Today it's time to tell you about my top 5 reflections and inspirations. Those two topics are pretty much connected to each other, and that's why I chose to write them all together in one only post. When looking back I see I had a very productive year, I believe I've never been sewing so much. So...
#1 - Sewing from my stash
I made a commitment as 2013 started. I wanted to buy less clothes for me and my daughter, and just a few days after, I came across this Sewing Your Stash challenge (click link above) and I thought I'd take part, it was a great motivation and inspiration to start searching through my fabric piles before I'd go running buying new fabric. I was able to spend an entire year without a single online order to get new materials. As for buying any fabrics, I can count which fabrics I bought: less than 5 meters total, not counting fabrics I had to buy for two orders, they were payed by the costumers after all so not counting. And I was able to use right away all the fabrics I bought (except for one that is still waiting its turn). So, when it comes to fabric, I did use a lot from my stash, and manage to keep the pile low... until the end of the year, when I was donated a few pieces of fabric... I have plans for some already so the future looks bright. Here's a collage of all the items I made from the fabric stash... I forgot to include a dress shirt I made for G. so I have included that on the mending clothes collage below.
Also it's not here but I've been making a patchwork duvet cover for my bed... and it's allowing me to use lotsssssssssssss of my scraps!!!
#2. Refashions
As I satrted by saying before, I had to shop my own cothes. And looking at the collage below, I could say I have succeed, the problem? There are always people giving me lots of hand-me-downs that go straight into my to be refashioned clothes pile. And it means the pile looks pretty much the same as it did a year ago, only with new and different clothes on it. Good thing another Refashion Month is coming!!!
#3. Mending my clothes
Puffff... I had piles and piles of clothes I wasn't wearing only because they needed little adjustments, but I was always postponing doing those boring things. I challenged myself to take an entire month to fix them all... or at least as many as I could. And again, I think that gave me the inspiration and motivation I needed. I managed to fix about 9 garments, not bad!!
I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in two sewing challenges this past year. The Sew Off and Refashion Runway. That made me push harder, lose fears that were holding me back, and I was able to feel more secure and mature when it comes to sewing. The same happened with the sew along challenges. There were a few I joined and enjoyed: PR&P, Sew-vivor, Project Sewn, Sew in Tune, KCW, Pinterest Challenge, Peques de Cine, ... I was inspired to try new techniques, tried new things I had never done before, was able to see what other bloggers created and allowed myself to be inspired by them. I also tried to sew more practical then beautiful and eyecatching clothes.
#5. Guest Posting, Pattern Testing and Pattern Tours
It was a pretty active year in all of the mentioned above. I discovered that I love pattern testing, giving a deadline to finish a garment is a great motivation to get my hands sewing. Guest posting is great for bloggers interaction, and I talk about both being a guest at somebody else's blog and having guests in my own blog, just like we did for the Refashion July Month. And let's not forget the pattern tours. These are some of my personal faves, you get to see so many different versions from the same pattern, there's no way you won't get inspired to use some of those great ideas. I love it all, so many bloggers out there, bigger or smaller, doing it professionally or doing it for themselves... they all make up for a great inspiration. As I usually say, inspiration runs wild everywhere, the rest is up to your mind and creativity.
Wow, and this turned out a bit long today. What about you? What do you think about when you look back at the past year? Next and last list: Goals for 2014.
