Me Made May, But Make It Weird: 31 Days of Questionable Prompts and (hopefully) Great Outfits

Sewing
Written By Alice

In the spirit of annual traditions like Eurovision, hay fever, and Googling “when does daylight savings end,” May is also when the sewing community collectively opens their wardrobes and says, “yes, but can I make this a challenge?”

Enter: Me Made May.

Started by Zoë of SoZoBlog (a patron saint of handmade wardrobes and a fellow Brit) in 2010, it’s a pledge-based challenge that invites people who sew, knit, crochet, or otherwise craft their own clothes to wear them more intentionally throughout May. It is not a making or a photo challenge. There are no hard-and-fast rules, just the gentle encouragement to actually wear the things we’ve lovingly stitched, unpicked, and cried into over the years.

My Personal History of Me Made May (aka, Inconsistent Posting & Big Aspirations)

I started taking part in Me Made May back in 2021, after four-ish years of sewing and a growing collection of handmade garments that didn’t deserve to live their lives folded in a drawer like sad little fabric pancakes.

Each year, I’d begin the challenge with the best of intentions - and by "best," I mean I had a freshly named Instagram story highlight, delusions of consistency and dramatically overestimated my free time. But by day 7 (okay, day 5), the photos would stop. By day 14, I’d be dressing in a panic, and by the final week, I’d be quietly watching everyone else’s posts in awe while hiding behind my laundry pile.

But not this year. This year is different.

What’s the Plan?

This year, I’m embracing the weird. I'm doing #MeMadeMayButMakeItWeird - a 31-day challenge where every outfit is based on an unnecessarily dramatic, hyper-specific prompt I made up in a sleep-deprived haze and now have no choice but to follow.

Think less “capsule wardrobe” and more “if a museum gift shop curator had a twin who lived in a converted barn.”

The Themes: 31 Days of Absolute Nonsense

Here are just a few of the prompts I’ll be working with:

  • Outfit inspo: A minimal neutral shift dress, red lip, unbrushed fringe, Birkenstocks, and a slightly-too-small tote bag from an art exhibition.

  • Outfit inspo: That one me-made outfit you’re irrationally proud of. Bonus points for power earrings and bare feet.

  • Outfit inspo: Linen jumpsuit/dungarees, chaotic prints, a handmade bucket hat, and visible soil smudges. You're thriving, kind of.

And if you think it stops there, it does not. There are 28 more of these unhinged gems waiting for you (see the full list below).

If you want/need inspiration for these prompts, check out my inspiration Pinterest board here.

Can Anyone Join In?

Yes! Whether you’ve made one lopsided hemmed top or you're sewing your own underwear (you brave, brave soul), this challenge is for anyone with a me-made piece and a slightly theatrical flair.

You can follow along, dip in and out, interpret the themes however you like, or just watch the chaos unfold from the safety of your Instagram stories. The prompts are silly, but they’re also surprisingly fun to work with and way more motivating than just “wear me-mades” IMO.

How to Get Involved

  • Check out the hashtag: #MeMadeMayButMakeItWeird

  • Tag me in your outfits so I can gasp dramatically and share them

  • Use the daily prompts or make your own weird ones

  • Rewear, remix, and embrace the oddities of your handmade wardrobe

This is your permission slip to wear the dress you thought was “too much,” the skirt you made from old curtains, or the matching set that gives off “museum gift shop employee who also runs a zine” vibes.

Let’s be weird. Let’s be consistent (or not). But mostly, let’s have fun.

The Response So Far

Thank goodness I’m not the only weird sewist out there, well, on Instagram at least!

Since introducing #MeMadeMayButMakeItWeird on Instagram, the response has been overwhelmingly positive in the very best way. The intro post has been shared, commented on, and (most tellingly) saved over 327 times - so it looks like a whole lot of you are planning to get weird with me this May. It’s been such a joyful reminder that I’m not alone in wanting to mix humour, creativity, and just a hint of unhinged energy into my handmade wardrobe - and I truly cannot wait to see what you all come up with.

MeMadeMay But Make It Weird: The Prompts

Click the link to be taken to the Pinterest inspiration board for each prompt.

  1. Dress Like a Woman in a French Film Who Owns One Spoon and Never Checks Her Phone

  2. What You’d Wear to Get Interviewed by Vogue… in Your Living Room

  3. Dress Like You Own a Plant Shop but Can’t Keep a Cactus Alive

  4. Dress Like You’re Walking to the Farmer’s Market to Buy a Loaf of Sourdough and a Life Change

  5. Dress Like You’ve Reached Inbox Zero and Inner Peace

  6. Dress Like You Just Quit Your Job via Voice Note and Are Heading to a Pottery Class

  7. Dress Like Cottagecore and Maximalism Had a Baby

  8. Dress Like the Local Indie Bookshop Employee Who Knows Your Reading Taste Better Than You

  9. Dress Like a History Teacher Who Secretly DJs Vintage Disco Nights

  10. Dress Like You’re Running Away to Join the Circus - but Make It Practical

  11. Dress for an Afternoon of Drinking Tea and Judging Hemlines

  12. Dress Like You Have Your Life Together (But You Definitely Don’t)

  13. Dress Like a Children’s Book Illustrator Who Lives in a Converted Barn

  14. Dress in the Kind of Fit That Makes Your Barista Ask Where It’s From

  15. Dress Like You Just Impulse-Bought Garden Clogs and Now Consider Yourself a Gardening Girlie

  16. Dress Like a 1970s Interior Design Mood Board

  17. Dress Like You’re Hosting a Dinner Party and Serve Everything with a ‘Just Threw This Together’ Attitude

  18. Dress Like It’s Laundry Day but You’re Still Fabulous

  19. Dress Like You’re the Clean Girl Aesthetic - but with Emotional Depth

  20. Dress Like It’s Your First Day at an Obscure Textile Arts Internship

  21. Dress for Walking Through a Field of Wildflowers… or Aldi

  22. Dress Like a Museum Gift Shop Curator Who Also Runs a Zine

  23. Dress Like You Sew for the Plot

  24. Dress Like You’re About to Rehome a Vintage Velvet Couch off Facebook Marketplace

  25. Dress for a ‘Trying But Not Trying’ Weekend Brunch Fit

  26. Dress Like You’ve Just Been Interviewed for a Slow Fashion Documentary

  27. Dress Like the Quirky Side Character in a Rom-Com Set in a Bookshop

  28. Dress Like You Found It in a Grandmother’s Attic but Made It Chic

  29. Dress Like the Season Finale Version of Yourself

  30. Dress for Explaining the Plot of Mamma Mia to Someone Who’s Never Heard of ABBA

  31. Dress Like You’re Celebrating Making It Through #MeMadeMay2025 - Because You Are (no Pinterest inspiration board necessary for this prompt!)

P.S. Are you in? Come hang out on Instagram or join the chaos using #MeMadeMayButMakeItWeird. I’ll be watching from behind my one clean spoon.

Alice
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