I have signed up for Me Made May and am really looking forward to it. I thoroughly enjoyed these challenges last year. Why?:
- It makes me finish things that I start and don't quite finish
- Makes me more aware of the clothes I sew
- Reminds me of the gaps in my self stitched wardrobe
- Makes me feel proud of the items I do make
Tilly, of Tilly and the Buttons did a good blog post the other day on the cost of sewing. Living in Canada, with all the big box stores I can buy clothes for half the price that it costs to make them sometimes. But what of the quality and thought that goes into that article? What person in some far off foreign country was paid minimum age to mass produce that item? I could go on, but I like to take care and produce something specifically for me.
I try and re-use fabrics and pop into Value Village often to see what fabric and cheap patterns I can pick up. I make the most of sales at my local fabric stores.
It's not as if I have all the time in the world either. Like many of us I have a more than a full time job and a family. I also run and play golf, so sewing is only a part of my life and these Me Made / Self Stitched months make me celebrate my little achievements.
Also, most my my real live friends don't sew and so it's nice to get feedback from the on-line sewing community on my self stitched articles.
I love the idea of the Me Made months, you're right about it being a great way to see how all the pieces are working together in a wardrobe. Hopefully next year I'll have enough good wearable pieces that it would be possible to wear something me-made everyday!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first did one last year in March. It made me realize that I had no casual clothes that I had made myself. So that was an area I concentrated on.
DeleteI think it's such a fun idea!
I was thinking about making May my first me-made month, but I think I'm going to have too much going on to really make that commitment. I know my closet is at the point it would actually be a very rewarding challenge.
ReplyDeleteTilly's post about the cost of sewing was thought provoking. I tend to buy my fabric on sale. I think my biggest expense then is about stash not individual articles. Given the sale prices of fabric, most of what I sew would be cheaper than retail (although perhaps not cheaper than clearance pricing).
What I love about sewing is that it is such a practical hobby. At the end of the day, I have enjoyed the time doing it, I have enjoyed the time shopping and planning, I have something to wear that makes me feel good about myself. I have something to show for the time. Even my stash is money sitting on a shelf, but it's not going bad, drying out or falling apart. Win-win-win.
I used stain glass paints to do our second story bathroom window so light could come through and still have privacy. Prior to doing the window, I practiced making little window clings. I really enjoyed it, it was creative and the end products were pretty. But how many window clings do I need? How many can I gift? I enjoyed it, but I don't do it anymore because I have enough of the end product. Same thing with painting, I liked painting those little white ornaments and pot sitters (gypsum maybe?), I used to buy them at White Rose. I will always need more clothing as things wear out or I change size or there is a gift to give someone else. In my mind, that is a huge plus for sewing as a hobby regardless of the price compared to retail.
I couldn't agree with you more. I have been though beading and scrap booking and kept coming back to sewing as it is as you say way more practical.
ReplyDeleteSome of the fabric in my stash came with me from South Africa over 11 years ago, and I know I'll get to use it sometime. In fact my recent Collette patterns, Meringue skirt was part of that stash!!