Backward and Forward

I am looking back at the sewing I did this past year. When I count through the slideshow, it looks like close to 30 items (not including the items I made for the all-handmade sale*). That's a fair bit for someone who only started sewing garments a year and a half ago!

I am still figuring out what shapes look good on my body as well as learning how to fit my body. I am also learning how to choose attractive clothes that work with my stay-at-home-mom-of-small-children lifestyle.

Last year I tried to incorporate one new thing in each garment to help me expand my capabilities - either a new technique or a new fabric. I didn't always manage this, but I think it is a worthy goal for this year's sewing as well.

Here is the slideshow:



In addition to trying something new with each project, in 2010, I need to find sources of quality fabric that works with my lifestyle and preferences. I tend to get all excited by my fellow sewists' use of wool and silk and I am terribly covetous of the brilliant polyester knit prints. But none of these work for me.

Wool is itchy on me - no matter how low the content and both wool and silk must be treated with more care than I can give my clothes (and certainly more care than my kids are going to give my clothes - sticky fingers, sand, snot, the random marker streak, etc.). I try to use "natural" fibers whenever I can as an effort to care for the earth. This generally prohibits polyester from my wardrobe. My blazer and the costumes were the main exceptions this year.

I still have several patterns and fabric just waiting for the time and energy to sew them. Here's to getting back to a sustainable schedule soon!

* For the all handmade sale, I made over 40 handkerchiefs, more than 12 backpack doll carriers, more than 40 bookmarks, 7 checkers sets, and one moebius scarf (which needs its own picture).