I've made two garments this month and I thought I was on a roll....and then I just lost all desire to sew. I have a couple unfinished projects that need a wee bit of attention before they're completed, but neither of those things have sounded appealing lately. I have a couple muslins laying around somewhere that could be dusted off, tweaked, and ready to become actual garments, but those seem like a lot of work. Nothing sounds appealing!
You know what did sound appealing this past weekend? Sitting on the couch and consuming the entire Season 4 of Homeland. It was amazing.
I've only completed Week 1 of the Wardrobe Architect, which was kind of a mind fuck since I'm not good at handling my own self criticism {why are we so hard on ourselves?}. But it felt good to get some of that crap out of my head and on paper.
The weird thing about having a pared down list of goals is that I don't know what to sew. I've been thinking of my {relatively} small fabric stash and trying to find projects to sew with them. I don't like the idea of hoarding fabric and I always feel guilty when I buy fabric knowing I have some at home.
With the absence of a list of sewing goals, my opposition to hoarding fabric, and an upcoming trip to Mood planned (for the LA Sewist Meet-up!!! I just bought my ticket to the Hollywood Costume Exhibit), my mini plan is to find patterns for my fabric stash.
Merino Wool
I bought at least 2 yards of this merino wool at the last LA Sewist Meet-up in June 2014. It looks red-dish in the photo, but it's more of a deep berry/fuchsia color. There is SO MUCH of it! I bought it with intentions of making a dress, but when I got home I came to my senses and realized I would never be comfortable wearing a dress this color. I'm also concerned about the fabric "growing" due to its weight. Instead, I want to make McCall's 6513, a knit cross over top that Beth of SunnyGal Studio has made several times. I tried making View C last year and it turned out horribly for several reasons. But I like the pattern in theory and I think in the right fabric with some pattern modifications, it'll turn into a basic wardrobe piece. I'll definitely have leftover fabric, so I'm thinking of a scooped cowl neck Renfrew.
Swallows Knit
I bought 2 yards of this knit from Fabric.com because I saw a bunch of people post photos of the exact or similar fabric on IG and I just had to have it too. {I don't see the exact fabric on Fabric.com, but if you search 'swallows' you'll see similar stuff.} I thought about making a Moneta, but instead it'll mostly likely just be an "inspired by Moneta" dress. I'm thinking of the draped neckline bodice from Simplicity 2145 with a simple skirt, kind of like the skirt part of the Lady Skater dress, which I don't have so I'll have to figure it out on my own....shouldn't be too difficult, right??? *famous last words* I'm a little concerned that this dress could end up looking twee, so hopefully that doesn't happen.
Simple Black Knit Top with Polka Dot Chiffon Contrast
I also bought a simple black knit from Fabric.com with the hope of recreating a RTW silk jersey blouse I ruined after washing it one too many times. I bought the fabric without getting a swatch and, as I expected, I don't love the way it feels. I loved, loved, loved this RTW blouse, so at least I'll get some practice remaking it with this knit fabric.
White Corduroy Victoria Blazer
I don't know what I was thinking when I bought 3 yards of this WHITE fine wale corduroy. An 80s fog must have stormed over me because, my goodness, what was I thinking. I've never made a By Hand London pattern before, so I'm not sure what to expect in terms of fitting. Since I obviously don't give a shit about this fabric, it'll make a good muslin for a jacket.
I think four projects in a month is a good starting point for my destash. I don't anticipate buying that much fabric at Mood since I'm usually drawn to their more expensive stuff and I don't want to go overboard with my spending. I definitely want to buy some shirting fabric for my husband and myself and possibly some thick ponte for a work dress. I also want to make pants this years so maybe I'll add twill or suiting to the shopping list.
I'm also trying to do something with my scraps from past quilting projects. I loved Erin's idea of making a scrap quilt....from scraps! I had two small ziploc bags in my fabric drawer, one filled with random sized scraps and the other filled with small squares. I quickly chain-stitched the small squares together just so I could get started on this project. I definitely don't have enough little scraps to make a quilt, but I have bigger pieces laying around somewhere. I don't have any plans yet for a design. For once I just want to piece them randomly and see where it leads me. I imagine this may be a year-long project!
Do you have any plans to destash this year? I've never made a point to do it in the past, but I think it's time I start.
You know what did sound appealing this past weekend? Sitting on the couch and consuming the entire Season 4 of Homeland. It was amazing.
I've only completed Week 1 of the Wardrobe Architect, which was kind of a mind fuck since I'm not good at handling my own self criticism {why are we so hard on ourselves?}. But it felt good to get some of that crap out of my head and on paper.
The weird thing about having a pared down list of goals is that I don't know what to sew. I've been thinking of my {relatively} small fabric stash and trying to find projects to sew with them. I don't like the idea of hoarding fabric and I always feel guilty when I buy fabric knowing I have some at home.
With the absence of a list of sewing goals, my opposition to hoarding fabric, and an upcoming trip to Mood planned (for the LA Sewist Meet-up!!! I just bought my ticket to the Hollywood Costume Exhibit), my mini plan is to find patterns for my fabric stash.
Merino Wool
I bought at least 2 yards of this merino wool at the last LA Sewist Meet-up in June 2014. It looks red-dish in the photo, but it's more of a deep berry/fuchsia color. There is SO MUCH of it! I bought it with intentions of making a dress, but when I got home I came to my senses and realized I would never be comfortable wearing a dress this color. I'm also concerned about the fabric "growing" due to its weight. Instead, I want to make McCall's 6513, a knit cross over top that Beth of SunnyGal Studio has made several times. I tried making View C last year and it turned out horribly for several reasons. But I like the pattern in theory and I think in the right fabric with some pattern modifications, it'll turn into a basic wardrobe piece. I'll definitely have leftover fabric, so I'm thinking of a scooped cowl neck Renfrew.
Swallows Knit
I bought 2 yards of this knit from Fabric.com because I saw a bunch of people post photos of the exact or similar fabric on IG and I just had to have it too. {I don't see the exact fabric on Fabric.com, but if you search 'swallows' you'll see similar stuff.} I thought about making a Moneta, but instead it'll mostly likely just be an "inspired by Moneta" dress. I'm thinking of the draped neckline bodice from Simplicity 2145 with a simple skirt, kind of like the skirt part of the Lady Skater dress, which I don't have so I'll have to figure it out on my own....shouldn't be too difficult, right??? *famous last words* I'm a little concerned that this dress could end up looking twee, so hopefully that doesn't happen.
Simple Black Knit Top with Polka Dot Chiffon Contrast
I also bought a simple black knit from Fabric.com with the hope of recreating a RTW silk jersey blouse I ruined after washing it one too many times. I bought the fabric without getting a swatch and, as I expected, I don't love the way it feels. I loved, loved, loved this RTW blouse, so at least I'll get some practice remaking it with this knit fabric.
White Corduroy Victoria Blazer
I don't know what I was thinking when I bought 3 yards of this WHITE fine wale corduroy. An 80s fog must have stormed over me because, my goodness, what was I thinking. I've never made a By Hand London pattern before, so I'm not sure what to expect in terms of fitting. Since I obviously don't give a shit about this fabric, it'll make a good muslin for a jacket.
I think four projects in a month is a good starting point for my destash. I don't anticipate buying that much fabric at Mood since I'm usually drawn to their more expensive stuff and I don't want to go overboard with my spending. I definitely want to buy some shirting fabric for my husband and myself and possibly some thick ponte for a work dress. I also want to make pants this years so maybe I'll add twill or suiting to the shopping list.
I'm also trying to do something with my scraps from past quilting projects. I loved Erin's idea of making a scrap quilt....from scraps! I had two small ziploc bags in my fabric drawer, one filled with random sized scraps and the other filled with small squares. I quickly chain-stitched the small squares together just so I could get started on this project. I definitely don't have enough little scraps to make a quilt, but I have bigger pieces laying around somewhere. I don't have any plans yet for a design. For once I just want to piece them randomly and see where it leads me. I imagine this may be a year-long project!
Do you have any plans to destash this year? I've never made a point to do it in the past, but I think it's time I start.
Not that you asked, but what about dyeing the white cord? It could be fun!
ReplyDeleteSoooo pumped that I'm done with that quilt. Literally finished just last night and still have a ton of quilting cotton scraps. If you want any for your quilt let me know and I will gladly hand some over to you! :)
I literally gasped when I read your comment because omfg, why did I not think of dyeing the cord!!! I just cut out my Victoria Blazer last night, but I think I have almost 1.5 yards left, so maybe I can fit in a Zinnia skirt. I am definitely going to dye it! Thank you so much for the suggestion =)
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to see where this scrap quilt takes me. thanks for offering, but I'll pass on taking on any additional scraps ;) I'm sure I have more scraps hiding somewhere that I'll eventually find.