Sew…where to begin on goals for 2021. I’ll have you know I started writing this in January. It is now March. I have not progressed much on these goals.
#1 – This clearly is to buy less fabric and supplies. According to my 2020 annual budget of fabric and crafting supplies, I spent around $1,900. This was less than the year before, but not by much. I looked at 2018 when I was buying and strike sewing with the custom fabric groups on Facebook and it was over double that amount. Crazy! I’m so glad I stepped back from all of the strike sewing/pattern testing. I know I couldn’t handle the stress of it right now. My blood pressure is high enough as it is.
I would like to only buy when it relates to a specific project. We’ll see how that goes. I do have some custom fabrics that I know I won’t sew and should really get rid of it in a destash sale. We’ll see if I get motivated to do that. So far I have only purchased supplies for a leather bridle (which is technically a gift), and no fabric.
#2 – Eat the frog. I have been procrastinating on getting several projects done for others.
** 2 Bridles for my sister. I got one done. I purchased the supplies, but I needed to determine how I was going to put them together. This also requires a lot of hand-sewing, which I can do while I wait for one or the other of my kids in a hotel room while they compete in a tournament.
** My mom gave me some King sheets to cut down and hem to Queen sheets several years ago. I know. It really shouldn’t take me that long, so I need to get that done. Of course, she has a sewing machine now, so maybe I should just give them back to her, hmmmmmm? 😉
** Dare I say destash? I have fabric taking up space that needs a new home. I also paid quite a bit for some of those custom fabrics, so its not like I want to give it away to Goodwill. My daughter and I did sew a few of them up for charity dresses to go to Pine Ridge. I have a few more fabrics I want to use before sending them off.
#3 – Put together a list of projects to work on…and actually get them done. It is so easy to be lazy in the evening and just watch tv after dinner. This is not ideal to do all the time, so I would like to try to get at least one project done a week. The 52 Week Sewing Group has their 52 weeks of projects, and it would be great to stay with it one of these years. I think that ship has passed, but I’d like to try to be involved a little bit this year.
In past years I did a make 9 list, of 9 projects that I wanted to get done before the year was over. Here is how they ended up for 2018 and 2019:
Finishing things does not appear to be my forte. I can say that a few of the unfinished items were completed afterwards. That caped grey sweatshirt turned out to be made from two different sweater knits in 2020. They are some of my most worn pieces, so a good make.
3. Cream sweater knit caped top
A few things I did get done was altering a pair of pants for my daughter and a crop top. She is into goth-esque clothes, and I ordered a pair of pants for her from Tripp NYC. They are very cool and very unisex, which does not work for a girl with a little waist and hips. I took them in 6″ in the waist via darts that were at the back pockets. I just had to take some off the waistband, but tried to get it close to the belt loops so it wouldn’t show. Then I made her a long sleeved crop top that was pretty simple. It was bamboo lycra. Here is a horrible before school picture, but hey…I got a picture.
She said it was so cool that I could make something that didn’t fit at all, fit her so perfectly, so Mad Mom Props for that one!
Here are some things I know that I want to get made up (and already have the fabric for it):
- Sweatshirt with my daughter’s new volleyball club colors (cut out and sitting ready to be sewn for weeks now)
- Sweatshirt with my daughter’s fastpitch club colors
- Black sleeveless knit tank top
- Fleece lined wool cape
That is all I really want to commit to at this point. I know I will make more, as ideas come to me. Most of what I have made in the past has been to wear to the office, but I don’t know when I will be going back into the office. We are estimating after the 1st quarter right now. I really hope by the time we go back into the office that I can lose at least 10 lbs. I don’t think I can fit into most of my work pants, and that makes me sad. I started on a workout program, stopped it, but we do go on a 2 mile walk most workdays. I just really need to stop cooking.
I had grand plans last weekend to finish up my royal blue sweatshirt, but that was stymied by volleyball on Saturday, and sleeping way too late on Sunday (stayed up until 4:30…or was it 3:30…reading a book), followed by drinking some of the craft beers my husband had shipped in and talking to one of our teenagers for hours. You really can’t leave to go sewing when your teenager wants to talk…and you are drinking good beer.
So very stymied.
Hopefully I will have some sewing to share soon…
