It's Me Made May Time Again! My pledge....

Ok, seriously, how are we already at the end of April?! Can someone put the brakes on please, because I'm not kidding - I'm SO far behind on everything I'm meant to have done this year already. Arggghh!!! 

*and breathe*

Well, at least the trauma of actually realising that we're about to hit May is mitigated a bit by the fun of thinking about Me Made May, right?!

One of my earliest makes, and definitely one of my most worn. Love it when the fabric does all the hard work!

I'm sure any sewing peoples will already know, but in case any of my lovely new readers (by the way, hi you guys! Thanks so much for reading!!) aren't familiar, Me Made May (#MMMay2016 on social media) is an online 'event' started by the amazing Zoe of SoZo which aims to get people to celebrate and reflect on their handmade wardrobes. Basically, you pledge to do something which will achieve this and help you build a better relationship with your handmade clothes throughout the month of 'Me Made' May.

A lot of folks pledge to wear only handmade clothes, or one item of handmade clothing each day for the month and that's a great thing to do. It's always brilliant to wear the things we make and be proud of shouting to everyone 'I made this!'

Some of the year's most worn and loved 'me-made' garments

Last year I pledged to wear something 'me made' everyday I left the house (ie. days I went into the office, rather than working-at-home days). It wasn't particularly difficult, but it was a great push to really encourage me to wear the things I made. I was super proud to achieve my goal.

I've been thinking a lot about Me Made May this year though, and I want to do it a bit different this time around (my second year of Me Made May Madness!) I'd like to use the month as an opportunity to be a bit more critical about my sewing and my me made wardrobe. Since I'm at home all the time, I won't really learn anything by just focusing on what I wear outside the home. I really want to achieve that perfect at-home wardrobe as well. So I'm using the month to really focus on thinking about what I like to wear, why, and figuring out how I can go about making things to fit those requirements. Are there garments I already have which I could alter to make them more likely to be worn? If all I really want to wear is stretchy stuff, do I really need to make another woven garment? I want to be a more thoughtful sewist - thoughtful about what I'm wearing, and what I'm sewing, and how well those two things match up!

The Emmeline Tee has definitely been one of my most made and worn makes. It must be time for another Emmeline I think...

I've spent this month avoiding buying patterns, which has been a great way of thinking about my buying habits a bit more, and I'd like to continue doing this. I also need to extend it to fabric buying though. It's SO easy when you're on social media (especially when you follow gorgeous haberdasheries or fabric designers!) to get swept up with desperately feeling a 'need' for a particular fabric. But that doesn't work with my plan to be a more conscious and thoughtful sewist - it's not a 'need' for fabric, it's a want. So I'd like to also use Me Made May to help me to focus my sewing with my existing fabric stash, and also thinking about which fabric ends up lurking for months (or longer) in my stash - and maybe making a note for myself so that I can stop buying that kind of thing in the future! I don't mind buying fabric - I love it, it's almost addictive but it feels wasteful (financially, ecologically etc etc) to just buy stuff I don't end up using. Or making dresses from it that I won't wear! 

So my Me Made Pledge for 2016 is this: I, JessB, pledge to wear handmade as much as possible, and to really spend the month of May learning to become a more thoughtful sewist: reflecting on my handmade wardrobe, its gaps, how to fill them, and teaching myself to make fewer impulse fabric and pattern purchases!

I'm not really one for posting a 'what I'm wearing' pic everyday, but I will share a few ensembles and makes on Instagram, and I will definitely post updates here.

That all sounds a bit dull and restrictive, now that I read it back! But I do enjoy a challenge, and I like to be a thoughtful consumer, so for me this does sound fun! Plus I will definitely spend FAR too long ogling everyone else's amazing handmade clothes all month, and that is absolutely fun! Happy Me Made May everyone!

xoxo