Me Made May 2023!
"MMM is a wardrobe challenge
that helps you improve your relationship
with your handmade items"
-Zoe Edwards @sozoeblog
Trace the Me Made May (MMM) challenge back to its roots in 2010 and you will find a woman named Zoe Edwards who contemplated the meanings and motivations she had in creating her own handmade wardrobe.
She simply wanted to test how far she could rely on the items she had made. And in a blog post she invited others to join her in the challenge.
My oh my, how we have shown up and joined her! The hashtag #memademay2022, for instance, had 53,247 postings on Instagram!!
In the 13 years since its inception, Ms Edwards’ very personal challenge has clearly evolved into a worldwide celebration of makes…as well as a challenge.
"My own personal pledge was to wear only me-made things [for a month], aside from bras, tights, socks and shoes,” says Ms Edwards. “But I left it open for anyone else taking part to set their own specific pledge and have done so ever since.”
Basically, the challenge is yours:
“I (insert name or username) pledge to wear
(insert specifics of your pledge) throughout May 2023."~Borrowed from the So, Zoe, What do you Know blog
These are some of the things that come to my mind when I think of participating in the MMM challenge:
- wearing me-mades more often over the next few weeks;
- making something I’ve never made (like underwear!);
- committing to sewing for an hour every Tuesday + Thursday (or Monday + Friday, or EVERYDAY!) during the month;
- finally making a sloper;
- throwing a Frocktails party;
- finishing a languishing work-in-progress;
- pulling something out of my closet that I don't like to wear and altering it into something I want to wear.
My interpretation of the MMM challenge is to set an intention of doing something different vis à vis garment sewing that has me arriving at the end of the month in a changed relationship with my sewing journey and fashion stress points; less critical of my abilities and more motivated to learn more and hone aspects of my craft; with a greater awareness and openness of how I present myself in the clothes I choose to make and wear; more conscientious of how and who made all of the clothes I didn’t make; and, lastly, more appreciative of this amazing sewing community.
Ms Edwards has a lot of thought-provoking content on her site, so I urge you to pop over to her blog to read more about her vision for the challenge - what it is and what it isn’t intended to be.
In addition to her inspiring blog, she hosts a weekly podcast called Check Your Thread which explores ways to sew more sustainably. Ms Edwards is also the author of Wear It, Mend It, Love It (2021), a book about mending, altering and caring for your clothes to give them a longer, happier life.
Ultimately, be PROUD and CELEBRATE the fact that you even try to make something to wear. Having owned Bolt & Spool for nearly 13 years has made me acutely aware of the fear a surprising lot of people have of attempting to make anything.
This is your month to shine and grow - inwardly and outwardly.
And if you DO choose to celebrate your “me-mades” on social media and use a pattern or fabric you bought in our shop...please tag us @boltandspool. We want to share in your success!
Here are the top MMM hashtags iffin' you want to follow along with the challenge.
#MMM #MMM23 #memademay #memade #sewing #memadeeveryday #handmadewardrobe #sewistsofinstagram #memadewardrobe #mmmay #sewcialists #imakemyownclothes #isewmyownclothes #slowfashion #handmade #sewist #isew #isewlation #imakemyclothes #sewersofinstagram #diyootd
And don't forget to follow Ms Edwards and thank her for encouraging us all to get out of our comfort zone!
Thanks for reading, as always,
xoxo,
Nan