Happy new year.  Hope its a good one!

I must also confess that I’m not the best at sticking to my sewing plans. So many aspects of my day are the ‘have to do’ and my sewing is my ‘want to do’.  But there are a few things I’d ‘like-to-do’ in 2018.

1. Reduce my fabric stash

This year I’ve bought a lot more fabric than I had planned or needed to and it is starting to overflow its allotted space. So my main goal for 2018 is to make some space. My plan of attack sounds simple, but in reality it will take a bit of willpower on my part

1. 1. do a bit of culling – weed out the fabrics that are the wrong colour, wrong fibre, poor quality, wrong lifesyle. Basically, if I’m not going to use, rehome it in some way. I don’t like throwing things out so I’ll need to do this job when I’m feeling very low and I can be more ruthless.
   2. Get stuck into those ‘gunnawundae’ fabrics – I have some great fabrics that I love. I must get over feeling like my sewing isn’t good enough to do them justice. Surely the injustice is in leaving good fabric in a box, never to be worn.
   3. If I do buy fabric…. it needs to be for a) immediate use (there will always be new shiny fabrics) or b) bulk buy staples ( eg black cotton lycra or dyeables that will get used). Consider the “30 wears test” before making impulse buys. Think about the fabric quality, suitability and durability. Will this fit into my wardrobe? Will it last? Will I wear it to death? Is the print that complex to layout that I’ll be too chicken to use it?
   4. I’ll be participating in The 50 yard dash on Patternreview.  The aim is to sew 50m (or y) over the course of the year. Should be a fun sew-along.
   5. Apply the same to my patterns.

2. Track my purchases and stick to a budget

I’ve never really needed to do this but I’m curious to know how much I do actually spend, where it goes and what gets used. I usually record the cost of fabrics, but not the notions, patterns, subscriptions, classes, books etc. I expect that I’m in for a bit of a surprise as to how much the ‘extras’ add up.

No weaving purchases unless for immediate use. I weave far too slowly to stash yarns that I’ll never get to use. Plus I still have a lifetime’s supply of rug yarn that I was gifted last year.

One of the things I need to review are my subscriptions – to magazines like Threads, Knipmode, Handwoven; but also web subscriptions. Do I really need all of them?

3. Specific projects

1. Participate in SWAP 2018  I’m quite excited about my planned wardrobe(s) for this year and I really enjoy seeing how other people put their plans together.  You can track my progress on this page.
2. Work on my TNT patterns  Which patterns do I keep going back to, or need to go back to? Adapt these to draft new patterns rather than purchasing new ones. Esp Big 4 patterns, so many of these look the same or with minor variations. I do need to work to regain my confidence in pant fitting. After the dramas with the pant sloper I’ve been put off sewing pants but it’s time I got over it. I had thought about doing a pattern audit/cull but we’ll see how we go.
3. Sew a handwoven fabric. I’ve had this on my list since I got the loom. It is going to happen!!!!
4. Tour de France sewing frenzy. I watched live stage of the TDF this year – mostly in the small hours of the morning – and got a lot of sewing done at the same time. It coincided with the pattern stash contest on PR, so it was very productive. I plan to sew along with the tour again. So for this year – possibly a French jacket, AC style garment, or winter wardrobe?
5. More activewear – my general exercise and cycling gear are almost had it and need to be replace. My ankle has come a long way and is coping with cycling and starting to handle 1/2 day walks. Playing soccer with the dog or yoga is still dodgy but I plan on being a lot more active than in 2017.