Me-Made-May Summary

Number of outfits worn during Me-Made-May: 32
Number of complete Me-Made outfits: 18* (56%)
Number of Me-Made garments worn during May: 29
Top three most worn garments: Lessons Learnt skirt (5 wears), Namesake skirt (4 wears), Blueberry Sorbetto (3 wears)

*I’m not counting stockings or long-sleeved t-shirts here.

What have I learnt in Me-Made May 12?

Styling

I’ve learnt that an added belt makes a world of difference. I’ve been stuck in the mindset that the belt should be at the natural waist, but watching others I’ve learnt that it can go anywhere, quite preferably at the waistband. It has helped many of my garments look better on me, such as my Blueberry Sorbetto and Blouse with a Bow.

Colours

Last time around I expressed a desire for more neutrals which would be easier to match. This time I want more colours to spice things up. I need to work more on palettes and using colours that go together.

Dare

This is a point that often comes up with me. I tend to feel overdressed and I’d rather go down than feeling too out of place. But now I know that there’s a world of lovely sewists looking dashing every day and I can be one of them. I’m never overdressed in the world of sewing.

Forget what I’ve learnt
The biggest surprise was that I found that the Sorbetto actually works for me, to the degree that it ended up on the top three. I’ve listened too much to Trinny and Susannah and forgotten myself in the process. I should be inspired by the lovely sewists around the world and not feel trapped because of my body shape.

Most importantly: Have Fun!

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Me-Made-May days 22-27

Day 22

 What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
Another Belle -Skirt
Where was it worn?
The kiddo had an eye infection so I stayed home with him. It was a minor infection and he wasn’t sick at all, plus it’s slow at work, so we visited some playgrounds and just hung out.
How often is it worn and why?
The skirt is a great casual skirt. My problem is that I rarely know what to match it with.

Day 23

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
“The Azalea that wasn’t”-blouse and Exposed Zipper Skirt
Where was it worn?
To work
How often is it worn and why?
The skirt gets some wear. I like the idea of the blouse, but I’m not sure it’s the most flattering silhouette on me.

Day 24

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
Blueberry Sorbetto and Lessons Learnt Skirt
Where was it worn?
To work
How often is it worn and why?
Considering that the skirt is made from the lessons I learnt during last year’s Me-Made-June, it’s no wonder it gets a lot of wear. The Sorbetto wasn’t worn until Me-Made-May, but I’ve learnt how to style it better, I also found ways to improve it if I were to make another one.

Day 25

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
“Not a Maddy”-blouse and Denim Pencil Skirt (the necklace is handmade by my cousin)
Where was it worn?
To work
How often is it worn and why?
The skirt gets a lot of the. The blouse, while I like the idea and construction of it, I never feel completely comfortable in it.

Day 26

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
The Sookie Dress
Where was it worn?
A day in the garden.
How often is it worn and why?
Considering I finished the dress two days prior to this wear I can’t really say how much wear it gets.

Day 27

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
Star T-shirt
Where was it worn?
Forest playgroup.
How often is it worn and why?
Mostly just during Me-Made-Months. I did the sleeves at an weird length (elbow) and I never stitch the facings down. I should fix those things.

Me-Made-May days 18 to 21

Day 18:

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
Michelle, Ma Belle-skirt
Where was it worn?
Day at home with baking, making lemonade, doing yard work and having guests for coffee.
How often is it worn and why?
It’s a great casual skirt that probably doesn’t get as many wears as it deserves due to my lack of tops. I must make/find more tops that go with the stuff I have.

Day 19:

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
October top and “I don’t know”-top
Where was it worn?
A trip to the hardware store to buy a birthday gift for my sister and then grocery shopping.
How often is it worn and why?
The top is really exactly what I need, so perhaps I should make myself some more jersey tops. The shrug is not a perfect make, but it helped reduced the “naked feelig” I get from the top. So the top deserves more wear, the shrug is only ever worn for MM/SS challenges.

Day 20 – morning

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
National Day shorts
Where was it worn?
As can be deduced from the photo: gardening.
How often is it worn and why?
The shorts gets a lot of wear around the house, but they rarely leave our grounds (well, perhaps for walks in the forest).

Day 20 – afternoon

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
Unblogged blue dress
Where was it worn?
To my sister’s birthday party
How often is it worn and why?
Not a lot. In reality this dress should be a little too big, right now it fits me well. If I get any smaller (which I hopefully will) the dress would, again, be too big, and I don’t really know how to take it in.

Day 21

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
The Orangery Skirt and the Indian shirt.
Where was it worn?
Work and spontaneous fabric shopping
How often is it worn and why?
I love the colour and shape of the skirt, but it’s a bit hard to match and therefore it doesn’t get a lot of wear. The shirt gets a bit more and I’m really proud of it since it was my first successful pattern alteration.

Me-Made-May days 14-17

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
The Leaf skirt.
Where was it worn?
To work. We had people visiting from one of our plants.
How often is it worn and why?
I love this skirt! This is the second wear, only because it’s brand new. I really need to take it in at the waist, it’ll drive me crazy otherwise.

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
Green blouse and the 3-year pants. The necklace is made by my cousin.
Where was it worn?
Regular day of work
How often is it worn and why?
The blouse gets its second wear and will probably be worn quite a bit. The pants were made 3 years ago, ended up too long and I didn’t like the high waist. Yesterday I found them in my stash (I keep on forgetting them) and shortened them and realised they didn’t look so bad after all. It’s a good thing they’re stretchy though as my fly job is horrible.
(The necklace isn’t worn that often, I’m not a big fan of pearls. But she did make it for me, so I might give it some wear)

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
Lessons Learnt Skirt and Flouncing Sleeves top
Where was it worn?
Regular day of work
How often is it worn and why?
The skirt is sewn based on the lessons I learnt during last year’s Me-Made-June, so it’s no wonder it gets a lot of wear – it was what my wardrobe needed! The top is also one of those easy to wear tops.

What’s me-made in today’s outfit?
Floral and Coral Dress. The kiddo is me-made too.
Where was it worn?
Annual family visit to the horse race track (look closely and you can spot the horses over my right shoulder, on the inner track).
How often is it worn and why?
I like this dress and it gets a few wears each summer, mostly for parties and such. I would like to make it in a fancy fabric, as with many dresses, but for now this is perfectly fine.
Were there any winnings at the race track?
Not a lot. I gambled for about 100 SEK and won 13 SEK on a 10 SEK bet. As the waitress said, let’s consider it as paying for the event.

Me-Made-May Days 9 – 13

Day 9

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Namesake Skirt
Where was it worn?
At work, then on a five hour trip to a power plant.
How often is it usually worn and why?
I love this skirt and wear it all the time. I will probably not wear it during summer, otherwise it’s on high rotation.

Day 10

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Namesake Skirt (yes, I wore the same skirt two days in a row)
Where was it worn?
At a business meeting then five hours home again.
How often is it usually worn and why?
As you can see, my answer from above is very valid.

Day 11

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Blueberry Sorbetto (unblogged) and Denim Pencil Skirt
Where was it worn?
Regular day at work.
How often is it usually worn and why?
This skirt is also on very high rotation. A colleague commented that I looked very Mad Men, which was in fact what I was inspired by.
Why am I in the basement?
The theme of the day was ugly places. This was the ugliest I could find with my limited options (after work we went straight to the in-laws so I had little time for photography)

Day 12

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
October Top
Where was it worn?
Chillin’ at the in-laws.
How often is it usually worn and why?
Not that often. It’s a bit too clingy (I know the issue lies with me) and due to the colour I feel a bit naked. I wore a cardi over it for some time of the day. It deserves more wear, though.
What am I reading?
The picture above shows my first read of The Time-Traveler’s Wife. I can already tell that I’ll go insane trying to straighten out the grandfather paradoxes.

Day 13

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Mother’s Day sweater
Where was it worn?
Driving home and yard work
How often is it usually worn and why?
Rarely, pretty much only for the MM/SS-months. I’m not super happy with the sewing or the fit which is too bad since the fabric is lovely! I think I have some more of it stashed away.

Me-Made-May day 5-8

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Unblogged Envy dress
Where was it worn?
A day at home with the in-laws visiting
How often is it usually worn and why?
Not that often. It’s perfect for casual occassions when I want to be a bit dressier but still not over the top. I’m not convinced with the dress, but it usually gets fairly good response during the me-made months.

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Star t-shirt
Where was it worn?
Flea marketing
How often is it usually worn and why?
Not a lot. If we have weekend plans I prefer something more dressy, if we don’t I prefer even more lounge-y. However I do want to dress better at home.
(Did I buy something?
Why, thank you for asking! My lovely flea market finds will be presented in an upcoming post)

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Polka dot shirt dress
Where was it worn?
Work.
How often is it usually worn and why?
Second wear as I finished it earlier this year. I’m a bit iffy about the fit, the dress had more ease than I expected, I should have made it a size smaller.

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Blouse with a bow, Lessons Learnt Skirt.
Where was it worn?
Work.
How often is it usually worn and why?
Second wear for both pieces. the blouse is a bit boxy and I’m not quite satisfied with my fabric selection. The skirt gets its second wear only because it’s new, it’ll get a lot of wear in the future, I suspect.

Me Made May Days 1-4

Day 1:

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Oldie, but goodie-top
Where was it worn?
To an outdoor museum (Kulturens Östarp)
How often is it usually worn and why?
To be honest, this top gets mostly worn during the me-made/self-stitched monthes. Too casual for work and for leisure I have many more interesting options.

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Flouncing Sleeves-top, Exposed Zipper-skirt, Curtain purse (ie. completely me-made outfit)
Where was it worn?
Work
How often is it usually worn and why?
The top sees pretty heavy rotation during spring/summer as it is easy to match. The skirt, not as much. I like it but there are some flaws I always see (and doubt anyone else does).

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
Lessons learnt skirt, Green Burdastyle-blouse and Curtain purse
Where was it worn?
Work
How often is it usually worn and why?
First wear for both pieces. The skirt will probably be worn a lot, the blouse I’m not 100% satisfied with. I don’t know how to fix it, though.

Whats me-made in today’s outfit?
The Leaf skirt, the Moo Moo tunic
Where was it worn?
Work
How often is it usually worn and why?
The skirt is love! It’s a bit too big in the waist so I must take it in. The tunic saw its first wear today and I’m really not a tunic person. Perhaps I’ll tighten the underbust elastic.

Summary: 3 completely me-made outfits during the first week and 1 outfit with 1 garment.

The Pledge

It’s that time of the year again. This year Zoe will host only one of these challenges and Me-Made May is that one. Of course I’m in!

I, Helena of eitchy.wordpress.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’12. I endeavour to wear at least one me-made garment each day for the duration of May 2012. For 10 of these days I will wear completely me-made outfits (excluding under- and outerwear).

For the other two challenges I’ve joined (Me-Made June and Self-Stitched September) I’ve pledged to wear at least one me-made garment each day. This time I will do that and raise my ante by adding 10 completely me-made outfits. It’ll be fun to play along again.

I will now work on finishing some projects so I have more clothes to wear for the month of May. I’m excited!

Zoe has also created a Flickr group and a Facebook page.