#7: #memademay takeaways a month later
and trying to resuscitate writing about sewing
*apparently this post is too long for your email, so open in substack to get the full experience ;)*
This year of our lord 2025 has been… a doozy, and I think say that for anyone who lives on this planet earth right now. I’d love to live through some *unprecedented times* for once, because my stress levels have never been higher.
Over the past few months a lot of change is happening in my life and in our country, some of which is very self induced. So to get you up to speed: this year the US has a new president (ugh), I started a new (old!) job in February, I’m volunteering in way too many capacities as an architect and as a neighbor, we got a new PUPPY, and I’ve been travelling back to Salt Lake once a month for said new job.
All that to say: I’ve been extremely distracted and just trying to hold shit together in my day-to-day. As in- trying to keep us fed and get enough sleep while packing in as much as possible between 8 and 6 on weekdays.
Between all the insanity though, I managed to participate in Me Made May; for the uninitiated, this is a wardrobe challenge meant to be shaped into whatever you want it to be (but for many, means posting handmade outfit pictures or video on instagram every day during May). Me Made May is what got me super hooked on garment sewing - it was a way to discover new pattern designers, fabric shops, and other makers creating really cool stuff (back when hashtags WORKED ugh).
Me Made May has started to feel a little *saturated* on instagram, with fewer interactions and a lot of noise. Ruth wrote a post in early May (“Me Made May” doesn’t work anymore) and honestly, it hit on all the issues that are making this wardrobe challenge feel not as fun or interesting anymore. There are some thoughtful conversations happening over on Threadloop about how outfit sharing and Me Made May could occur on that app, rather than instagram. Instagram is inherently designed to tap into our consumerist ways, and Me Made May (to me anyway) means sustainability, slow making, reflection. Incongruent doesn’t really cover it, ha!
We will see what May 2026 brings; I’ll probably still dabble in me-made-may because it’s good timing to swap over my winter/summer wardrobe and rediscover summer clothes I’ve made over the years.
Ok now for my takeaways for dressing in clothing I’ve made in May 2025:
my favorite outfits are a combination of a garment I’ve made, with something non-handmade. It feels more put-together for some reason, but I’d like to figure out why I feel that way?! (Is it sort of the high-low theory?)
I reach for handmade pants over store-bought MOST of the time. I think this is quite the revelation: I am now able to fit and construct pants that fit me way better than anything I could buy. This fact almost brings me to tears as a 5’ human with a butt!
I’d like to print out some photos of outfit combos I love and tape them to the inside of my closet for ideas on days my brain is not wanting to think about getting dressed (which… if I’m being honest is a LOT OF DAYS). Even when I don’t want to get dressed, feeling put together makes me more productive, creative, inspired!!!! And turns out I need those traits for my day job!
I enjoy making little outfit videos, with fun backgrounds!?!?! My challenge for myself was to wear one item I’ve made a day, make a VERY quick video, and add a fun backdrop. My goal was to take less than 10 mins every day to think about it, and I think it worked!
(I’d also like to mention: videos of myself are less likely to send my brain into a tailspin about how I look, or get nitpicky about my body or outfit. I think it’s a great trick TBH. Jenna has talked extensively about this on her Instagram, but normalizing taking photos of myself has produced some very good body neutrality results. I no longer see pics of myself and ridicule it to death.)
until next time (and hopefully not such a long time), xoxo
As beautiful to look at as it is to read! XOXO mom