Stashbusting Sewalong 2017: January theme - Sewing Organisation

I know I'm a bit behind in blogging my 2016 makes. OK, make that a LOT behind, but 2017 is a new year, and to kick off January, I am hosting the Stashbusting Sewalong, with the theme of "Sewing Organisation." I'm determined to get myself organised for this year, and I hope that some of the links I have later in this post can help you to get organised too. If you want to find out more about the Stashbusting Sewalong, be sure to join our Facebook Group where all the action happens.

With the end of year craziness that inevitably happens each and every year, it's great to take some time out at the start of a new year, and think about your sewing plans. I like to give my sewing studio a bit of a clean up, and take stock of what I would like to sew in the coming year. Having gotten myself a non sewing related job near the end of last year, my sewing time evaporated overnight. This has made it even more important to get organised to make time to fit any sewing in at all, but more about that later in the post.

Seasonal Sew Wardrobe: Destination

The Sew Alongs and Sewing Contests Facebook group hosts regular Seasonal Sew Wardrobe challenges, and a new challenge started mid August, on the theme of  "Destinations."

I have been looking ahead recently, and realised that there is a gap in my wardrobe for dressy sort of clothes that could also be worn in an office environment.

Stashbusting Pledge 2016

With February well underway already, it seems rather late in the year to be talking about my stashbusting goals for the year. 2015 is done and dusted, and I just scraped by to meet my goal of not adding extra metres of fabric into my fabric stash. But my stash is not getting any smaller. So that means I am in again for the Stashbusting Sewalong 2016.

Stashbusting Sewalong: December theme "Christmas Mayhem"

To end the year off, the theme for December in the Stashbusting Sewalong, is Christmas mayhem! Whether it be sewing presents for gifts, or making those finishing touches to your own Christmas, it's all covered this month!

Sewing with Stretch Fabrics. Who Me?

This month's theme for the stash busting sewalong that I'm participating in, is stretch sewing, so I thought it was a perfect time to finish up this post that I actually started writing a couple of months ago!

I am a self professed non stretch seamstress. Apart from the odd alteration, I have been known to turn clients down in the past if they even mentioned the word "stretch".

There's a few reasons that I have avoided stretch sewing. Most of these stem from the fact that the fabric stretches. Yeah, kind of obvious I know, but this presents a few issues.

Firstly, you can't really make a toile to try out a pattern. Calico won't work, as it doesn't stretch! Unless you make a toile up in the same fabric as the final garment, you don't really get an idea of what it will do, so making things for others can get tricky. And if you're going to make the toile from the same fabric, you might as well just dive in and make the actual garment. (Which is what I usually do for myself,  not always successfully).

Stash Busting Pledge 2014

I'm signing myself up for Stashbusting again this year. Thanks to Cindy and EmSewCrazy for running the Stashbusting Sewalong again this year. I'm really hoping that I'll have more time to do sewing for myself (and my family of course). This year I will have 5 days a week without children in the house. *Insert happy dance here.* Admittedly after I get back from school drop off, and allow myself an hour for lunch and other breaks, that still only gives me 4 hours a day before I have to go back to pick the kids up from school again, but that's 4 hours a day with no interruptions. Bliss! Last year I had 3 days a week with no children under foot, so 5 will take a bit of getting used to. I might even have time to do some regular housework.

Getting back on track however, I am planning on scheduling in one day a week (other deadlines permitting) to work on my own projects. Which brings me back to the topic of Stash Busting. Last year I didn't really make that much of a dent in the pile of fabric (especially when I was given a few bits and pieces), but at least I know what I have now. Having pledged not to buy new fabric, I found myself avoiding sales that I would normally have been going to. I love it when The Fabric Store has a sale. Like right now, but I really don't want to have to take the kids with me anyway, so I'll still probably give that a miss. It was particularly hard when I felt inspired to make something specific and then found that I didn't have a single piece of fabric that would work - like a striped dress. No stripes in the stash! How can that be?

I bought some books

On my list of goals for the year ahead I had listed a couple of books that I wanted to buy so I can try out some new stuff.

This morning I had an appointment in the city, so after that, I ran a few errands, and thought I'd pop into Kinokuniya Books before I went home. It can't hurt to look at a few books, right? What I was actually looking for was Drape Drape 2. I've already made my version of a dress from this book, but wanted to try some more from it, inspired in part by Meggipeg, who I have watched working her way through the Drape Drape books.

I had a look through the sample copies of Drape Drape 2 and 3 (they didn't have a copy of the first one available to flick through), and then my attention was caught by Pattern Magic. Back on the shelf went Drape Drape 2, as I decided that I would get more use from Pattern Magic.

Five minutes later with Draping for Apparel Design in hand as well (that one was a definite from my list), and I was out the door!

Fabric Stash: Fabric, Vietnamese Style

As part of the Stash busting sewalong, I'm going to document my fabric stash for you. I'll do this in parts, starting with a section of my stash that came from Vietnam.

My husband was working in Vietnam for a few months last year, and, the wonderful man that he is, went in search of fabric shops. On one of his trips to a particular shop that he had found (with a bit of help from some locals that he had befriended), he took a few photos for me and I was able to pick out some fabrics that he went back to buy for me.

Stash Busting: Rib knit jumper

Normally when I make something new for myself I can't wait to wear it as soon as possible.

Not this time. It's still the middle of summer, and here I am making (of all things) a jumper! Why, you might ask, am I making a jumper? Well, I'm off on a family holiday soon, and it's going to be cold. I have a shortage of decent jumpers, and, well, I happened to have this piece of fabric hanging around in my stash. I bought 2 metres of this knit fabric (not sure what the composition is, I think it's some kind of acrylic), at the Fabric Store last year (or was it the year before?) Up until a week or so ago, I had been thinking of making some kind of cardigan with a drapy front with it.

More Storage Boxes, and Some Bags

Recently I posted about some cute little storage boxes that I made from bridal dress bags with broken zippers. I have been plodding along deconstructing some more of these bags, and from the pieces cut out another 3 little boxes to add to the one I had already completed, and a total of 12 carry bags.

Bridal dress bag before

Goals For The Year Ahead

I know it's a bit late in January to be talking about New Year's Resolutions, but I'm not a big believer in New Year's Resolutions anyway. Looking through rose coloured glasses at the possibilities of a New Year, you're bound to come up with some impossible list of things you want to do or achieve during the rest of your year. New Year's Resolutions are made to be broken. So I don't do that.

Instead, I wrote myself a wish list, or 'To Do' list of sewing-related-things I'd like to do this year when I have time between doing work for other people. It's a work in progress that I am adding to and crossing off the list as I go. I have things on the list such as: