on a hike with ruggy yesterday, he asked what was happening in my sewing life. (he's very good like that.) i yammered on for a bit about me-made-may: i'll be wearing something i've sewn every day for the month of may! and noticed he had grown silent. eyeing my RTW hiking gear, he paused: that sounds... crazy.... he finally ventured.
well, it is crazy, but when i joined up (over a glass of something red, i'm sure) i did think it was do-able. after all, i have a closetful of stitched stuff. what the problem is? the problem is THIS: it's all fancified. and i don't want to sew casual stuff. so i'm amending my pledge over at miss zo's to this:
"i, oonaballoona, sign up as a participant of me-made-may '12. i endeavour to wear a me-made outfit three days a week (excluding undies, cardigans, shoes and accessories-- well maybe not bracelets!) during the month of may, with no repeats. i will strive to wear at least one me-made or me-altered garment (vintage, thrifted or RTW) four days a week."
i like this because it will make me choose my own fancy stuff more often in a sane way. let's face it, i'm not wearing a teal lace scoop back dress when i leave the house today, but i should do this weekend. when i dress up, unless i'm meeting sewists, i often grab someone else's label. and injecting bits of me into the other half of the week could sway me into sewing some more casual things.
cut the theorizing crap, really what it comes down to is this: I LIKE COMPLIMENTS. if i start getting compliments from friends who don't sew and strangers who don't know, it could give me the swelled head kick in the ass i need to make my closet fully me-made.
so there you haz it. i'll be posting on the flickr group, and i'll do a weekly MMM monday post here, with one new outfit featured. i've got some new fancy frocks to show you!
how much do you dress up during the week, whether it's you-made or not? do you wish it was more or less?
Hehe I dress up every day for the office :) I've even been known to sneak in a party dress, slummed down with a cardigan & dark shoes. It's the weekends that I catch myself slacking, mostly because I feel like I need to "save" my nice clothes for... what? I dunno, but there's no point in looking frumpy when you have a closet full of beautiful! That's what it's there for, right? :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I can't wait to see your Me-Made-May outfits!
EXCELLENT point.
DeleteI am very similar, when I sew something it's usually extravagant/fanciful/crazy. I probably COULD do MMM, but then I'd literally be wearing things like a Star Wars skirt (I'm geeky like that). During the week, at work I'm super casual, and on evening and weekends I'm more inclined to wear my creations or vintage dresses.
ReplyDeleteI too, have recently decided to make an effort to make more casual stuff. Less prints, more solids. And work-appropriate skirt lengths.
Good luck!
Well, I'm hampered by the fact that I bike to work, so my outfits need to be bikeable. So I go as fancy as I can while still being able to bike. But I'm pretty good at making practical things because I love wearing what I've made! I'm me-made-maying it, so let's see how THAT goes...
ReplyDeletestrugglesewsastraightseam.wordpress.com
you know me, i dress up me made (or at least 'me altered') clothes all the time.. i did not buy more than a few contemporary made garments in a year and a half (only shoes and a bag or two, and undies.. maybe i should try making my own undies, though..), but i do buy a lot of flea market stuff, and i visit thrift stores frequently.. on the other hand, i do make casual stuff (casual in my vocabulary is dress.. or a skirt and a blouse.. cardigan is super casual.. i do not own a single pair of jeans, and not one white t shirt).. i also make my own slips and kimono robes and swimsuits and coats, even my working clothes for excavations (gonna post about these in couple of days), so it's not hard to dress up 'me made' in any occasion.. and, that's why i never participate in memademonths.. i just live my mmm all year round hehe
ReplyDeleteseriously, you are inspirational in your me made life. and effortless.
DeleteHooray! Love that you're MMM-ing!
ReplyDeleteI'm a total boy so I basically NEVER dress up, but I wish I did a bit more. I work with all bros, so it would be kinda weird if I wore dresses (seriously, wore shorts to work once in the dead of summer and caught a dude taking a picture of my [flat and boring] ass... ugh!). That said, I've got some time off this month so I'm hoping to spread my wings and schmance it up a wee bit!
you need to smack that bro.
DeleteI am excited to see what you do with your fancified closet, because goodness knows, that's my closet too! I'm hesitant to participate in a me-made month until I make up some more utilitarian things.
ReplyDeleteJust started following your blog recently and am really enjoying it! I've done MMM in the past, but not joining this year. My workplace is very casual, so I often feel more dressed up than anyone else, even though I'm not wearing anything FANCY. But I do get a lot of compliments. :)
ReplyDeletewelcome stacy!
Deletei think it's a great approach to the pledge, and am looking forward to seeing how you decide to implement it. me? i treat every day like an excuse to get dressed up, so i'm a little crazy that way...i'll wear my vintage chanel dress (present from mom) with booties and a jean jacket for saturday errands, and then turn around and wear a t-shirt and a skirt with kicky heels and an updo for a slow workday.
ReplyDeleteI would love to participate in the MMM12, however, I don't have too many me-made items. Most of my sewing is 'Me-Made 4 You' items. lol
ReplyDeleteI really need to get on with completing projects.
I MIGHT be able to get away with doing one me-made item a week. I have handbags that have not received any love in a long time.
This is my first MMM challenge, I'm trying an easier pledge, a me-made or re-fashioned item every day.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing your frocks! Now you mention it, MMM is the perfect excuse (why do I need one?) to dress up a bit more.
Glad you'll be participating! I definitely had a bit of a shock this morning trying to figure out what would be my first MMM outfit. I made the mistake of wearing my favorite handmade garments yesterday... Can't wait to see how fabulous you look!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing MMM too, but I modified my challenge to 5 days per week. Mostly because that's how often I can manage to get a picture taken. Plus, I figure if I have to do messy things on the weekend, then I'd rather not wear me-made for that.
ReplyDeleteMost of my stuff is shorts and skirts. This is not a warm May so never mind what Zoe said, I'm definitely doing some sewing to fill in the gaps!
can't wait to see what you whip together, stylish gal! i haven't been dressing up this year as much i have in the past, but i'd prefer to sew a cute going-out dress than basics. this means i dress a LOT of my dresses down for MMM. mr q&s definitely wishes i was dressing up more ;) thankfully i've made some cute tops in past MM challenges and have some good ideas for things to make this month.... so we'll see.
ReplyDeleteMMMOONA! So glad you're MMMing with the rest of us. I have to say I love your pared-down but yet ramped-up challenge. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had occasion to dress up more. Usually I'm at home sewing and I've not yet mastered the art of sewing in heels. But when I do go out I definitely bring the fancy. I, like you, enjoy the compliments. Then I can brag about the fact that I made whatever it is I have on.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, if someone says "I like your _____" I am the FIRST one to retort with, "Thank you. I made it myself. Like from scratch. With my special sewing skills. Oh, and I made _____ too!" It's scary, really.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to dress up a little more...I like sewing skirts and dresses, but my default outfit is jeans and a knit top! I'm also trying to sew those more. If I can just conquer the jeans. I will say I'm more likely to wear casual dresses and skirts (which, for me, is dressed up) when it's warmer--I hate being cold!
ReplyDeleteNot enough. I'm trying to sew things I would normally wear, but I am afraid that now my sewing is getting boring.
ReplyDeleteThat's great that you are amending your pledge to what works for you because that is the main point of the challenge. I do dress up during the week but it's because I work for a fashion company and have to or else I'm shunned. But I don't mind and on the weekends, I dress more casually
ReplyDeleteI like your take on mmm. I'd like to have more casual me-mades but well, it's so fun to make crazy stuff. You're right, though, I get super excited when people like the clothes I've made. There's a whole story behind them and I love to tell it. I actually have my own little weekly ritual I call Dress-Up Thursday, where I go kinda crazy and dressed up, even if I'm just grocery-shopping. It just gives me an excuse to wear platforms, really.
ReplyDeletei like that thursday rule!
DeleteLook forward to seeing your creations.
ReplyDeleteI have a horrible problem. I work at home and I'm addicted to sewing clothes for myself. This means that I'm often sitting in front of my computer in a dress. My myself. Well, the dog. But...what to do? I don't want to sew tee shirts (although I did just buy Renfrew) and my legs are too old for shorts (although I did just buy Iris). Like I said: it's a horrible problem.
ReplyDeleteahahaa.. i'm the same.. i just don't see it as a problem.. i kind of enjoy the silliness of getting all fancied up to stay at home and make dinner or work or read a book or just sit on my ass staring at the wall.. or even replace toilet seat in fancy pink frock
Deletethat's my problem too!!!
Delete(well, not the toilet seat part. but i do don fancy headbands when cleaning the house, i have bunny ears, devil horns, and a tarantula topper.)
Deleteoh i want all of those fancy headbands.. and minnie mouse ears too.. and golden halo.. what a fabulous idea, lovely oona :)
DeleteIt's easiest -- and, frankly, most age-appropriate -- for me to wear blouses and slacks all the time. So, I mostly do that. Except in highest summer, when I'll throw on a dress or a skirt (better air circulation). For the few festive occasions in my life, I'll use festive fabrics. The older I get, the more I see the wisdom in a nun's habit: you never have to worry about what you'll wear. Ever again.
ReplyDeleteHAAAAAAAAAAAA.
Delete(and men totally lose on the whole summer air circulation vibe.)
I am PSYCHED to see what you are going to be wearing. It will be an epic explosion of color and style, I am sure, and will be completely fabulous!
ReplyDeleteWhat, you don't wear crazy prints every day?? *puppy face*
ReplyDeleteMy problem is actually the other way around - I have quite a few slouchy, everyday jersey dresses but I'm lacking a bit of bling... But I'd love to see you incorporate your wardrobe into everyday outfits!
I don't dress up as often as I should. I have trouble with not wearing a lot of the dresses I've made because I don't feel they "fit the occasion." Why haven't i figured out how to make things that I'll actually wear often?! Like you, I definitely need to add more casual clothes-like tshirts, casual knit dresses, and nice blouses to go with jeans-to the sewing slate. But, since I work in a machine shop with my husband some days, I think I can get away with the excuse of not wearing my nice "me-made" clothes for fear of messing them up. :)
ReplyDelete