Nikki’s Me-Made-May 2018 – week 1

Well it is that time of year again where some sewists give themselves a bit of a challenge and pledge to wear me-made clothes in the month of may. The pledges vary significantly but you can follow a lot of the outifts through #mmmay and #mmmay18 on instagram.

Now I didn’t actually make a pledge, this was for a few reasons. Firstly I was soooo busy at the end of last month that I didn’t have time to think about anything beyond my thesis, and secondly I only had about 4 or 5 items that were actually everyday me-made items rather than bags and dance outifts, so I wasn’t sure how achievable a pledge would be. Pippa posted about her pledge here as she actually has a lot more me-made clothes than me.

But now I have finished writing the dreaded thesis I decided that I really should get some sewing done! And maybe I would actually be able to achieve a reasonable amount of me-made-may.
I had a little search through my stash… This isn’t even all of it by a long stretch. Definitely need to get stash-busting…

So how has my first week gone?

The first couple of days I was just super busy getting the last bits of printing/binding done and sleeping as I was knackered! I did wear these me-modified trousers though! They are a lovely light weight perfect for warm weather. When I bought these they were about 5″ too long for me and had a crotch down around my knees, so I adjusted them and now they are lovely. 🙂

Then on the first day after I actually submitted, I decided to get my craft on and make a top. This was a self drafted pattern I made from a RTW top I had, and some viscose from my extensive stash. It needed a few adjustments but I’m happy with how it turned out, and it only took a few hours from start to finish 🙂 Will definitely be making some more of these.

I decided that the top would be nice as a pyjama top, so I made some shorts to pair with it. These were modified from the Seamwork Nantucket shorts with the wrap around removed and some length added on. A lovely pairing with my self drafted top.

And then I upped the game a little. I have some glorious fabrics in my stash which I want to make into loose fitting but flattering dresses as I enjoy wearing those. Pippa suggested the Seamwork Kimmy dress which she had previously modified for a bright summer dress (which you can see on her instagram here). This has a scoop neck and no gathering on the shoulders as well as the bodice not having a front seam and an elasticated waist.

I wasn’t sure about the pattern so decided to make a muslin from an old bedsheet that had been retired because it was ripped. Definitely a bright colour, but actually I really like it. A very wearable muslin, and I blended in perfectly with the cafe chairs when we nipped to B&Q for some plants!

A pretty productive week!! So far 3 new items in my wardrobe which are infinitely more wearable on a day to day basis (rather than my winter cape, and two posh dresses…) and I have a few more items in progress at the moment which will be making a show in the next few days 🙂

Let’s hope I can keep this momentum up and get some more me-made into my wardrobe!

How about you guys? Are you taking part in me-made-may either fully or just as a little attempt to wear/make a little more me-made items? I would love to hear about it!