It’s May!
This year, we’ve decided to participate in “Me Made May.” Created by sewing teacher and writer Zoe Edwards, Me Made May is an annual challenge designed to encourage makers to think about the clothing they make, and how it fits into their wardrobes. Zoe’s initial challenge to herself was to wear only self-made clothing for an entire month (not including undergarments and shoes). That doesn’t work for everyone, of course—we don’t all have that volume of makes in our wardrobes. Zoe encourages every maker to create a personal challenge that works for them: it’s all about pledging to “wear their me-mades more often, or in different ways, for the month.”
We first became aware of the challenge on social media, following the hashtag on Instagram. It’s a glorious and joyous celebration of makers and the clothes we make and wear.
I think many of us have a tendency to treat our self-made clothing as secondary or inferior. I know I’ve done it. When complimented on our work, we downplay it, treat the fact that we made it as a confession of a dirty secret, point out the mistakes, explain why it’s not perfect.
Or we don’t wear it at all…. In my early days as I knitter I made more than one sweater that I deemed only fit to wear to the yarn shop. There have been plenty of sewing projects that never even left the house.
Here’s the thing, though: Anyone who makes clothes is capable of making clothes to wear. We should pull handmade clothing out of our wardrobes in exactly the same way we select a commercially made garment.
Clothes are just that: clothes. And our self-mades should be just that. Everyday wear. Things we dress ourselves in without apology or explanation. Items we wear to work, or out for dinner or to meet friends or walk the dog or do a grocery run or whatever.
Me Made May is all about celebrating that. Over the course of the month, we’ll be sharing some wonderful makes from people around Canada—sewn, knit and crochet. And we’ll be sharing some of our own, too.
See all our Me Made May posts here.
Get involved by posting on Instagram, using the hastag #memademay2023, and tag us @digitsandthreads.
As makers, let’s be proud of what we have created and wear our self-makes without excuse or apology. Let’s make—and wear—clothes, and celebrate them together!
Featured photo by Marit Munson.
