Me Made May 2018 Debrief!

Me Made May (henceforce known as MMM because I’m lazy) is over for this year! If you don’t know what MMM is, it’s a challenge started by Zoe at So, Zo, and you can read more about it here. It’s been going for nine years now, but last year was my first time participating. The basic idea behind the challenge is that you make a pledge based on where you’re at in your sewing journey and what you feel you need to push yourself. I’ve seen some people this year pledge to wear one thing a day that they made and the thing had to be made over a year ago, in order to force themselves to examine older makes and see if there was something that needed to change about them to enter into more regular rotation. Other people pledged to finish their first pair of jeans by the end of the month! Last year I pledged to wear something I’d made at least three days a week, which I managed to stick to. This year, I decided to pledge to wear something I’d made every day in May, and in order to keep myself on track I took daily photos (which Zoe emphasizes is NOT the point – doing it is the point, not documenting). Below are the photos, and I’ll give a brief explanation of each of my outfits as well as at the end I want to summarize what I noticed based on what I wore this month.

Week 1:

May 1. It was a bit chilly out, because Nova Scotia. So I wore my herringbone fleece Inari tee dress (pattern by Named) for coziness. The only thing I have to say as a downfall of this dress is that I find sometimes my arms can get chilly because I find the sleeves borderline too bulky to wear a cardigan, and then wearing a sweatshirt over a sweatshirt dress seems like SWEATSHIRT OVERLOAD.

May 2. There was a grade six orchestra workshop all day at work, and then a concert that evening featuring the workshop orchestra plus my intermediate bass quartet, plus my senior bass student playing a solo with me accompanying her, so I knew I’d be more on display to parents. I wore my black Essex Farrow, and it worked really well for the full day plus the concert! I find this dress is really easy to dress up or down, and comes across as put together even though it’s easy to just slip on.

May 3. This was my wearable muslin for my bridesmaid dress for my uncle’s wedding in August, and it’s so comfortable and fun to wear! It also doesn’t make me feel as dressed up/over-dressed as I anticipated, so that was a pleasant surprise.

May 4. It was a bit chilly again, so I pulled out my most recent (aka not that recent) pair of Ginger jeans. I made these with Cone Mills stretch denim that I got from the last batch of kits they did at Closet Case (the ones that sold out to newsletter subscribers before they even got offered to the public – people are aggressive about their Cone Mills!). I have been meaning for more than six months to take the waistband off of these and put a new one on in the size down, or maybe even two sizes down (easing the pants to fit the shorter waistband). Everything else fits great, I just find I have some space in the waistband that I would prefer not to have to mask behind a belt. I put them downstairs in my sewing zone so that I’m forced to visually confront my procrastination… On top is a Linden sweatshirt made with Liberty of London fleece. I haven’t blogged it yet, but it was a SAGA to finish this sweatshirt and I’ll definitely post about that in the future. I love it a LOT so it was definitely worth the struggle.

May 5. Deer & Doe released their spring/summer collection on April 26, and I immediately fell in love (as I think many others did!) with the Myosotis dress. I bought it and assembled the PDF right away and sewed up my version pretty quickly. For this one, I did a size 40 based on my measurements, but for the two other versions I made (which appear below) I sized down to a 38 and I think I need to remember that for future Deer & Doe makes. I wore this on a very warm day, and it was perfect and light-weight. I also got a lot of comments on it, which always feels nice. 🙂

May 6. I baked a big fancy cake with my friend Amanda on this day, so I wanted something comfy and casual and black because I didn’t want to have to be stressed about getting chocolate on something. I really like this Ebony dress; it’s super comfortable and goes with a lot of things. I did neglect to think about flour flying around while baking, so it turned out to not be as well-thought out as I planned, haha.

May 7. THIS WAS SUCH A HECTIC DAY. I was subbing for a violin teacher on top of teaching my normal classes, so I had six different grade 4-6 violin classes at three different elementary schools, plus intermediate bass and senior cello in the evening. I wore this Rushcutter dress because I find it’s great for playing cello – enough volume in the skirt area – and the giant pockets are great for keeping keys and bass rosin in while you’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off pretending to be competent at violin.

Week 2:

May 8. I had an eye appointment and a car maintenance appointment and taught one bass class today, and wore this horribly wrinkly Deer & Doe Aubepine dress because I was so tired after the previous day that I slept as late as humanly possible before flinging clothes on and sprinting out the door.

May 9. I made my second Myosotis dress the day before and then wore it to teach in the evening! I’d been hoarding this Nani Iro lawn for quite a while after I intended it to be a Darling Ranges dress and then muslined that and found it very un-me, but I think I found the perfect pattern for this fabric in the end.

May 10. In my continuing obsession, I made a THIRD Myosotis dress on the 9th out of this GLORIOUS Nani Iro double gauze, and then wore it to help out with my best friend’s mum’s business today. She’s a world-famous knitting designer, and her home office is one of the stops on a crafty cruise, so I helped with the cruisers getting patterns out of the file drawers and answering questions about the business and helping them pick yarn! As a thank you, I got to pick out a pattern and the yarn that goes with it, so there will hopefully be a double-knit scarf in my future.

May 11. Today I had a staff meeting and then helped a visiting string orchestra’s bassist (poor thing had never had a lesson with an actual bassist before!) and played cello in their afternoon concert. I wore my Zadie dress, which reminded me that I’d had to take it in almost 6 inches in the waist, and which also reminded me that I really wanted to make another one.

May 12. I think I wore a different outfit in the evening (also including me-mades), because I went to the symphony and taught a private lesson. But for the majority of this day I wore these very old (definitely 300+ wears) RTW jean shorts and a Tessuti Alice top out of Nani Iro double gauze. This shirt was one of the earlier things I sewed after quitting RTW 2-3 years ago, and it was the first time I’d sewn Nani Iro.

May 13. I went to see Mamma Mia with my mum, sister, and great-aunt today (hilariously ended up being on Mother’s Day, but the tickets were in fact a Christmas present FROM my mum). Before the play, my sister and I went to get giant bubble waffle cones and Jolly Rancher ice cream. This dress is a True Bias Southport dress, and I made it with Cotton+Steel/Rifle Paper Co. rayon, which is by far my favourite rayon substrate I’ve encountered so far.

May 14. I went hiking along the coast today, and this was one of the days where I definitely struggled and noticed a hole in my handmade wardrobe. It was relatively warm, but I needed layers for hiking near the ocean, and also didn’t want to get all sweaty on like, a button-up shirt or Ogden cami, or Nani Iro anything, so I put on this Willow tank. I have made three Willow tanks, and I have to say that I don’t really wear them. I thought of it as a great staple when I batch made them, but I don’t really think it’s my style in hindsight.

Week 3:

May 15. Today was a regular teaching day, and I wore this polyester jacquard knit Ebony dress. I find that I gravitate toward clothing than can easily be dressed up or down, and this definitely falls into that category. I’ve worn it with sneakers on regular days, or with black tights in a concert.

May 16. Today was the customer appreciation sale event at Patch, and there was an extra discount if you wore something made out of fabric bought at Patch. I wore my double gauze Myosotis dress for the second time since making it, and fellow customers were really into it!

May 17. Today, a friend came over to have a crafty evening, and she was so in love with the new jumpsuit I had made the previous day (which will appear later) that she wanted to make her own, so we went to Fabricville and got the linen/cotton (which was still 50% off!) she needed and so she spent the evening assembling the PDF and we pre-washed the fabric. I wore ooooold sweatpants, and a lengthened version of the cropped Ebony tee for maximum lounging comfort.

May 18. I had a professional development day today, and wore my newly made jumpsuit designed by In The Folds for Peppermint magazine (free pattern!). I was really happy to get the fabric 50% off, because it meant that the jumpsuit only cost around $40 for this much cotton/linen, when it could’ve been a lot more expensive. I LOVE this jumpsuit, and find it sooo comfortable. I got a lot of comments on it.

May 19. Today I drove down to the Etsy Made in Canada show in Mahone Bay with a friend, and wore this Charlie caftan in rayon from the first Rifle Paper Co./Cotton+Steel collection. I forgot that Rifle Paper Co. is super trendy and spent the whole day having craft vendors be like, “OMG IS THAT RIFLE PAPER CO” and raving about how their florals are the best ever. I also hit up my friend’s new vintage Canadiana/Americana store (focusing on rare and vintage denim!) in Lunenberg, and snagged a pair of 80s Wranglers.

May 20. Today was a very casual at-home day, and I wore my Cone Mills Ginger jeans again, as well as a herringbone fleece Linden sweatshirt (made from the same fabric as the Inari tee dress above).

May 21. Today was a regular teaching day, and I wore my double gauze Nani Iro Charlie caftan. The neon pink polka dots make me so happy!

Week 4:

May 22. I wore my maxi Southport dress to teach, and I love this rayon/cotton lawn from Cotton+Steel. I find it is less fiddly to sew with than 100% rayon, and still has the great lightweight feel and a good drape.

May 23. I made this In The Folds/Peppermint magazine (another free pattern!) peplum top with the leftovers from the dress I wore the day before. It was a SQUEEZE – I had to piece together the bias facing from scraps – but I’m glad I managed it because I wear it pretty frequently when it’s a little chillier out, with a cardigan. I had a dress rehearsal and taught a class today.

May 24. I ran errands and lounged around the house today, and pulled out this older Zinnia skirt I made with fabric from Cotton+Steel’s Boo Halloween collection. I wish it was a bit fuller, but I bought my fabric amount based on the pattern instructions, but then realized after that the fabric allowance was based on a dual directional print, and this print is unidirectional. Instead of the pleated skirt I intended I had to make a gathered skirt in order to prevent upside down teeth and candy. I do find it very comfortable, but it’s definitely on the casual side of the clothes I’ve made.

May 25. I wore my In The Folds jumpsuit again to help out with my sister’s table at a makers show.

May 26. I wore my Nani Iro lawn Myosotis dress again for the second day of helping with the makers show!

May 27. I made a second Zadie dress during this week, and this time I sized down two sizes and got a MUCH better fit. It’ll likely make an appearance on here in the future!

May 28. I wore my Cotton+Steel rayon skirt/pants (V8955) to the first day of the music festival I’m playing in currently, as well as to teach. These are so comfortable and flowy. This pattern is super under-appreciated on Instagram; basically no one has made it from what I can see in the tags. But I am here to tell you that it’s GLORIOUS. Definitely a fabric hog, but I have a full length black rayon version that I wear for concert dress, as well as two other Cotton+Steel rayon versions (not including these ones), and they’re just the best thing. They also have pockets. (Don’t be frightened by the teeny amount of boning in the waist, it doesn’t decrease the comfort factor at all.)

Week 5:

May 29. I wore my double gauze Myosotis dress again. I JUST LOVE IT. It makes me feel like a space princess. Not dissimilar to Princess Leia.

May 30. Another repeat – it was a hot day and this is one of the lightest/flowiest things I own.

May 31. Another hot day, and another repeat, back to my seersucker Myosotis dress to finish out the month. It really seems to have been the month of the Myosotis, haha. I also can’t lie, I have another chambray version in my queue.

In summary, I’m finding I gravitate more toward dresses now that the weather is getting warmer. I find dresses so easy to wear, because you just have to throw one garment on and maybe a cardigan; there’s not a lot of coordinating to do. I do think I have a need for more casual knit tops that can go with jeans and other pants or skirts, so I definitely want to make another Ebony tee, maybe a few Lark tees, as well as I have two Nettie bodysuits in my queue that I think will help with this hole. I also am feeling more ruthless about purging my wardrobe after this month, so I might have another pass at my closet. Finally, I’m interested to do a challenge like this in the winter or fall, because I think I have a lack of cold weather me-mades. At the very least, I think I need to make more basic warmer tights, because I tend to wear the exact same pair of RTW tights like six days a week in the winter in order to enable my dress-wearing urges. For next year, I’m thinking my pledge may be to have no repeats for the month, because I think that would challenge me. Did anyone else do Me Made May this year? What was your pledge?