Is Me-Made-May for You?

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Have you been thinking about sewing your own clothes, but for whatever reason, you just haven’t made the leap to actually try it?

Maybe you have tried sewing some clothes for yourself and it was a disaster. So, you gave up before you ever really got started.

If either of these scenarios describes you or you fall somewhere in between, have you heard about Me-Made-May?

An Introduction to Me-Made-May

Me-Made-May first came to my attention in May 2018.

I came across a Spoonflower blog post that described how 10 different people who work with/at Spoonflower made different versions of one pattern.

The post explained how the Spoonflower team members challenged themselves to use the same dress pattern for Me-Made-May. Team members were interviewed to provide insight into each of the versions that were made.

My reaction to the blog post was immediate. My tummy tingled and a feeling of anticipation flowed through me as I viewed the different versions of the pattern Zeena from By Hand London. The insight and comments from the makers featured in the Spoonflower blog post were very inspiring.

Even though I know how to sew and make things for myself, my home and others, garment construction wasn’t in my sewing wheelhouse…yet.

Making clothes for myself had been on my mind since 2017. Seeing all the wonderful versions of the Zeena pattern made me excited about the possibilities a handmade wardrobe could bring.

In the Spoonflower post, there was also a link to an interview with Zoe Edwards, the creator of Me-Made-May.

Intrigued by the information in the interview, I wanted to know more about Me-Made-May and found FAQ’s on her website. She explains:

“Me-Made-May is a challenge designed to encourage people who make their own clothes to develop a better relationship with their handmade wardrobe. You set the specifics of your own challenge to make it suitable and useful for YOU. However, one very common pledge is for a participant to aim to wear one self-stitched or refashioned garment each day for the duration of May.”

Source: So, Zo What Do You Know – Me-Made-May FAQs

Capsule Wardrobe

Fast forward to the beginning of April 2019. I was hating everything in my closet (again). I hate to shop for clothes and I thought to myself maybe I should make my own.

Around this same time, while listening to a podcast, the host mentioned a capsule wardrobe.

This was a new term to me so I looked it up. Basically, a capsule wardrobe is…

“…a collection of a few essential items of clothing that don’t go out of fashion, such as skirts, trousers, and coats, which can then be augmented with seasonal pieces.”

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsule_wardrobe

Over the next few weeks, I heard/read about capsule wardrobes at least four other times.

Remember, I’d been thinking about making my own clothing since 2017. Maybe all these references to a capsule wardrobe was a sign I should actually take action and start learning to sew garments.

Another Sign and Making a Pledge

Around the end of April 2019, Spoonflower published another blog post explaining how they were going to celebrate Me-Made-May 2019.

After reading Spoonflower’s post, I went to So, Zo What Do You Know? Me-Made-May page, read the details on the challenge, and made the following pledge in the comments section of the blog:

2 May 2019 at 04:24 I, Nicki, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May 2019. I endeavour to make at least three pieces of clothing, wear them with confidence, and tell others that I made them.

What Happened

Well, I didn’t make anything. Sigh.

I intended too.

In fact, I thought about it A LOT the entire month of May.

There are many excuses I could give for why I didn’t make anything. But the reality was I just wasn’t at the point mentally of where I needed to be to start the learning process of sewing my own garments.

July 2019 was my tipping point. Finally, I was ready to start the journey of learning how to sew my own clothes.

While the idea of sewing a capsule wardrobe intrigued me, I just wanted to get started on sewing something.

I made the decision to delay planning a capsule wardrobe until after I have some garment sewing skills under my belt.

Determined to actually sew something, I selected a pattern and fabric and proceeded to construct the garment.

I hated it.

Instead, I discovered a fantastic learning opportunity that wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t gone through the steps of this garment.

It takes time to learn how to sew clothes and you can’t give up.

With every garment you complete sewing skills improve and the results will get better.

Next Steps

Me-Made-May 2020 is on my mind.

I don’t know exactly what my personal challenge for Me-Made-May 2020 will be but I’m determined to learn and develop garment construction skills.

My ultimate goal is to develop a relationship with handmade clothing and eventually create the wardrobe of my dreams.

Is Me-Made-May for you?

Have you been thinking about creating some handmade pieces for your wardrobe?

Maybe now is the time to start so you, too, can be part of Me-Made-May 2020.

If you are at the tipping point of wanting to sew your own garments but don’t know how to sew yet, take a look at my Starting to Sew series.

Starting to Sew is a free self-paced online sewing class comprised of a series of 12 lessons. Each lesson was carefully designed to take you step-by-step through learning how to sew on a machine.

You’ll learn all the things you would in an in-person sewing class plus some extras. And, you can complete the sewing class at your own pace.

Once you complete Starting to Sew there is a selection of beginner sewing projects that were carefully planned.

Each one provides the opportunity to practice what you learned so you develop the foundational knowledge and the basic skills of sewing on a machine.

Now you’re ready to pick out a pattern and get fabric and other notions so you can begin learning how to sew garments and constructing the wardrobe of your dreams.