Taking stock of my Wardrobe

by taking part in 'Me Made May'

I’m finding it hard to believe we are already four days into May as the year is whizzing by. It seems only yesterday that I was complaining about how long January appeared to be and now the sun is shining, birds are singing, there’s blossom everywhere and the washing is drying on the line. It’s wonderful!

Something I have been thinking about for a while now is joining in with the challenge ‘Me Made May’. I’m not really a great fan of challenges online and although I have participated in various things over the years I usually fail to complete them, either getting bored or finding it too much of a commitment. Plus I have never liked following arbitrary rules or feeling obliged to post stuff on social media. But this is a challenge with a difference. Me Made May has been running each year for around sixteen years and it is the brainchild of Zoe Edwards, host of the Check Your Thread podcast about sewing more sustainably. The idea is that it is a wardrobe challenge to help improve your relationship with your homemade items of clothing. Participants are encouraged to set the specifics of their own challenge, tailoring it to meet their own needs and requirements and anyone can take part whether they regularly sew their own clothes or maybe just own one or two items. By focussing on what we wear during the month of May and also what we don’t wear, we are more likely to make homemade items that we really need and that work for us, rather than make stuff that languishes in our wardrobes. If you would like a brief introduction Zoe does this in just five minutes in episode 177 of Check Your Thread

Apparently the fashion industry is the third most polluting industry on the planet, driven by over consumption and irresponsible attitudes to waste and climate change. As consumers we can help change this by adopting better habits towards our clothes by buying less, choosing more carefully, wearing things for many years and caring for our garments with careful cleaning, storing and mending. Like many people I enjoy nice clothes and the way they make me feel, however you wouldn’t necessarily think so to look at me. I am far more likely to grab a pair of jeans and yesterday’s shirt for pure convenience. I know that for walking the dog or working on the allotment this is probably the most practical choice but all too often it is my only choice. As a result I have a wardrobe that is busting at the seams full of clothes that I rarely ever wear. And when I do decide to wear them they are usually so creased that I shove them straight back in rather than go to the trouble of ironing them.

I have written more about my history of dress making here:

And my attempts at sewing more sustainably here… should you be interested!

So whilst I don’t really feel I over consume when it comes to clothes, and I keep things for many years, I also tend to either impulse buy or make something because I enjoy the process of making without too much thought as to if I will actually wear it. As a result I don’t ever seem to get to grips with my overfull wardrobe which is why I have decided to join in with Me Made May this year. I know this is something I could do at any time of year but joining in knowing there are others doing the same throughout the month gives me some focus. There is no obligation to share our progress on social media when joining this challenge and we can make our pledges public or keep them to ourselves. I will probably post some of my outfits and progress on my Instagram account as it will help keep me focussed and accountable to myself, but it will be as and when I feel like it. This might be every day, or it might be just once or twice, but you can find me by following this link if you want to follow my progress through the month

I have set my own intentions and they are big and lofty.

· I want to track what I wear each day during May and notice how the clothes make me feel. Do I like wearing them?

· I want to carry out a wardrobe audit to discover those items I don’t wear and ask why. I’m aware I have clothes I like yet never wear so this is about finding out why that is, as much as wheedling out the stuff that I have never really liked or no longer need.

· Based on what I discover I will repair, alter, sell or donate the clothes I don’t wear.

· Using this information I also hope to discover if there are any key items missing from my wardrobe that I might need and whether I can make them myself.

Ultimately I would like to dress better and with more intention rather than grab the nearest thing from my bedroom floor. I realise I have wanted to do this for most of my life so it will be interesting to see how it unfolds and whether I can stick to it.

Obviously given these intentions, buying or making something new before I even start is probably not the way to go, however it is what I have done. Don’t judge me… You might think I have failed at the first hurdle but I’m seeing it as a positive as it is something I believe I will wear. Some years ago I was commissioned to make a large wall hanging about memories for a Cambridge care home and I decided I would like the background to be a patchwork compiled from old, embroidered table linen. It was a lovely project where I spent time with the residents talking to them about the memories from their childhoods and the resulting piece of textile art was well received by staff and residents alike.

The finished ‘Memories’ wall hanging

It did mean I amassed quite a large collection of embroidered tablecloths, runners, tray cloths and serviettes. Most were used in the wall hanging but I still have three or four complete tablecloths. I know that there are some who feel it is sacrilege to cut up these old linens, but many have stains, and most will never be used again for their original purpose, so I think it is better to cut them up and reuse them, where the embroidery can be seen and admired rather than have them languishing in a cupboard for years where they never see the light of day. Last year on The British Sewing Bee one of the tasks was to repurpose one of these cloths into a blouse and ever since I watched it I have wanted to make myself a top from one of my collection of cloths. As I’m off to sunny climes in a couple of weeks now seemed like the perfect time for a new summer top.

I used the Sewing Bee pattern although I adjusted it to make the sleeves much narrower and I carefully placed and cut out the pieces so that the embroidery would be symmetrical. Although I was under no illusion that I could whip this up in the same time as they do on the Sewing Bee I still thought it would be a reasonably quick project. It probably would have been had I not stitched the neck binding on the wrong way despite endlessly repeating to myself ‘right sides together’.

I won’t be quite so disparaging of those contestants on the show who make rooky mistakes in future as I didn’t have the excuse of a film crew and a time limit, yet still ended up reaching for the unpicker. It didn’t take too long to rectify my mistake and I was secretly so pleased with the binding tape which I found in my stash of fabrics, that it was worth the effort. It’s just a little thing and no one else will see it, but the print of teacups and cakes on the binding fabric seemed the perfect choice for a blouse made from a tablecloth. I take delight in these small pleasures.

It didn’t really take that long to finish, and I’m pleased with the result despite being somewhat concerned that it does still look like a tablecloth. However I am delighted to tell you that it has had its first wear, out to lunch with a couple of my friends. The sleeves are a bit puffy and wider than I would usually wear or like, but I think I can live with that. If I were to make another one I would try to make a different sleeve construction, although in the interests of my Me Made May pledge I have to ask myself if I actually need two embroidered tablecloth blouses and the answer is probably not. Instead I will enjoy wearing this one and avoid lying down on the grass or languishing myself over a table lest someone places their tea and cake down on my belly.

I might check in at the end of May to let you know how I have got on with my challenge but meanwhile if you want to see how I’m getting on, Instagram is the place to find me.