Me Made May 2024: The Wrap Up

Another May has come and gone and I'm happy to say that I was able to fulfill my pledge to wear Me Mades everyday throughout the month. I made the goal of wearing at least one thing I made everyday, which was both not difficult and also surprisingly challenging at the same time. I found myself with a fairly limited selection of pieces that really fit me and were practical for everyday wear. I either have made or thrifted 95% of my wardrobe at this point, so it's not a sustainability concern. I've had many of these items for years and years and they continue to be work horses. However, I have changed in size a lot over the past few years, so a good chunk of the items I made are no longer options. I grabbed several older skirts that I loved only to take them off when I saw how they looked now. So, I really need to get cracking at making new pieces that I love and can wear often. 

So here is the breakdown of what I wore everyday (and you can see a video of it here). I've included links to blog posts for each of these items if you want to learn more about them:

1. Floral Plantain and Thrifted Jean Skirt

2. Navy Peggy Skirt with RTW top I've mended so many times, it counts as handmade now

3. Eyelet Parisian Top, Purple Hollyburn Skirt, and Sparkly Hetty Cardigan

4. White Gable Top and Green Hollyburn Skirt

5. Take a Seat Dress, then Green Hollyburn Skirt with Alvvays RTW Shirt

6. Swan Vera Top with Purple Hollyburn Skirt

7. Thrifted Blue Top with Starry Night Hollyburn Skirt

8. Crochet Flip Top with Mustard Fiore Skirt

9. Burgundy Melissa Skirt with RTW T-Shirt

10. Jasmine Top with Thrifted Vintage Jean Skirt

11. Miranda Top with On Point Hollyburn Skirt

12. White Gable Top with Black Fiore Skirt and thrifted Silk Jacket

13. Green Vera Top and Thrifted Vintage Jean Skirt

14. Purple Roses Gable Top and Mustard Fiore Skirt

15. Green Hollyburn Skirt with Alvvays RTW Shirt

16. Yellow Eyelet Top and Khaki Linen Skirt Refashion

17. White Linen Cielo Top with Thrifted Vintage Jean Skirt

18. Navy Peggy Skirt with Thrifted Floral Button Up Shirt

19. Green Vera Top with RTW Skirt from 2006

20. Purple Hollyburn Skirt with Thrifted Top (mended a few times)

21. Burgundy Melissa Skirt, Thrifted Floral Rayon Top, and Alecia Beth Cardigan

22. Burgundy Melissa Skirt with Ryan Adams Shirt

23. Botany Voile Sailor Top with Thrifted Jean Skirt

24. Peony Agnes Top with Thrifted Jean Skirt

25. Prickly Gable Top with Mustard Linen Fiore

26. Dalloway Blouse with RTW White Shirt and Thrifted Skirt

27. Anaheim Cardigan with RTW White Shirt and Purple Hollyburn Skirt

28. Thrifted Blue Top with Starry Night Hollyburn Skirt

29. White Linen Cielo Top with Thrifted Vintage Jean Skirt

30. Swan Vera Top with Thrifted Vintage Jean Skirt

31. Purple Roses Gable Top and Mustard Fiore Skirt

I'm also happy that I was able to complete a few extra things I've had waiting to be done during the month. I finished knitting (and wore) my Dalloway Blouse (which will be posted soon) and I finally fixed my Liesl cardigan (I changed the buttons and added better snaps).

I also was able to identify gaps in my wardrobe and now I have a list of items I know I really need and will wear regularly. I outline all of those in my video review of the month, which you can watch by clicking above or by going to my YouTube Channel here.

I'm happy to have completed this challenge for another year and I look forward to taking the things I learned and applying them to make my wardrobe even more me by next May :)

Did you participate in Me Made May? Let me know how you did!

Me Made May 2024: My Pledge

 

I'm honestly bummed I didn't get to post this sooner, but I am participating in Me Made May again this year :)

I made a quick video the other day just outlining what the challenge is as well as what my pledge will be. Head over to YouTube to see it or click below :)

Me Made May 2023: Wrap Up

Well, here we are - another Me Made May has come and gone. I didn't post a pledge anywhere, but I mentally had one. I wanted to wear something I made everyday plus finish my Honeybee Cardigan and sew something new. I made it almost entirely - I forgot to take a photo one day, but I did wear me mades. I also finished my cardigan, but I did not manage to sew anything else. I had a bit of personal turmoil, so I'm fine with the things I did manage. It's also been so nice to be back to my usual size again and be able to wear more of my wardrobe (which I never got rid of, thank goodness in this one instance). So here is what I wore during May of 2023:

1. Sparkle Peony Agnes Top, thrifted skirt
2. Eyelet Parisian Top, Navy Peggy Skirt
   
3. Sewist PJ Shorts
   
4. Red Hollyburn Skirt, RTW top
   
5. Burgundy Melissa Skirt, mended RTW top
   
6. Forest Friends Sorrel Top, thrifted skirt
   
7. Don't Let the Bird Do the Dishes Dress
   
8. Navy Peggy Skirt, RTW top
   
9. Brown Melissa Skirt, thrifted top
   
10. Purple Hollyburn Skirt, thrifted top
    
11. Pinwheel Plan-Frew Top, thrifted skirt
    
12. Purple Hollyburn Skirt, thrifted top
    
13. Burgundy Melissa Skirt, RTW top
    
14. Blue Beignet Skirt, mended RTW top
    
15. Blue Floral Sorrel Top, Purple Hollyburn Skirt
    
16. Purple Hollyburn Skirt, thrifted top
    
17. Blue Floral Sorrel Top, Purple Hollyburn Skirt
18. Burgundy Melissa Skirt, mended RTW top
    
19. Navy Peggy Skirt, thrifted top
20. Purple Hollyburn Skirt, thrifted top
21. Yaletown Dress
    
22. Navy Peggy Skirt, RTW top
23. Purple Hollyburn Skirt, thrifted top
24. Purple Hollyburn Skirt, thrifted top
25. Burgundy Melissa Skirt, RTW top
26. Honeybee Cardigan, Eyelet Parisian Top, Navy Peggy Skirt
27. Brown Melissa Skirt, Ryan Adams T-Shirt
28. Mint Gingham Dress
    
29. Brown Melissa Skirt, RTW T-Shirt
30. Purple Hollyburn Skirt, thrifted top
31. Purple Hollyburn Skirt, thrifted top

Well, there you have it - I wear the same skirts ALL the time, lol. I'm a little ashamed to admit just how much I wear the same skirts, but since I've been changing size lately I am more limited in what I can wear on my bottom half. It's a good thing, but seeing how often I wore my Purple Hollyburn Skirt is a little crazy. Admittedly, many of these skirts have been put away in a box for a year because I had gained weight and didn't fit in them, so it's been really nice to get to wear them again. I'm still so happy with so many of the things I've made over the years and they are still going strong. It's worth it to put the time in to finish your sewn items well! They will wash and wear so well.

I also am thrilled that I FINALLY finished my Honeybee Cardigan. This project was just cursed, but I persevered and I love it now that it's done. I only got to wear it once since it's summer in Florida, but I know I will get a lot of wear out of this in the future, an d I will share all the particulars (with better photos) of it here soon.

So that's another Me Made May done! How did you do? Did you complete your pledge? Learn anything new about your wardrobe? I'd love to hear about it!

Me Made May 2017: My Recap

Another May has come and gone, and I have an entire month worth of pictures to show for it :) I skipped photos on a few days, but those were total repeat outfits that were only worn about an hour before changing into grubby old clothes and doing lots of yard work and moving and other sweaty activities. I did manage to wear more than one me made outfit 4 days (those are the pics with a star on them), so that visually makes up for my lacking photos, lol.

So what did I learn this month? First off there's an extreme lack of dresses in my wrap up. I seriously never wear my dresses - I'm all separates these days. Skirts and knit shirts are just more comfy and practical for my life right now, and I have no problem with this. So while I like dresses in theory, I need to focus on making shirts and skirts. Some of the things I specifically needed this month are:

• new denim skirt to replace Melissa
• skirts with more body to withstand wind
• new brown skirt to replace Melissa
• knit lighter weight, cotton sweaters so they can actually be worn
• more vibrant colored tops
• white tops in woven fabric

My poor Melissa skirts are looking a bit rough these days - the jean one in particular, but the brown one is quite faded overall. I seriously wear these two skirts at least once a week, and I have since I made them. The only thing that keeps me from wearing them all the time is if they are in the wash. The jean one looks really shabby, plus given its light weight denim I tend to have occasional Marilyn moments with all the crazy wind where I live now. I love the brown version because the fabric is so sturdy it just feels nice and substantial so I don't have to worry about wind. I like my butt secured, thank you very much. Also given that it is SO.FREAKING.HOT here right now, I only was able to wear one hand knit sweater on one day. I took a photo in one other photo, but I didn't actually get to wear the sweater out because it was so hot. So yeah - I need some fingering weight sweaters with cotton in them. I'm still trying to come to terms with this need. I love knitting, but fingering weight sweaters just take me SO LONG to make. Hopefully I can get my rear in gear on that one. I also really wished I had more colorful tops several times - it's not that I don't have colors, but most of my shirts are in jewel tones (strange, lol) and sometimes a girl just needs something bright. I also really would like some white woven tops - I'm thinking something tuck-able like the Sailor Top, or other likewise loose-in-the-tummy type designs. 

What patterns did I wear most often? Unsurprisingly my Hollyburn Skirts and Melissa skirts got me through most of the month. The Sewaholic Hollyburn came in at 9 times (between 3 skirts) and the Muse Patterns Melissa came in at 8 times (2 skirts most of the time, 1 worn only once). Skirt-wise I also wore most others I have in my me-made wardrobe: Style Arc Sally - worn twice, Blue GInger Doll Peggy Skirt - 2 skirts worn once each, Self Drafted - 3 skirts one time each, Refashioned (2 skirts) worn 3 times. All of this is typical of what I wear all the time, to be completely honest. I love comfy skirts and wear them all the time. I need more to replace my shabbier ones. In the tops category, the winner is my combined Sewaholic Renfrew/Deer + Doe Plantain match up. I wore a version of this pattern 5 times this month - all different tops. I've just really narrowed this pattern down to how I like to wear it, so it fits in my wardrobe really nicely. It may not be the most exciting pattern out there, but you can't argue with a pattern that is that comfy and such a great basic to show off a fun print. The next most worn pattern is the Seamster Patterns Sorrel top (again - no surprise there). I'm actually surprised this pattern didn't get more wear, but I haven't felt as cutesy this month as I have in the past, and most of my Sorrel tops are very cutesy fabrics. Other tops I wore are: Christine Haynes Patterns Marianne top - worn twice, Fancy Tiger Crafts Sailor Top - worn twice, Go To Patterns Parisian Top - worn once, Indygo Junction Gathered Back Top - worn once, Cecelia Theresa Designs Boogie Retro Top - worn once, New Look 6150 - 2 tops worn once each. I love comfy knit tops.I only wore one dress, and it was Simplicity 2444. I did love this pattern, and I have a lot of fabrics that would make great versions, but I really want to get a shirt dress going. I also find it interesting that I wore items involving a refashion 10 times this month. Some were total remakes that I used a new pattern for, some were greatly altered to fit me but be a similar style, and some were just used as elements for a new item when combined with other fabrics. I find that pretty neat :) I could go further if I added up how many of these involved thrifting in some way, but if you've read this blog for any amount of time you already know my love of thrifted materials. Yay for repurposing AND saving money at the same time :)

Another interesting realization I had during May - if it's not hanging in my closet, I won't wear it. I've kind of known this, but this month really made it obvious. I have several other shirts that I could've worn, but in my rush in the morning I go completely from my closet. Does this make me lazy? Probably by some people's standards. But I just need to get the things I want to wear into my closet so I can get things worn.

Conclusion - So that's it for Me Made May this year! I can't lie - I'm excited to not need to take pictures of myself everyday, lol - but it was also fun to participate with everyone. And I did notice some wardrobe gaps (or quickly developing ones like my worn out skirts), so it was a great exercise. It's not difficult for me to wear my me made items anymore, but it's still nice to have this visual proof of just how much they get worn. I really didn't feel burdened by my lack of clothing choices like I have in past years, so that's proof that I'm getting better at making things I like to wear. Yay for personal growth!

Did you participate in Me Made May?

Me Made May 2017: My Pledge

So, I'm a bit late at declaring my pledge this year for Me Made May, but I am participating! I was unsure if I was going to join in this year since I wear my me-mades very regularly already, so it ended up feeling a bit silly to post all my outfits on Instagram every day last year. I just can't resist the urge to join in the fun! That's really what it's mostly about anyway, so I decided to once again burden my non-sewing IG friends with my outfits, lol. Here is my official pledge:

"I, Megan (of www.ShowandTellMeg.com and @showandtellmeg), sign up as a participant of Me Made May '17. I endeavor to wear at least one me-made clothing item per day for the duration of the month of May. I also pledge to finish knitting my Alecia Beth cardigan as well as sew up a few new pieces to wear during the month and identify wardrobe holes and plan sewing projects to fill the holes."

It's really a no-brainer for me to reach for clothing I've made - It's the most comfortable clothing in my closet! I just love virtually hanging out with other makers on Instagram and being inspired by their projects. I also plan to do a big wardrobe quell in the coming weeks, so this challenge should help me realize what I do like to wear and why. If you'd like to participate, head over to Zoe's blog and sign up, then join us with the hashtag #MMMay17

You can see my previous round ups here: 2016, 2015, 2014. Yay for year #4!

Me Made May 2016 - My Completed Challenge

May is officially past us now, and I am proud to say that I was able to complete my challenge of wearing at least 1 me made item per day as well as a few extras and the rest of my challenge!

I also managed to document my outfits everyday, and I posted to Instagram and the Flickr group (I always feel bad for my non-sewing instagram friends during may, lol). All in all, I managed to wear me mades everyday plus a few new outfit combos (the other part of my challenge) as well as having multiple me made outfits on some days that I also documented (the bonus outfits have a yellow star on them in the picture), giving me 34 outfit photos I posted for the month. Last year (see my challenge results from 2015 here) I did have enough items to complete the challenge, but most of the things I wore were thrift store alterations - not a lot of out and out me made items. Things were definitely different this year - I had no problem wearing me made items and I had plenty to choose from. I've managed to make myself a fairly workable wardrobe of clothes in the last year :) That said, there are certainly things I did not get to wear, but it was a conscious choice due to bad fit or some other kind of comfort issue. I have a whole lot more hand knit items that I didn't get to wear due to the heat of Florida. The challenge started to feel like a drudgery by the 3rd week when I started unabashedly wearing my favorite skirt most days, lol. I managed to push through it though and rallied the final week, wearing items I don't typically wear often just on principle. So, here are some of my observations from this past month:

• I really love my Melissa skirts! Like, whoa. Particularly my brown one. What a work horse that thing is! I wore the brown skirt 7 times this month. Sheesh, lol. Add in my blue jean version (worn 4 times) and my green one that doesn't fit as well (worn once for the sake of it) and I wore the Melissa pattern 12 days out of the month. While I do love the pattern and it is very comfy to wear, I think my frequency of wear comes down to the fabrics I made them from. Solid color skirts are a total win in real life. I may make more Melissa skirts in the future, but I mainly want to focus on skirts in solid colors, preferably neutrals so they will mix with the rest of my wardrobe seamlessly.
• I also showed my love of the Sorrel top pattern, wearing it 6 times throughout the month. I love that that this pattern is different yet comfy and I used some of my favorite fabrics to make up the ones I have so far, all this contributes to being some of my favorite makes. That said, after constant wear, I started to feel a little too twee with my collars and novelty prints in that 3rd week slump. I'm not sure if it was just the slump itself or if I need to veer away from collars for a while. We shall see. 
• My dresses only get worn on Sundays. Sad as this is to admit, and in spite of how much I adore them on the whole, fitted dresses are just not practical for my everyday life. I can wear them for a few hours at a time, but I lose patience with them after that and kind of just want to rip my clothes off in the Florida heat, lol. I need to work on my dress making game and not over fit them in the future - I need sitting ease in the waist and scooped necklines. Also I need to work on the fitting at the back of my dresses. ALL of them still gape at the back neck and my hair tickles my back and drives me nuts. I've really gotta figure that out.
• I want to make some more Plantain-Renfrew combination shirts. I never wear my original Plantain shirts since they are just low enough that I have to fuss with them all day which I'd rather not do. I love the fit though otherwise, so I need to make more simple shirts with the neckline raised up and in fabrics that are not ultra casual. I also really want to mess with my ruched sleeve shirt idea because I have several fabrics that would look super cute that way. 
• I need to use my novelty fabrics in more practical ways. I love my kitty skirts, but they have too much flowy fabric to be practical for wearing at work. I always get them hooked on things and I even ripped the lining on the orange one :/ It also gets really old that my skirt always gets shut in my car door when I get in. So, circle skirts and full skirts are fun and all, but I need to go for more a-line or straight styles.
• I need to make white shirts! So many of my skirts require a white shirt to wear with them and I end up wearing the same few rtw shirts since white just seems so boring. I'd love to make some white shirts that had something a little special about them for a change. I also really need to make tops that go with the Beignet skirt. I have seriously 1 item that I can wear with the high waisted design and it's a thrifted H&M bodysuit. So maybe I need a few body suits? We'll see. 

I know I could keep going here, but I doubt that's very interesting to anyone but me, lol. The biggest question this challenge posed with me this year is, "Will I do this again next year? Is there any point?" In reality, I don't have any problem wearing my me made items. I wear them all the time throughout the year with no challenge in place. Last year it felt like a real challenge since I didn't know if I could actually pull off wearing me mades for a whole month. Now I love doing Me Made May each year mostly for the social aspect - I love seeing what other people wear on a daily basis and commenting on outfits I love. I guess it's just that fun feeling of doing something with a group of like-minded people. But along with that social aspect comes the feeling that all of your outfits should be somehow better than you would usually wear, like, "If I'm going to take a picture of this outfit, it had better be photo worthy, right?" I also can't help but feel like a complete loser every time an outfit is repeated (or when I'm publicly outed that I will wear the same skirt 7 times in a month, lol). I know deep down that both of these notions I naturally encountered go completely against the purpose of the challenge. Me Made May is all about giving us a reason to wear our me made items more to diagnose wardrobe holes and help identify your personal style as well as encouraging sustainable wardrobe habits. Feeling the need to wear something new/exciting/fancy each day to show the group is certainly not sustainable, and it's not realistic for me (and probably for anyone other than fashion bloggers for that matter). In reality, my entire wardrobe barring a few gifts is comprised of 65% thrifted/25% me made/10% so old I actually feel better about the purchase since I can still wear it. I have no qualms in saying that my wardrobe is sustainable and responsible in that way. I also know the reasons I wear what I wear of my me mades already. So what would I gain by shunning more than half of my wardrobe for an entire month? With where I'm at, that feels a bit irresponsible. As much as I love being able to say that I made my own clothes, I have no desire to make my entire wardrobe. Just the thought of that turns my fun, creative outlet into something more like work, completely defeating the purpose for me. I just want to make what I want to make when I want to make it. I guess it would be different if I only made party dresses and didn't understand why my me mades never get worn, but I focus on realistic basic items that can easily be worn everyday. 

I feel a bit like I'm rambling on, but it's something to think about over the next year. I can see why so many bloggers don't participate each day anymore, and I may be joining those ranks next year. Then again, maybe I will commit to a certain number of days per week? I don't know yet. All that said, I did have fun "hanging out" with everyone online and I can't help but feel proud that I accomplished wearing me made items for an entire month straight :) I'm always glad for the lessons I learn in challenges like this, so thanks Zoe for keeping it going strong! 

Did you participate in Me Made May?

Me Made May 2016: My Pledge

It's that time of year again :) Zoe of So Zo... What Do You Know? is hosting that illustrious creative challenge: Me Made May. I love Me Made May and this will be the 3rd year I've participated, with last year being the only complete success. I've finally accumulated enough makes to reasonably clothe myself for an entire month, and after last year's challenge of wearing a me made item each day I've kind of stuck with that goal most of the year :) If I didn't make it, I bought it at a thrift store except for a few pieces that were gifts, so no matter what my wardrobe would be considered "sustainable". Anyway, here is my pledge for this year:

'I, Megan of ShowandTellMeg.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '16. I endeavor to wear at least 1 me made or refashioned item each day for the duration of May 2016 and try to come up with new outfit combinations I have not tried before.'

I know I will be able to do this since I did it last year. I realize this might sound like a cop-out, but considering the crazy state of my life at the moment I am not going to add in more stress. I'll take that challenge I wrote up there and nail it, thank you very much, lol. I've learned to not sweat things that aren't complete necessities, so I wanted to make my goal achievable. I did add in the "new outfit combos" clause. I tend to get stuck in certain pairings - my wardrobe is 90% separates and once I latch onto an "outfit", I tend to wear it that way all the time. I want to learn to switch up my looks a bit more, so I hope to come up with some new combos from things I already have. I also would tentatively like to make another item or two during the month, but that might not be possible and I am ok with that. Mostly I just want to join in the comradery and help show people that it's possible to make what you wear and still look normal, ha ha. Well as normal as I ever look I guess. I suppose I mean that we should pay attention to out clothing choices more, but that we can still have fun with our clothes and that they should not be considered so disposable. In fact, I've already mended a few items I'd put off just so I could wear them this month, lol.

So if you'd like to see how I do on this challenge as May progresses, you can follow me on instagram (my name is showandtellmeg) and I will try to post daily photos. I will also do a recap at the end of the month as usual.  So get ready, friends, for a lot of Megan-made-goodness :)

Me Made May 2015 - My Completed Challege

Well, May 2015 has come and gone, and it's time to report on My Pledge I made at the beginning of the month. My original pledge was to wear all my me made or altered items within the month. I also threw in that I hope to finish some long standing wips. So, how did I do?

I made my pledge kind of vague and fairly simple on purpose - I've had a lot going on in my personal life and I didn't know if I wanted to pile on the typical commitment to wear me made everyday like others have done piled on top of that. I didn't want to add yet more stress on myself that could end up with a feeling of failure, you know? I've always loved watching others participate in Me Made May each year, but I've always had to watch from the sidelines because I've never had enough finished items. I really didn't get started with actually sewing wearable items until last September, but since then I have churned out quite a few items. Could I actually have enough for the whole month? The thought crossed my mind after 6 days of wearing me made with no problems - in fact, it's pretty easy to grab something I made each morning. I did so well straight off that I decided to see how long I could keep the momentum going, and about halfway through the month I kept wearing me mades out of sheer stubbornness. I mean, I had gone that far, right? I didn't want to always wish I had buckled down and completed the month. So I kept wearing me made items on purpose...

And I managed to wear me mades everyday for the entire month! I'm pretty stoked that I was able to complete the challenge, to be honest. I still technically did not complete my own pledge since there were several items I've made that did not get a single wear - all for very good reasons. I feel that I've still completed the challenge though since I upped the ante and did it for the whole month. Yes, there were repeats - especially on my basic skirts that I wear really frequently - but just the sole fact that I had enough items that I've made or altered to complete the entire month is pretty elating to me :)

So what were my "Most Worn" items?

1. Pretteh Kitteh Skirt - This one is just so awesome that I want to wear it all the time :) Clearly it's because the fabric is so awesome. I had to pace myself with this one because I don't want to become the "crazy cat skirt lady" by wearing it too much, lol.
2. Peggy Skirt - This is just such a useful basic - I love everything about it. The shape is very flattering, the fabric is nice and cool and doesn't wrinkle, and the color goes with pretty much everything. I need a whole arsenal of these skirts in solid colors like this. 
3. Altered Navy Pin Dot Skirt - Another totally basic item that goes with lots of things. It's dressed up without feeling fussy, so I'm able to be comfortable while still looking work appropriate.

I'm a definite skirt lover. I also love my t-shirts :) I had to restrain myself from wearing my latest Floral Plantain everyday, because it's just so pretty and fun and comfy. Notice a trend yet? As much as I love dresses in theory, I only wore my cotton dresses once each and that was to church on Sunday. It's just too stinking hot here in the summer to wear a dress all day at work, especially one with such a high neckline. This may be way crossing the TMI line, but apparently my chest gets very itchy throughout the day, so my high necked dresses tend to drive me crazy after a few hours and if any sweating has occurred at all. I tend to have to do lots of bra adjusting throughout the day, and I don't relish having to completely unzip my dress and get halfway naked in order to get things re-situated. This is why my dresses don't get worn more, so maybe I need to look into dresses with a lower neckline. Going by what I wore this month, here is what I've learned:

• My "signature silhouette" is fit and flare, preferably with a knit top.
• My more casual clothes only get worn every so often, while my "work appropriate' clothes get grabbed over and over.
• I don't like the look of a plantain top with anything flared on the bottom - it looks too sloppy on me. I need waist definition for a flared bottom or else I feel like I look heavier, which no one wants. 
• I'm all about comfort - no matter what I'm doing, I need to be realistic with my fabric choices and no go for so much quilting cotton. It may be cotton, but it's thick and I live in Florida. 
• I LOVE linings. They may be more work to sew, but they make me feel so much more comfortable. Line all the things!
• Most of my clothing at this point is thrifted :) 

Even more than all these lessons, the biggest surprise I learned it I'VE MADE ENOUGH ITEMS TO SURVIVE A WHOLE MONTH OF ME MADE MAY! This is an epic achievement for me, and I really couldn't be more pleased :) I also managed to work on several wips as well as churn out some totally new items. I didn't finish knitting my Emelie sweater, but as you can see from my pics up there I rarely wore my knitted items this month. May in Florida is just way too hot for anything wool. Period. And if my knits aren't wool then they are worsted weight, which is the same problem. I need to focus on thinner yarn, even though it takes me forever to knit, and I need to stay away from wool, even though I love knitting with it. *Sigh*

So yeah - I COMPLETED ME MADE MAY! HOORAY! I love that I can say that I wore me mades for a whole month. It just feels so accomplished :) Thanks so much, Zoe, for making this challenge and encouraging us all to push ourselves. I'm still pretty amazed at what I was able to accomplish.

It's Time For Me Made May 2015!

Well, it's that time of the year again - Me Made May. I managed to put off my pledge until quite literally the last minute, since May begins tomorrow. I always love watching everyone else participate each year, and I made a rather paltry attempt last year. I still won't kid myself that I have enough me-made clothing to last me a month, but I will certainly have more at my disposal than last year. So, my pledge may sound similarly vague, but it will definitely be better fulfilled this time around.

 'I, Megan of Show and Tell Meg, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavor to wear all of my completed me-made and refashioned items over duration of May 2015. I also pledge to finish a few of my long standing WIPs to be worn as well.'

I know that I will be able to do a much better job at sticking to this now :) I already wear mostly thrifted clothing as it is, so that will be a nice little bonus to rest my mind. I will be taking pictures to document on the days that I succeed and I will post them to instagram. Please pop over there to see the play-by-play, or just wait until the end of May for a recap. I'm very excited to participate this year, and I hope it turns out a fun yet challenging month!

Me Made May 2014 Wrap Up

So, apparently it's June now, and Me Made May is over, lol. I will confess, I didn't get to participate as much as I would have liked, but in my defense it was almost completely out of my control. We've been passing a really horrific stomach bug around at work, and smack in the middle of May, I got it. Seriously folks, I can't remember EVER being so sick. At least it was only a 36 hour bug, but it left me weak for about a week afterward. Anyway, here is a recap of my feeble Me Made May attempt:

Top Left:  Purple Boob Holder with Altered Black Sequin Skirt (I can't find the link now - boo.)
Top Right: My "First" Sweater (this was my first day back at work after being sick, not the best pic, lol).
Bottom Left: (Somewhat) Wearable Muslin of Colette Jasmine Blouse
Bottom Right: Simplicity 2215 - Simple Khaki Skirt

Those are all the pics I took :( I did wear my black sequin skirt and khaki skirt a few more times, and my blue sweater is always in my bag for when I get cold at work, but I didn't take any more pics of them. I've actually never worn the Jasmine muslin before other than just trying it on after I finished it - and I have officially diagnosed why I don't like it: It looks straight up like a 1950s maternity shirt. Don't let the clever camera angles in that photo fool you. The fact that it's too big (even with altering as much as I could) means that the center seam sticks away from my body (because it's cut on the bias). Normally, this creates a flattering silhouette ... unless it's too big. It looks like I'm hiding a belly. Add the pale pink color and the retro collar and sleeves and it's like a stereotype bad preggo shirt. I do still love the pattern itself and I have one almost finished in nautical colors that is actually my size and it looks much better, so this was all just a learning experience. Needless to say, I don't think I'll be unearthing this again unless I am actually pregnant, lol. I had hoped to wear all of the items I had made for myself, including my shawls and other knitted items. Frankly, it was just too freakin' hot to even consider putting actual wool on my body out of doors. So I gave myself a pass on that idea.

I also had set a few loose goals for myself: 1) to finish and wear my Butterick 5982 dress and 2) to finish and wear my Miette Cardigan. Unfortunately, I failed at these as well, lol. I did finish all the knitting on my Miette, but I was hung up on buttons. I searched my stash and didn't see any I liked, so I had to wait until I could make a trip to Joann's. The dress, I'm ashamed to say, has sat in the same position it did when I put it down the night I got sick. I was very gung-ho about it before hand, but after being down for the count for a week I was so behind on housework that I couldn't justify the sewing time, and by the time I did a few chores each night I just wanted to sit on the couch and knit. Add to all this the fact that I didn't have a day off from work over the last 3 weeks, and you end up with unfinished projects. I do still hope to finish the dress soon, and I did a little more thorough stash digging this weekend and found some buttons that were exactly what I was looking for :) Funny how that works. So, I hope to block it and finish things up on my day off this week.

I had other plans for alterations - in fact I have a Jessica London black skirt that I thrifted sitting on my table already marked, pinned, and ready to sew - but I couldn't be bothered to change the thread in my machine, lol. I actually really want that skirt now (it fills a huge hole in my wardrobe), so I can see that being finished relatively soon. The best laid plans, you know. I'm noting if not good at planning things to make.

Even though it feels like a bust, I really enjoyed Me Made May this year. I liked that I actually got to participate a bit. I put my pics on Instagram and then I would look through others outfits. I found a few more blogs to add to my blog roll. I am taking this experience and plan to grow on it next year.

Me Made May 2014 - I'm In!

I've been a follower of Me Made May ever since I got into sewing blogs . I've watched longingly the last 2 years as others wear their handmade items and report with photos. As much as I love sewing and creating, I've never really had much to use for MMM. I've always just watched from the sidelines feeling like I couldn't keep up with the others. This year though, Zoe's opening post really made me feel differently. Me Made May isn't about imposing impossible challenges on yourself and feeling like a failure for falling short. It's about using the things that you've made, even when you maybe haven't worn them much for whatever reason. So this year, I am going to do what I can ...

 'I, Megan of 'Show and Tell Meg' blog, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear all of the clothing and accessories I have sewn, knit, or altered thus far over the course of May 2014'

I am completely confident that I can accomplish this :) I will use this month to appreciate the things I have been able to accomplish, and to be inspired by the things that others have made. If time permits, I hope to make at least 1 sewn item, which would definitely be the "challenge" part of my pledge, but I will not be too hard on myself if I can't do it. I have so much going on with my house and family stuff that I can't guarantee enough time. It would be nice though :) I also pledge to finish and wear my Miette cardigan this month - this I know is do-able.

So check back every now and then to see how I do! And head over to the MMM '14 Flickr Group to watch others report on their pledges as well.

Me Made May: Sorbetto Top + My First Muslin

It's official! I actually made something that I was able to wear during the month of May! Even though it's not any of the projects I originally planned or worked on throughout the rest of the month, at least it's something :)

Introducing the Sorbetto Top:

For those of you who aren't all up into the online sewing world, the Sorbetto is a free downloadable pattern made by Colette Patterns. It's kind of all the rage online and I had to see what all the fuss was about. I don't like sleeveless shirts though and I found this pattern  from the Sew Weekly to add a sleeve (also free to print). I also used this project to make my first ever muslin. I've been watching the Couture Dress class on Craftsy and Susan Khalje shows how to make a muslin (which is a rough copy of your garment that you use to make sure it fits correctly before you sew the real thing), and I figured this would be a simple enough project to give this technique a go. So, first thing's first, I had to print out the pattern and assemble it before cutting it out.

I started by ironing my muslin material and then pinning the selvages together, a technique Susan Khalje tells about in the class. The selvage is the hard edge of the fabric and by pinning them together, you ensure that your grain lines in the fabric are all parallel. This is important to make sure your garment will hang correctly on the body.

Then I pinned the pattern on the muslin and cut it out.

Once the pattern was roughly cut out, I had to transfer all the markings from the pattern onto the muslin. Susan Khalje shows how to use tracing paper for the transferring, but I didn't have any I didn't want to wait so I just folded the edge of the pattern up and traced along the lines. Once I had the pencil lines drawn, I went over them with permanent marker.

I then pinned this fabric pattern on myself how it would be worn, drew lines where it needed to be adjusted, and then made the lines over with permanent marker. Now I had my pattern :) It sounds so official as I type it now, I'm still a little in awe that I did all this.

On Memorial Day, I went to Hancock Fabric to take advantage of their awesome sale, and found this cute 100% cotton print for only $2.00 per yard on sale (I bought 5 yards - lol). I like this because it's got some interest going on that doesn't look cartoony and it's also thicker than the usual cottons you find like quilting cotton, so I knew it would be better for clothing than some others I had used before. Also, it was inexpensive so it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't end up liking my top. The weirdest thing with the fabric was matching up the bias tape - I couldn't find any pinks that matched. In the white sections of the fabric there is a weird greeny-yellow line, and I found some bias tape that matched that really well - it's a very strange color, but it was called 'canary' on the package.

Anyway, I got all my supplies and whipped this baby out in a matter of 2 nights - mostly it took that long because I kept trying to pick things out and alter them slightly. Here is how it came out:

Overall, I like it. It was easy to sew and the directions were very good. I wish that I had made it fit tighter now that it's all done, and I may alter it slightly later on. Also, I may add a few embellishments like this to jazz it up a bit. Unfortunately, since it fit so loose, I felt like I was wearing a scrub top all day. This top will definitely get worn, but it may end up being a pajama top - we shall see.

Here is the pleat detail - my fabric is so busy that you really don't see it in the other pictures.

So there you have it - my first Sorbetto :) And my first completely Me Made garment that isn't a part of a Halloween costume! And I even made it just under the wire to be a Me Made May participant :) I'm very excited about reaching my goal, even if it wasn't with the pieces I originally planned. The others are still in the works and I will post about them when they finally get finished.

Me Made May: Frenchie Bag for My Mommy's B-Day

So, May is a busy month for our family because it's not only Mother's Day, but the 21st is also my mom's birthday. This always puts us in a bit of a weird position with presents and whatnot - kind of like having your b-day on Christmas or something. I always feel like a heel when I have a nice gift for one and not the other. On top of not knowing what to buy her, I also have seriously zero dollars to buy anything with. So, I pulled out yet another sewing project that has been planned for years and never made.

Back when I was getting married, my mom and I found the Frenchie Bag by Amy Butler at our favorite sewing store during a sale and thought it would make for cute bridesmaid gifts. So, I made them up in black with white polka dots on the bottom and yellow with little starts for the top to go with my wedding colors. When we bought all that fabric though, we also picked some out for ourselves with the intention of making them together. That was about 4 years ago and I made my bag, but my mom's never got done.

So, since I had the fabric and the pattern and I'd made about 7 others in between, I decided to whip out one for my mom in the fabric that she chose. Here is what it came out like:

Isn't it cute? The fabric is a Michael Moore print of flowers with a coordinating stripe from the same collection. I think this is easily the nicest looking one of these that I have ever made, so my mom definitely benefited from hers taking so long :) Originally we had purchased the fabric to make the handbag size, which is much smaller than this one. But from my previous experience with all the other bags, this pattern leaves a lot of extra fabric after cutting, so I figured I would have enough to make the bigger size and I was right. The only difference because of this is that the pattern tells you to make the main fabric and the straps the same, but with using the flower fabric for the bigger size, I didn't have a long enough piece to do the straps. Plus, I figured it would be cool to have the long stripes on the straps and I'm really glad it worked out that way.

Here is a closer view of the top :) I actually finished this one like the instructions say - it really wasn't much more work, I was always just lazy before. See the cute stripes on the handles :) And I made sure to keep them perfectly straight on the lines of the stripes. I think it came out very well.

Another cool thing about this bag is that is has 2 pockets inside :) So it can help to separate your stuff - most other bags I have made in the past are just an open shape inside with no pockets. Next time I make this bag, I'm going to sew one of the pockets up the middle so it has 2 smaller compartments instead of the big one.

So, I started this at 9pm last night and had it finished and taking pictures of it by midnight :) Not bad - I've gotten it down to a science. My mom was thrilled to have it and while it took a whole night away from me, I'm glad she liked it so much and that makes it worth it :) Happy Birthday, Mom!

Me Made May Update: My Dress

Well, I got my dress all together last week on my day off. It's not finished yet - I still have to do some alterations and put in the zipper and hem it - but at least you can tell it's a dress now!

Here is a full view of the dress :)

I need to fix how wobbly the waist band seams are. I thought I was doing ok, but I was paying such close attention to making sure the pleats laid down right that I forgot to pay attention to my lining fabric making it slip around.

This is one of my favorite parts - pockets! Not only are they pockets, but they even have pleats over them so they go with the design across the front :)

Here is another part I am particularly proud of - the lining. I have never made anything with a lining before, but I decided to go full boar on this one and not only line the bodice like the pattern says but also line the skirt as well. This will help the white parts of the skirt not be so see through plus it will give the skirt a bit more oomph. And it makes a lovely swishing sound when I walk :) I'm really proud of how professional it looks inside (aside from that waist seam that I still have to neaten up).

See how nice all the lining looks? Honestly, this is a big thing for me that tells the difference between a store bought dress and a homemade one. It just finishes everything off and feels so much nicer to wear.

I can't wait to finish this baby up so I can wear it officially! I really hope I can finish it during the month of May, though I'm not sure if this will happen. I've kind of done everything that I can do by myself. I had my mom help me pin it on to check the fit last Friday (the day after I sewed this much), and it was really slumpy fitting. It was very upsetting - I almost cried a little because I had worked so hard on it and was afraid it was going to look awful on my. How depressing would that be? But my mom is good at sewing and she is going to help me fit it better. That has been the biggest problem - you can't just pin it on yourself and mark what needs to be fixed - you need outside assistance. Luckily my mom is happy to help me out.

So, I just wanted to document that I have been working toward my Me Made May goal :) Even if I don't make it completely by the end of the month, at least I am proud of what I have accomplished! I'll be sure to show off the finished product as soon as it's all done :)

Me Made Mother's Day

Funds are really quite tight in the Shimer household right now, so wen it came down to it I knew I couldn't buy my mom a gift that she would deserve. This made me sad, so I started thinking of things I could make or do for her to let her know how special she really is. Suddenly I remembered something that would be perfect.

Back when I bought my green damask fabric (the stuff for my Me Made May dress), my mom and I also bought cute fabric to use on an apron pattern I have. I was pretty enthusiastic about mine and I cut it out, but I have yet to sew it at all - it's all together in a bag. Lucky for me, my mom never even took her fabric home. It has been sitting with my stash for all this time! So today, I have accomplished the seemingly impossible and made her the apron she wanted using the fabric she chose :)

Isn't the fabric cute? We both chose different aprons off of Simplicity 4282 and my mom wanted option E (which is the blonde illustrated woman in the top right). She wanted just that shape minus the eyelet ruffle at the neck and pocket and minus all that embroidery. At the time I kept thinking she was choosing a hard one, but boy am I glad I was wrong. This was seriously the easiest apron ever. I cut out the main piece in the white with flowers (just like mom wanted) and used the black for the straps and the pockets. I didn't take any photos of the sewing process since it was so simple, but here is the finished product:

The edges are just finished with black bias tape, so I decided to jazz things up a bit by using fuchsia colored thread. It looks nice, but you can easily see a few spots that I messed up. Oh well, I know my mom won't mind since I made it for her - mom's are good like that :) Plus it's a busy fabric, so you don't really see the mistakes unless I point them out.

The straps are just designed to tie on - seriously this is the most basic apron ever. I'm glad I finished it, but I'm kind of wishing my mom had wanted something  a little fancier. Oh well, whatever she wants :)

I added bias tape around the edges of the pocket to give them a little visual interest since I didn't add the ruffle. It looks good, but man was that a pain. I saved the pockets for last and literally with only 3 inches left to sew, my machine ate the fabric. I was able to recover it without cutting a whole in the fabric, but man was that frustrating. I made 2 pockets instead of just one - I love symmetry.

All in all, I'm happy with how it came out. Sure there are some mistakes that make it look home made, but I know that my mom will love it because I made it. Plus it's just nice to have the satisfied feeling you get when you take a piece of fabric and turn it into something usable :) I'm really proud of myself that I was able to do this whole project in one day and I'm super excited for Sunday to roll around so I can give it to my mom :)

Me Made May - Progress

Well, it may not be much to a normal person, but to me I feel quite accomplished :) I cut out my dress! Hizzah! While most sewists (new favorite word) would say, "Big Whop," to that, I seriously feel like the project is almost complete. The cutting out is always the hardest for me to get motivated to do.

At least now it's looking like I am going to be able to make my Me Made May goal to wear at least this dress :)

Happy Me-Made-May!

Today is the beginning of Me-Made-May! While my sewing projects are no where near done, I wanted to at least kick off the month with something that I made:

I made this bracelet 100% myself about a year or so ago :) It's made up of sterling silver parts and beads with round hematite beads (that't the shiny gray stone) and fancy elongated cut amazonite beads (the tealy blue stone). Originally I had intended to put this out for sale, but I liked it so much it just ended up becoming mine :) I haven't really worn it very much, but I really do like it so I figured the Me-Made-May challenge would be the perfect opportunity to get some use out of it. Plus it's nice to show of my handiwork on the blog too :)

So, there is a little something that was Me-Made :) So, at least I feel like I kicked the month off right. Hopefully I will be able to make some progress on my sewing projects this week. I will keep you all posted!