Me Made May Recap

First, I just wanna say that #mmmay15 was so much fun, and transformed my instragram experience for the better. Why is everyone so positive? And thank you all for being so positive. When women the world over put themselves out there with different ages, body types, and sewing skill levels you'd think problems could arise. But I have never seen anything but supportive and constructive comments. I'm not gonna question the good karma (and good manners) of the online sewing community, I'm just gonna send out my own good vibes in return.

For me making is seasonal. In the summer, I garden because I can, and there is plenty of opportunity to involve the kids. When the kids go back to school in the fall I fill the void left by fresh air and sunshine with knitting. It's cozy and sedentary and exactly how I feel when the light wanes. After the holidays, I'm ready to shake off the blah of winter and tend toward the more active pursuit of sewing. My sewing season is coming to an end, and it's fitting that MMM should fall in a month where I am taking stock of that portion of the year.

When I look at these Me Made May posts, I am thrilled with the quantity, and wearability (not a single ball gown!?), but I still view this output as a work in progress. It's the blessing and the curse of making your own clothing that it all could be just right. One more tweak and that tank would brush my hips with just the right amount of ease. One more muslin and that cinched at the waist dress would have just the right amount of volume. One more tweak and you wouldn't be able to read my bra label through that bodysuit. The photos all look so complete, but in my mind I'm lining up the next iteration of my handmade wardrobe with a few changes. Changes that will take me one step closer to handmade nirvana, where no elastics still hang from the casing, and everything fits like a glove.

Realistically, little of my to-do list will be accomplished over the summer. But I've made fabric orders and lined up patterns with post-its of alterations so when I have a spare minute I don't waste it trying to remember where I left off. A few of my goals for the year are better fit, better finish, not necessarily more clothing, but clothing I wouldn't hesitate to wear wrong side out. Clothing I don't feel the need to apologize for when given a compliment (nasty habit). Clothing that is truly better than it's manufactured counterpart.

My MMM pledge was to wear a me made 5 days a week. I beat that by wearing me mades all but 3 days (not all redundant outfit are shown) of the month. I made a little mental challenge to make one new thing a week in May, fearing that I would run out of clothes by the middle of the month (not actually a problem). My May makes were the Morris Blazer, Nettie Bodysuit, Nina Culottes, and the Vintage May dress.

Now that I've got my warm weather wardrobe down to a science, I can't be bothered to sift through the rest of my summer clothes. Might just cycle through these outfits the rest of the summer...