I'm not yet done with figuring out how to dress myself, so this series will be carrying on, on a semi-regular basis, until I don't feel the need to do it anymore. And do I have plans? Why yes, I do have plans!
As well as my two-monthly pattern hauls with acronyms of varying quality, I will be keeping my projects to plan by making a list of all the fabric and patterns in my stash and putting some kind of time limit on using them, so that I don't have stuff taking up space for years and years. I am making a commitment right here: when I move house in August, none of the fabric that's sitting in my stash cupboard right now will be coming with me. Either I use it up in the next six months or I get rid of it. I also currently have seventeen unused paper patterns, and while I won't be as strict with those I will at least get rid of a few of them (I am NEVER going to make a stupid Walkaway dress anyway; it uses about eight miles of fabric and isn't me in the slightest). I've also started keeping track of fabric in/fabric out.
I have a separate list covering:
- projects currently in progress and exactly where in the construction process they are right now
- potential fabric-pattern matches and any notions I need to buy or difficulties I need to work out before I start it
- things I think I'd like to make but don't have the fabric and/or pattern for, which need to be on the list for at least a couple of days before I start shopping
In terms of specific projects, I'm hoping to find my ideal trouser pattern this year, and I'd like to up my loungewear game a bit. I've tended to think of things I wear at home as not real clothes, and I don't think that's helpful. Especially since entire weekends slobbing around watching terrible TV and eating cinnamon popcorn aren't exactly uncommon for me (my terrible TV recommendation is the short-lived VH1 reality show Scream Queens, which aired about eight years ago and is ridiculous and awful and sheer effing genius. Everyone I've shown it to has been forced to agree with me on this). I'd like a pretty dressing gown, some comfortable but attractive lounging-about trousers, and possibly something completely impractical and fabulous like a kimono with massive sleeves or an indoors-only embellished capelet. Shut up, I can if I want.
I'd also like to pick up some new skills this year. I imagine some things will just come with the patterns (i.e. I want to make this, but I don't know how to do that, I'd better learn how to do that, then), but here are a few specifics I know I'd like to have a go at:
Working with lace
Working with silk
Working with leather
Outerwear
Swimwear
Eveningwear
Pattern hacking
Making a dress block
Basic pattern drafting
Actually getting the stupid overlocker working and making an actual dress with it, WHY IS TAKING YOU SO LONG JEN
I have absolutely no expectation whatsoever of getting to all of these. If I manage half of them I'll be very pleased with myself. I am determined to try making a swimsuit this year (imagine NO SWIMSUIT SHOPPING AGAIN EVER) and I think if my overlocker isn't up and running by August I won't be able to justify bringing it to my new house, but nothing else is a particular priority so I'll get to it when I get to it. I'm going to turn New Skills into a series (or at least a tag. Tags are also going to be a thing) so that I can keep track of what I've learned.
Over the course of the year I'm also going to run a series of posts on my attempts at more creative sewing. For pretty much everything I've made, I've followed the patterns and instructions to the letter (apart from when I skip steps because I can't be arsed), and that's pretty limiting. The series will (hopefully) cover pattern hacking, mixing up fabrics, translating inspiration into a project, experimenting with things I wouldn't ordinarily wear, and whatever else I can think of. The first few will probably be hilariously small-scale because I am a wimp: using a fabric not specifically listed in the recommended fabrics bit, sort of thing. But hopefully by the end of the year I will have built up to something much more interesting/ridiculous.
On the non-sewing front, I want a better collection of shoes, more excuses to wear fancy hats and some earrings longer than my hair. That's about it.
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