Me Made May 2018 Archives » MelodyMae.co.uk

6th June 2020

Reflections on Me Made May 2020

Hey friends! Hope you’re all safe at this time.

Before I talk about reflections on Me Made May 2020, I just wanted to say something. With what’s been happening in the world recently, I’ve been doing a lot of behind-the-screen work on how to best become an ally. Although I’ll be more vocal in my personal life to racism, and be sharing a lot about the current affairs in relation to the current US news online. I have taken the decision to not tokenise the black people in my communities. Instead, I will put effort in changing my spending habits to support black businesses, diversify my social feeds and to address my own misgivings. Going back to posting my white ass face constantly isn’t me being silent. The atrocities that have and continue to happen to black people worldwide won’t end because I’m taking on a trend of being ‘woke’.

I’m trying my best to do the work. I will get it wrong often, too. Feel free to call me out at any time, I will continue to learn. Business is not ‘as usual’, it’s renewed, just not tokenising and fetishising POC.

Me Made May 2020

So we’re getting back to handmade outfits and a little review on my MMMay 2020. If you hadn’t been following throughout the month, it was basically a challenge to wear me-made outfits all the month. My personal goal was to wear my whole handmade wardrobe (spoiler alert; it’s impossible), which ended up turning into a challenge to just get dressed during lockdown.

Dress; Check-A Check-Ow (Butterick B5880)

I wouldn’t say that I’ve particularly ‘won’ at the challenge this year. Not just because it turned out I own more handmade clothing than I had days to wear them. Mostly because half the time I was sat around at home and didn’t really want to get dressed. I’m not going to sit here and feel bad about that, though. Quarantine has been three months of general weirdness, and honestly pyjamas were necessary a lot of the time.

Dress; Last of the Summer Gingham (Butterick B5880)

One of the biggest hurdles to wearing some of my handmade clothing is simply that a lot of them don’t fit at the moment. Some don’t fit at all, but the majority is a bit tight thanks to lockdown weight gain. Thanks to early-lockdown-me for all the baked goods!

melody mae — I put this sofa together on my own in 30 minutes. I was particularly proud.

Skirt; Strawberry Sundae (Self-drafted dirndl skirt)

But the best part of Me Made May 2020 was really that it inspired me to sit at my sewing machine again. It’s given me my love for sewing and putting together clothing once more. My hope is that this continues once I’m back at work, because I’d really hate to lose out on my sew-jo again!

Plus, I’m definitely continuing my new tradition of making a new Birthday Dress each year!

And sew (hehe) that’s a wrap on Me Made May 2020. I hope you enjoyed it!

25th May 2020

Me Made May 2020 — Plus Size Handmade Outfits

Hello and welcome to another lockdown week!

It’s Monday, it’s the 25th May and yes, you can eat another slice of cake, there are no laws in lockdown. Well there is, but nothing about cake, so go ahead, friend! Another week has gone by, and honestly I’ve had… ‘A Time’ with it. I seem to be on a two-week cycle of depression vs being absolutely fine. It’s certainly not my favourite, but I have had Me Made May to keep me accountable! I’ve been wearing plus size handmade outfits all this month, and here’s this weeks instalment!

Top; Old Primark
Brooch; Luxulite
Skirt; Tanuki Time (Self-drafted Dirndl)

Dress; Teal With It (Emery Dress)

Of course, you already know this outfit from Saturday’s post! I’m so happy I finally have an Emery pattern that fits now — I’m already making a second!

Top; Really old Boohoo
Skirt; Even More Gingham (Upcycled circle skirt)

Did anyone ask for pasty legs? No? Well pasty legs are what you have with this plus size handmade outfit! I think this skirt looks best with tights, but it’s been so warm recently I wanted something breezier. Also I attempted to get some sun on my legs to even out my skin tone… But I know that’ll never happen, haha! These legs are impenetrable by the sun.

Top; Old Collectif
Brooch; Luxulite
Skirt; Can I Be A Racoon Dog? (Self-drafted Dirndl)

I mentioned that I had a moment and cut my hair off in my last post. It was dramatic (there was crying before, during and after), but actually I really like it now. My hair feels really healthy, and although it’s still a bit uneven, looks nice when styled, right?

Top; The Used Merch
Skirt; Un-blogged tartan mini skirt

So this day was supposed to be Slam Dunk, which is my favourite festival of the year. It’s also a bit of a birthday celebration because all my friends go and it’s always difficult to get us in one place at any time. So I decided to be sad whilst dressed like a the emo kid I truly am and drank a warm cider in the sun. It’s basically the same, right?

I’ve never blogged this skirt because it was something I made for a particular emo night back in 2016, and honestly I don’t wear it that often. This is the fun part of Me Made May — it really makes you think of the forgotten handmade items!

And so that’s that for week three of Me Made May and some plus size handmade outfits!

Let me know if you’re joining in and any Me Made May blog posts you want to share in the comments!

Me Made May -- Plus Size Handmade Outfits

Remember to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily outfits in my stories, on Pinterest for my inspirations and on Twitter to read my thoughts on a semi-regular basis!

18th May 2020

Me Made May 2020 — Handmade Pin Up Style

Welcome to week two of Me Made May 2020! It’s all about Handmade Pin-Up styled outfits this week!

To say that I don’t know where the hell I am in the world right now is an understatement. Is it really May? But isn’t 2020 over by now? It’s a rollercoaster of emotions recently. I’m finding I’m allowing too many bad habits at the moment which are pulling me into depression. It’s taken a full week to feel strong enough to implement some guidance my therapist has given me, which sucks. My pledge for Me Made May this year was more as a way to actually dress myself whilst in lockdown instead of sitting in pyjamas all day. And honestly, it’s one of the only things getting me through at the moment. Strange to say that #Content is one of the only reasons I’m not asleep 24/7, but at the same time I’m grateful for this amount of accountability.

Dress; Big Ol Black Dress (Self drafted)
Cardigan; Voodoo Vixen
Necklace; Splendette

Handmade Pin-Up Style

Saying that, this is one hell of an outfit, haha! As you saw in my recent post on Splendette’s amazing bangles, I got all dressed up. The hair was a complete and utter mistake (I hate my hair at the moment), and what a gorgeous mistake it was! My local Tesco didn’t know what hit it. Well, apparently it also wouldn’t care if Covid-19 was rampant or not either, but that’s a rant for Twitter.

Hair Flower; Lady Luck’s Boutique
Cardigan; Old Banned Apparel
Dress; London Calling (Butterick B5209)

Thanks to depression (not brushing my hair) and the miracle of roller sets, this poodle lasted a few days! This particular day I wasn’t feeling great, but hey — who needs to feel good if they look good, right? (This is a joke guys, mental health is so much more important)

Also, I really need to add pockets to this dress — not having them is infuriating!

Top; Primark
Skirt; All Hail The Gingham Queen!
Mask; Handmade
Shoes; Zaxy

Are we surprised I’ve made a gingham mask? No. Are we surprised I purposely wanted to show off that my mask and skirt match? Also no. Don’t be ridiculous. I look sad but adorable.

Top; Old Primark
Skirt; Late Blooms

Aaaand we washed our hair, hooray! I’m feeling a little bit better and more positive for the week ahead. Hope you guys are doing well!

11th May 2020

Plus Size Me Made May — Week One!

Well hello friends and welcome back to Monday!

Hope we’re all doing well at the moment? I’m slowly crawling out of some depression and pain cycle at the moment with the help of medication and therapy. Hence lack of posts. However, I’m working on changing that with some new processes in place, so hooray! For now, onto some plus size Me Made May style from the first week!

If you saw my post last week about my Me Made May pledge, you’ll know that I’m wearing everything from my sewing wardrobe throughout May. It’s straight up an excuse to get dressed at the moment. But from one week of wearing handmade, it’s also spurred me on to make. Positives flying around all over here!

Turban; Alice Brown’s Cupboard
Top; Old Primark
Skirt; Tartan Circle Skirt

Real life for ya, folks! Most of the time I’ve looked like this during lockdown. Is anyone else’s skin suffering? I kinda miss accessories at the moment, but who has time for belts when you’re not going anyway?

Top; Old Primark
Skirt; Tartan Puns are Hard (Self-drafted Circle Skirt)

Anyone liking the slipper selection? Haha! I need some new ones, wearing slippers constantly gets a bit gross after a while… Also, I didn’t notice my skirt was twisted until this moment. I also don’t care since I wasn’t planning on leaving the house on this particular day! Most of my day at the moment are a combination of cleaning and Animal Crossing.

Plus Size Me Made May

Cardigan; Banned Apparel
Dress; Twilight Tartan (Butterick B5880)

One of the hardest things about lockdown and not getting ready on the regular is losing your sense of self. I’m really glad I decided to go ahead with Me Made May 2020 as an excuse to get dressed, because I’ve been feeling better in my self on a daily basis. Maybe it’s shallow to have your self worth tied up in looks, but it’s the literal personification of me. I wonder how many others are the same?

Dress; Platform Closed (Sew Retro Rose Swirl)

My days haven’t been too exciting honestly, between regular existential break downs, general corona-fears and Animal Crossing (250 hours and counting!) But I finally mustered up the motivation to start on a muslin for an Emery dress or five, as well as refashioning a denim jacket. It’s been gorgeous out, but I’ve been limiting walks to evenings just to avoid crowds. It’s days like this which make me sad we don’t have a garden!

Top; Old Collectif
Skirt; Gingham in Winter (Self-drafted dirndl skirt)

Finally for this week, my literal favourite skirt! If you’ve ever read my Outfit of the Week posts, you’ll know what I mean. There’s a reason I made a similar one in red and in blue. I love gingham so much, and these skirts just look so great with everything! One day I’ll offer them up to buy for those that don’t sew. One day!

And so ends week one of Me Made May 2020!

Anyone else joining in this year?

5th May 2020

Me Made May 2020 — Better Late Than Never

Hiya guys! Hope you’re all doing well. I’ve been a bit MIA recently because frankly things hit me like a ton of bricks about two weeks ago. Not only did the depression hit me, but I’ve been in a lot of pain recently. So it’s not been the most exciting or productive time. BUT. Things are going to change! May is amongst us, and that brings us to Me Made May 2020! So here’s my pledge;

I, Andii Melody Mae from MelodyMae.co.uk, am pledging to wear my entire handmade wardrobe over the month of May. With the world being all upside down, I’m going to use this as an excuse to get dressed each day, and only wear outfits that contain a handmade element!

me made may 2018 — View my Me Made May 2018 Posts here

What is Me Made May 2020?

Simply put, Me Made May is just a personal challenge by So, Zo… to wear your handmade items in whatever way works for you. That could be just wearing your own garments more, making more things or anything else to keep it interesting. I last participated in Me Made May in 2018 on the blog, but I join in most years by wearing handmade clothing.

My handmade wardrobe actually takes up most of my dresses and skirts (I’ve yet to delve into the world of stretch fabrics for tops!), and I treasure the items that I make for myself. You can see my whole wardrobe on my Handmade Clothes page! So this year’s challenge for me is all about getting out of pyjamas, getting into some pretty clothes and appreciating the things I’ve put effort into. And since May is my birthday month, I’m also going to try and get a Birthday dress made by the time the 31st comes about!

Are you doing MMMay this year?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments — let me know what your pledge is, or if you’re planning on using this time to take up sewing to participate next year!

6th June 2018

Me Made May 2018 – It’s All Over Now!

Happy Humpday everyone! It’s the first week of June, which means Me Made May 2018 is over!

I mentioned briefly in my last MMMay post about how I lost steam with the challenge. I had a less-than-stellar month, mental-health wise, honestly. Some days were easier than others, but a lot of days were so hard to get out of bed. This isn’t an ideal mental state for trying to wear pretty clothes when you just want to be asleep.

The last week of May I was off from work, and I mostly spent it in pyjamas. The original plan was to go out, be social and wear as many of the remaining eight items I had left to wear. So technically, I failed at wearing every item I have made. I still managed four outfits, even if I did wear my Gingham In Winter skirt twice this month!

But you know what? 16 out of 21 isn’t bad going!

What I have learned, above all else, is that I miss sewing. I work so much and never make time to sit at my machine, which is pretty sad. But honestly, no store-bought clothes bring me as much joy to wear as handmade. Knowing that it fits me because it was made for me, that it’s the length I want because I decided it, and it has pockets because I want them is something you can’t get with RTW.

It’s clear that I really love gingham, especially my gingham skirts. So clearly I need to get my arse into gear and make some new ones! So this year is two things; Make more. Make more gingham. Not a bad lesson to learn, really.

24th May 2018

Me Made May 2018 – Week Three is Freed!

Why oh why did I choose to rhyme these MMMay18 posts? I’m running out of interest, haha! But it’s midweek-ish, which means an update for my Me Made May pledge is due!

It’s funny, as someone who enjoys dressing up and documenting outfits, I’m finding being presentable the biggest challenge this year. Work and life is a bit harder than usual this month, so adding on a challenge to wear items I may not often wear is an added stress. This could also be due to my worry of looking good for social media, which is always an issue.

ANYWAY. Wednesday was the Big Ol’ Black Dress. Friday a two-parter with both the Wearable Mock Up top and Can I Be A Raccoon Dog skirt. Saturday old faithful the Last of the Summer Gingham dress (which needs to be repaired) came out to play. And finally, Sunday my When Life Gives You Lemons skirt with my new favourite top from Primark.

So what did I learn this week? Well, mainly that for the most part that I feel I’m moving to a slightly more casual style in daily wear. Mostly for the reason that all I want to wear is gingham skirts and trainers, but that’s because I’m getting lazy. I need to get my arse on the sewing machine and make some more gingham skirts! What colour should I go for next?

It does mean one of the Melody Made bingo cards are nearly complete! Let’s hope the sun comes back out for those last two! I love Me Made May for really making me think about what I wear like this. Who else is joining in?

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16th May 2018

Me Made May 2018 – Week Two is Through

Happy Humpday, beautiful people! It’s Wednesday and so it means Me Made May Day an update on what I’ve been wearing the last week. Also a time to look at me only know one single pose when in front of a mirror…

I clearly had a bit of a theme this week, going for ALL the ginghams! With the Gingham In Winter skirt on Monday for a bank holiday picnic and the Platform Closed Swirl Dress for work on Wednesday. Friday I got a little lazy, so I wore an almost identical outfit to Monday. But the All Hail The Gingham Queen Skirt is too good with this top! Saturday mixed things up with the P-P-Polkadots dress.

We did finally get two lines in our Melody Made Bingo, though! And the prize we all win is… Okay there’s no prize. Sorry about the second of false hope there, haha! But it does mean I’m doing well in my challenge, wearing nine out of twenty-two items so far. You can check the Pledge Page for the updates!

So what have I learned from my me-made wardrobe this week? I literally just love gingham so much I might as well make a full wardrobe of it. That’s about it. Boring lesson for the week, but who doesn’t love gingham?

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10th May 2018

Me Made May 2018 – Week One Is Done

Happy Wednesday darlings! I hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend and week so far! I spent one of my days off lying under a tree with a picnic at Alexandra Palace, which was glorious. Sad to be back at work when I desperately want to sleep for a week, but that’s how the cookie crumbles, I suppose. So now it’s May, and I’ve already manage to tick off a few Me Made May outfits!

Wednesday (the start of my work week) kicked off my MMMay pledge! I wanted to get the cooler-weather outfits out of the way before the UK sees a bit of a heatwave. Funnily enough, I have a grand total of four “winter” items I’ve made. First lesson of MMMay; more tartans.

So Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I wore the Twilight Tartan dress, Tartan Puns Are Hard and an unblogged tartan skirt respectively. You guys loved the Tartan pinafore on Instagram! Second lesson of Me Made May; more convertible pinafores. Watch as I go and make two in ginghams…

Speaking of gingham! The sun came out in the UK again, so Gingham came out of the wardrobe, because we all know I have a problem with check fabrics. I was also feeling the navy, so I had a weekend of Navy gingham. The Check Ah Check Ow Dress is a firm favourite, and the Strawberry Sundae Skirt got the casual treatment. I need more gingham.

So how are we doing on the bingo? Head over the Pledge Page to see!

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27th April 2018

A Me-Made Life, My Me Made May 2018 Pledge

One thing I’m not doing so much recently is sewing. It’s a real shame, honestly, because I love sewing and I love creating clothing that is 100% me. If you’re not part of the Sewing Blogiverse, you might not know about Me Made May 2018. Essentially it’s a self-appointed challenge based on clothing made by yourself.

MMMay is hosted by sewing blogger So, Zo, and has been for a while. The gist is this; You comment on the pledge page before April 30th with your pledge, and then you do it once May starts.

My pledge is to wear EVERY item I’ve made. Handily, I put together a ‘Sewing Wardrobe‘ page to show off what I’ve made! It turns out I actually have 21 handmade items in total that still fit. (RIP to the dresses my waistline has busted) This is actually a few more than I originally thought!

So through May, I’ll be updating not only the blog each week with the outfits I make – but you can follow the journey with me through Instagram and Facebook! And we’ll be playing MelodyMade Bingo! With each MMMay outfit worn, I’ll be crossing off the item on these images – let’s see how well I do, huh?

So guys, I’ll see you at the end of next week to see how well I’m getting on with the challenge. What do you think about it? And if you’re joining in – what’s your pledge?

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Reflections on Me Made May 2020

Hey friends! Hope you’re all safe at this time.

Me Made May 2020

Me Made May 2020 — Plus Size Handmade Outfits

Hello and welcome to another lockdown week!

And so that’s that for week three of Me Made May and some plus size handmade outfits!

Remember to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily outfits in my stories, on Pinterest for my inspirations and on Twitter to read my thoughts on a semi-regular basis!