Me-Made-May 2019 Pledge

Ooops!  I realized I never posted my pledge for Me Made May 2019 on here!  It's up on my Instagram, but might as well get it posted up here for posterity's sake ;)



For the month of May 2019, I pledge to do the following:

• Track what I wear and how I feel in an effort to find gaps in my me-made wardrobe and cull unworn items;
• Implement a fabric buying ban: I have a stupid amount of fabric stashed away and there is no reason to buy more;
• Sew for at least 15 minutes every day (when possible), as I find I loaf around on the couch after work on weekdays and then feel guilty for not doing anything productive/ not sewing.

I'll be keeping up with my progress by posting daily outfit photos on the 'gram, and posting about my 15-minutes of sewing in my stories.

So there it is!  Spoiler alert: I already cheated a bit on the fabric buying ban.... I did buy some fabric at the veeeery end of April, and then scooped up some swimwear fabric from Blackbird when it dropped the other day... OOOPS.  I mean, I'mma give a pass on the swimwear especially because I don't really have a stash of that, and don't have enough for some new swimmers this year.  Sure sure I made 3 suits last year... but I don't actually love all of them?  ANYWAYS!  We'll see how the rest of the month goes!

Me-Made-May Outfit Tracker Template 2019!

Last year, as a part of my Me Made May 2018 Pledge, I wanted to track what I wore every day, and how it made me feel... so I put together an "outfit-tracker"!  I've updated the Outfit Tracker for this year, and once again have made it available for download.

The tracker is laid out like a calendar, and with the drop-down menus, you can select what you wore that day from your own list of self-made items.  Last year I wrote a quick blurb about how I felt... but this year I'm just going to use a numbered system for consistency's sake.  Feel free to use it however you wish!

You can also change the names of the categories or take some out if they don't quite suit you... but I feel like I've covered almost everything that one could be wearing day-to-day!  I guess with the exception of undergarments, but you can always enter those in the "Other" category.

If you would like to download the template, I've made it available at this link: http://bit.ly/2HYLC9d

If you do use it and share it, all I ask is that you tag me @kalliesews, or give me appropriate credit as I built it from scratch 🤓.  Thanks!  If you have any questions or comments, leave a comment here and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.  Happy #memademay2019!

Me-Made-May Outfit Tracker Template

As I noted in my Me-Made-May 2018 Pledge, I wanted to put together an "outfit-tracker" to keep track of what I wear every day, and how I feel in each outfit.  So!  I put together a GoogleDoc spreadsheet to keep track of everything.

If you would like to download the template, I've made it available at this link: http://bit.ly/2HYLC9d

If you do use it and share it, all I ask is that you tag me @kalliesews, or give me appropriate credit as I built it from scratch 🤓.  Thanks!  If you have any questions or comments, leave a comment here and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.  Happy #MMMay18!

Me-Made-May 2018

It's the most wonderful time of the year for the online sewing community - Me-Made-May!!  I'm home sick from work today, and finally have some time to put together this post!  It's going to be a long one, so feel free to skip down to the bottom for my actual pledge.  However, I think reading through my thoughts on my MMMay challenge will hopefully help to explain how I chose my pledge this year.

This will be my third year participating in MMMay, and my handmade wardrobe has grown by leaps and bounds since my first year participating (2016 summary, 2017 summary).  While having a substantial me-made wardrobe kind of makes the whole "wearing me-mades" part of MMMay easier, it put me in a bit of a pickle deciding how to actually challenge myself this year.  MMMay is meant to be a personal challenge with your me-made wardrobe (as discussed here on Zoe's blog) and not a photo challenge where you post an outfit-selfie every day on instagram.  I already wear mostly me-mades every day now, so that really isn't challenging for me any more.  I put a quick call out on my instagram stories and I got some feedback from some of my followers/ Ottawa sewing buddies for some interesting challenges:

• Putting together a handmade capsule wardrobe for each week or for the entire month
• Documenting which me-mades actually get worn
• Less repeats and wear lesser-worn items
• Refashion some older garments or something from a thrift store

I will be perfectly honest - I actually think capsule wardrobes are kind of dumb.  Absolutely NO offence to people who love them (or to the person who suggested it, I do appreciate your suggestion!), I have just never understood the point of 'curating' your closet down to so few pieces.  Variety is the spice of life! (says the person with an absurd amount of blue items in their closet).  I don't like being limited to certain outfits and I really love sewing and integrating new things into my wardrobe to work with older items.  I'm constantly thinking of new outfit ideas and how different things I have made could work together.  Now, I TOTALLY get the point of having everything in your wardrobe go together perfectly, and I've definitely started to try to focus on that with my sewing.  BUT the whole capsule wardrobe thing just isn't for me. 

When it comes to refashioning items... for whatever reason, this is just something that has never really piqued my interest?  I do have some older skirts that I made when I was just learning to sew (and a gathered skirt was the best thing I could do) that no longer fit, but the fabric is still in great shape.  The skirts are long enough and there is enough fabric in them that I could definitely squeeze out a top or something from them... this just isn't top of my list at the moment.  While I love the idea, I don't think it's something I'm going to work into my MMMay challenge this year.

As for documenting which items actually get worn and working in lesser-worn items, this is something I can really get behind.  I know I have a whole bunch of me-mades that have been languishing in the back of my closet or the bottom of my drawers.  They get worn sometimes but they're not necessarily part of my regular rotation.  Or, things that I wore a couple times and decided they just didn't work for me.  What I think would be super helpful is to create a database of all my me-mades and throughout the month, track how often each of them gets worn.  I could also keep track of how I felt at the end of the day in each outfit (and if I get any compliments on an outfit that day).  I also still have some RTW items in my wardrobe that I have had for a while (or basics like camisoles, bras, and undies) that are starting to get tired and need to be replaced soon - I can document these and plan ahead to replace them.  SO - now that I've written out all those paragraphs and figured things out... here's my (kinda long) pledge for Me-Made-May 2018:

I, Kallie Auld, sign up to participate in Me-Made-May 2018.  

Over the course of May 2018, I will strive to wear all of my seasonally-appropriate me-mades.  I also pledge to work in older me-mades that tend to get less (or no) wear, and to track what I wear every day how how I feel in each outfit.  Items that go unworn will be either refashioned, given to friends, or donated.

There it is!  I'm hoping this is actually a good challenge for me, and by the end of the month I'll have a better organized me-made wardrobe and more room in my closet and drawers for the things I have planned.  I'm also going to try to put together a database of sorts of all the items in my wardrobe, and set up a page where I can input what I wear every day.  I'm probably going to document each day on my Instagram as per usual and post weekly updates here on the blog.  At the end of the month, I'll post a summary of how things went and hopefully share the details of my clothing database.  

As with every year, I can't wait to see what everyone is wearing this month.  Best of luck with all your personal challenges!

Me-Made-May 2017 Final Wrap-Up & Last Few Days

IT'S DONE!!! FINALLY DONE!  I get excited about MMMay every year, but by the end of it I am so darn glad that it's over - mostly because the selfies get annoying, and my IG feed is just other people taking selfies.  Not that I don't enjoy it - it's just gets repetitive after a couple weeks and it is SO difficult to keep up with what everyone is doing!

Anyways - this year's MMMay was a great success.  My me-made wardrobe has expanded pretty significantly since last year (thanks to having my own sewing room, and feeling much more confident in my skills) and I didn't have as much trouble finding things to wear every morning - even with the crazy weather we've been having.  As with last year, I found that I need more semi-casual tops to pair with jeans - or I just need to make my own damn jeans (something I keep putting off!)

So, here's a summary of the last three days and links back to the past 4 weeks of Me-Made-May 2017.

Week 5ish:

Day 29:  Orchid-print A-Frame Skirt

Day 30:  Purple Aztec-Print Hudson Pants

Day 31:  Dotted Willow Tank Dress

I actually finished off the week wearing me-made tops - the red chambray willow tank I wore last Friday and the geometric burnout scout tee from last Tuesday :)

Week 4:

Week 3:

Week 2:

Week 1:

ALSO!  I didn't post about these, since I haven't finished making all the pairs I have cut up, but I made a few pairs of Scrundlewear!  Which I wore under most of my flowy skirts and dresses.  I had been looking for some new boyshorts since they provide a bit more butt-coverage in case of a gust of wind - but all of the ones I found in-store had centre-seams.  WHO the HELL wants a centre-seam up their centre-seam?!?!  No thank you.  So I made my own - and they are THE most comfortable pair of underpants I have ever worn - hands down.  I splurged on some meundies a while ago and I thought those were the best you could get. The best part about making your own undies?  You can make them from scraps!  I have so many knit scraps stashed away, I could probably make a months-worth of my own underpants.  Here's a peek at the first three pairs I made:

Anyways - all this to say that while MMMay is fun, it does get a bit boring towards the end of the month. However - the goal of wearing almost all me-made clothing is a great one to keep working towards, and I'm finding it to be a great way to push myself to try new things.

Me-Made-May 2017: Week 4 Wrap-Up

Almost there!  Like last year, I'm getting a bit sick of this... but it hasn't been as difficult this year since my me-made wardrobe has grown quite significantly!  Here's what I wore for Week 4:



Day 22:  Blue-Stripe Hudson Pants
Day 23:  Green dot fit'n'flare dress (pre-dates this blog)
Day 24:  Geometric burnout scout tee (new this past week!)
Day 25:  Cat Lady Emery Dress
Day 26:  Red chambray Willow Tank (also new this week!)
Day 27:  Grey unfinished Lark Tee (not blogged)
Day 28:  Constellation Carolyn PJ Shorts, Floral Lark Tee

Me-Made-May 2017: Week 3 Wrap-Up

Week 3 done already?  This month is just flying by!  Here's a wrap-up of what I wore this past week.



Day 15:  Cat-Lady Emery Dress
Day 16:  Orchid print A-Frame Skirt
Day 17:  Polka-dot Willow Dress (not blogged)
Day 18:  Seamwork Catarina Dress
Day 19:  Floral Lark Tee
Day 20:  Purple Aztec Hudson Pants
Day 21:  Rainy Day Linden Sweatshirt (not blogged yet - still so new!)

Me-Made-May 2017: Week 2 Wrap-Up

Week two is done and in the books - we're just about halfway there!  Here's a quickie summary of what I wore this week.

Day 8:   Cleo Skirt in Rifle Paper Co. Rayon (not blogged yet)
Day 9:   Alder Shirtdress in navy & black shirting cotton (also not blogged yet)
Day 10: Marigold Dress in black & white floral rayon (yep, haven't blogged this one yet either!)
Day 11: Hudson Pants in purple aztec print
Day 12: Fishy Scout Tee
Day 13: Shiny purple Scrundlewear hot pants, self-drafted cocoon cardigan (yeah, neither of these are blogged either!)
Day 14: Raindrop print Linden Sweatshirt (I literally made this sweater this morning, so obviously not blogged yet either)

Well dang, I have some blogging to do!  I'm starting to get sick of the daily selfies.... but I'm still doing alright in terms of picking something out to wear every day!  My me-made wardrobe has grown by leaps and bounds since last MMMay so it's been much easier to have some variety.  I'm finding it hardest on days I want to wear jeans... so I'm taking that as a sign to make my own damn jeans (seriously I've been putting it off for over a year) and to make some casual tops!

Me-Made-May 2017: Week 1 Wrap-Up

Weee!  I made it through the first week successfully!  I even had a couple days where I wore more than one me-made, not counting my new Kelly Anorak.  If I were feeling lazy, I could have just counted that as my one-daily me-made, but I figured that would be kind of cheating.  Anyways - here's a summary of what I wore for the first week:

1) Orchid Print A-Frame Skirt, Blue-Stripe Hudson Pants

2) Polka-dot Willow Tank Dress (not yet blogged!), Kelly Anorak, Aires Leggings

3) Lake-Blue Linden Sweatshirt

4) Floral Lark Tee

5) Stripey Split-Hem Hemlock Tee

6) Lake-Blue Linden Sweatshirt (again!)

7) Blue-Strip Hudson Pants (yes, again!)

Woo!  A total of 8 different me-mades!  Some are just so great, they get multiple wears through the week ;)

I've also been successful with not buying any new fabric for garment making purposes!  Although, it has been kind of challenging as there have been SO many gorgeous spring and summer fabrics released recently.  This might be more of a challenge than I was bargaining for!

Me-Made-May 2017

It's almost that time of the year again - Me Made May!!!  I had so much fun participating in this last year, and I'm really looking forward to bing a part of it this year with my ever-expanding me-made wardrobe.

I may not have been blogging much lately, but I have definitely been busy sewing.  I have a bunch of garments to blog about, but first I need some pictures!  I've been waiting to get out in our back yard to take some more photos, but it's been pretty difficult to get the stars to align properly to allow for that! We've been busy with house stuff, visitors and visiting, and other obligations.  That, and hoping for the weather to actually cooperate so I can get my iPhone out on the tripod.

Anyways, all that to say - I have so many more outfits planned and clothing items ready for this year's Me Made May and I'm getting really excited to show them off!  So without further ado, here's my pledge for the 2017 round of Me Made May:

I, Kallie Auld, sign up to participate in Me Made May 2017.  I pledge to wear at least one me-made article of clothing each day, and document it here on the blog weekly for the duration of May 2017.  I also endeavour to NOT buy any fabric for the entire month of May for the purpose of making garments - I will use only fabric from my over-flowing stash to make new garments.

There we have it!  I'm changing things up a bit this year and adding the extra challenge of not buying any new garment fabric.  I have SO MUCH to work my way through, and more than enough to keep my busy for the month of May.  I'm trying to be a bit more responsible with my fabric purchases and use what I have before splurging on something new.  Now, I say only garment fabric, as I do have some quilting projects I need to buy batting, backing and binding fabric for and don't have that in my stash.  

Hop on over to Zoe's Blog if you have any questions about how this whole MMMay17 thing is supposed to work, or if you want to participate yourself!  I've also added the MMMay17 badge to my blog, which will take you over to the original post on the challenge.

If you want to check out my participation in last year's Me Made May, you can hop on over to this wrap-up post which talks about my first experience in the challenge, and links to my weekly posts.

Can't wait to follow along through instagram and bloglovin' and see what everyone is challenging themselves to :)

Me-Made-May 2016 Final Wrap-Up

Well hello there!  Bit of an unintentional hiatus there... I was so blogged-out and instagrammed-out after Me-Made-May that I haven't been up to posting much, even with a big backlog of things to post! Whoops!  Anywhoo... here's a final wrap up of my first year participating in Me-Made-May.

[...]

Me-Made May Week 4 1/2 Wrap-Up!!

It's done it's done it's finally done!  Me-Made-May 2016 officially wrapped up yesterday, and while I am so happy with how it went and had so much fun seeing everyone's outfits every day, I am SO pleased that I don't have to take daily selfies anymore.  I was getting a bit too glued to my phone!

I'll have a wrap-up of the whole month and how I felt about the project coming up shortly!  I want to see if I can put together a mosaic of all the photos :)  Here's what I wore for the last three days of MMMay:

Day 29: Stripe-y linen Scout Tee (new last weekend!)

Day 30: Patterned rayon Catarina Dress (also new as of Sunday!)

Day 31: Good ol' Orange Dotted Moneta :)

Me-Made May Week 4 Wrap-Up!

Weeeeeek 4!  Almost there - just three more days to go!  I won't lie - I'm looking forward to the end of the mirror selfie.

This work-week was full of prints - with plain tees to cap off the weekends :)



I'll wrap up the end of Me-Made May later this week and write a post about my first MMM16 Experience then! :)

Day 22: Unfinished grey lark tee
Day 23: Orange Dotted Moneta Dress
Day 24: Green polka-dot fit & flare dress
Day 25: Dotted Adelaide Dress
Day 26: Flamingo Nita Wrap Skirt
Day 27: Fishy Scout Tee
Day 28: Striped Linen Scout Tee

Me-Made May Week 3 Round-Up!

Week three already?!?! Holy crap!  This challenge has seriously been so much fun to participate in - and has started to become a little bit challenging.  If you follow me on instagram, you'll have noticed that there have been a number of repeat items showing up week-after week.  It's not that I don't have a bunch of other me-made things I could wear, it's just the temperature has been fluctuating enough that I'm not completely comfortable in my usual summer dresses :)  Also this week - the May-long (aka Victoria Day) weekend was this past weekend (wooo holiday Monday today!) so my husband and I took our now annual canoe camping trip to Charleston Lake Provincial Park.  Even though we were away camping, I was still able to sneak in a few me-mades!

Anyways, enough talk - here are my outfits from last week:



Day 15: Comfy polka-dotted chambray Fen Dress (not yet blogged)
Day 16: Orange Moneta dress!  Again!!
Day 17: Striped Lark Tee
Day 18: Dotted Adelaide Dress
Day 19: Fishy Scout Tee (also again!)
Day 20: Floral Lark Tee (yep - this one is a repeat too!)
Day 21: Camping edition - Constellation PJ's

Me-Made-May 2016 Week 2 Wrap-Up

Two weeks!  We're nearly halfway there :)  Sorry I haven't had many outfit posts lately... I've been crazy busy on the weekends and haven't had much time for photos.  I have lots to share!

Anyways, here's what I wore this past week:
 

From top left:
Day 8: An un-finished and un-blogged grey cotton jersey Lark Tee
Day 9 (pt 1):  Orange Moneta Dress (still un-blogged)
Day 9 (pt 2): Purple Hudson Pants, grey lark tee, navy watson bra
Day 10: Fishy Scout Tee
Day 11: Navy Feather Moneta Dress
Day 12: Teal Moss Skirt
Day 13: Floral Lark Tee
Day 14 (pt 1): Constellation PJ's
Day 14 (pt 2): Mustard Lark Tee

Me-Made-May Week One Wrap-Up!

Me-Made-May 2016 is in full swing!  And so far, it really hasn't been that difficult to keep my promise of wearing at least one me-made thing each day.  Most days I actually wear 2 or more, if you can count pajamas ;)

Here's a look at what I wore each day, with Day 1 at the top left.

Day 1: My Valentine's Day Hudson Pants

Day 2: Cat-Lady Emery Dress

Day 3: Green Polka-Dot Dress (older make, so I haven't blogged about it!)

Day 4: Dotted Adelaide Dress

Day 5a: Orange Dot Moneta Dress (new!  will be blogged about soon!)

Day 5b: Geometric Print Aires Leggings

Day 6: Fishy Scout Tee (also new!  will be blogged about soon!)

Day 7a: Knit Cat-Print Carolyn PJ's

Day 7b: Fishy Scout Tee (again!) and Purple Aztec Hudson Pants

'Phew!  Can you tell I like polka dots? 😉   This project has been so fun so far, and it's great to follow the hashtag and see everyone's makes on Instagram!  If you want to see my outfit posts day-by-day, hop on over to my Instagram feed!  I'm going to try and gets some photos that aren't mirror selfies... but they're just the easiest to take in the morning as I'm on my way out the door to work.  We'll see how next week goes!

Me-Made-May 2016

Wait a minute, didn't the calendar just flip over to April?

I know, I know, but the time to sign up is now!  I came across this mid-May last year when I was still just getting into sewing my own clothing and missed the chance to participate.  I've been looking forward to this since starting my challenge!

If you're not familiar with the idea, just hop on over to Zoe's blog for the explanation.

So!  Here's my goal for the upcoming #MMMay16:

I, Kallie Auld, sign up to participate in Me-Made-May '16.  I pledge to wear at least one me-made article of clothing each day, and document it weekly for the duration of 

May, 2016.

Well!  there you have it!  I'm going to do my best to share a blog post every week with a summary of my outfits for the month of MMMay16, and I'll try to post my daily outfits on Instagram.

As it's only the 3rd of April... I'll have more details the closer we get to May.  In the mean time... I should get on with some sewing!