Wrapping Up Me-Made-May 2023
This year I participated in Me-Made-May, and I’ve been holding off on this post until we actually reached the 31st of May.
Me-Made-May is a personal wardrobe challenge with the goal of wearing your handmade items more often or differently.
Here’s what I decided to pledge:
I, Liz Haywood, pledge to wear me-mades every day of May, including at least one item which is zero waste. I will thoughtfully combine my clothes to wear the same things in new ways, and try to wear some of my “going out” clothes when I’m at home.
I will also make one item from Birgitta Helmersson’s new zero waste book from fabric I already have at home.
So how did I go?
- I did wear me-mades every day of May, and only missed 2 days wearing zero waste clothes.
- I tried to wear clothes in different ways. The big revelation was wearing overalls or pinafores with jumpers worn over the top. It makes the overalls or pinafore looks like trousers or a skirt, doubling the number of looks. Pinafores work better than overalls re visiting the smallest room of the house.
- I didn’t do too brilliantly at wearing “going out” clothes around the house, although I did dig out some things I hadn’t worn in years. Obviously there are wise reasons for “at home” clothes, namely comfort, warmth, easy washing and shoe choice, so I didn’t think that pledge through very well 🙂
- I made a shirt from Birgitta Helmersson’s new book and there was at least one mild day where I wore it.
It was a grey, cold May! I think the greyest and coldest since I started doing MMM in 2017, but we’ve had a drought for the past 6 years which broke at the end of 2022. I guess one of the perks of a drought is fine weather and blue skies!
Other reflections: I wear a lot of wool, in all sorts of garments. The dull weather “informed my sartorial choices” and I deliberately wore more bright colours. There’s an almost equal amount of trousers and skirts/dresses wearing.
Here’s a gallery of the month
I started with a week of wearing bright colours, then had a plaid-themed week.
Many thanks to Zoe Edwards for this challenge! If you’re a podcast listener, take a listen to Zoe’s podcast Check Your Thread, with great conversations on sustainable sewing.
Cheers!
Good for you! I love the consistent theme and then … the punch of Cardinal pink and grey. I’ve got my library to order a couple of copies of your new book. You really make a delightful and original contribution to textile creativity and sustainability.
Thanks so much Inky, and thanks for asking your library to get my books.
How fun and inspiring! I will aim for a Me-Made May 2024.
I thought of a common design that must be zero waste in its simplest iteration, but I haven’t seen it on anyone’s websites . . . Which means you, Liz, get first dibs on producing some instructions!
Do you know the sundresses or tops that are just an elastic shirred bodice with the rest of the yardage being the skirt or a peplum? Usually there are straps of some sort or short puffy sleeves.
I just purchased yardage of this sort from Threadymade.com which specializes in shirring deadstock fabric for this very purpose.
Cheers!
Tory
Ah yes, it’s a classic! I made them for my children when they were little, with straps that tied at the shoulders. There are quite a few tutorials around on YouTube etc but it’s not (that I can see) billed as zero waste, even though it is.
Sometimes the back only of a dress is a shirred panel so that the sizing is a bit flexible, which is a handy design idea.
Yes, you should totally aim for MMM next year!