MMMay'12: Days 29, 30 & 31 THE END!!!

Well, the me-made/self-stitched challenge this year was totally amazing. More people signed up and participated than any of the previous challenges, and the flickr group and Facebook page were on fire!!! I've been so inspired by the amazing variety that comprises the online handmade community. It really is a world of wonderful individuals that have chose to be linked by the common challenge of wearing their self-made items and getting out and about. 

I've always said that creating and wearing your own garments means that more of your personality is on show than when you are wearing mass-manufactured, shop-bought clothing. You have to make all the decisions yourself, from what pattern to use, what fitting alterations you might make, what fabric to make it in, which buttons to use and so on. When you by something ready made, someone else made all those decisions for you, and often with price points in mind rather than aesthetics. And even if aesthetics are the priority behind those manufactured garment detail decisions, it's not necessarily your aesthetic that is being considered.  Unlike when you make something your own. 

So let's have a look at the final outfits I rustled up from my own handmade wardrobe for the Me-Made-May '12 challenge.

Day 29 me-mades:

Simplified Sencha blouse

Ruby shorts

Pants (knickers)

I dragged these shorts out of the depths of my deepest drawer and was amazed that they still fit (more or less!). I used to wear these soooo much when I lived in sunny, and occasionally sweaty, Spain and it is somewhat shocking that the UK has managed to be consistently warm enough for me to wear them without fear that the weather would change half way through the day leaving me freezing. I think this shorts and blouse combo could look quite 1930's if I wore more era-appropriate footwear and hairstyle.

Day 30 me-mades:

Frida Kahlo dress

Pants (knickers)

Second-hand cardigan

How much red can you cram into one photo? Lots!!! This dress makes me smile whenever I see it. 

Day 31 me-mades:

Reversible bolero shrug

Leopard stretch stop

Navy cropped trousers

Pants (knickers)

The final day of the challenge!!!! This is possibly the worst photo in terms of clarity, but maybe my favourite outfit of the whole month. It was comfy but you can also see some of my figure. It is vibrant and reflective of my personal style as it stands today, but I can also wear it during the day without getting stared at!!! I wonder if I would have come up with this outfit if I hadn't been 'forced' to create new garment combinations because of my challenge pledge.   

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in this challenge, your energy and creativity reminded me exactly why I love the online creative community and how truly fabulous it is to be part of it. Also thanks so much to everyone who commented on my challenge posts throughout the month. I really appreciate each and everyone of them and it was so often with the readers of my blog in mind that I tried to create different, and hopefully interesting and inspiring, outfits throughout the month. 

There are lots more things I want to talk about regarding challenges, community and groups, but I'll expand on those another day.

MMMay'12 Other People: Weeks 4 & 5

This is an epic final instalment to the 'Other People' section of the recently completed MMMay'12 challenge.

Day 22 (Tuesday)

Vic took her mum on holiday to Bath, had a lovely time, wore her new Zo-made Peter Pan collar shell top and found a traid donation bank! Good work on all fronts, Vic.

Day 23 (Wednesday)

My mum wore a beige wool skirt that I made her soooooo long ago. I had totally forgotten about until she emailed me this picture. I made it before I understood about linings and she had to line it herself! Sorry Mum! Apparently the weather was way too warm for this outfit, but I'm so glad she wore it because I may never have been reminded of that beige skirt.

Day 24 (Thursday)

One of my hopes for this part of the MMMay'12 challenge is that my peops who I make garms for become more comfortable in them than they may have felt before.  Pat has been wearing his Book Launch shirt quite a bit this month. I love it when he does because it really makes his blue eyes look ultra blue. I hope he feels more comfortable in it now he's been made to wear it so often!

Day 25 (Friday)

On Day 25, Harriet wore the curved waistband skirt that I made her for the October instalment of our Poetry & Clothing project. Apparently she wore it with a yellow and white checked blouse and looked quite the school marm!

Day 26 (Saturday)

Saturday was quite a busy day for Vic, not least in terms of wearing Zo-made clothing! She started the day wearing the floral chiffon top. Then when she came home she changed into her 'Ok' denim skirt and a vest because it was super hot. And finally she went to bed in Zo-made turquoise and red Summer jam jams. Phew, what a day! 

Day 27 (Sunday)

Not much to say other than Patty wore these pants! But of course you'll have to take our word for that. 

Day 28 (Monday)

This pic is so hilarious! Kirstin wore some denim high waisted shorts I made for her a couple of months ago. She also wore a blouse made by her talented friend Amy and a wooden 'hello' necklace by Rock Cakes. Don't forget you can win your very own 'hello' necklace AND a pinup Betty badge made by this very lady in my giveaway here. 

Day 29 (Tuesday)

Vic is pulling out all the stops for her final days contribution to MMMay'12. She wore a stripey wool skirt and gathered sleeve head T-shirt and looked generally lovely. She was such an awesome contributor to this part of my challenge, always handing her 'home-work' in on time and giving me text updates about what she was wearing. 

Day 30 (Wednesday)

She wears skirts well, does my mum! On Day 30 she wore a front flap skirt that she commissioned me to make. The pattern is from a Burda magazine and she bought the fabric herself for me to use. Mumma has been awesome this month, diligently photographing and emailing me her photos in a most punctual manner!

Day 31 (Thursday)

The final day of MMMay'12. Pat wore both his Brokeback Balcony shirt and what are fast becoming his favourite pants (I may have interpreted that last bit).

I really want to thank my beloveds for taking part in MMMay'12 this year. It has made it utterly special and I feel so elated and proud at the sight of them in the garments I've made. So thank you Kirstin, Vic, Mum, Harriet and Patty. You are all absolutely wonderful (and amazing models!). 

MMMay'12: Days 25, 26, 27 & 28

Day 25 me-mades:

50s day dress

Pants (knickers)

Yes it's warm enough to only need two (me-made) garments! How lovely does the sea look in the sunshine?!

Day 26 (daytime) me-mades:

Summer holiday dress

Pants (knickers)

I really love this dress, it's so much fun to wear (or it will be once I adjust the right strap so it stops falling down). More lovely sunny seaside backdrop action for you. You're welcome.

Day 26 (evening) me-mades:

Rizzo blouse

Navy cropped trouser (not as-yet formerly blogged)

Pants (knickers)

Second-hand cardigan

Patty and I went to a 30th birthday party which entailed dressing up in styles from our favourite 20th century decade. I'm sure you can guess we chose the 1950s. Much fun ensued. 

Day 27 me-mades:

Tie collar shirt-blouse

Navy cropped trousers

Pants (knickers)

Sandals

Second-hand cardigan

Soooooo hungover. However, the sandals are really performing well, like the proper shoes they are!

Day 28 me-mades:

Jade peplum top

Bandstand vintage fabric skirt

Pants (knickers)

Second-hand cardigan

This skirt is so frustrating when I'm walking along. Because it's lined in shiny poly taffeta, it works its way around so the back is at the side or front! I have to anchor it down by putting my hand in the pocket! 

MMMay'12: Days 21, 22, 23 & 24

We are getting close to the end of another awesome me-made/self-stitched month. Thankfully this week the sun has come out to play so I can rock some of my warmer weather gear, and step y'all from yawning over seeing my denim sailor trousers again and again!

Day 21 me-mades:

Denim sailor trousers (last time this month, promise!)

Sailor Sencha

Saint cardigan

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

Day 22 me-mades:

Navy stripey T-shirt (not really ever blogged about)

Navy sateen skirt

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

Second hand cardi

On this day I was filmed sewing for an English language video being made by Oxford University Press. I also had to say 'My name is Zoe, I make clothes. I am wearing a stripy T-shirt, a navy blue cardigan, a mustard cardigan and green shoes'. Fact.

Day 23 me-mades:

Navy cropped trousers (will be properly blogged about soon, promise!)

Simplified Sencha blouse

Swallow jacket (never formally blogged about because it was made before I even had a blog)

Pants (knickers)

Nautical sandals

This blouse was initially made with my best mate in mind, but we've figured out that she has a long torso and this ended up being too cropped for her. Although it's a tiny bit too tight for me, I love the fabric and enjoyed wearing it. Plus I cannot express how happy I am that it has become warm enough for me to wear my handmade shoes during this challenge! They rubbed a little, but did really well and I wore them almost all day.

Day 24 me-mades:

Nautical diner dress

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

Nautical sandals

Second hand belt

Woo hoo! More sandal wearing action. It was a bit too warm to actually need to wear a vest, but I wore one under this dress because the fabric is a bit itchy. I know what you're thinking, 'Nautical' AND 'Diner' in one garment? Yes siree people, it can happen. 

MMMay'12 Other People: Week 3

This is now totally my favourite part of MMMay'12, seeing my peops wearing the garment's I've made for them. So let's see how the third week of the Other People part of my MMMay'12 challenge shaped up...

Day 15 (Tuesday)

Not afraid to bust some nautical tones, my best mate Vic spent Day 15 in her navy sateen spotty skirt and accompanying red and white items. She would like it to be known that she has buttoned her cardi like this due to an unfortunate incident involving a can of diet coke. I think it looks ace buttoned that way.

Day 16 (Wednesday)

On Day 16 Mumma E was All Business. She was whizzing around London flitting here and there, seeing to her students and whatever else she had lined up, all the while making fine use of her grey wool and leather bag. Seeing as this bag, which I made for her for Christmas, has had some heavy use for about six months, it looks like it is wearing well. As long as it holds out until next Christmas, then I'll be pleased!

Day 17 (Thursday)

You have now already been introduced to Patty's second pair of fancy pants. I really love these pants, they are exactly the type I'd be looking for if I went shopping to get him some new undies. Apparently these are very comfortable, more so than the first pair whose elastic is needs replacing due to being too tight.

Day 18 (Friday)

On Day 18, Ms Friday (AKA Harriet) wore her ruffle front remade white T-shirt. She informed me that she wore it with some high waisted jeans, which sounds a phenomenally strong look IMO! I love how the pieces I make my friends and loved ones get absorbed into the rest of their wardrobes, how they take the Zo-made things and match them with their other items to make outfits that reflect their own unique style of dress. To me, that is the highest of compliments they could pay my work.

Day 19 (Saturday)

Unfortunately, due to a technical error I am only too familiar with myself, Vic's Saturday pic got deleted before it reached me, so this photo is actually from about three years ago! I remember because I'm pretty sure it was the from the trip she made to visit me when I live in Barcelona when I had just started going out with Pat. Anyways, it's this top, made from beautiful floral print chiffon which I decided was not for me almost as soon as I'd finished making it! Vic looks totally lovely in it.

Day 20 (Sunday)

With Patty up in the North all weekend helping celebrate his dad's 60th birthday, it was up to him to remember his 'day' and to wear the Zo-made shirt I knew he'd packed. I wasn't able to go because I was  teaching my 'Rework your Wardrobe' workshop in London on Saturday. But to his credit, when I texted him during the day to remind me, he was already wearing his shirt (the Rockabilly Bowling shirt) and had made sure he was photographed in it (see above, Patty with his folks and siblings).

Day 21 (Monday)

And last but not least for Week 3, Kirstin wore an awesome outfit which included a simplified Sencha blouse that has not previously been blogged about. This fabric is so great, I'm sorry you can't see it clearly. The print is tiny birds and branches. I made it for her birthday earlier this year, which ended up being very funny because EVERYONE who attended her sushi-based celebration gave her something with birds on it somewhere! I'm totally in love with her outfit in this picture. She has a great way of putting garments together.

MMMay'12: Days 17, 18, 19 & 20

Day 17 me-mades:

Denim sailor trousers (Burda pattern)

Remade Peter Pan collar sweatshirt

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

Chillaxing during MMMay'12 here! It's important to have a little rest during a hectic month such as this.

Day 18 me-mades:

School boy trousers

Black jersey top

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

Apologies for the rubbish photo. Patty has gone away so I must attempt my documentation photos solo.  The problem I find both at home and at my work is that photo positions with decent light have lots of unavoidable mess in the background, but places with relatively clear backgrounds (like above) have terrible light. What to do?

Day 19 me-mades:

Black sateen Jenny skirt

Stripey long sleeved T-shirt

Reversible bolero shrug

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

Saturday was such a long day. I taught a 'Rework your Wardrobe' workshop, had a lovely lunch with a friend, then met another friend in the evening. This outfit seemed to stand up to the whole thing admirably. Yay for me-mades! They really do function as well as any shop bought item.

Day 20 me-mades:

As yet un-properly blogged navy cropped trousers

As yet un-properly blogged navy remade sweatshirt

Mariner T-shirt

Pants (knickers)

SUNSHINE!!!! Look, I've even got sunglasses on. Amazing.

MMMay'12: Days 13, 14, 15 & 16

Day 13 me-mades:

As yet un-properly blogged navy cropped trousers

Mariner T-shirt

Reversible bolero shrug

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

I love these trousers so much. I'll blog about them more fully hopefully next week, because the really do deserve their own post. I think I prefer them in this more casual outfit rather than the dressier one I was attempting on Day 12. 

Day 14 me-mades:

Remade lace yoke sweatshirt

Denim skirt

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

Agh! When is it ever going to be properly warm?! I've been forced back into scarves and mittens even when I'm inside in the studio (thought to be fair the studio is as warm as the outside anyway). This cowl neck scarf wasn't made by me, but it was made using this tutorial.  

Day 15 me-mades:

Denim sailor trousers (burda pattern)

Leopard batwing top

Reversible shrug

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

I'm not very impressed with this outfit. My focus was clearly on comfort rather than style when I got dressed that morning! 

Day 16 me-mades:

Navy sateen skirt

Leopard long-sleeved top

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

(Second hand cardi)

Ahh, that's better. I like this outfit lots more. It's ticking all the boxes for comfort and style. My smile would indicate that I am clearly warm and looking rocking!

MMMay'12 Other People: Week 2

I enjoyed creating last week's 'Other People' MMMay'12 round up so much. It was really fun to see my loved ones wearing something I'd stitched each day, even if extracting and collating the documentation was a bit of a headache! Ok, so let's check out the second week's wears...

Day 8 (Tuesday)

On Tuesday my best mate Vic rocked a sheer floral tunic that I actually made for myself two years ago. Upon realising that my arse has out grown said tunic, I knew Vic would look great in it so gave it to her. I think she has proved me correct. 

Day 9 (Wednesday)

Ha! Look at Mumma E loving the camera! She wore a scoop neck T-shirt I made her as an experiment just before we went on holiday together to Venice in January. You can't really see it but the print on the jersey is leaves and insects. It was an experiment because it was the first stretchy garment I have made her and without having her close by (Mumma E lives in Essex, holler!) it was a real guess. Being considerably tinier than me, the proportions and dimensions were difficult to judge, but aside from needing to be taken in a bit at the waist, it was an overall success. Plus Venice was FREEZING when we went, so she was thankful for an extra layer of clothing!

Day 10 (Thursday)

On Thursday Patty wore his Brokeback balcony shirt, the first I ever made him, and the most complex garment I have ever made for anyone other than myself! This shirt, now over two years old, has faded a fair bit but is still going strong. The topstitching still looks ace and it was long enough ago for me to forget all the swearing that accompanied stitching it all!

Day 11 (Friday)

Friday's garment is a sneak preview of a Poetry & Clothing project garment that I have yet to blog about. I'll go into it further when that post eventually materialises. I was pleased to hear that Harriet had been getting some use from this as, being pretty loud, it was a bit of a wild card creation for someone else.

Day 12 (Saturday)

As Vic put it when she sent me Saturday's picture, this garment is a blast from the past! Do you remember when making skirts from pair of jeans was the most exciting thing ever? This is from then. Probably over six years ago. The one I made for Vic has an 'ok' sign appliquéd to the right back pocket area. I used to machine satin stitch these 'ok' appliqués all over the place at the time, usually to little tote bags and shoulder bags that I made to sell. Well, apparently doing an 'ok' with your hand is a thing people do to signal to each other when diving, which is Vic's hobby. She often wears this skirt on holiday, often diving holidays, and on Saturday she wore the skirt with her dive club's sweatshirt having spent the morning handing out leaflets for her dive club. I'm spotting a theme...

Day 13 (Sunday)

Ok, Sunday was quite a special day for MMMay'12 round these parts. Not only did Patty wear TWO Zo-made garments, but one of them was a brand new type of garment altogether!!!!! I'll blog about this in full later this week, but in short: I've figured out how to make dude-pants! Now is not the time to fully express just how exciting and life-changing this new endeavour is for me, but let me tell you that they performed their task well and were worn for the whole day. Patty also wore his Book Launch shirt, which I wasn't expecting him to do because I thought the pants might be enough to concentrate on, but he wore the shirt as well voluntarily.

Day 14 (Monday)

Ms Monday (AKA Kirstin) spent today in a fabulous collaborative handmade ensemble. The Zo-made element is the tweedy shorts I made her for Christmas but she is also wearing a beautiful blouse made by her lovely friend Amy and a cute pair of swallow brooches made by Kirstin herself.

So there you have it. Another week of other peops wearing Zo-mades! Aside from hanging out on the flickr group and seeing how the other participants are getting on, this is totally my favourite part of the Me-Made-May '12 challenge for me.

MMMay'12: Days 9, 10, 11 & 12

Day 9 me-mades:

School Boy trousers

Remade sweatshirt (as yet unblogged)

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

COMFY outfit! I really can't explain how nice these trousers feel to wear. I often panic thinking that I've left the house wearing my jam-jams, but then I look down and remind myself it's just the School Boy trousers working their magic. In June I'll blog a couple of recent sweatshirt refashions/remakes, including this one. 

Day 10 me-mades:

Dark grey wool dress

Long-sleeved stripey T-shirt

Saint cardigan

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

Now, this outfit is fine and all and pretty cosy on a chilly day, but I'm just not that impressed with it. It feels really boring and just not 'me'. I have to work out a way to wear this dress that makes me feel more reflective of how I want to dress.

Day 11 me-mades:

Denim sailor trousers (burda pattern)

Leopard collar batwing top

Reversible bolero shrug

Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

Many apologies for the terrible photo. See what happens when Pat goes to Tai Chi and leaves me to take my own documentation photo?

Day 11 outerwear and photo challenge:

From Day 11 onwards, basically I have decided it should be warm enough to ditch my navy wool coat in favour of my lighter leopard coat. In case you were wondering why the ugly photo background, I must explain that in the MMMay'12 flickr group we have a photo challenge each Friday to try and incorporate into our day's documentation photo. This Friday's challenge was 'Ugly backgrounds', so some of us tried to find some shoddy locations for our documentation. This is our horrible little backyard which hasn't been cleared up since a rubbish Winter of wind and rain.

Day 12 me-mades:

New navy cropped trousers (as yet unblogged)

New stripey peplum top (as yet unblogged)

 Vest (camisole)

Pants (knickers)

As you can see, the sun came out and my vitamin D deprived body can't handle it! Day 12 saw TWO brand new and previously unblogged garments. God, I know how to live! I'll blog about them soon. Of course I then immediately went and cleaned the kitchen and got a bleach mark on the top!