I learned a couple of things from participating in Me Made May this year: It’s pretty easy for me to wear something that I made every day for a month, but photographing myself every one of those days is pretty hard, though I managed it most of the time (evidence here). The project was further complicated by the fact that I broke my toe early in the month and had to spend a couple of weeks wearing running shoes, which ruled out a lot of my skirts and dresses. So it’s a little hard to know what I would have worn otherwise, but the pieces that I reached for over and over again were my Endless Sumer Tunics and Staple Dresses.

chambray Endless Summer Tunic

silk/cotton Staple Dress

It was an interesting exercise to see which handmade items I reached for most often and which ones I felt most comfortable in. I’m a big fan of making multiples of the same garment; I love the idea of a uniform. I wish I had half a dozen of those silk/cotton Staple Dresses. I wear it most often like that, over slim jeans with a cardigan, but it’s long enough that I’m comfortable wearing it as a dress, especially with tights. I had bought the fabric years ago and can’t find more of it, but this rayon might be a decent substitute. The version with the high-low hem needs fabric with a lot of drape; I make it with a straight hem when the fabric doesn’t move as well. It’s also easy and pleasant to sew. If I leave off the pockets, I can do the whole thing with French seams, which I find extremely satisfying. I actually hate sewing the Endless Summer Tunic, since it involves a number of things I’m bad at—gathering evenly, sewing down facings tidily, hemming a sharp curve—but I love the finished garment so much I’m willing to grit my teeth and get through it.

The piece I got the most compliments on, though, was my navy leopard Hollyburn Skirt. It’s a flattering shape and shows off prints really well. I’m really looking forward to Erin Dollar‘s fabric collection this summer; I think there may be one of these skirts in one of her prints in my future. (I do wish they were doing her prints on more than one substrate—Essex isn’t my favorite—but I’ll take what I can get.)

pre-toe break