Self-Stitched September 2011 - my thoughts...

Well September is now well and truly over, I've had time to think about the challenge and I wanted to share my thoughts on wearing me made clothes for a whole month.  Firstly, I want to thank Zoe for hosting this challenge.  I love to see what other people are making, it inspires me to try things I would never have considered and challenges my creativity in ways I couldn't have imagined, but more than that I love the sense of community that transpires from the sharing and comments received of our daily outfits.   So Zoe, thank you!!

As I have mentioned before I have only returned to sewing my own clothes for a relatively short period of time and you probably realise that I participated in Me-Made June as well.  So for me, it became very boring (I'm sure it did for you too) as I felt I was repeating the things I wore in June (which by the way, I was) and wearing the same things over and over.  There didn't seem to be any variety.  You know, same ol', same ol' resulting in me choosing not to wear hand made garments for the last few days.  And the photo's - daily shots become very tedious after 30 days.  So to cap it all off, let me start with the last couple of  photo's I had taken...

Day 24 was the first day I actually decided not to wear hand made clothes, hence no photo.

Day 25

What I wore:
Sweater: Worn previously
Top: Handmade, seen previously
Jeans: Target
Necklace:  Lovisa
Shoes: Nike
 
Thoughts:
I thought today I would try a bit of colour blocking.  This is my teal top worn several times before, teamed with a purple cardigan (the colours are not true in this photo) a necklace including both colours and royal blue which in my opinion brings it all together.  The colours are very strong jewel tones.  Do I like it?  Yes, I think so.

Day 26

What I wore:

Top: Handmade, seen previously
Cami:  Target
Jeans: Target
Necklace:  Murano glass pendant
Shoes: Nike
 
Thoughts:
None.  I've worn this combination before.  It's like a signature style for me.


What did I learn...

This is my second self stitched month and I definitely have many more things to wear than I did in June.   Even though I have more clothes it still is not enough to give me any variety in my outfits and this became very boring for me and for my posts.  For this reason I didn't post every day but put a few days together in one post.   I know this lack of clothing will be short term because as I continue to sew my wardrobe will expand.

I learnt that I am a random sewer.  By this I mean that I choose things to sew at random without giving much thought as to whether I have anything to go with it.  I see something I like and make it.  This creates a wardrobe of orphan garments.  Another thing I have come to realize is, it seems the only thing I like to make is TOPS. 

Aaaaahhh!  Now this brings me to the GAPS in my wardrobe.  I have a couple of skirts but don't wear them as often as I could; the cause, I have very little to nothing to wear with them.   Plenty of tops, but all wrong.  Now I found gaps in June and thought I had been working on them but alas, nooo!  There are still many to fill.

Another thing I learnt is that my tastes in style have changed a lot over the last few months.  Mostly I like to 'live' in jeans and T's but as I look back over the daily photo's, read more blogs and make more of my own clothes I find that I'm not content with this style any longer.  I need more variety.  I'm lusting after dresses (some ladies participating have so many dresses to choose from, I 'm feeling jealous because I have only two), more vintage (definitely a strong tendency toward vintage, particularly dresses) also more skirts, trousers and jackets.  I have a growing desire to be more polished in my style, (think Audrey Hepburn, so elegant!) instead of sloppy with an 'anything will do' kind of attitude.  I have very little in my wardrobe that's polished and elegant.

Something I'm determined to work on now, is to make my wardrobe more workable and versatile.  To have something suitable for any occasion whether it's for work or play.  My criteria - it must be polished AND elegant!

If you participated, what did you learn and how did you feel by the end of the month?