Me Made May 2018

Hello, all! I'm jumping back into the blogosphere today because I'm excited. Today is the last day of April, which means tomorrow starts MAY!!! Specifically, Me Made May 2018 starts tomorrow! (If you're not familiar with Me Made May, this post explains it all.) I wish I could remember how or where I first heard about Me Made May, because I owe a lot...
...to this special makers' event. Several years ago, I decided to participate for the first time by wearing something handmade every day. Participating in that challenge really sparked a love and understanding of sewing and fashion in me like I hadn't experienced before.

Fast forward to today, and I find myself sewing all the time, even selling some of my handmade creations through Hygmalion. Every time I finish an item, I'm struck by the effort and time that it takes, by the fact that it requires the work and care of human hands, and I'm struck by how much I took all of that for granted before I started sewing myself. I'm becoming more thoughtful about not just where my clothes come from, but whether other goods and products are fair trade. I'm interested in and understanding of the slow fashion movement, and what it really means to dress myself on purpose. I really thank God for leading me into sewing apparel, as He has truly used it to give me a better understanding of His love for people, and His love for me.

As an extension of all of this learning, I made myself a goal to have half of my wardrobe be handmade by my 30th birthday. (In fact, that is one goal on a list of 30 goals, all to be completed by my 30th birthday, but that's another post for another time!) I've come a long way and have a number of really great pieces that I'm so excited to share with all of you! There are lots that I haven't had a chance to photograph well, and which I thus haven't shared at all, so I'll be doing that throughout May on my business Instagram.

However, I want to take advantage of this Me Made May to address a gaping hole in my handmade wardrobe: BASICS. Here's the thing...fabric is fun! It's exciting! It's preeeettty. And why would I buy plain, solid fabric when I can buy stripes or florals or polka dots? Right, I wouldn't! So now I have a closet with lots of stripes, florals, and polka dots! The other thing, though, is that my favorite thing in the whole entire world to wear is charcoal gray. T-shirts, dresses, pants, you name it: I like it in charcoal gray. I like putting on a top and not having to work hard to make it into an outfit...and I daresay I need that ability in the mom life. I haven't done enough to give myself easy, breezy basics when it comes to my handmades, so that's what I'm going to focus on in Me Made May. I'm going to try and make the perfect white tee, an even more perfect charcoal gray tee, a layering tank top, and *holds breath in trepidation* even a pair of pants! (Like. Real pants. Not leggings. If you're not anxious right now, you're not paying attention. I'm anxious.) That's my gap-filling goal for Me Made May...get some basics going!

Of course, I still love my less basic makes, so my other goal is to wear and share a handmade item every day throughout Me Made May 2018. Follow along, wish me luck, and tell me what you're committing to and if/where you're sharing if you're participating, too!