Old Fabric, New Plans
Part 2: How i got my sewing motivation back:
Here is the second part of my story of how I rethought my sewing plans during the coronavirus lockdown. At the end of my last blog post: it was Spring 2020, I had planned to sew a collection of stylish office wear, but I was freshly unemployed and lacking all motivation to sew.
Here are some things that helped to motivate me to think creatively and get sewing again:
Me Made May: the Instagram challenge when you share or wear a piece of handmade (me) made clothing during the month of May. I had never participated in this before, but with a lot of free time on my hands in May 2020, I decided to finally start posting to Instagram regularly. I enjoyed seeing what other people were sharing and sewing, and discovered some new patterns by browsing my feed.
A giant quilt: Sometimes I just want to make something with my hands without thinking about the process or the final outcome. Cutting out quilt blocks is a perfectly mindless craft activity. I cut out a huge stack of quilt blocks for the Arlo quilt, and later decided on how to piece them together. It was a relaxing activity that also gave me a lot of time to think about my next projects.
Fall 2020 DYW: Participating in the Seamwork Design Your Wardrobe program got me excited about sewing clothes again. For the Fall 2020 season, I decided that I wanted to design and sew a mini collection of outerwear for social distancing.
When I was ready to take another look at my pre-lockdown sewing plan, I considered a few adaptations. For example, maybe I could still make some of the patterns I was initially excited about, but in a different fabric. Or, I could do the opposite, and use the fabric I had to work with a totally different pattern style. Lastly, I really thought about the projects I had started, but had not yet completed, and considered whether I was still interested in wearing the finished garment, or if I could cut it up and start a new project from the leftover scraps.
Here is what I did with my old plan:
Cut it up!
I ended up taking scissors to a few half-completed makes, and cutting a new pattern out of the pieces. At first it was difficult to cut into a project that I had already invested time and thought into making. However, I decided that I would rather have a finished project that I would want to wear, rather than a dusty pile of half finished makes.
The first project I cut up was the Seamwork Bo top- the pattern pieces were already cut out, but never sewn together. I was able to cut a new, casual short sleeved button up top from the original pieces.
I also cut up a nearly complete project- the Seamwork Kimmy dress, which I was no longer excited about wearing. Working carefully, I salvaged the largest pieces of the skirt to reuse as lining fabric for another jumpsuit.
Mix it up!
I challenged myself to reconsider fabrics that I had once bought to make one thing, and think of a new make that would fit my lifestyle and sewing goals now. I wanted to figure out what to do with the yards of black stretch wool that I had originally designated for office worthy pants. I considered the qualities of the fabric - lightweight, wrinkle resistant, slightly stretchy, neutral color- and decided to make a jumpsuit that I could layer with my other makes. The jumpsuit was a welcome addition to my wardrobe, as something that I could dress up or down, depending on the occasion.
I also made a pair of elastic waist pants with my black stretch wool. Elastic waisted pants were something that I didn’t enjoy wearing or making before. However, I found that the Closet Core Pietra pants had a flat front that I liked, and they were also extra comfortable for wearing all day.
My goal was not only to challenge myself to reconsider my project planning, but also to sew from my fabric stash. I usually buy the fabrics I love first, and then think of a project to make with them. Many of the fabrics I used brough back memories of shopping in the Garment District during my lunch break. Now when I wear my black stretch wool jumpsuit, it will remind me of all these things- a Midtown shopping spree in 2019, my initial 2020 office wardrobe sewing plan, and my 2021 pivot to making something new.