One of my goals for 2018 is to make my own clothing instead of buying ready to wear. I love this goal. I’m sure my coworkers were amused today as I stopped them in hallways, elevators, and even in meetings to announce I was wearing a new top I HAD MADE MYSELF! My new fresh-off-the-sewing-machine criss-cross front sweater top thingy was quite a topic of conversation, largely because I was talking about it nonstop.
I love making stuff and I am totally on fire for sewing right now. This goal to make-not-buy is a little personal challenge to myself to be more invested in something that I’m really passionate about.
My co-worker Kennon was perplexed by my 2018 clothing goal.
“Why, though?” she asked. “Do you just not want to go shopping?”
It’s a fair question. I can see how in some way it may even sound like a restriction or a punishment. It isn’t really about shopping at all (in fact, there can be a fairly serious shopping element to sewing! Have you been to a fabric store? Those places are addictive!) I simply love the experience of making clothes. I love looking at fabric or re-purposing old garments, I love tracing new patterns and adjusting the fit, and I especially love making clothes that fit me better than ones I can buy off the rack.
Ultimately, I hope this year of making gives me the creative breathing room I have been craving. I’m also excited to really refine my tailoring and dressmaking skills, and learn all kinds of new tricks.
Already I have experimented with different stitch settings on my machine, tried out the walking foot (and it is my new favorite thing), and I even did a slash-and-spread pattern alteration to turn my homemade T-shirt dress pattern into a cowl-neck dress pattern. It’s not all the way finished yet, and it may become a shirt, and also I may have only now remembered I don’t look great in cowl necks, but WHATEVER! I am learning!
The Captain and I leave for a trip soon and I want two new tops to take with me. Usually I’m browsing through online shops and making a trip to the mall for a cute top or a new dress, but this time I plan to make my new pieces. I spent last weekend on experimenting (I made the cowl neck dress and this crisscross-front sweater that surely you have heard about by now. No? LET ME TELL YOU, I MADE THIS TOP I AM WEARING!)
Over the weekend I need to get serious about my travel makes. Tonight I’m going to spend some time planning which fabric/pattern I want to use and tomorrow night I’ll do some cutting. I prefer to do the actual sewing on weekends when I have more time to relax into it.
For one travel piece I’m thinking maybe a raglan sleeve baseball-style top in contrasting fabrics… or a tunic with an open back detail. Or maybe a pink miniskirt to go over leggings. See? There’s all this creative possibility! When shopping, I end up picking whatever fits, looks like it will hold up to machine washing, and doesn’t break the bank. But in sewing I can pick my shape, my fabric, and my finishes, and custom fit it to my figure.
So that’s a goal I forgot to tell you about back in January, making all my clothes in 2018. I’m not going to stress myself out about making my own undies and bras and tights because the point is not to make myself crazy. And anyway, I’ll probably get fired walking around saying HEY GUESS WHAT! I MADE THESE PANTIES I’VE GOT ON TODAY! 🙂
4 comments
What a great resolution! I heartily concur. (I also concur with how much fun it is shopping for sewing!)
Awesome! I have vowed to do more sewing this year as well!
Seriously impressed! Go, you!
Especially if you were, you know, super-motivated to show off details or finishing or fabric choices–very understandably, after all that work!–on your new panties. Ahem.