the event every burton’s stock car. the international ... · pattern from so sew easy, ... lace...

18 VDTA•SDTA NEWS July 2016 | SQE Professional™

31: The number of NASCAR driver Jeff Burton’s stock car. The international telephone code for dialing the Netherlands. The number of

Baskin Robbin’s® ice cream fl avors. And most importantly…the number of occasions to wear a self-made piece of clothing in the month of May!

Me-Made-May (#MMM) is both an event and a challenge held the entire month of May, where participants undertake to wear a self-made item of clothing or accessory each day. Since 2010, Me-Made-May (#MMM) has been gaining momentum, with this year’s pledged participation reaching an all-time high. Anyone can participate, though participation is made offi cial through a written pledge on the SoZo blog – www.sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.com. Known by just her fi rst name for privacy’s sake, Zoe, the owner of the blog, is also the creator of the Me-Made-May phenomenon and a self-employed sewing instructor.

Me-Made-May prompts sewists around the world to create their own clothes in the months leading up to the challenge and proudly display their handiwork from the fi rst day of May to the last. The challenge also encourages participants to wear self-made clothes that have been taking up closet space for years. The challenge, however, is not a competition – there is no prize awarded for the best constructed or most fashionable Me-Made items

or for the most Me-Made items worn throughout the month. The challenge is personal and inspires individuals to connect with their unique style while building a sustainable wardrobe.

And the great part of Me-Made-May is that it’s self-determined, meaning each person decides upon their own pledge and what will suit them best. A veteran of Me-Made-May might pledge to wear two self-made items each day if they had only worn one in previous years. Or, if a

participant has a job that requires a uniform, they might pledge to wear self-made items just on the weekends. The SoZo blog also offers other suggestions for pledges that include starting and fi nishing a new type of garment during the

month, completing all unfi nished projects by the last day, or never wearing the same Me-Made item twice (although many participants do repeat items at least once).

So why is this something you, the independent retailer, should know about? For a couple of reasons.

Me-Made-May was fi rst conceived of and put into action online – meaning that the participants of #MMM are generally of a younger generation…the generation that we’ve been discussing at length in terms of gaining new clientele. Promoting this event in your store, whether that’s with window signage

The Event EveryDealer Should Promote

19VDTA•SDTA NEWS July 2016 | SQE Professional™

or an icon on your website, will resonate with this target audience and show that you value their relationship to our industry.

Promoting this event will also send the message that you are up-to-date on social technologies like blogging sites, Instagram, and/or Facebook where interactions about #MMM primarily take place. Prospectives who see you are up-to-date with things like this are more apt to believe you are up-to-date on the products and projects you offer or sell. A new customer won’t want to buy a machine bundled with classes that teach old(er)fashioned sewing projects.

Secondly, Me-Made-May provides a great sales opportunity. You can use the months prior to #MMM, perhaps the lull after Christmas, to start pushing fabrics, patterns, and even machines all in preparation for the sewing of Me-Made items. And if you need a new class idea, well, here it is! You can host classes where attendees all sew something particularly versatile for Me-Made-May.

Lastly, Me-Made-May affords you a chance to make this a community affair. While you promote individual participation in #MMM, encourage offi ces or clubs or groups of friends to do so, too! Have a special “group sign-up” in your store where the members of a book club, coworkers, or just a bunch of friends can collectively participate. If each person wears a self-made item one or two days a week, but say, there are 4-5 people in a

#MMM group, then together they’ve completed the whole month’s challenge!

This also allows people who normally wouldn’t participate because they are just jewelry-makers or just scarf-knitters or because they are sewists who don’t have an expansive self-made wardrobe to become invested in what you sell. It’s a chance to get them hooked on sewing or needle-crafting and

hooked on your business.

To see how lively and fun Me-Made-May can be, read about sewist Anna-Jo on the following pages and her journey through the month wearing self-made items. Anna-Jo lives in Somerset, UK and works as a fi ction writer, though she considers teaching English to be a passion of hers as well. She is the mother of two children and writes about her ever-exciting sewing projects on her blog www.annajose ws.wordpress.com


Don’t forget to fi ll out these forms for our Convention and more!

Dealer of the Month Application 9Membership Application 30 2017 Epstein/VDTA Scholarship Application 472017 Hall of Fame Application 54


1st MayI wore Jalie’s Criss Cross top made out of a teal and blue star print jersey. This top was made when I had a need for nursing-friendly clothing, but I’ve lost quite a few pounds since making it and it no longer fi ts. Not a great start to the month.

2nd MayA more recent make today, worn for the second time ever: the Knot Your Average Dress by Five out of Four Patterns. I made this in a gorgeous grey jersey from Girl Charlee. Comfy and stylish!

3rd MayA crochet project today: the Hourglass Jacket from Stitch Diva. I haven’t worn it in ages because the bright pink never went with anything else, but I’ve found a way to make it work over a denim skirt and black tank.

4th MayOnly a plain black ponte pencil skirt today, but it’s such a versatile piece! It is the free Color Block Skirt pattern from So Sew Easy, except I didn’t actually color block it. Maybe next time…

5th MayToday’s make is Simplicity 1469, which I’ve now made as a dress and top. The original top was only intended as a muslin, but I ended up wearing it loads. I’m not convinced about the color blocking, but I had to as I ran out of maroon jersey.

Hi, I’m Anna-Jo and although I’ve been making clothes for myself for the last decade, this is the fi rst time I’ve ever taken part in Me-Made-May. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve really wanted to for a few years now,

but all I ever used to sew were party dresses, and I don’t go to events like that every day… in fact, since having child #2 in 2014, I’m lucky to get out anywhere these days. Somehow I can’t see my ultra-glam vintage-inspired dresses working for a trip to the supermarket with children in tow!

Over the last year, I’ve been working on a more wearable, everyday wardrobe of me-mades. You know, the sort of things you don’t mind (too much) getting covered in sticky toddler handprints ― the kind of things you can throw in the washing machine rather than take to the dry cleaners. At fi rst I thought it would be dull, but in fact I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of getting to grips with oh-so-cozy jersey fabrics.

My personal Me-Made-May challenge is to wear a garment or accessory crafted by me every day. Not everything will be sewn, as I have some crochet and jewellery projects too. I know there are bound to be repeat appearances from some items, but I’m hoping to get most of my me-mades out of the wardrobe and onto my body at some point during the month.

May 12th

annajosews.wordpress.com


6th MayIt’s so hot today I couldn’t fi nd any suitable me-made clothes out of the wash, so I’ve gone with a necklace instead. The huge fretwork ebony beads strike just the right exotic note for the heat.

7th MayAnother crochet project today. I completed my purple lace bolero back in January 2015, but today is the fi rst time I’ve ever worn it! I really do need to get my “special” pieces out more often.

8th MayHelp, I’m running out of clothes for this heatwave! Today’s make is fresh off the sewing machine & onto my body: a red and black polka dot jersey maxi skirt. I drafted it myself following a web tutorial. It has a yoga waistband ― seriously comfortable.

9th MayOkay, it’s a repeat appearance for the purple lace bolero today, but this time I’m teaming it up with a hot pink tank top. It’s more versatile than I thought!

10th MayAnd another repeat day today, as I need to work on some repairs. I’m back in the grey jersey dress from day 2, but this time pairing it up with a pink shrug and scarf. Grey works with so many colors.

11th MayYesterday I managed to repair the twin needle hemming on my Simplicity 1469 dress, so I’m fi nally back in it after months of it sitting on the mending pile. I love this dress! Slinky and soft polka dot viscose jersey: what’s not to like?!

12th MayAnother bit of emergency twin needle hemming, and I’m fi nally wearing my very fi rst jersey sewing

project: a long sleeve v-necked tee from the Craftsy Sewing with Knits class. It feels and looks

great! The original hemming was too tight, but I’ve learned a lot about twin needle

stitching since then.

13th MayThe weather was nippy this morning, so I

broke out my stripy jersey Mobius scarf I made following an online tutorial. Super simple to make

and it’s had loads of wear over the spring.

14th MayWow, after a few weeks of eating Paleo(ish), I can fi t back into some of my extremely fi tted pre-baby makes. Today I’m rejoicing to be in my navy polka dot Vogue 8280 dress: perfect for a trip to the theatre this afternoon.

15th MayIt’s the return of the red polka dot jersey maxi skirt. I’m wearing this a lot around the house.

16th MayWore my handknit socks made with self-striping yarn today. I love wearing these socks, but I’m not sure they went with my shoes. I think that probably means I need new shoes… #anyexcuse

17th MayI wore my red crochet shawl today. Well, it’s meant to be a shawl but is really only scarf-sized due to a miscalculation on my part. I love it, though!

18th MayCooler weather means I was able to wear my self-drafted textured grey knit pencil skirt. This was a staple of my winter wardrobe. I must fi nd more textured fabric like this as it can elevate plain styles and colors into something special.

May 11th

May 10th


19th MayMy mum’s birthday celebration gave me the perfect excuse to pull one of my old party dresses out of the wardrobe. This is Sewholic’s Cambie Dress, made in a purple stretch woven. I love the vintage inspired neckline and A-line skirts with pockets. I need more dresses with pockets!

20th MayWore my spotty Simplicity 1469 dress again, but this time with a black cardie, three-quarter length leggings, and my new red shoes. Perfect for a trip to the garden centre.

21st MayTwo me-mades today, although both repeats. I wore my maroon long sleeved tee and my black pencil skirt as a plain outfi t to show off a statement cardigan. Not one of my own creations, unfortunately, but Me-Made-May has been inspiring me to dig deeper into the recesses of my wardrobe.

22nd MayI fi nally repaired my favourite aubergine corduroy skirt (Vogue 8750), which had split at the hem. So

glad that Me-Made-May has spurred me on to work through the mending pile!

23rd MayYesterday I managed to fi nish a stripy tee with three-quarter length sleeves, so I’m in it today. It’s nice and loose in a lightweight knit so it should be great for the summer. Had to add a patch and fringe detail on one shoulder as I accidentally melted it with the iron, but I’m really happy with how the repair turned out!

24th MayI unearthed a brown crochet shrug I made years ago and have hardly ever worn. I can see why, as it needs tightening up along the bottom. Should be a quick fi x, though.

25th MayI’m amazed to discover I can fi t back into my self-drafted circle skirt. It’s a much louder pattern than what I’m used to, and I was worried it was too dressy for the school run. But I found a way to make it work by dressing down with a black cami, leggings, and a denim jacket.

26th MayI made my purple “house skirt” a while back but I rarely wear it, which is odd as I love long knit skirts for lounging around in. After wearing it all day, I’ve fi gured out why: I prefer maxi to midi skirts, and the fabric doesn’t have good enough recovery.

27th MayThe third appearance of my spotty dress! I think I’m going to have to retire this one, much as I love it, as it’s a bit baggy on me now. It will be okay for wearing around the house, though.

28th MayI spent yesterday working on a couple lines of crochet to tighten the bottom of my knitted mohair tie-front bolero so that it hugs me better. I really love the fi t now, but I’m still unsure about the color: I enjoy purple but I don’t normally wear shades this pastel, so it doesn’t go with many things in my wardrobe. Perhaps I need to dye it…

29th MayBarbecue weather today, so I’ve donned my broomstick crochet cardie again for eating outside in the evening.

May 26th

May 19th

May 23rd

May 25th


30th MayI’ve been busy making a stripy kimono-sleeve cardie this week and ended up fi nishing it enough to wear. Unhemmed still, but that hasn’t stopped me from chilling out in it around the house.

31st MayI really wanted to fi nish off a crochet top for the last day of Me-Made-May but didn’t quite make it, so I’m wearing my stripy Plantain tee instead. Probably best for this chilly, damp weather anyway!


The Wind is sewing with needles of rain.With shining needles of rainIt stitches into the thin

Cloth of earth. In,In, in, in.Oh, the wind has often sewed with me.One, two, three.

Spring must have fi ne thingsTo wear like other springs.Of silken green the grass must beEmbroidered. One and two and three.Then every crocus must be made (continued)

So subtly as to seem afraidOf lifting colour from the ground;And after crocuses the roundHeads of tulips, and all the fairIntricate garb that Spring will wear.The wind must sew with needles of rain,With shining needles of rain,Stitching into the thinCloth of earth, in,In, in, in,For all the springs of futurity.One, two, three.

Two SewingA poem by Hazel Hall

Th is poem is in the public domain. It can be found at www.poets.org.

Refl ection:I’ve really enjoyed every aspect of my Me-Made-May challenge: rifl ing through my wardrobe in the mornings, taking outfi t pics, and even keeping my diary! It’s spurred me on to alter and repair some of my handmade garments, and even to make three entirely new projects during the month (all jersey knits, naturally). I knew I would end up with some repeat days (eight in total), but I was pleased with how many of my pre-baby makes I was able to introduce back into my wardrobe.

However, the most valuable part of this whole exercise for me has been to discover new ways of styling some of my least worn garments, meaning I am now confi dent they will justify their storage space by getting regular wear in the future. I’ve also now got a much better idea of where I should be focusing my dressmaking efforts, with the eventual goal of having a predominantly handmade wardrobe.

Not jewellery, though. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that I just don’t enjoy working with wire and beads. It’s fabric, thread, and yarn for me all the way! And shoes. I just can’t see me making my own shoes. You have to draw the line somewhere, and besides, some clothes shopping is fun. Although there’s always fabric shopping…

the event every burton’s stock car. the international ... · pattern from so sew easy, ... lace...

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