organize all the great patterns I'm seeing. Yay for the section feature - I love it!
This year, I decided to do MMM to push myself, since I am just getting back into making clothes for myself after a very hectic year last year. My style and size have changed, so I don't have a lot to fall back on from past years. I'll be wearing a lot of repeats and my old favorite New Look 6305 pattern hacks.
I'm realizing that the Tina Givens Madeline Slip is also a new favorite - I'm wearing a patchwork version today and I wore the brick red cotton sateen sheet version yesterday. So 4 days and two patterns... and I'll probably wear a third New Look dress to work tomorrow!
Even before the first week is through, it's clear that I am missing work basics. I've been making lots of fun Mori-inspired frivolities + Dottie Angel smocks, which are great fun to wear on the weekends & evenings... but my work clothes at the moment are more RTW thrifted things...
That's not bad, necessarily - but another great thing about MMM besides the camaraderie and inspiration, is that you get a chance to learn about what's missing in your wardrobe. For me, I need to re-make some basics.
Here's what I'm craving right now - hoping before the month is out, I may add some of these missing pieces and once it is over - I'll have more direction for finishing out the Make 9 challenge the rest of this year.
A basic black dress (or three!) for work and easily looking put-together.
I'm thinking a New Look 6305 hack short-sleeve, middie length and an Anabelle Slip (on my make nine list, but no muslin done yet... and the Tina Givens patterns definitely need a muslin or two to perfect.)
I've got some nice black rayon that would be good for the New Look. Keeping my eyes open for a good fabric for the Anabelle. I'd love black linen or cotton lawn.
More basic dresses that can be paired with a cardigan and worn to work.
Sage brocade Madeline middie length with little ruffle at hem.
Brick Red New Look 6305 hack, short sleeve, drop waist, just below knee.
Chambray Dottie Angel frock in B length. (no frivolous pockets)
Something in burgundy dot chambray from my stash.
Basic gathered midi skirts.
Try the half elastic waist skirt tutorial.
A simple jacket/cardigan type pattern.
I saw someone share their make of this on instagram and fell in love: Decades of Style Three's a Charm Jacket. I'm imagining it in tapestry (I will make at least one tapestry thing before the end of this year - I swear it will be so!) and also basic black, possibly even a heavy low-stretch knit version too.
The dearth of work clothes has me thinking about my wardrobe in general. It's in a state of change. I got rid of many things when I moved and what was left that fit and I liked, was a really strange and not very functional group of garments.
I moved in the fall and over the winter, I bought new basic long sleeve tees and replaced all my worn-out or ill-fitting tights to round out my winter work wear and started sewing some new fun clothes. Now that spring is here, the gaps in my warm weather wardrobe are becoming clear - both work-wise and fun/casual/dress-up.
Here are some other thoughts.
Remake some old favorite me-mades that have seen better days.
- Chambray Dot Brumby skirt - skirt for a dress, w/dot + stripe patchwork Madeline bodice.
- Burgundy Denim Brumby skirt - into a pinafore with extra leftover fabric from that make.
- Black linen Veronika skirt - ???
Specifically, I need some black base dresses and black skirts of varied lengths for layering. I would also like some black lace tees and a black blouse or two - probably thrifted or upcycled.
Continue to expand, improve, and edit my Mori/Dolly Kei wardrobe.
More base dresses and varied lengths of layering skirts.
Higher-quality or more carefully made layering items - especially petticoats & slips.
Things that harmonize together.
A-line lacy tops, either refashion/upcycle or sewn.
More Tina Givens everything.
Something tapestry.
Some of the half-elastic waist skirts with Mori fabrics and styles too.
And a reflection on style. Me Made May is bringing me back to my own sense of style more . During the move and as I have gained weight and my some of favorite clothes stopped fitting... I just wore whatever was clean, easy, well-fitting, or practical for a while. I kind of lost sight of myself for a time. Swearing off Facebook and starting to spend more time on my Pinterest rekindled my love of Mori & brought be back to having a sense of dressing creatively - but it's not for me to be stuck with someone else's style rules... so I was starting to feel a little stressed about it and avoiding dressing up.
Since I have limited wardrobe choices for Me Made May this year, I'm forced to think outside the box and intuit my own style more. It feels good... feels like I'm coming back to myself and I like that.
May is off to a great start and I look forward to what the rest of the month brings.
Happy stitching, makers! <3
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