Skip to main content

Me-Made-May: I'm Giving it a Try!

I bet you've been wondering where I've been?! Between work and home, I've been keeping myself REALLY busy! I've had a few fabric buying/selling trips in the past two weeks and at home, I hosted a Mother's Day dinner, worked in my yard, set up my vegetable garden and trying to keep up with the daily grind. My husband and I have also been planning small getaways for various weekends throughout the summer, so we had our first this weekend to Gettysburg, PA! 

Before May began, I really wanted to participate in Me-Made-May. I wanted to make a real effort to wear my handmade clothes and learn to love them (if I didn't care for them all that much.) But with everything that was going on, I just didn't want to add more to my schedule or put pressure on myself. It was just more to think about on a daily basis! But after reading some of the pledges, I came to the conclusion that I can set myself really small goals! So here is my goal:




I, Julie from Fabric Mart Fabricistas, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I will wear at least one handmade garment, three days a week, for the duration of May 2014. I also pledge to sew using only indie patterns for the entire month of May.

So I have two pledges--remember how I said I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself? Well I didn't give myself a number of items I planned to sew, so if I only make one, it's ok! Three garments seemed to be attainable, so I wanted to give it a try. 

I'm three weeks into the challenge. How am I doing?
I've been able to keep up with wearing at least three handmade garments every week. Actually it was a little harder than I thought. I don't have enough casual garments appropriate for the weather to get through the month! So I'll definitely be re-wearing some of my creations. I was really surprised by this because I felt like I would have more than enough to get me through the month. Here are my downfalls: I have a lot of dresses and skirts that are not suitable for everyday wear. To fulfill the pledge, I was able to get away with some of the dresses for an event or two and going to church. This definitely brought to my attention the fact that I need more casual things in my wardrobe! I need basics! (And rid of the not so great RTW basics in my closet.) 


This is only a few of the items I have worn in the past three weeks. A few of the other items I never blogged about and forgot to take photos when I wore them! I wear my Minoru Jacket a lot, almost everyday! It is so comfortable and perfect for the cool mornings and breezy days. 

The other part of my pledge was to sew only with Indie Sewing Patterns. This has been really easy because I stock piled a few in the previous months. And what patterns do I want to make in the near future? Casual is key! 

Currently on the sewing machine: 

Abby Cardi by StyleArc
I am a huge fan of StyleArc Patterns. Since they are coming from Australia, I buy a number of patterns at one time. I want to get the most out of my shipping costs! I've made the Abby Cardi before. This time I'm making it out of a lightweight Missoni-look Sweater Knit.



Up and coming: 
I still want to tackle pants. I started some pants in early spring, but have yet to finish them. I'd like to try the Clover by Colette Patterns. Reviews on this? What do you think about it?


I also would like to make some casual tops for spring/ summer but do not have any in mind at the moment. 

Who else is participating in Me-Made-May? How are you fulfilling your pledge? 

Comments

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made by a Fabricista: What's Black and Gold with Chevron All Over? This DIY Pant Suit, That's What!

Hope you're having a Golden day, get it? [I crack myself up sometimes!] This DIY pant suit is golden for sure.  So tell me this, were you one of the lucky ones who were able to grab some of this fabric when Fabric Mart posted their new arrivals? I jumped on it so fast it was crazy and before you know it "poof" it was gone. So sorry I don't have any links to this fabric but all is not lost, you can use something else for these patterns. Try looking in the suiting selection for the blazer. The other awesome option is denim  and as  always check the New Arrivals. I went to my "tnt"  blazer pattern for this project because I knew the metallic bias around the edges would look fab and I was on a mission to make another pair of mimi g's jeans and trim the seams in metallic bias as well. I recommend both of these patterns to any level sewist. I did a little pattern hack on the blazer pockets to make them a little more interesting and I made a pic...

Made By A Fabricista: The Skirt that Brought my Sewjo Back

I know it can’t just be me. My sewjo has gone away and I’ve been having such a hard time trying to get it back. I remember the days when I used to sew every single day without fail and now, not so much. I think about sewing and all the things I’d love to make, but I just haven’t found the motivation. I kind of know what the issue is. I started a new job last October and ever since I started, I’ve been sewing less and less and I don’t like it! Well, in comes Simplicity S3237.  Summertime is here and it’s time to bring out all the skirts. Simplicity recently released S3237 as part of their summer patterns. This skirt is a full, gathered skirt with a bias-cut yoke with side seam pockets and an invisible back zipper. The skirt comes in 3 different lengths – mini, midi and maxi.  I decided to make View B which is the midi length. I’m not much of a maxi length kind of girl and that mini was a little too small for me. I sewed up a size 22 with a few modifications. Let’s talk about th...

Made By A Fabricista: Summery Stripes Set

Warm weather and linen go hand in hand! Our summer has been slow to show up with the heat, but bright, sunny afternoons have me all ready for light, swingy garments to stay cool. Wearing matching sets has been one way to make getting dressed easier when I hit decision fatigue since reaching for two items that already go together removes the need to plan or do any rearranging.  This is a lovely lighter-end-of-mid-weight linen in the most beautiful and subtle seaglass hues of grays and greens. This color combo strikes me as so calm and sophisticated, and a little stripe-play is perfect for details.  My tank pattern is the brand-spankin’ new Matchy Matchy Sewing Club Sunny Side Tank, just released this week. It’s a perfect little cropped A-line shape for wearing with high waisted pants or showing some midriff.  I made no changes to the extra small. The wide neckline is so elegant and this shape still gives full bra coverage to boot.  These really cute pants are the Mat...