Me Made May 2017 Wrap Up
Before I start, I feel I should acknowledge that it's been more than a year since I've written a blog post. I have written many a blog post in my head over the last 12+ months...does that count? Good intentions and I've been busy and blah blah blah. But I do want to get back into posting on this little site more often, and Me Made May seemed like a good place to jump back in.
If you don't sew or knit (or follow me on Instagram), you are probably asking yourself "What, pray tell, is Me Made May?" (in my head I read that in Gary Johnson's voice saying, "What is Aleppo?" Just me? Anyway...) As I was saying, if you don't knit or sew you may not know that there is a vibrant community of people who make their own clothes and accessories. It's been so fun to watch it grow and to be inspired! There are so many blogs and tutorials and YouTube videos...and Instagram. Oh my goodness, Instagram. If you want to lose an entire afternoon, start scrolling through all the makers out there on Instagram...
Where was I? Right, modern makers. Maybe your image of handmade clothes conjures up images of Home Ec class in middle school. Maybe it gives you flashbacks to the tragic homemade outfits your grandmother made for you, and your mom forced you to wear. Speaking of your mom, maybe she saw something in a catalog and had the brilliant idea of making something match-matchy for the whole family?
(yikes. I can see how you might associate "handmade clothes" with "childhood trauma")
Please believe me, times have changed. Yes, the Big 4 pattern makers are still out there (McCalls, Butterick, Vogue, and Simplicity), and they've improved some over the years. But Indie pattern makers are where it's at. I'm planning on doing a post on some of my favorite pattern designers. But back to Me Made May...
Back in 2010, the British sewing blogger SoZo started a makers’ revolution when she launched the very first Me Made May. She set out to encourage makers to commit to wearing their handmade items, for as many days as possible, throughout the month of May. Most makers post pictures of themselves wearing their items with the hashtag #memademay, and it takes over social media for the month. It's a cornocopia of inspiration, I tell you!
In the past, I loved to lurk but I never posted. In fact, I never used to post things I made on social media. On the one hand, I loved to scroll and see what people out there are making; on the other hand, I felt like it was too braggadocious to post my own stuff. We get it, Denise, you make your own clothes *eyeroll*
But I got over myself and did it this year, and I'm so glad I did; you can scroll through my Instagram account and see what I wore. Here's a few of my personal favorites:
It was fun to get dressed every day! And it was good for me to get out of my rut of wearing the same things, over and over. It even forced me to pull out some stuff I don't wear that much, and now those items are back in regular rotation. And seeing what other people posted lit a fire under me to branch out and try some new designs. All good stuff.
But I think the biggest takeaway is a feeling of freedom. I thought about this a lot throughout the month of May. We are all so far removed from making things in our country. Throughout human history, we made pretty much everything we owned, using our own two hands. We understood how things were made, what good quality fabrics were, and what went into making a quality garment.
Now our clothes are mass produced in other countries, and they are designed to be disposable. Because they're mass produced, they're mass distributed, meaning we all look the same. You can find the same dress in any Old Navy in any mall in America. There is real freedom in choosing your own fabrics and making your own unique clothes. Even if you're using a pattern that other sewists have used, odds are you won't see another version out there exactly like yours.
Also, you can alter the pattern to fit your body. The liberation you feel when you have the ability to make something that fits you cannot be overstated. Because the other problem with mass production? There's zero nuance. Designers use one a set of proportions (bust to hip to waist ratios), and they design all their clothes using those measurements. That's great if your ratios more or less match those of the "average" woman. I'm not talking about size here. That's a whole other blog post. You can be a size 2 or a size 22, but if your hip-to-waist ratio is different than what the clothing designer used, you're never going to find jeans that fit right. Make your own clothes and you are free from the tyranny of mass production!
I know some people who have no desire to sew their own clothes, but they love to garden. It's the same idea here. They peruse seed catalogues and plan their gardens and love to serve meals that feature at least one homegrown ingredient. It's working toward the feeling of satisfaction that comes from seeing something through, from start to finish, knowing that you put in the effort to create something with your own two hands. It's about slowing down and taking the time and enjoying the process. I'm telling you, even if it's not sewing or knitting, find your thing and make time to do it on the regular. You'll be better for it.
