Me Made May

As suspected, the hardest thing about Me Made May was actually taking photos of myself in each outfit. That said, I do feel I managed to wear my self-made things more this month, and being intentional about it really did get me thinking about what I actually wear, and what I would like to make more of. It has made the Make Nine challenge look much more appealing if I think of strategically planning the making of what fabric or patterns I have on hand so that I actually wear the outcome.

Not that my self-made wardrobe is lacking, or that the reason I couldn't wear self-made every day in May was only because of that, but it's been eye opening none the less. Part of the trouble with May in Brisbane is that it's getting a lot cooler here, rather than the flip experienced in the Northern Hemisphere, and as I have no experience sewing jeans or outwear, my self-made options were limited. 

Still, I'm glad I did it. There are absolutely things in my wardrobe that I didn't even consider wearing, even with the weather. Like this dragonfly dress. I'm just never going to reach for it. Sigh. Time to give it new life with someone else. 

One thing I did reach for was this top that I'd made three years ago now. I really love it. It's got different style, lots of colour and I can wear it to work (which I did a lot of in the first few weeks of May!) I would love to have a couple more of these in my cupboard. What I noticed about this one though was that it's actually starting to fall apart. Mostly the tie, because I didn't know what I was doing when I blindly stitched a silk tie to a cotton shirt. The shirt itself is still good, so I think the best option is to replace the tie, and make another. Then I'll have two! 

The other thing I found were my dresses are absolutely my go to for most days, even the ones that are so faded I can't really wear them out of the house any more. This Sushi Dress, which I didn't even get a photo of me wearing, from four years ago is still my favourite. I suppose the contribution of four years of hard wear means it's so soft to wear now, so it's super comfy, even if it's faded. 

This dress, which is made from a table cloth my parents brought back from their travels, is faring better, but I wear it nearly as much. I love the colour and fit. I feel I can wear it with my connies, as well as with heals. Sophie took this photo for me as we were leaving jujitsu one afternoon early in May. Photo skills coming along nicely! 

I also wore this dress, which I never blogged about after I made it. But less so. I think because it has no sleeves, but possibly also because the colours are much more muted. I also think I never blogged about it because this is the best photo that I have of it, which is the first time I wore it in Bundaberg two years ago. The wind was doing crazy things with my hair that day. 

The last me-made things I wore in May, which again, I didn't get a photo of, was actually very unexpected. I had two days of teaching Japanese at the girls school, so I wore yukata both days. The first day, I wore this yukata, pictured here being worn by my friend Amy when we went to a koto concert last year. 

I actually made this yukata in 2004, the year I lived in Japan, so it's nearly 20 years old. I hand sewed every stitch and it's still holding up! 

And that's a wrap for Me Made May for me. I hope what I've learnt about my wardrobe is somewhat applicable for the future, and helps me to consider what I'm making before I make it. What I loved about it, was the fun and fantastic feeling that it is to wear clothes I've made myself, so even though it's often more expensive and quite tricky to make your own clothes, I'm glad I take the time to do it.