Pretty much every year since 2005 there's been some participation on my part in the annual Sewing With A Plan challenge. Some years only one garment gets made, some years the whole eleven, depending on enthusiasm and wardrobe needs. One year I made a whole lot of tee shirts, forgetting that in fact I don't like to wear tee shirts (never made that mistake again)...
I've also recently done a wardrobe inventory of sorts, to get a sense of how my goal of having enough garments to go a week between laundry is coming along... I could use one more pinafore, and one to replace the grey corduroy that is getting rather threadbare. There are plenty of long sleeve knit tops (probably because they are both easy to sew and easy to wear!) My warm weather popover dresses are well more than halfway there, but I could use another one, and have several already cut out in "sewing kit" form. (because cutting out is my least favorite part, preparing my own "sewing kits" with all the pieces ready to sew has become a Useful Technique)
There are several pairs of leggings, but ever since working out a TNT leggings pattern back in 2017 they have become another cold weather basic layer, and several more pairs wouldn't be a bad idea, if there is suitable fabric on hand... Lastly, the fun pieces, the printed shirts and stripey dresses. The blouse toiles earlier this year, that turned into wearable muslins, are really the only ones in my closet, and I would be very happy indeed to have a half dozen or more of each, but will limit self to the not-more-than-five accents/prints for my SWAP sewing.
Anyway, time to start digging into the fabric shelves and get this party started!
Its good to see what you've learned from previous SWAP participation are able to tailor it to work for your preferred clothing styles.
ReplyDeleteI'm not enjoying the SWAP rules as much this year but will be able to make it work I think. I wear my knit tops a lot, and trousers more than skirts (and dresses hardly ever) so my choices are going to be knit tops, jackets and trousers mostly.
Ruthie - I am hoping to find a way to have my own wardrobe needs and SWAP rules interface well. I don't really *need* another pinafore, but if I don't include a new one, I will have only ONE base garment to go with my assorted tops, and that will be odd. I don't wear tops with just my loose cropped leggings, and I don't wear skirts. What I really want is a replacement middle/dark grey pinafore, but I have no suitable fabric, and am really trying to use what I have, hence the brown corduroy, which will certainly get worn often.
DeleteGo Alison Go!! Yesterday I got myself all tangled up in a Grand Plan to make myself a purple velvet bolero decorated like a toreador jacket. This is a good example of "Sewing without a plan" but it was fun. Today I am going to cut out a couple of genuinely useful tank tops and t-shirts w/sleeves. But that purple velvet idea is still in the running!!!
ReplyDeleteOh Claire... I somehow ended up with the image of you literally tangled up in a velvet toreador bolero!! Sometimes it is a lot of fun to just let go and sew without a plan... I am still in the phase of cutting out garments to make up SWAP sewing kits, and also poking about in the fabric resource shelves, still haven't made up my mind entirely
DeleteYep - I have not decided completely either but I found a pretty fabulous piece of mystery fabric in the Claire Archive - it's a grey wool-something w/purple glitter threads running through it. Ha! What a treat! I think it might be my first garment of SWAP 2019. First though I have to finish the grand and huge rain poncho I started about 6 months ago. . . ahem, I need it seriously these days. And I planned it so i could go swimming in an outdoor pool and have something warm to put on quickly when I get out, so as I dash from pool to indoors I will not turn blue. It's not part of SWAP. But it's part of life! hahaha PS I just found a used book about bead embroidering - bead embroidering might soothe my yearning for one of Cristobal Balenciaga's confections!
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