I decided not to post weekly this year and just post this round up at the end. I think things have been different for me this year. I take and post a lot more outfit pictures in general these days and so the whole Me Made vibe has felt different. Plus I seem to sew less often and more slowly these days, so I have added fewer new ponies to my stable. And the weather is always weird. It’s Autumn here and even though the temps don’t seem that different, there is a huge variance. It can be icy as hell but the sun is out and burning at a zillion degrees making it cool but okay or it can be straight up cold! It may not seem cold to my friends around the world but it is to us!
My Mum loves to see photos in a slide show kind of way, so I went with a gallery this year. I wanted to make sure all my captions stayed with each pic, so you can see the weather on the day or look up the relevant tutorial or blog post or find out where I got my shoes. If you mouse over any other pics below, the captions shows. If you click on a pic it will bring it up bigger and start a slidehow with the caption at the bottom. I think it works great and I am so excited to bring this too you! I hope you enjoy it! I’ll sprinkle a few of my fave pics as we go too. I don’t want to bore you, so I’ve broken my thoughts down into short sections and I’ve tried to keep it quick!
Outfit Planning
I used to really rely on Me Made May for those creative combos but why not keep it rolling? I’ve been planning my outfits every night since last May. I really enjoy choosing each element, every accessory and creating a vibe. It’s part of my self-care. Both the rhythm of the routine of picking something out and the excitement I have about wearing it in the morning are excellent for my mental health. I find it pretty easy to slide into wearing my pyjamas everywhere when my mood is low and that totally stuffs my self-esteem.
The act of getting dressed is a saviour! And certainly, a long-term takeaway from Me Made May. This year my focus was wearing some less worn items and figuring out what works, what doesn’t. I feel like my style is constantly evolving and refining as I age and change my mind. I realise I like my skirts a bit longer, my outfits a bit brighter and not always Me Made.
Make It Yourself vs Supporting Makers
I have been very much into making everything I can make! Shoes and brooches, hair accessories and whatever. I honestly love most of the things I’ve made but I have realised it’s not actually all about me and what I make! I might enjoy a dabble but am always finding cool stuff I want to buy and wear. I personally have no issues with conspicuous consumption, unless you count my bank balance as an issue! Me Made May makes me realise just how much joy I get from buying and supporting smart and creative small (or one woman) businesses! I have been lucky enough to snag some of the most amazing brooches, earrings and custom tees. I am so proud to wear them and show off other amazing makers because community is everything.
I guess Me Made May has made me see how much I value my non Me Mades? I don’t buy that many clothing items but I will pick up basics that cost more to make that to buy, a few choice second hand garments that make me happy and make outfits complete. But I have also invested money into tees from Redbubble, created by independent designers and my tees from Mischief Made. Even if I had the resources to make these items, I want to invest in other creative makers. I actually found that I missed wearing these items during Me Made Made May. I am so glad for the creativity of others and I know MMM is not meant to be an exclusion diet but I couldn’t wait to chuck on a tee and jeans (not made by me) and escape the cold days. Oh yeah, that’s a point – it’s nearly winter here but it hasn’t been too bad.
Crushing On The Community
OMG I live for the pics posted to the #MMMay18 tag! So many styles and colours and patterns to buy and try. I adore scrolling though it all. I’ve picked up a few new people to follow and am glad to see what my long time follows are up to. It’s an online festival of creativity! I have a growing wishlist of fabrics to use for existing styles I sew and a groaning list of patterns to buy and make. There is nothing like seeing a pattern made up in several fabrics and shown on several bodies to make you sure you MUST make that! Props to all those people who posted pics, especially if it was a bit uncomfortable!
Pics and Sharing
After last Me Made May, I also kept taking outfit pics. Even just a few times a week and posting them to social media. It has 100% changed how I feel about myself! You might not credit it but it has really helped me to see myself. There are negatives and positives but over a year it all just becomes you. I filter and worry less and enjoy myself more. Yeah people have been rude, people have sent dick pics and people have hurt my feelings. But a life lived in fear of reprisal (and these days undocumented on social media) isn’t a life well lived.
God I love to look back on me! Its such a beautiful, self-loving thing to do. And I started doing it because of Me Made May. The whole concept has had a majorly positive effect on my mental health and how I view myself. Even if you never share a pic with a single other human, try to take a nice pic everyday for a month and surprise yourself!
Sewing Motivation
Before May I had some sewing plans. I want to lengthen a couple of skirts and make a few more because you can’t have enough half circle skirts. I have 3 stretch knits (1m each) that I wanted to turn into tops. But I was feeling lacklustre about it all. My whole bipolar thing has been on a lowish hum and this cold weather really sends me into a gloom. I’ve just had no oomph for sewing. But all this Me Made activity got me thinking about sewing a passion project. I got so excited you guys! I’m keeping it for Halloween but because I am so slowed by myself, I’m starting now. So thank you to Zoe Edwards (MMM Creator) for giving me my groove back!
As with every MMM I am feeling more sure about what I want wear and what I want to sew. And I know that I need to clean out my wardrobe because I have waaay too much I don’t wear. But still so much I want to make. I hope you had a great Me Made May and enjoyed wearing your very own self styled outfits. Once again, I have another level of awareness about me as a maker, a consumer and a person.Did you have a favourite outfit? Love a particular skirt? Need those shoes too? I’d love to hear your thoughts……
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