Me-Made-May 2020
The last couple years I’ve heard about Me Made May in the sewing communities I joined on social media but other than a brief post back in 2018, where I shared my recent kid makes, I hadn’t felt like I had anything to truly contribute. This year when Me-Made-May started being mentioned on Instagram I realized why not join in. Over the last couple years I’ve sewn several items for myself which included some amazing ones I love to wear out in public, others I wear a lot but keep at home, and then others still that haven’t left the closet since the last stitch was made. Since we were privileged enough to be able to shelter-in-place this was the perfect time to try to wear something novel everyday and see if I was capable of completing the challenge. Over the last month I was able to highlight a new item of clothing everyday, though a couple times I only wore the garment for a couple of hours, and I can’t believe I finished it.
Throughout the past month I posted a weekly recap on Instagram as each week ended so every picture, excluding the last three days, have been previously shared on my Instagram account (@simplyartsykyra). I still wanted to create a post showing all the makes in one simple to find spot so if there was something you wanted to make yourself you could. Each day’s entry links to the pattern website, the fabric source (if remembered), and, if created, a blog post with more images of the outfit.
I used an app, through my iPhone, on all of my images, below, to add the date. The first week I used PicCollage but then I switched to PhotoCollage for the rest of the month.
An added benefit of this challenge, while participating I made a point to move every garment I wore over to one side of my closet so with Me-Made-May over this year I should be able to see what I did wear making it easier to downsize so I have room for new makes. Over the last couple years I kept every wearable muslin I sewed thinking I could just wear them around the house yet as I didn’t enjoy some of them they just sat in my closet for no reason. With us staying home and seeing Me-Made-May I realized why not use some of my loud fun fabric I bought to test out new garments to wear around the house even if I know they’re going to stay confined there? I ended up cutting out some fabric that had been sitting for a while and sewed up a couple fun tops that are shown below.
Week One
And here we go!
May 1st
I’ve posted about the Stitch Upon A Time Brazi back when I created a workout bra using an underwear rapport from Whimsy. This is the one and only time I made a dress version of the Brazi and although I absolutely love the design and flow of the fabric, bought through Snowy Owl Fabrics, I haven’t been able to let myself wear it out of the house. That said this is my most worn garment and I couldn’t help but kick start this years Me-Made-May off with it. This dress is perfect on the weekend to wear around the house whether I’m vacuuming or having fun with the kids. Pre-Covid-19 I used to lay it out most mornings so I had something quick to put on after I showered. I’d then wear it until I changed to go out on a playdate, run errands, or, if staying home all morning, to go pick Ada up from school. With the shelter-in-place I’ve tried to separate my weekends from my weekdays and made myself get dressed in pants, comfy knit ones, and a shirt on weekdays and left this, mostly, for the weekends only. I’m actually wearing it again as I edit this post.
May 2nd
I couldn’t help but grab one of my favorite shirts to wear today. My top is the Dynamite, through Ragamuffin Patterns, made with Doctor Who fabric bought through a pre-order at Zenith and Quasar. I paired it with a pair of comfy Pippa Pants I made awhile back through Rebecca Page. I’ve previously posted about the shirt here.
May 3rd
We planned on going out to pick up a grocery order and grab some takeout today and although the kids and I stayed in the car it’s the first time we left our house together since the shelter-in-place started. Since it was such an exciting day I chose to wear my Ragamuffin Patterns Billie wrap dress made with Girl Charlee cotton blend fabric. If you want more information about this dress you can easily check it out here.
May 4th
I chose to fully embrace staying home and that there was no scheduled zoom meetings for Ada’s school today and grabbed the Rebecca Page strappy cami and paired it with my crop top version of the Dynamite. Even though both of my daughters chose to put a fancy dress overtop of their shirt and pant combo just yesterday Zoey was still aghast that I’d dare to wear two shirts at the same time. If you want more information about the strappy cami I posted about it here.
May 5th
I wore a store bought shirt and pants for most of the day but once I finished my new pajamas, made from the Ragamuffin Dynamite with a slightly altered skirt to fit the main panel, I swiftly changed into it for the remainder of the day. I finally justified using the adorably cute fabric I bought through a preorder two years ago from Fabric Geeks (now 5 Oceans Fabric) and am so glad I did. The back of the shirt, and several underwear I’ve sewn since with the remnants, have scattered tired looking animals holding mugs and are so adorable.
May 6th
I laid out a store-bought outfit today so I had planned to take a photo of my morning workout gear but once I hopped into the shower I realized I had forgotten to snap the photo. I had happened to lay out me-made undergarments so I took this photo instead. These are both made from Stitch Upon A Time patterns where the top is the Brazi and the bottoms are either Scrundlewear or Bunzies. I’ve made all three patterns many times and love them all.
May 7th
I planned to wear something store-bought today so I, instead, made a point of taking a photo after my workout. Both garments were wearable muslins that I didn’t want to wear out of the house yet instead of being ignored in a drawer they became my favorite workout-from-home outfit. The shirt is the Stitch Upon A Time Titania while the pants are my first version of the Pippa from Rebecca Page.
Week Two
And here is what I wore for week two of Me-Made-May! I’m surprisingly more put together this week compared to the last week.
May 8th
Back at the beginning of January I tried out the Kathryn top from Itch To Stitch. I love the top although I haven’t yet made it a second time; my goal is to sew it up again making it a bit longer. I pulled it out today along with my comfy Rebecca Page Pippa 3/4 length pants and Stitch Upon a Time Brazi.
May 9th
Decided to go comfy today and I pulled out the Love Notions Laundry Day Tee I sewed up years ago. I made it too big for me and made it back when I still used a straight stitch on knit when hemming and topstitching so I can constantly hear the seams popping but I haven’t been able to make the decision yet to toss, upcycle, and/or make another one.
May 10th
With today bring Mother’s Day I decided to take the day and make it a good one. I laid out my fanciest dress, Ragamuffin’s Billie made with BOHO Fabrics ITY, and chose to apply makeup to start the day out right…. but Ada was extremely excited for Mother’s Day so she woke up five minutes into my workout. After pivoting my workout plan so we could workout together she helped me make my breakfast so we could eat together (she wanted cereal) and then I put on a show so I could take my time showering and getting ready. Again, I blogged about this dress before and you can read about it here.
May 11th
I chose to wear my other Itch To Stitch garment, the Plitvice top, today. I wish it was longer in the torso but otherwise I absolutely love it and keep meaning to make another one… sometime. This is the pattern that brought me to Itch To Stitch.
May 12th
It was spirit day for Ada’s school today so I wore her school shirt so we’d match. Because of that I went with one of my Pippa pants from Rebecca Page to make my outfit more me-made. I sewed these using the ruched waistband with ties but I find the height of the waistband and the presence of the strings make my shirt bulkier so if I ever make them again I’m going to go with the simpler flat waistband instead.
May 13th
I’m at the point where I’m feeling like I’ve worn all my go to makes already. I was trying to find unique items to bring out and since it’s a tiny bit chillier today I grabbed my comfy and slightly oversized Sara Sweater, through Rebecca Page, that I made back in February. Figured I had to wear it before the weather heats up again.
May 14th
While looking through my closet I realized I’d somehow not worn one of my favorite shirts in the last two weeks making today’s choice an easy decision. This is the Angel top by Rad Patterns made with a mystery box slinky ITY fabric… and is yet another top I keep meaning to make more of.
Week Three
And with two weeks down we’re just under halfway through the month.
May 15th
I finally sewed up my Cherry Bomb, through Ragamuffin Patterns, using cotton lycra bought a while back from Whimsy Baby Customs. I added bra cups to the shelf bra so I don’t have to worry about bra lines when wearing the top. I actually took photos of it this morning, unhemmed, but didn’t like how the bottom was rolling up so I stopped to hem it mid-morning and snapped another photo for this post.
May 16th
I realized I hadn’t worn the Toronto Tee through Rebecca Page yet. It’s a boxy pattern which I normally don’t like on me so I chose to sew it up with some ITY, found in a mystery box, for maximum drape.
May 17th
I was planning on being comfortable today in the dress I wore on May 1st so I made sure to wear one of the, un-photographed, workout outfits I have in rotation, in the morning, and snapped a photo after I worked out. I’m wearing Pippa pants and a Twist top, both through Rebecca Page, with a purple Brazi, through Stitch Upon a Time, showing through the top of the top.
May 18th
This is one of my favorite tops so I couldn’t believe I hadn’t worn it yet this month. The fabric is from Girl Charlee and the top is the Dynamite through Ragamuffin Patterns. Like before, if you want to read more about it or the fabric you can check out my previous post here.
May 19th
It was spirit day again today so I was planning on wearing store-bought clothing. To be able to photograph something me-made I made sure to wear my last set of workout clothing and grabbed a photo before I worked out. This is the Rebecca Page Bralette Tank I sewed and ended up stretching the neckline out of when sewing the elastic along it’s seam allowance.
May 20th
We had plans, over lunchtime, today for Matt to take time off from work so we could find an empty parking lot and have a picnic together in the back of our van and let the kids bike close by. These plans made me want to grab a fancier shirt than normal and this Billie, through Ragamuffin Patterns, using fabric from Girl Charlee was the perfect solution. I’ve blogged about Billie, both the top and the dress, before and you can find it here.
May 21st
At first I wasn’t sure what to wear today but once I saw the Laura, through Rebecca Page, hanging in my closet I knew I should wear that. I sewed it up using quilting cotton bought through Fabric.com and I don’t know if it the pattern itself, the fit on me, or the fabric but I don’t like how baggy the top feels while also feeling tight when I move so I didn’t wear it for too long that morning.
Week Four
And now for the last week, and a half, of May!
May 22nd
I realized my favorite shirt had somehow gotten forgotten making it the perfect top to kick start this week by wearing it. This shirt was made with RP Custom Fabrics ‘Selfie Girls’ that I bought back in 2018 and attempted another project with before salvaging it with Ragamuffin Patterns’ Dynamite top pattern.
May 23rd
I had plans to vacuum and mop today so I reached for one of my around the house dresses. This isn’t the best photo of it although I’m also undecided on if I like it or not. It is; however, comfy. Like yesterday the pattern used is Ragamuffin Patterns Dynamite but this time around I used the knee length dress option paired with the largest batwing and sewed it up with Girl Charlee’s cotton spandex fabric instead of the thicker custom cotton lycra. It’s amazing how different both look yet they both come from the exact same pattern. I love how many options Ragamuffin Patterns has in their sewing patterns. If you want to read more about my views of the Dynamite you can find them here, but it was posted before I sewed the Selfie Girl shirt I wore yesterday.
May 24th
I realized I hadn’t worn my last Billie, pattern through Ragamuffin Patterns, yet this month. I sewed it up with a two way stretch ITY from BOHO Fabrics instead of the required four way stretch that the pattern needed so, unlike the wrap dress, the faux wrap top ended up being a bit too small. If you want more information about this top you can check out my post here. That said I love how the top looks and as I can’t get more of this fabric I’m still debating keeping the shirt around for the odd fancy night at home.
May 25th
I was going to wear a tank top today but while I was getting into my workout clothing I figured I’d save the tank for another day and show off the Stitch Upon A Time Brazi I made with an adorable underwear panel from Whimsy Baby Customs. I technically wore this with a couple other previous photos but in them the bra was mostly hidden under a shirt so I decided, last minute, what the heck and went with this. I sewed it up using bra cups for better coverage and, as all of my Brazis are absolutely my favorite comfy bra, a version of this pattern has probably been under most of the tops this month so I realized it needed it’s own day.
May 26th
Today was another spirit day for school so I decided to snap a quick photo of one of the pajamas I’ve previously made. When making it I ignored the skirt that came with the Stitch Upon a Time Calista and lengthened the bra to be a new type of dress using the length of the front panel to decide the length and width of the skirt. I hacked the Calista to have a stand-alone inner shelf bra with cups and elastic. Both the sloth fabrics, front panel and back print, were bought from Whimsy Baby Customs.
May 27th
I wanted to wear one of my previously worn Dynamite tops today so I grabbed a tank I made back in 2018, simplest version of the Stitch Upon a Time Excalibur, to workout in so I could snap a quick photo for you and still wear the repeated top later on in the day.
May 28th
The weather is still hot down here so I grabbed my last comfy sleeveless top to wear today. I’m not sure where the fabric is from, though it feels like a double brushed polyester (DBP), but the top is the Spoxxy through Stitch Upon a Time.
Week Five
May 29th
I realized when laying out my clothing last night that I hadn’t yet shared the Mariella through Rebecca Page. I love the pattern, which comes in a shirt or dress length, but the sleeves are wide enough that it’s difficult to cook and do dishes while wearing it so I don’t often wear it and when I do I usually change right before I make supper. The first and third version of this top have larger sleeves but this one, my second, I screwed up and put one sleeve in upside down and instead of seam ripping and fixing it I, instead, sewed the sleeves slightly skinnier so they’d match making this version a bit easier to wear. I’ve never made it as a dress and am now wondering if I should at some point.
May 30th
I spent all day yesterday sewing up a wearable muslin of Ragamuffin Patterns Bonnie top because I wanted to fit it into Me-Made-May before it ended. I had cut the pattern and fabric out awhile back, at the same time as the May 5th and May 15th’s tops, but hadn’t gotten a chance to sew it up before now. The unicorn fabric was bought a while back, when I still drank coffee, from Whimsy Baby Customs. I finished the top in time and laid it out the night before. This morning, when I tried it on, the seam at the center of the bodice popped and the seam allowance was showing through. I changed to another top, a sweater version of the Dynamite, took some photos, and then went to fix the popped seam. Since I wasn’t ready to display so much cleavage I decided to also sew in a modesty panel with some of my leftover fabric scraps while the shirt was still being worked on. The panel still gapes out so I’m still debating how to fix the top but it was good enough, especially since it’s a home top, to change back into, take a photo, and wear for the rest of the day.
May 31st
With this being Me-Made-May in 2020, a.k.a. COVID-19 shelter-in-place time, I had to include a photo of a mask. The mask I’m wearing is the Do-It-Better-Yourself fitted fabric face mask although I’ve also used Craft Passion’s face mask pattern which uses elastic instead of bias tape. I like both patterns equally, although my husband prefers the DIBY one, and they’re both free. A week or so ago I came across the cufflet sewing pattern through Make It Last Patterns and had to sew it up as it looked like a simple way to carry around accessible cash and be easy to wash when you get back home. Today was the first time I tried it out, at our local farmer’s market, and it was a bit difficult to get your folded up cash out but I could see it being perfect with minimal bills and/or cards in it… or more practice using it.
Over the last month I’ve learned just how much I love Ragamuffin Pattern’s Dynamite top. I’ve made it so many times and have only stopped because I don’t want my whole closet to be only the one style of shirt. I reach first for the Dynamites to wear which stands out to me as many of my shirts are sewn once or not worn very often. I also absolutely adore my me-made underwear and bras. Most of them are through Stitch Upon a Time (brazi, scrundlewear, and bunzies) although I’ve recently bought and loved the MyFit Underwear through Apostrophe Patterns and have made the Lovesick Bralette through George and Ginger (free in their Facebook group) a couple times. And now that May is over I’m going to go through my closet to down size it and then enjoy picking out my outfits without wondering if I wore them yet this month. I know some of my favorites will probably be worn once every laundry cycle.
Did you participate in Me-Made-May this year? Have you before? What’s your favorite part about it? If you’re wishing it wasn’t over I came across weboughtamr on Instagram who did Me-Made-May amazingly. She used clothing from her “me made” wardrobe to recreate famous artwork and it looked incredible. I’d love to hear what you think about Me-Made-May in the comments below. If you like this, or my other posts, I currently come out with a new blog post every Wednesday morning. If you’d like to be notified about any future blog posts you can easily follow my Facebook page, Instagram account, or join my email list. The email list signup is located in the upper left menu, if on a wide screen device, or below, on any device. I hope your week is going better than expected.