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MeMadeMay is done, friends! Did you take part? Did you learn new things about your wardrobe and/or your sewing practice? The Sew News staff each took part in our own ways. Read more about the challenge our goals here, then read below for how things went and what we each learned through the month-long experience.
To be honest this Me Made May wasn’t as productive as last year. I barely took any photos this year, started a few things and crashed and burned on them (i.e. didn’t bother finishing them). Wasn’t online very much to see what others had done. Funny enough my most productive time was the final weekend in May, Memorial Day weekend. I had time to sew, enjoyed what I was sewing and really had some great sewing mojo going on. I still wore a lot of Me Mades but in general just didn’t show it off this year.
Lessons learned? The vagaries of life ( and mood) tend to get in the way of my sewing. So, I just need to sew when I can and not get bogged down with self imposed hyper expectations.
Here’s some of my favorite things I worked on in May (most done on that last weekend!)
- Drafted a basic woven V neck tank.
- Worked on a silk blouse
- Fixed a pair of pants that I was about to give up on
- Did some fixing of summer garments
- Organized my summer fabric collection
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Put in tile in my sewing studio
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Quilted a king size quilt!
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Saved a me made dress from the charity bin
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Refashioned an old jean shirt into a cute crop top.
Ellen March (@elnmarch)
#MMM2018 helped me to consciously wear things I’ve made and pull some things out of hiding from the depths of my closet. Plus, it definitely accelerated my sewing plans for summer! I was super motivated at the start of the month and made two pairs of cropped pants (Hudson Pants & Emerson Crop Pants by True Bias), a knit Hemlock Tee by Grainline Studio, a knit racerback dress (Christine Haynes Rumi Tank Dress) and a matching toddler dress for my girls using the leftover fabric. I bought more fabric than I used, so will take the momentum into June to finish a jersey maxi skirt, Women’s Pony Tank dress by Chalk and Notch and a pair of Emerson Crop shorts using some Robert Kaufman Essex linen. I’m not sure my closet can hold much more until fall!
My goal for the month was to pair me-made separates and sew a few basics and goal accomplished. I sewed four basic t-shirt tops (two woven and two knit), plus three simple surprise projects with prints (because I got sick of all my solids): Ninni Culottes from Named Clothing, a hacked Cleo Skirt from Made by Rae and a Pony Tank Dress from Chalk & Notch. Plus, I hemmed three shirts. I’ve realized that my formula has changed from lower rise skinny jean/longer top to many more high-waisted styles. I haven’t been wearing my longer woven tops, and I think that’s why.
I did mostly manage to document the month (I skipped a few days) and did an okay job wearing me-made separates together – though I definitely wore more ready-to-wear later in the month. I did a little more planning than I usually do but came up with some last-minute combos that I liked.
A couple of take-aways! Color-wise, I did wear a lot of black and definitely more solids than prints. I thought I had a lot more green…I’m hoping to remedy that soon. I do have a surprising number of red/rust pieces – I thought I didn’t like that color! And new this year, I traveled for part of May! It was kind of awesome to travel handmade – and hang out with my mom in me-mades (she’s wearing the Emerson Crop Pants I made her!). Also, I have a lot of summer clothes – I think a purge is in order. How many wide-leg elastic-waist pants is too many? Asking for a friend….
Kate Zaynard
MeMadeMay was a lot easier for me this year — I have more MeMade garments now and the weather was warmer, so I didn’t have to struggle to find warm enough clothes while sticking to my goal. The main thing I learned is when choosing fabrics that are outside my normal style, I need to remember to consider what I can wear with the garment I’ll be making. This came from making a pair of pants from a fun printed fabric, only to realize I had basically no solid colored shirts to wear with them, nor any print shirts that wouldn’t clash horribly. Luckily I was able to whip off a series of tank tops to solve the problem. But I won’t make that mistake again!
Bonus tip I learned over Memorial Day weekend: A Pony Tank Dress from Chalk & Notch in a stable knit and sturdy fiber (such as a cotton/poly interlock knit) makes a cute, comfy dress that doubles as a fantastic swim cover-up!
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