Another Week (or so) in May :)

And another successful batch of Me-Mades!   Still loving the process, still exploring and learning more about my closet, my style, and surprisingly, my Self.   Who knew that a simple challenge about wearing clothes could end up being something of a soul-searching journey?  More about that at the month's wrap-up, I'm sure!

Day 18 - relaxing on the porch in Katherine Tilton's Zip T, Vogue 8793, 

and Style Arc Jilly Jeans

And Trippens.   Can't forget the Trippens!

Day 19 -  It was a sewing day in my hot little attic sewing room!

Colette Sorbetto

Day 20 - Oops!  No photo!   Knock around the house in jeans day :) (me-made, but of course)

Day 21 - My new K. Tilton Dress!

Out and about in the evening - with Amy of Sew Well

at a blogger meetup/farewell party to Amy

Wearing the K.T. dress, and my Koos Coat

We're standing in front of the most awesome window display in SF, at All Saints, 

which just happens to be located next to Britex :)

Day 23 - Wearing the very first blouse I made after re-entering the sewing world 3-1/2 years ago!

Decades of Style Collar Confection blouse (pre-blog)

I don't wear this blouse much; MMM forced me deep into the closet.

I think I don't wear it because it's a fairly heavy cotton, with short little sleeves, and it's just not really weather-appropriate for any kind of weather!

I have (hopefully) learned a bit about fabric choices, patterns, 

and putting the two together since then!

Day 24 - Marcy Tilton Tshirt V8636,

Style Arc Linda Pants in corduroy 

Day 25 - Today was a glorious day outside, and I have a project

that needs to be done using the Wabi-Sabi technique I learned recently,

so I wore grubbies (Style Arc Bali Bindi top and rtw pants) and spent the day

playing with silks and dyes :)

There is one more Me-Made week left; who knows what treasures I'll dig up in these last days!

Have any other current or former MMM'ers found that this challenge is far, far more of a self-exploration than you imagined?  Or am I just weird that way?  ;-D

I have one more fun finished project to share (as soon as I get pics taken!), and right now I'm off to work a bit on my wabi-sabi, although the tummy is telling me to eat first...I can get somewhat obsessively wrapped up in a fun project and forget to eat......   I may be weird that way too lol!

Happy Making, everyone :)

Another Successful Me-Made Week :)

Loving the Me-Made-for-a-Month concept.   Seriously, Loving it!  I'm definitely choosing my outfits with more consideration, and dressing "up" a bit more, even when I'm planning on spending most of my day at home.  I'm ready to pop out to the grocery store at a moment's notice (hey, I might even find an excuse to go out and about!)  And I'm sure we all know that when we feel better about how we look, we project that, and strangers smile a bit more, and a few more feel-good vibes end up getting spread around.   If we help spread a few more smiles around, just by dressing a little bit more consciously, then who's to argue with that?

Here's this week's roundup:

Day 11 -
Au Bonheur Asymmetric T,
rtw pants

Day 12 - Mother's Day.

I spent a good portion of the day tending the garden in memory of Mom -

along with teaching me to sew, I spent many cherished hours with her in our vegie garden as a child.   She instilled in me the love of fresh vegies, along with the pleasure of getting my hands dirty.  :)   "It's CLEAN dirt", she used to say.   

Wearing (again) my Marcy Tilton French Housewife dress.

Day 13 - A jeans work day.

Wearing the first tshirt I ever made (pre-blog, and I'm too lazy to look up the pattern)

and the first jeans I ever made (Jalie Jeans)

Day 14 - Another version of Shams' tablecloth skirt,

blogged here

Days 15 and 16 were 2 more jeans work days.

These took an immediate claim to Favorite Jeans right after making them, 

and I take a rather perverse pleasure in the fact that they are now really showing their wear - the knees are thinning, they have a few stains, and they really shouldn't even be worn as work jeans anymore!  (I do see clients while wearing them!)

And finishing off the week, it's Theme Friday!

"Hats" is the theme for the day, and not only did the weather cooperate,

but so did my hair (bad hair day).  Perfect!

Wearing Decades of Style Collar Perfection blouse - pre-blog, and

rtw pants.

I'm still identifying wardrobe holes, and already looking forward to next year's MMM, when I might be able to set a realistic goal of wearing ALL me-made clothes for a month!

The Wearing of the Me Mades (Week 2)

Every now and then you have one of those days, right?  Well, It's been a week.  Yes, it has.  Not only did I not sew; I didn't accomplish much of anything else either!   The good news:  I still managed to wear me-made every day, AND took pictures!  Well, I missed one day, but that day doesn't count, because I wore the same thing two days in a row.   My jammies.   Told you it was a week.  The further good news:  I broke through it all today, and had a marvelous day at work.   The sun is shining on me again :)

Day 4:  With 2 of my wonderful women, catching up on life :)

Wearing rtw top, and my "Basklecloth Skirt"
blogged here.

Day 5:  Hanging around home - thought I'd get out and about,
so I dressed for it.   Never happened. 

Burda Style Tneck top, from November '11
blogged here

Day 6: Looks a lot like Day 5.  Almost is

With Cat

Katherine Tilton Zip T, blogged here,
and Marcy T pants V8712 - I didn't blog this particular pair,
because I've already made them enough times I have no more to say!

Day 7:  Managed to get out and about,

because I had an appointment and had to.

Marcy T (yes, MORE Marcy!) Jacket V8795

blogged here

and Marcy T pants (yes, AGAIN!)

Days 8 and 9:

This was my view of the world for those 2 days.

The Psychedelic Crossword PJs

Day 10 - Feeling 100% again!!!   Yay!!!

Good thing, because I had a client to see

This is Theme Friday - todays theme was Sewing/Creating Space

Rather than follow trend and pose in my actual sewing room, I recruited my 

two mannequins to model a couple of bustles with me.

I'm a bit rumpled after a day of trucking around the woods (yes, dressed like that - my work does take me into some interesting environments sometimes.....)

Wearing LaFred Thalia Pants

What I've learned this week (besides a whole lot of life lessons), thanks to the Me-Made experience:

I can easily wear the same ole' thing 2, even 3 days in a row, if I have no real reason to dress differently.  Sewing for myself had definitely upped my wardrobe and appearance consciousness, and Me-Made-May is taking it to another level.   This is a good thing.  :)

I'm already identifying holes in the wardrobe.  Need a bit more color in tops, since I prefer to wear softer colors (not black) when seeing clients.  It's an energy thing.

Thank goodness we are having some major Weather Variety!  I would be doing a whole lot of repetition if this were happening mid-winter or mid-summer!

I've already done several bags full of closet and drawer purging.  Most is being re-homed, some is slated for ripping and upcycling.   Closets and drawers both have a lot more breathing room :).

I'm still surprised that I'm managing to take a picture every day, and other than the 2 jammie days, I've repeated some items, but no complete outfits.  Yet.   Still LOVING the whole concept!!!

Thanks to Zoe, and to ALL of the MMM participants who are making this process such an inclusive and fun challenge!  I'm loving seeing all of the daily outfits on the flickr page!

And I'm hoping to get caught up on a bunch of sewing this weekend :)

Me-Made-May - It's Friday!

Why did I wait so long to participate in a Me-Made-May???  Nearly 500 participants this time around!  Had I known how fun and inspirational it can be, I would have jumped in before now.   I thought that it required wearing  something you made every day of the month, AND taking a daily picture (not enough me-made clothes and taking a daily pic sounded like WAY too much work...)   Wrong on both counts!

Although I have vowed to be wearing at least one me-made item all the time during the month, I still don't think I'll be able to take a daily picture, and that's fine by me...you get to make up your own "rules" - my kind of group!

 My plan is to post what pics I have on Fridays; here are this week's shots.  People are getting creative with the concept of a Friday Theme - this week it's Water.

Day 1 (It was only Wednesday, but I jumped right in with the water theme):

Style Arc Linda Pants

Style Arc Island Ali top

Day 2:

Marcy Tilton V8813

aka The Lil Ole Lady Dress Gone Wild

Day 3 (Water Theme Friday)

Looking for some bigger water.....

Style Arc Bobbie Bask Skirt

(the tops are RTW)

The heck with it - I'll just stand in the fountain.

So far, I've separated out the me-mades from the rtw in my closet, and that's giving me a much better idea about what needs to be re-homed, recycled, or ripped and re-made.    So many of my older, rtw clothes are really NOT in good shape, other than the nicer items, which don't fit well (amazing what you discover about fit when you start sewing, isn't it?)  I wish fabric shopping weren't so darn fun, because I seriously have more than enough in my closet and stash to last me.....[ahem] a rather long time....

I'm also actually WEARING clothes that have been a bit neglected (translation:  skirts and dresses).  That's partly the weather - high 80's 3 days in a row!   As much as I love the tropics, that's just too danged hot for here; I'm wilting....  Standing in the fountain was yummy on the feet :)

Oh yeah, and taking silly pictures that aren't just showcasing a particular pattern or garment is another perk, and it actually makes the whole picture-taking thing more enjoyable :)

Another nice aspect of all this is that I'm discovering new-to-me sewists and blogs, new patterns, and even new pattern companies!  Like this Japanese company - I'm really tempted to download a couple of their patterns:  Tamanegi-Kobo  (click on the "Patterns in English" link, and translate).  I really like the Sophia jacket, and check out the sleeves on the Fujiko top (set-in on the front, raglan in the back - unusual!)

Sophia Jacket - Love the collar, lose the belt though.

Looking forward to playing with my wardrobe and seeing just how far I can stretch what I have this month, meeting new people, filling myself with new inspiration....and doing some major wardrobe reassessment :)

And you?  Have you or are you participating in MMM this year?  Or have you in the past? What is or was your motivation, and what did you take away from the experience?

Off to do some errands before the afternoon heat starts to wilt me even more....

Happy Sewing, Everyone!  :)