So, I left of last time on Day 11 and I was pretty chuffed. I'd managed to wear something that I had made every day up to that point and completed one sewing project and made decent inroads on a second.
Day 12 saw me finally accept that I needed to do some ironing and as a result I wore my Suri dress. I threw my Cassis cardi over the top for the school run and felt pretty amazing. I love this dress.
Day 14 was an outing for this little outfit that I originally made for my daughter's christening, almost 4 years ago. Cardigan and skirt were both handmade; top is LK Bennett.
Day 15 involved a little bit of phoning it in as I was trying to get packed for our holiday, so for most of the day, the only homemade thing on display was a headband. I added my green jumper when the weather turned cooler.
So, I maintained momentum right up until Day 16, when we flew to Florida. I took my Spire Smock cardigan with me on the flight, since I always seem to really feel the cold on planes. I was glad I did - it made a convenient pillow for the children.
Things rather fell apart on the self-made clothing front at this point. I had realised the problem when I was packing. The problem is I haven't made many clothes and most of the ones I have made are knitted. As a result, most of them are wool, and not really suitable for 90o heat. The dress that I made, although it is a very light cotton, has sleeves (and I discovered on the school run is a little prone to the "why yes I have been running and agree the cardigan was overkill" armpit) so I didn't even bother to pack it as I was fairly sure it would go unworn. I didn't bother rushing to finish my Cappuccino dress for the same reasons. Both are absolutely perfect for what passes for summer in the UK, but don't quite cut it in the Florida sunshine.
For a brief while, I harboured delusions of running up a t-shirt or two to take away, or maybe even a sleeveless version of one of my existing dresses. For once, I sensibly dismissed this as nonsense BEFORE I spent hours cutting out fabric, made my peace with the fact that really only my lovely Boden-inspired skirt was going to get worn and so only packed that. I wore it 3 times while I was away, including on my birthday and on a very happy trip to the Magic Kingdom.
And so, just like that, Me-Made-May '15 was over.
I didn't quite achieve my goal - by my reckoning I managed 19 days of wearing things I had made and my goal was 5 days per week, so I was short by a day or two (depending on whether you feel the need to pro-rata the part week at the end of the month - spot the anal lawyer...), but I'm really happy with my efforts. The main thing I took from it was a really clear idea of the kinds of clothes I wear, how happy making things I made myself makes me feel, and what I need to make more of. So, t-shirts, sleeveless dresses and skirts have all jumped up the sewing list and I'm definitely hoping to have more homemade clothes to take on my next holiday.
I've also enjoyed reading about others' exploits and seeing the lengths some people go to in order to wear handmade clothes. Don't get me wrong, I'm impressed by people who make their own underwear. It just doesn't really interest me. I don't think I'll be running up my own pants any time soon. Pyjamas on the other hand.... watch this space.
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