Reading everyone's sewing plans at the beginning of the new year made me stop and think about where I am heading. In recent years I filled some gaps in my wardrobe and now I've reached the point where I can honestly say I don't need to sew anything. What's more, I don't need fabric. Or patterns. I find that a very liberating thought.
I can fully concentrate on what I really want to sew!
When I reflect on last year's sewing there was one project that I enjoyed from planning stage till sewing on the last carefully selected button: the
trench coat I worked on for almost three months. Underlined, bound buttonholes, flat piping, lbeautiful lining, lots of details and some hand sewing. It's the kind of project I love, also resulting in the kind of garment that I know will last for years. In order to make more projects like this I'm going to change directions and slow down my sewing even more.
When I look at my stash I see a lot of fabric that I like, and only a small pile that I really love. Most of my fabrics are bought locally, or within a radius of 20 km from my home. Cotton and knits are easily available but don't ask for silk, cashmere, tweed or even crepe or you'll get the side eye.
For a few special projects a year I'd rather buy one length of designer silk than add ten lengths to the stash that don't spark real joy. Ha! Enter the life changing effects of the Marie Kondo method ;)
Now when will these changes in my sewing start? Probably during the second half of this year. After three years of inactivity, caused by a painful back injury, I went back to the gym in November. Just two months later I'm not only regaining strength but I've also noticed a change in my measurements. I'll give it a few more months to see where it's going before starting to make close fitting tailored jackets or other time consuming garments that could turn into a potential alterations nightmare.
So what are the plans dreams for 2016?
During the first half of the year I hope to:
- Sew a dent in my existing stash by making wrap dresses, shirts, tees and casual skirts
- Sew a shirt for mr Foxgloves
- Watch all Alison Smith Craftsy classes
- Try new techniques from various Claire Shaeffer books, Kenneth D King's
Cool Couture and
- Learn how to draft slopers
After the summer holidays:
- Make trips to
Nanucci Tesutti and Silk Route in Amsterdam, collect swatches from Linton
and who knows, maybe even take the train to Paris, to buy special fabrics
- Start working on one or two jackets
Maybe you noticed the question mark in the title of this post. Perhaps these plans are more ambitious than realistic in a year in which we also plan to redecorate our home and maybe even build an extension. I also know myself well enough to foresee that it only takes one exciting release of a shiny new pattern to change what I want to sew overnight. But a girl can dream.
To keep myself focused I ordered Vogue 1721 on Etsy, an Oscar de la Renta pattern that will get a prominent spot in my sewing room as it embodies all of my plans in the best way imaginable. For me the picture of that jacket paints a thousand words.
Whatever your sewing dreams are, I hope you'll make them come true in 2016!
