Me Made May '13 final round up

Can someone tell me where May went please? It seemed like the longest month yet it flew by! This was my first time participating in Me Made May, brainchild of the brilliant Zoe. I watched it take place last year and knew that I wanted to be involved this year. Here is a reminder of my pledge:

 'I, Claire at iwanttobeaturtle, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear one home made item for five days each week for the duration of May 2013. In addition I pledge to make two new items and repair at least one.’ 

I won't show all of the items I wore but you can see my other round ups here and here. I pledged to repair at least one item. I did one and half. I replaced the zip in my grey Ginger skirt, below, and the bias trim has been removed from my green silk taffy blouse. I just need to stitch the new one on now. 

And making two new items? Check! This is partly because it keeps me on track with my 20:20 challenge. Here they are:

Simplicity 2451. This is made from one of my favourite fabrics but I can't quite wear it yet! I made a few alterations to the pattern and it fitted with my toile but not in the fashion fabric. Hopefully in a few weeks I will be able to fit into it. I do love this pattern and have recently bought more fabric for another version but this one will fit!

Colette Jasmine. The photo above was taken before its final press, as you can see the fabric creases a bit! I've been waiting to make this pattern for a while. It was the perfect pattern for a "cake" top that matches several of skirts and trousers. It is a lightweight cotton with grey spots. The collar is made from one of Adam's old work shirts. I've never really worn collars before but I love this one - there may be more! 

So what did I learn from the month in general? 

Taking photos every day is REALLY hard and I ran out of steam mid way through. I have hardly any photos from the last two weeks. But taking photos allows you to see your outfits in a different way, maybe as others see them. This can be great as it means you're on the right track or not so great when a favourite outfit doesn't work as well as you thought. 

I love bright colours and I wear a lot of them although they are often paired with blue or black. I just can't bring myself to wear dark colours from head to toe! 

Wearing my me mades is much easier than I thought it would be. Most of the days I reached for them without thinking. I take this as a really good sign that I am making things I will wear. 

I need more me mades to carry out five days a week without feeling like I am wearing the same items every week. I identified gaps in my wardrobe and will be taking steps to fill them. This generally means I need some more tops that will go with a variety of coloured skirts and trousers. 

I rediscovered some of my previous me mades and realised that I should wear them more. However, I did have to say goodbye to one of my very first makes - the turquoise tie-dye dress below. As with most first mades, the quality isn't the best and it is falling apart without hope of saving it. 

The Flickr group is amazingly inspirational but also a massive time stealer! There are about 6000 photos there and I must have looked at at least three quarters of them. 

All that being said, I'm very likely to sign up next year as by that time I'll have more me made items. And I'll be armed with experience to be a bit more organised!