Me Made May and declaring War on Waste


Me Made May is over, in fact it's July in a few hours. I did do it, in the end, and took the photos, most of them at the end of the day in the kitchen as the month wore on. 

I enjoyed it, I have so many me made clothes now that getting dressed was quite easy, I didn't have to repeat things if I didn't want to and in fact there were things that I didn't even get around to once. 

I learned a few things too. 

Yet again, the photos prove that I'm not as well turned out as I think I am. I don't regret the culottes that have taken over but I do want to make a few smarter tops and shirts for work, and some more tailored trousers to mix things up a bit.

I have SO MANY clothes now. I've been sewing pretty solidly for the past two years and things have really started to pile up. While I'm generally pretty satisfied with what I've made, apart from the odd disaster project, I do want to slow down and make clothes at less of a tear now. May coincided with an ABC series called War on Waste, which really made me think about how I consume, what happens to the food, plastic and packaging I waste and weather I really need so much. I have begun to religious use my keep cup when I get a takeaway coffee, I've made some cloth bags for fruit and vegie shopping and I'm trying to be a more careful shopper.

The series also looked at fashion waste, and at the masses of clothing, barely worn, that is sent to op shops. Only about 15 per cent of it can be recycled. While I think I'm very far from like the young women in the show, who go shopping several times a week and hate wearing the same outfit in public twice (they had to be shown by a consultant how to 'recycle' their clothes by wearing them more than once) I do want to pull it back a bit. While I make my own clothes, and try to buy natural fibres, I don't really know the environmental impact of the fabric I use and it made me really want to slow down, be more intentional and have a smaller, more manageable wardrobe of clothes. 

All this thinking about waste combined with studying my overstuffed wardrobe everyday for Me Made May led me to seriously lose my enthusiasm for sewing for about a month. I'm over it now, in fact I've just finished a fully lined Kelly Anorak with a hood, but I am going to try and be more methodical and less impulsive in future. 

If you're interested, here's a story about my lovely sewing group that was part of War on Waste: Meet the home sewers saying no to fast fashion by making their own clothes.

This story has few ideas on creating a minimalist wardrobe: How a capsule wardrobe could help you break your mindless shopping habit

And for posterity - here's the MMM17 record.

May 1

Grainline Lark tee and Liesl + Co Girl Friday culottes


May 2

Liesl + Co maritime top in ponte & Named Jamie jeans



May 3
Uniqlo pants and dobby chambray top (Grainline Scout Madewell variation)


May 4
Rachel Comey Delane dress in various polys



May 5

Liesl + Co maritime top and Itch to stitch Belize shorts lengthened into pants. 


May 6

Dobby chambray top (Grainline Scout Madewell variation) & Named Jamie jeans


May 7

Tessuti Kate top and Closet case Morgan jeans




May 8

RTW top from Old Navy and Megan Neilsen Flint trousers


May 9

Style Arc Cameron dress in poly/viscose 


May 10

Named Kielo in poly/cotton jersey



May 11

Inari-Maya mashup dress and Grainline Driftless cardigan 



May 12 

Liesl + Co maritime top & Liesl + Co Girl Friday culottes


May 13

Grainline Lark tee and RTW leggings


May 14

Chambray Marilla Walker Maya Top & Closet Case Morgan jeans



May 15

Liesl + Co maritime top in ponte & Megan Neilsen Flint trousers



May 16

Linen Named Inari dress



May 17

Style Arc Cameron dress in poly/viscose 



May 18

Uniqlo pants and Dobby chambray top (Grainline Scout Madewell variation)


May 19

True bias Ogden Cami in rayon & Named Jamie jeans


May 21

Grainline Lark tee in linen knit, Grainline Driftless Cardigan & Named Jamie Jeans



May 22

Grainline Lark tee in linen knit & Liesl + Co Girl Friday culottes



May 23

Liesl + Co maritime top & Megan Neilsen Flint trousers



May 24

Named Kielo in poly/cotton jersey


May 25

Uniqlo pants and Dobby chambray top (Grainline Scout Madewell variation), Grainline Driftless cardigan



May 27

Grainline Archer shirt in rayon & Named Jamie jeans



May 28 

Traced cotton jersey tee & rayon pull on pants - adapted pattern



May 29

Banana Republic jumper & Named Jamie jeans



May 30

Style Arc Cameron dress in poly/viscose 




May 31

Banana Republic jumper & Megan Neilsen Flint trousers




Comments

  1. That episode about fast fashion was so depressing! I see it more as a tale of privilege - you have to have a LOT of money and no concept of what it's like to go without to buy new clothes 3-4 times a week then throw them away without wearing them.

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    1. I was gobsmacked. They were privileged, they seemed to be living at home and spending all their disposable income on horrible, cheap clothes in horrible, cheap fabrics. But I don't think many people would want their lives. In spite of their privilege, they seemed to be living in a vortex of insecurity and social media performance. They sounded genuinely anxious about the idea of being seen on instagram in a repeat outfit and I found that very sad. I'm in my mid 30s so I grew up without all that and while I'm sure they are are not representative of all young women I did feel sorry for them that they were sucked into all that.

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