Me Made May 2019 - the final round up

Me Made May
It's been quite a May - maybe one of the best! I tried a little too hard to wear something different each day in the first half of the month, which in hindsight, was quite superficial - it's something I wouldn't normally strive to do. I'm pleased that in week 3 and 4 I fully embraced the clothes and combinations I know and love, and I felt happy, comfortable and confident as a result - maybe it shows, or maybe it's just that Parisian glow..?
Week three - garments linked below if blogged
15th - Sleeveless Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck, self-drafted skirt
16th - Pretty Mercerie Sayan Blouse, M7661 Trousers
17th - Ready to Sew Jeanne t-shirt, Stoff & Stil Skirt, Making Backpack
18th - Fibre Mood/Named/Butterick jumpsuit hack, Ready to Sew Julien Jacket
19th - Simplicity 8608 Jumpsuit, Making Backpack
20th - Fibre Mood Carmella Jumpsuit
21st - Ready to Sew Jeanne t-shirt, True Bias Lander Pants

Week four - garments linked below if blogged
22nd - Ready to Sew Jeanne t-shirt, M7661 Trousers
23rd - Named Reeta Shirt hack, Trend Patterns TPC10 Wide Leg Flares
24th - Stoff & Stil Skirt, True Bias Nikko Skirt
25th - Fibre Mood Carmella Jumpsuit, Making Backpack
26th - Trend Patterns TPC10 Wide Leg Flares, Ready to Sew Jeanne t-shirt, Read to Sew Julien Jacket, Kylie and the Machine Ida Clutch
27th - A 'didn't get dressed' kind of day
28th - Ready to Sew Julien Jacket, Ready to Sew Jeanne t-shirt, Ready to Sew Juliette Skirt

I totally nailed my personal style with some of the best outfit combinations in week 4. I always wondered what I'd pick if I tried a 10x10 challenge, but (accessories not included) I seem to have accidentally stumbled upon 9 out of 10 items right here!

Last few days!
29th - Fibre Mood/Named/Butterick jumpsuit hack
30th - Ready to Sew Jane Blouse, Trend Patterns TPC10 Wide Leg Flares
31st - M7661 Trousers, Named Reeta Shirt hack, Ready to Sew Julien Jacket

I've learned to stick with the garments I love. In some cases, this might mean revisiting favourite patterns - the Stoff & Stil Skirt, Fibre Mood Carmella, Trend Patterns Flares and the Ready to Sew Jeanne are definitely up there in this months faves. I don't see any huge gaps in my wardrobe anymore, and everything seems to gel together quite well, so I really am classing my Me Made May as a celebration of a versatile and fun wardrobe that fits my lifestyle, as well as making me feel great! Hope yours went just as well :)

Stay in touch!

Me Made May 2019 - the mid way point

Me Made May
'I, Shauni of www.magnificentthread.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May 2019. I endeavour to wear full me made outfits (minus underwear and shoes!) for the duration of May 2019, and aim to 'dress the way I want to feel' throughout the month (i.e. confident, cool, bold, fun) rather than reaching for the same old safe choices.'

Week One - garments linked below if blogged!
1st - Fibre Mood Carmella, Named Reeta Shirt Dress and B6178 culotte jumpsuit hack
2nd - Trend Patterns TPC10 Wide Leg Flares, sleeveless Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck and Named Reeta Shirt hack
3rd- Papercut Patterns Fall Turtleneck and self drafted side split skirt
4th - Fibre Mood Carmella Jumpsuit and sleeveless Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck 
5th - Vintage Prima Magazine pattern trousers, True Bias Nikko Top, Ready to Sew Julien Jacket 


Week Two - garments linked below if blogged
8th - Trend Patterns TPC10 Wide Leg Flares, Papercut Patterns Fall Turtleneck, Papercut Patterns Waver Jacket
9th - True Bias Lander Pants, Pretty Mercerie Sayan Blouse, Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck
10th - Named Reeta Shirt hack, M7661 Trousers, Closet Case Patterns Nettie t-shirt
11th - Ralph Pink Sahara Shirt
12th - Ready to Sew Jazz/B6178 jumpsuit hack, Papercut Patterns Fall Turtleneck
13th - B6178 Culottes, True Bias Nikko Top
14th - Named Reeta Shirt hack, DP Studio Le 411 Skirt

Just a little belated look at the first two weeks of Me Made May, rather than saving it all up for one monster post at the end of the month... I've been pretty pleased with the variety in my outfits so far, though I did have a small crisis of confidence on the 11th/12th, owing to it being the weekend and having too much time time to chose what to wear! Other than that, the sun is shining, I've had a haircut, and Paris Sewcial is on the cards for week three!

 Stay in touch!


Me Made May 2018 Round Up!

Me Made May
WE MADE IT (and I mean that in all senses)! I've been really dedicated with the daily photographs this Me Made May and I'm pleased to have a lasting record which shows not only what I wore and how I wore it, but also reflects upon such a full and exciting month. I've spent time in Berlin, Sheffield, Manchester, London and my home town of Leeds; made it to 2 music festivals, seen friends, family, and squeezed in work on the days in between (which has included everything from office days to interviewing, and school workshop delivery)! I'm exhausted, but so incredibly proud to see that my humble handmade wardrobe stands up to the test of my varied and busy lifestyle. Here's what I wore for the second half of May (the first half is here):

Week 3
15th  - Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress Hack, self drafted split-side skirt
16th - Ready to Sew Juliette Skirt, True Bias Nikko Top
17th - M7661 Trousers, Papercut Patterns Kyoto Tee
18th - True Bias Lander Pants, Closet Case Patterns Nettie Top, wrap top from vintage magazine pattern
19th - Papercut Patterns Kyoto Tee (without the ruffle), self drafted skirt
20th - Afternoon Fern Shorts, Named Clothing Reera Shirt Dress Hack
21st - Newly adjusted trousers from vintage magazine pattern, Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck, Just Patterns Linda Wrap Dress (worn as jacket)

Week 4
22nd - NEW Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress hack, True Bias Lander Pants
23rd - B6178 Culottes, Papercut Patterns Kyoto Tee (without the ruffle)
24th - Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress hack, M7661 Trousers
25th - Papercut Patterns Waver Jacket, Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck, New Look 6459 Trousers
26th - NEW True Bias Lander Pants, Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress hack
27th - True Bias Lander Pants, Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress hack, Kylie & the Machine Ida Clutch
28th - Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress

And, the final few days...
29th - Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress hack, True Bias Lander Pants
30th - Named Clothing Inari Tee Dress hack, Closet Case Patterns Nettie Top
31st - Adjusted trousers from vintage magazine pattern, Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck

I introduced a few new items in the second half of May that are yet to be blogged, but already in good rotation, filling some of the gaps I noticed in the first half of the month. The Reeta Shirt Dress hacked tops and my newly fitting Lander Pants, along with my M7661 Trousers,  have been my absolute staples this month. I had feared that everything was becoming a bit repetitive in the second half of the May, but someone kindly told me to consider this a 'signature style' rather than call out my outfit choices as 'same-y'. Thanks for such wisdom - the future of my wardrobe looks bright and coherent!

And the real win to come out of my 'same-y' outfit crisis, is the nudge it gave me to address some much needed adjusting/fixing/salvaging. I adjusted and got wear our of two pairs of trousers and hacked my Reeta Shirt Dress into a silhouette that feels much more wearable for me!

Whilst I'm ready to break from the daily selfies and social media scrolling (I'm sure my boyfriend and friends will welcome this too), I have no burning desire to jump back into any RTW. It's handmade all the way, and I can see a fair bit of thought going into how I might step up my pledge for 2019... Thanks Zoe for organising a wonderful community event once again! S!ee you next year Me Made May-ers!

Stay in touch!


Mid way through MMMay18

Me Made May
I wasn't going to do a progress update on my Me Made May efforts, but I've found myself referring to last year's regularly for inspiration when I've been feeling a bit stuck. Whilst a lot of my clothes are different this May due to my measurements changing, something that is also noticeable in comparison with last year are the changes in how I'm choosing to dress. I feel like I might really be homing in on a solid sense of personal style! Here's what I've worn so far (blog post linked where item has been blogged):

Week 1
1st - True Bias Lander Pants, Papercut Patterns Kyoto Tee (without the ruffle) over a Closet Case Patterns Nettie Top, Kylie & the Machine Ida Clutch
2nd - Closet Case Patterns Nettie Dress
3rd - M7661 Trousers, Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck hack
4th - B6178 Culottes, Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck
5th - Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress hack, Ready to Sew Juliette skirt
6th - M7661 trousers, Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress hack (faux jumpsuit-ing) Kylie & the Machine Ida Clutch
7th - Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck hack, Ready to Sew Juliette Skirt, Kylie & the Machine Ida Clutch

I started the month out in Berlin and had the whole week off, so whilst I was busy with social plans, I could have a fairly relaxed approach to putting my outfits together. Days 5-7 are a bit same-y, but mark my 'travelling light' capsule wardrobe for covering 3 different cities in 3 days with just a tote bag in tow - friends, festivals, fun!

Most proud of...

Saving old me-mades! Photo by and backdrop courtesy of Emma (potyertitsawayluv)
Day 6 might have been my favourite outfit of the week (more on that in a future #sewingleftovers post), but day 4 is defintiely one worth pointing out. I'd resigned myself to the fact that these B6178 culottes were too big and heading for the recycling, but the strong pull to wear them for Me Made May and some elastic in the waistband has rescued them! I'm thrilled as they're my favourite pair of culottes, and whilst I'll make future versions of this pattern in a smaller size, I could totally get used to the snug-with-some-elastic-ease fit at the waist. I'm hoping to salvage a few more pairs of trousers in a similar way throughout the month.

Week 2
8th - Sew DIY Nita Wrap Skirt hack, Papercut Patterns Kyoto Tee (without the ruffle)
9th - Trend Patterns Frilled Hem Top, GBSB Casual Trouser hack
10th - True Bias Lander Pant, Closet Case Patterns Nettie Top, Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress hack
11th - Named Clothing Isla Trench Coat, M7661 trousers, Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck hack
12th - True Bias Nikko Dress, Radiant Home Studio Retro Rucksack
13th - B6178 Culottes, Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress hack
14th - Ready to Sew Jazz Jumpsuit, Closet Case Patterns Nettie Top

Back at work for week 2, and the weather was surprisingly warm by UK standards. We're luckily on the casual side of smart-casual,  but I did have a mild panic about having to look 'smart' for work on day 11. I threw some posher shoes on and it sort of worked, but that's a definite wardrobe gap identified.

 The one I wish I'd got a better picture of...

Latest make and current fave!
My Me Made May is turning into the 'how do I wear this shirt nearly every day, without people noticing I wear it nearly every day?' challenge. True to form, my latest make is my favourite make and this experimental-for-me outfit incorporating the Reeta Shirt Dress hack is one of the best things to come out of my MMMay-ing so far! I'd wear the same all month if I could/if it wasn't exposed via the daily selfies. From June onwards, it's all about repeat wear, don't care!

To be continued on June 1st!

Stay in touch!

All Me Made May-d out!

Me Made May
This year marks my second full Me Made May attempt. And considering the challenge I'd set myself, I think I did quite well to deviate from my 'majority handmade' pledge (i.e. all separates have to be made by me) only once!
Here's what I wore for the second half of May:

Week 3
Week 3! Top row: Days 15, 16 & 17; Bottom row: Days 18, 19, 20 & 21
Day 15 - Ralph Pink Sahara Shirt; Day 16 - Rise Turtleneck hack and GBSB pencil skirt which was my first ever blogged item; Day 17 - Named Talvikki Sweater and vintage-pattern hacked trousers; Day 18 - Fall Turtleneck and self-drafted skirt; Day 19 - Rise Turtleneck and velvet split-side skirt; Day 20 - A new wedding outfit! Vintage ruffle blouse and B6178 culottes; Day 21 - Fall Turtleneck and GBSB casual trousers.

Week 3 was a little bit of a mixed bag. I was really trying to incorporate a few older items that don't get much wear, but I felt like a bit of a jumble sale on a couple of days. Day 16's full outfit has since been designated for the charity bag - it just didn't feel very me and although I love the Rise Turtlneck hack, it needs work on the fit and remaking in a more suitable fabric. On the other hand, I LOVED wearing Day 20's newly made outfit to a wedding. Considering how the separate garments would work together from the point of making definitely worked and it's something I should aim to do more often.

Week 4
Week 4. Top row: Days 22, 23 & 24; Bottom row: Days 25, 26, 27 & 28
Day 22 - Sleeveless Rise Turtleneck and B6178 culottes; Day 23 - Ready to Sew Jane shirt and GBSB casual trouser hack culottes; Day 24 - Kielo Wrap dress with sleeves; Day 25 - Kielo Wrap Dress; Day 26 - By Hand London Flora/B6178 jumpsuit mash up; Day 27 - B6178 culottes and vintage-pattern wrap top; Day 28 - Sleeveless Rise Turtleneck and my brand new tester version of the Ready to Sew Joanne Culottes.

The warm weather combined with an insanely busy week at work should have thrown me in week 4, but looking at the week as a whole, I'm pretty pleased. I got some great wear out of my now many pairs of B6178 culottes and enjoyed adding the new, more relaxed, Ready to Sew Joanne culotte to the mix on Day 27. My main struggle was finding summer appropriate tops to pair with my many bottoms - as mentioned in my mid-way round up, I have masses of Rise/Fall Turtlnecks, but very little variation outside of that. 

And in the final few days, here's where I got lazy/fell off the band wagon...

Days 29, 30 & 31
Days 29, 30 & 31
Day 29 - A RTW top with B6178 culottes; Day 30 - Repeat wear of the Joanne culottes and sleeveless Rise Turtleneck; Day 31 - vintage-pattern hacked trousers and Rise Turtleneck

I was feeling a bit of pledge-fatigue by this point and just threw anything in my bag whilst packing for a bank holiday trip to Bristol. That included my favourite RTW top, which I broke my pledge in wearing on Day 29, and a few other repeat wears. In all honesty, I'm not too disappointed that my commitment tailed off towards the end. It was a long and busy month and I really did set the bar very high with my pledge.

Things I'll take from this month:

- The need to make a wider variety of tops.
- More consideration for how a new garment will work in an outfit as a whole before making it.
- A need for a couple of summer work-appropriate dresses. Luckily we're on the casual side of smart/casual, but it would still be useful to have some smarter dresses for warm days.
- I have LOADS of handmade clothes, many that I didn't even get round to wearing in the month. There's no need to kick myself or feel guilty if my sewing output is slow.
- I very rarely buy high street clothes, but the my few remaining RTW clothes have lasted this long for a reason - I really like wearing them! Although it was good to challenge myself with my 'majority handmade' pledge, it was also perhaps unnecessarily harsh in that it prevented me from wearing some of my most loved items. I'll eventually replace these old RTW favourites with a handmade alternative when needed, but until then, I'll be mixing them with handmade and aiming to get as much wear out of them as possible.

Whilst I'm relieved to relax the daily selfie game, I'm also already looking forward to next year's Me Made May to see how my efforts compare. It's been exciting and inspiring seeing everyone share their outfits as ever this May. Thank you Zoe for organising. Here's to another year!


Stay in touch!



    MMMay17 mid way round up!

    Me Made May
    Happy mid way through May, or to be more specific, Me Made May! I set the bar quite high with this year's pledge, challenging myself to wear 'majority handmade' each day. I must say, I did find it quite a struggle to get into the swing of things, but then what's the point if it isn't a bit of a challenge?! Here's my first couple of weeks:

    Week 1
    Week 1! Top row: days 1, 2 & 3; Bottom row: days 4, 5, 6 & 7
    Day 1 - Fall Turtleneck and vintage-pattern hacked trousers; Day 2 - Named Clothing Kielo Wrap Dress over a sleeveless Rise Turtleneck; Day 3 - GBSB pencil skirt hack and Simple Sew Lottie Blouse; Day 4 - Named Clothing Inari Tee Dress layered over a Fall Turtleneck; Day 5 - Vintage-pattern trousers, Rise Turtleneck and Grainline Studio Driftless Cardigan; Day 6 - Sew DIY Nita Wrap Skirt, Rise Turtleneck, Papercut Patterns Waver Jacket, Radiant Home Studio Retro Rucksack; Day 7 - Sew DIY Nita Wrap Skirt and Fall Turtleneck.

    I very quickly realised my obsession and reliance on my (luckily) fairly large collection of Papercut Patterns Rise/Fall Turtlenecks. I wore one in some form or another for 6 out of 7 days in week 1 and 4 days in week 2 and it's opened my eyes to a near-imminent need to make some other style of top/t-shirt - something lighter weight and more suitable for warmer weather. Recommendations of simple-yet-quirky basics would be very much welcomed if you have any!

    It felt almost boring and uniform-like to keep reaching for this same style of top in the first week, but I think that's more of an effect of being hyper-aware/photo taking each day. It's clearly a pattern I love and a style I'm comfortable with wearing in lots of different ways and situations, so I'm not going to fix what's not broken, just maybe add a couple of non-turtleneck casual shirts into the mix to compliment!

    Week 2
    Week 2! Top row: days 8, 9 & 10; Bottom row: days 11, 12, 13 & 14
    Day 8 - Pinstripe B6178 culottes and Fall Turtleneck; Day 9 - V9186 dress; Day 10 - Vintage pattern-hacked trousers, sleeveless Rise Turtleneck and Grainline Studio Driftless Cardigan; Day 11- Ready to Sew Jane Shirt and B6178 culottes; Day 12 - Rise Turtleneck and Pauline Alice Turia Dugaree Dress; Day 13 - Rise Turtleneck and Named Clothing Kielo Wrap Dress; Day 14 - No Patterns Needed Deep V Tunic and B6178 culottes.

    Week 2 has clearly been themed around blue and khaki, and the amount of colour I've been wearing has actually come as a bit of a surprise to me - I really thought I wore more black! Picking my clothes each morning has really highlighted my tendency to reach for the newest things I've made, so I've consciously tried to dig a little deeper into my wardrobe and mix things up a bit. I'm quite pleased with how I'm doing so far, but there's still quite a lot of my wardrobe that's gone untouched. The real challenge for the next couple of weeks will be seeing whether I can get some older makes into rotation or working out if it's time to part ways with them.

    RIP Kielo: day 13 of MMMay17 and the first wear!
    Finally, a special mention needs to go out to my long time favourite dress, which is very sadly on it's way out after many wears and multiple repairs. This Kielo Wrap Dress was my first Named Clothing pattern and probably one of the first things I made that I truly felt was 'me' in style. I'll be sad to see it retired/repurposed/recycled, but on the plus side, at least I have the right hobby for making a replacement!

    Hope everyone else is doing well with their pledges! :)

    Stay in touch!

    May, Me Made May and May Martin

    Me Made May
    Here's to a fabulous sewing filled and themed May! I completed my first full Me Made May, wearing at least one (if not more) me made garments per day, and I have to say, it's a really great feeling! I also went to the wonderful Big Simplicity Blog Meet in Manchester, and my sewing productivity is through the roof - I made 3 basic tops, a pair of culottes and some dungarees all in May! First, here's my round up of the second half of MMMay16, featuring slightly more colour than the first half:

    Week 3

    Top row: days 15, 16 & 17; Bottom row: days 18, 19 & 20
    Day 15 - Self drafted Liberty dress; Day 16 - Vogue 1395; Day 17 - Blue Kielo Wrap Dress; Day 18 - Faux wrap skirt; Day 19 - Nita Wrap Skirt and sleeveless rise turtleneck hack; Day 20 - Simplicity 2154 skirt; Day 21 - (pictured below at The Big Simplicity Blog Meet) B6178 culottes, sleeveless Rise Turtleneck and Driftless Cardigan.

    Week 4
    Top row: days 23, 24 & 25; Bottom row; days 26 (day and evening), 28 & 29
    Day 22 - (not pictured) same as day 21; Day 23 - floral self drafted skirt and sleeveless Rise Turtleneck; Day 24 - Floral Kielo Wrap Dress; Day 25 - Rise Turtleneck and GBSB hacked skirt; Day 26 - Lottie Blouse in the day and faux leather Nita Wrap Skirt in the evening; Day 27 - (not pictured) polka dot Nita Wrap Skirt; Day 28 - Turia dungaree dress; Day 29 - Turia dungaree dress and sleeveless rise turtleneck

    Days 30 and 31 came from my holiday in Barcelona, and featured my recently blogged B6178 culottes, the wrap top I made as a part of my 'make more tops pledge', and my yet-to-be-blogged second pair of Turia dungarees - those of you who follow me on Instagram may have seen them over there!

     Final thoughts on this year's Me Made May...

    - My style's definitely evolved. I can split my me made wardrobe into Before-Kielo Wrap Dress and After-Kielo Wrap Dress. Making my first Kielo last year really marked a shift in my me made style, and it's the After's that definitely get a lot more wear.

    - I'm moving house soon and have to do the brutal wardrobe cull, so Me Made May has really helped with some difficult decisions. My V1395 dress (pictured on day 16 above) is getting recycled - I just don't get on with the fit -  along with a bunch of older makes that never got a look in during the May.

    - You know those days where you just don't feel like getting dressed? Well I haven't got any comfy me mades to wear on them. I'm not sure if this will spur me on in making a bunch of 'house clothes' but I'll definitely consider getting some PJ bottoms sewn up.

    - I'm finding that wearing more than one me-made per day is coming quite naturally - maybe I'll have to up the challenge level of my pledge next year (!!!)

    - I LOVED seeing everyone else's makes. My Instagram feed was so vibrant and positive all month - so much talent and beautiful patterns and fabric that I'm now dying to try out. It wouldn't be the same if MMMay ran all year round, but there's a part of me that wishes it would - thanks Zoe for organising once again.


     The Big Simplicity Blog Meet!

    Group shot!
    And now a little about The Big Simplicity Blog Meet, which was held in Manchester a few weeks back. Myself, Aimee of Wrong Doll and Angela of Looks Like I Made It had already arranged to meet up in Manchester, and by great chance (fate?!) the event was running on the same day, so we signed right up!

    Angela, Aimee and me - so lovely to finally meet!
    Cake, goodie bags, fellow sewists and a May Martin masterclass. I'm not sure I was prepared for the amount of wisdom that May was about to impart - I had to steal a bit of paper off of Aimee to jot some tips down! From overlocker tips, to sewing with jersey and turning straps; May not only seems to know it all, but she has an insanely great tip for everything too. She's knowledgeable, witty and very honest - May said she couldn't endorse anything that she wouldn't be happy to use or teach with, with a rather interesting reference to a certain brand of sewing machine that Patrick just so happens to front...

    Invisible zipper tutorial!
    Anyway, here May is, showing us all how to sew the neatest and quickest invisible zip of all time. I ran straight out to Abakhan after and bought a skinny piping/zipper foot - the piece of kit I'm missing that's prevented me getting an up close finish on the bottom of my zips for all these years!

    Goodies and Abakhan haul
    We were lucky enough to get a fab bag of patterns, goodies and reading material at the end of the day too. I also grabbed some ridiculous but wonderful snake skin effect faux leather from Abakhan too (May recommended Scotch tape of the machine foot for sewing faux leather!).

    For a much more comprehensive run down of May's brilliant tips and advice, see Aimee and Angela's great round ups of the day.

    Thanks Simplicity for hosting such a wonderful event!



    Stay in touch!


    Mid-way through Me Made May

    Me Made May
    I'm really enjoying taking part in Me Made May, and as we've reached the half-way point, I thought it would be a good time to share what I've worn so far! So here's week 1 and 2, and a couple of new makes that I've sewn up as a part of my pledge.

    Week 1

    Top row: days 1, 2 & 3; Bottom Row: days 4, 5, 6 & 7
    Day 1 - Rise Turtleneck and self-drafted skirt with pinafore bib; Day 2 - Kielo Wrap Dress and new Driftless Cardigan; Day 3 - self-drafted velvet skirt, Rise Turtleneck and Retro Rucksack; Day 4 - Rise Turtleneck hack, self-drafted skirt; Day 5 - Rise Turtleneck hack and Tilly and the Buttons Miette Skirt (from the pre-blog days!); Day 6 - Nita Wrap Skirt; Day 7 - self-drafted culottes with pinafore bib and Make it Easy top.

    Week 2

    Top row: days 8, 9 & 10; Bottom Row: days 11, 12, 13 & 14
    Day 1 - new Butterick B6178 Culottes (to be blogged) and sleeveless Rise Turtleneck; Day 2 - self-drafted skirt; Day 3 - GBSB casual trousers; Day 4 - Tilly and the Buttons Megan Dress; Day 5 - another new pair of Butterick B6178 Culottes (to be blogged); Day 6 - Kielo Wrap Dress; Day 7 - Turia Dungaree Dress.

    Things I've noticed so far...

     - The daily selfie thing is hard work! I know it's not the main aim of MMMay, but I really do want to document it. I've been enlisting the help of various friends, colleagues and my boyfriend, so it's not just a month of mirror selfies - let's just say I'm spreading the word about MMMay!

    - I have very clear favourites - at the minute it's my Butterick B6178 culottes (which I'll post about soon) and one of my new, pledged tops: a sleeveless hack of the Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck. Taking daily pictures has really got me thinking about my regular repeat wears, and encouraged me to pick out some lesser-worn garments to mix in with my new faves.

    - I wear A LOT of black. I'm trying to inject a bit more colour into what I wear, so we'll see how the rest of the month goes.


    My Pledged Makes

     I threw in a sideline pledge to make a couple of tops, to try and fill some of the gaps in my me-made wardrobe. Now the weather's warmed up, I've noticed that I'm particularly lacking in summer-appropriate tops, so that was the driving force behind this sleeveless hack of the Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck (worn on 4 of the first 14 days of MMMay!).

    New top with old self-drafted skirt
    As a part of my pledge, I also hoped to re-introduce some 'long-lost' makes into regular rotation, so I'm really pleased that this self-drafted floral skirt got it's first spin in a while with my new top! The 'hack' was simple - I re-traced the whole Rise Turtleneck pattern, but adjusted it by tracing the armholes of a TNT sleeveless pattern. I also took in the sides to make the body a bit closer fitting.

    The shaded bit shows the adjustment to the armhole.
    Top number 2 is made using a Prima Pattern from 1995 - one from of a box full of AMAZING 80's and 90s patterns that was very generously donated to me by my school textiles teacher. I'll do a post on them soon, but for now, here's the ummm.... 'sexy' top that I tried out.

    Pattern from Prima Magazine in 1995
    I made it with my holiday at the end of May in mind, so I imagine it will make a MMMay appearance then (to be honest, I'm not sure I can get away with it at home!) It was super easy and quick to sew up, and required very little fabric, but it is pretty revealing compared to my usual style!

    Holiday top worn with a self-drafted skirt and Butterick B6178 Culottes
    I'm feeling really positive about the challenge of Me Made May, particularly due to the kind words and encouragement from fellow sewists/participants in the online sewing community - here's to the second half! I'm going to The Big Simplicity Blog Meet in Manchester on the 21st, so hopefully see some other MMMay-ers there :)


    How is everyone else feeling at the half way point?


    Stay in touch!


    Me Made May 16: The Pledge!

    Me Made May
    I'm really excited about Me Made May this year. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that my previous attempts haven't exactly been successful, but then, it is meant to be a challenge... For anyone who doesn't know, Me Made May is a fab, yearly challenge, organised by Zoe of So Zo... What do you know?, which encourages makers to embrace their handmade items and wear them more (for the duration of May and hopefully much longer after that!). This will be my third time giving it a go, and I definitely feel that it will be a case of third time lucky.

    My attempt at gathering all my handmade clothes in a pile - this isn't even all of them!
    My history with Me Made May goes something like this... 
    - In 2014 I jumped into it with great enthusiasm, predicting that I would have a rosy month full of handmade, when in fact I was still a very new dressmaker, with approximately 4 me-made items to my name. Of course, you can still play along with only a few handmade items if you set your pledge accordingly. But did I do that?...No.

    - I felt more prepared for my '1 me-made item per day' pledge in 2015, but I let life get in the way. A house move and a holiday came up, and suddenly all my me-mades were in the washing basket and it all went out of the window by week two.

    So it's 2016, and I feel like I've hit my stride with dressmaking; I feel confident and comfortable with my output, and I love wearing it. Here's a pledge that I'm going to stick to this year; I'm going to keep it very simple...

     'I, Shauni of The Magnificent Thread and @shaunimagnifique, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '16. I endeavour to wear 1 or more me made items each day for the duration of May 2016. I intend to use it as an opportunity to re-evaluate my handmade wardrobe, re-introduce long lost makes into regular rotation, and identify those that I no longer get great joy from wearing and assign them for recycling or re-purposing.'


    Of course I'll be looking to identify any gaps too, one of which is already glaringly obvious... I'm seriously lacking in me-made tops. So I'll throw in a sideline pledge to make a couple of tops during May too :)

    To find out More about MMMay16 and see other people's pledges, check out Zoe's post.

    I'll be posting not-quite-daily but regular updates on Instagram and via the other social media streams below, and possibly the odd blog round up too. Can't wait to see everyone else sharing their Me Made May efforts!


    Stay in touch!






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