This post was disasterously deleted just before I hit post. I had to wait until I got home to be able to restore the previous version. Better late than never!
We’re past the half way point of me made may, and so far I’m enjoying working more of my hand sewn items into my everyday wardrobe. I’m wearing a lot more handmade for work than I would normally, and I’ve been very happy to tell my astounded colleagues that I made the shirt they’d just complemented. I’ve worn a lot of repeat items, although I have styled them in different ways, and I guess that’s necessary too as I haven’t been sewing for long enough, nor had the time, to have a completely hand made wardrobe.
The warmer weather in Scotland has allowed me to wear some of my lesser worn but much loved summer items like my (yet to be blogged) Winslow culottes and flint shorts. I’ve noticed this month that so many of my handmade items are inappropriate for the typical Scottish weather!
As I write I’m on a ferry in Greece, en route to the first of two islands that we plan to visit on this trip. Whilst I’m away we’ll celebrate our wedding anniversary and my birthday, and I’ve packed almost all of my me mades for the occasion, so there’ll be lots more me made may for this end part of the month.
Reflecting on my makes, I can see that they’re much more summer focused, and that mirrors my sewing priorities. I’ve written before about working productively to deadlines (aka holidays) so won’t go into that again, but I’ve also realised that there’s a clear rationale behind my collection of cotton lawn tops and chambray shorts. When I began sewing almost three years ago now, I started with dressmaking classes, and soon I recognised that I could plug gaps in my wardrobe that I’d really been wanting to fill for years – breathable, comfortable, and stylish clothes for warmer climates. Unfortunately I no longer have the tolerance for heat that I had as a teenager, and I overheat really easily when it’s really warm, but I’d been unable to find high Street clothing in natural, breathable fibres. Sewing allowed me to make those shirts and blouses in lightweight cottons and linens, so that I have more comfortable clothing to wear. As a result, I have less everyday wear for Scotland, but that’s OK!
Another realisation I’ve come to as a result of participating in me made may is that I sew a lot of prints. They’re bright, in lovely fabrics, and in styles I wouldn’t find in the shops. I love them all, but it’s sometimes difficult to wear them (case in point is clashing outfit I’m wearing right now!).
My next few planned makes are separates in solids, and the only prints will be stand alone dresses.
So beyond these reflections, I’ve also been sewing new garments for my holiday. In my recent post about sewing plans for this holiday, I had tonnes of ideas of items to sew, but only three weeks to make them. So I’m pretty pleased that (I, sew slow Sarah) have completed two items, from start to finish, during that three week period. My Charlie Caftan wearable toile was on my planned list, and the second, a kimono, plugs a big gap in my wardrobe. The kimono has had a lot of wear already, but I’m waiting for a spectacular Greek backdrop before I unveil it!
So, with this in mind, here are some more of my me made outfits from the last week or so. I’ve kept up with my pledge of 5 items a week, although haven’t always managed a photo. I’ll report back with a final round up at the end of the month, hopefully with some more scenic backdrops to the photos.
sew slow Sarah 