Since June is pretty much done I realized I had better do my Me Made May Round up!

This is what Zoe Edwards the organizer of the Me Made May Challenge says. “Me-Made-May is a challenge designed to encourage people who make their own clothes to develop a better relationship with their handmade wardrobe. You set the specifics of your own challenge to make it suitable and useful for YOU. However, one very common pledge is for a participant to aim to wear one self-stitched or refashioned garment each day for the duration of May.” You can read more about the challenge here.

This was my Pledge this year:

“I, Koe Truschke, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May 2019. I endeavor to add more color to my handmade wardrobe. I will also plan to do more selfless sewing which means finally finishing some sewing items for my boys and sister😅 I also endeavor to try new things and branch outside of my sewing and wardrobe comfort zone during May 2019.”

I love this challenge. Last year was my first year to participate. I didn’t have quite as many Me Mades as I do this year. However, my wardrobe did lack color. I tend to prefer black and whites over bright colors due to the fact that I work as a Hairstylist for 30 hours a week. Black and white clothes are easy to fix if I happen to get bleach, hair color or other chemicals on them. I do want my clothes to be more cheerful looking so I decided that this year I would incorporate more color as well as sew a few things for other people. As far as trying new things go I was able to sew some fun shirts with some colorful woven fabrics and make my boys some ties to match. Below are the five new shirts I made for myself in May.

 

I used 3 patterns, all from Love Notions Patterns:

The Harmony Blouse with the Free Petal Sleeve Hack found in the Love Notions blog post written by @winmichele both in 100% cotton woven.

The Forte Top in jersey knit from Joann’s Fabrics.

The Classic Tee Shirt both in Double brushed Poly; maroon color from Joann’s the blue color is from Fabric.com

I was also able to sew up what could quite possible be my favorite cropped pair of pants ever. The best part is I can wear them with pretty much every top I own!

This is a Simplicity pattern #1072. I added slash pockets and shortened them 8 inches. I wore them several times throughout the month of May. Here I’m wearing them with the Named Clothing Ruska knot dress I hacked into a top. You can find this pattern in the book Breaking The Pattern.

Here’s a recap of my month with the patterns used below the pictures in no particular order:

Harmony Blouse , Stellan Tee, Hemlock Tee dress, Ruska knot dress, Ruska Knit dress, Solina top 

Solina Top, Burnside Bibs, Plantain Tee, Harmony Blouse, Simplicity #1072, Tilly and the Buttons Stella Joggers, Classic Tee

Rivage Raglan, Duet Trouser/shorts,  Blanc Tee, Harmony Blouse, Burnside Bibs, Ruska Tee, Stellan Tee, Sabrina Slims

Plantain Tee, Stella Joggers, Forte Top, Simplicity #1072, Classic Tee, Lodo Dress, Blanc Tee Dress, Lou Box Top

Peach Patterns Dress, Plantain Tee, Classic Tee, Mandy Boat Tee

I also made several 5 Out of 4 Rocky Men’s tee for my Boys and Nephews, plus multiple ties for family friends and my first pair of Maternity Shorts for my sister. I should have taken pictures of those makes but I always forget to do that before I send hand made items to their new homes.

After participating last year in Me Made May I decided that I would no longer buy Ready to Wear Fashion for myself. I was never really happy with how RTW fit or made me feel. I have kept true to that decision all year and intend to keep doing so for as long as I can. Once I started sewing more for myself and family I noticed how much not only we changed, but literally our homes atmosphere changed. We are more peaceful and weirdly, there’s more confidence. You can feel it. I’ve noticed how we treat our clothes is so much different. My kids and husband are more intentional with the items they choose to wear each day. They will also choose their handmade clothes and ties over RTW frequently.

I love looking in my closet each day knowing that whatever I choose to wear is an original piece made just for me. The feeling of seeing someone wear something you have made for them never gets old either. I truly love it.