Me Made May, Digital Paper Doll Style

Ready for a fresh spin on Me Made May, Pam used her digital drawing skills and MyBodyModel croquis to document her outfits of the day! Read on to see how Pam created a beautiful visual archive of her me-made garments and the places she went in them.


It’s that time again! The time sewists everywhere look forward to, perhaps with a small amount of dread: Me Made May. I’ve always loved the idea of participating and sharing my daily outfits in May, but the idea of taking a daily selfie was rather daunting, and I usually gave up after only just a few days. 

When Me Made May rolled around last year, I decided to try something new. I loved sketching outfits using MyBodyModel and it seemed like the perfect method to share my me-made outfits on Instagram without the hassle of either harassing my husband to take a daily picture or setting up the tripod for a selfie.

Pam's digital MyBodyModel croquis dressed in a Me Made May outfit of the Helen's Closet Ashton top and Love Notions Allegro pants layered over a photograph of a creek and trees in the mountains.

I started using MyBodyModel not long after it first launched, mostly sketching on my iPad. I love to draw, although I’ve certainly never considered myself an artist, but I really upped my game after I took a couple of the digital drawing classes that are offered to support the experience. Learning how to get the most benefit from the Sketchbook app and then learning how to add the actual fabric to my drawings made such a difference. I could really get a feel for how a garment was going to fit and how it would work in my existing wardrobe – and it was just plain fun! 

One benefit of digital drawing is how easy it is to change an item, try different colors on a garment, and then try it on my body model. Short sleeves? Long sleeves? No problem trying on both!

Since I already had many of my garments sketched and saved in the app, it was easy to mix and match to create new combinations of outfits as well as remind myself of those garments buried in my closet that I loved but weren’t getting the wear they deserve.

To document my outfit of the day, all I had to do was to digitally dress myself and add a quick post to my Instagram Stories. Finally, Me Made May was no longer a chore but a fun activity I looked forward to!

A side by side sketch to finish of Pam's digital MyBodyModel croquis dressed in a Me Made May outfit of the Seamwork Rhett jacket and Mandy Boat Tee and Helen's Closet Arden pants layered over a photo of a stone path and red railing in a garden next to a photo of her in the finished garment in the same location.

My first few posts featured MyBodyModel with a plain background, but I soon realized I could add even more interest by layering my personal croquis on top of a quick picture of where I had actually worn the outfit that day. These turned out to be my favorite posts. Not only did they add interest to the overall post, but they also turned out to be a mini diary of my day. Just going to the grocery store, walking around the neighborhood, or hiking in the woods seemed less mundane – at least I was wearing a great outfit!

Pam's digital MyBodyModel croquis dressed in a Me Made May outfit of the Closet Core Cielo top and Sewhouse 7 Free-Range Slacks and orange crossbody purse layered over a photo of the produce aisle in a grocery store.

One of my favorite pictures was a quick snapshot taken during my daily walk. I thought my shadow looked so interesting in my skort so I combined it with a back view of my body model.

Pam's digital MyBodyModel back view croquis dressed in a Me Made May outfit of a pale blue tank top and a black Greenstyle Patterns Pace skirt layered over a photo of pavement with an image of the sun. A textbox reads: "I really love this skort! And I'm thrilled it's finally warm enough to wear it on my daily walk. The pleats make a great shadow!"

As the world slowly opened up again last year, my husband and I planned a short trip in May along with my daughter and her husband to one of my favorite cities, New Orleans. I love planning travel capsule wardrobes and I love using the MyBodyModel 3×3 template to plan my garments. Once again, I can digitally pack and repack until I’m sure I’ve got just the travel wardrobe I need. I can also plan any sewing projects I will need to complete before the trip. 

The beauty of working with MyBodyModel is that I can make sure all my garments work together in both color and scale, even before I’ve actually sewn them!

I also loved creating a fun visual record of my outfits and travel activities:

Pam's digital MyBodyModel croquis dressed in a Me Made May outfit of the Closet Core Cielo top and Style Arc Bob pants layered over a photo of a street with a row of yellow townhouse type buildings. A textbox reads: "New Orleans at one of our favorite restaurants!"
Pam's digital MyBodyModel croquis dressed in a Me Made May outfit of the Closet Core Kalle Shirtdress and Sewhouse 7 Free-Range Slacks layered over a photo of a room with shelves of rolled fabrics. A textbox reads: "This is the inside of @promenadefabrics."
Pam's digital MyBodyModel croquis dressed in a Me Made May outfit of the Helen's Closet Ashton top and Style Arc Bob pants layered over a photo of The National WWII Museum. A textbox reads: "World War II museum is Fabulous! Highly recommend!"

These days I rarely sew anything without trying it on MyBodyModel first. On the practical side, not only can I get an idea of how the garment will fit, but I can make sure that I can incorporate it into my current wardrobe. And sketching my outfits is just fun – when I can’t actually sew, I can at least dream about making my own clothes!

A collage of the MyBodyMoel 3x3 Capsule Drawing Challenge grid planning sheet and two 3-croquis layouts of Pam's blue capsule wardrobe. Patterns: Harmony Blouse, Allegro Shorts, Sunday Romper, Melody Dolman, Rockford Raglan, Resolution Joggers, Ravinia Skirt, Canyon Cardigan, Summer Basics Tank.
I planned this blue capsule wardrobe when one of my favorite pattern companies, Love Notions, had a big sale on all their patterns.

Finally, since I’ve already sketched most of my me-made garments, I’m all ready for Me Made May 2022! Now all I have to do is take a quick background picture and add it to my Instagram Stories.  It’s such an easy way to participate and I’m actually looking forward to it this year. I’ve got a new capsule wardrobe planned, a wedding and a graduation to attend, and hopefully a bit of travel during the month – and I’ll be taking MyBodyModel along to document my month of me-made garments!

A 4x3 grid of Pam's favorite outfits from her me-made garments digitally drawn on her MyBodyModel croquis on a pale pink background.
Some favorite outfits from my digital closet with MyBodyModel! @LoveNotions #LaundryDayTee, @TheAssemblyLineShop #TALcufftop / @ClosetCorePatterns #Gingerjeans, @LoveNotions #WillowWrapdress / @ItchtoStitch #belizeshortsandskort, @SewHouse7 #TaborVNeck / @ClosetCorePatterns #Pietrapants, [red sweater thrifted] @Helens_Closet #ardenpants, @shopwiksten #wikstenshift / @Helens_Closet #ardenpants, @seamwork #seamworkrhett / @tessustifabrics #mandyboattee / @Helens_Closet #ardenpants, @LoveNotions #RhapsodyBlouse, @ClosetCorePatterns #CieloTop /@SewHouse7 #FreeRangeSlacks, @LoveNotions #LNClassicTee #SummerBasicsDress, @SeamWork#seamworkrhett, @ClosetCorePatterns #Gingerjeans @BlankSlatePatterns #TulipTop

Are you inspired to try sketching your daily outfits for Me Made May? Let us know in the comments! 

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