Sewing: Up Next

A friend of mine charmed me at dinner last weekend when he asked me about the half-finished projects I bemoaned in a recent post.  I was pleased that in the course of his busy days he had not only read my blog, but had even given it some thought afterwards.

"What are you working on that needs finishing?" he asked.  He had a plan: I would design and sew some garments for us to wear for a night out and we would set a deadline, in order to ramp up my completion rate and learning curve.

I liked the motivation and spirit of his plan, but the problem is that my type-A nature wants me to build my skills more deliberately than that.  I don't want to rush another garment that technically works but that wilts upon closer examination (see exhibit A, Project Mardi Gras: Finale).

So, to answer his question, are some skill-building, smaller-size tasks I have prioritized before embarking upon new projects:

• vintage fabric projects: the elusive perfect nightie made from my grandmother's embroidered linen sheet (I have been working on a rough draft, but have a ways to go),
• ponchos and/or jackets made from lace and other vintage cloths from a flea market near my parents' home in northern Minnesota
• Alabama Chanin projects: a facet skirt, some rebuilt old t-shirts for summer, and hand-sewn flowers.  I've started the skirt, see above photo...
• the disassembling of my wedding dress, and it's reincarnation into a new dress to wear to a wedding which falls on our fifth wedding anniversary this fall
• alterations on two vintage slips which are currently out of my closet rotation until I get them up and running again.
• zipper application practice, in the form of some small cloth bags for pencils and makeup
• soft home goods, including hand-sewn closet baskets, a leather phone case and knitting-needle storage
• deconstruction and reconstruction of old t-shirts into new, more feminine and heat-friendly shapes
• embroidery practice on samples for an eventual quilt or duvet
• designs and uses for the enormous drawer full of scraps acquired over the last few years of sewing...if I become a company, I will aim to be zero-waste, or as close to that as possible
• final projects and remaining homework in my classes: 4 inspiration boards, with fabric, and a final pattern to be graded into a full size run
• a tattoo design
• a business plan rough draft, including a logo, and more photography practice, just in case I really start a business someday (see I Believe in Making Goals)

And, I still have to scratch my knitting itch before it gets cold again (read: before I go somewhere cold someday)...I have poncho, vest, and arm-warmer projects all waiting in the wings.