Friday, January 12, 2018

The Dismal 2017 Stats...

Finally clearing the slate for a new year.

I just didn't manage to get to the sewing machines much last year.  Partly blaming the on-line Master's degree, which pretty much consumed the first 5 months of the year, but I can only partly blame that.

To be honest, I think the current jammed-up, cluttered sewing room is as much to blame as anything. That, and re-gaining the weight I lost in 2016 kinda killed my sewing motivation altogether.

But, as they say it's a new year and a new day.  Cleaning the sewing room is on my radar...after I get a few other things caught up...(and I'm making progress there) so maybe I can post not-so-dismal stats this time next year...

Fabric In: 74.875 yds
Fabric Out: 31.625 yds
Last fabric added: 11/15?/17
Garments made for me: 15
Garments made for other family members: 2
Home Dec Items: 1
Muslins:1
Misc. Church Sewing: 12? 14? Nine-patch squares for table decor;

Still, the fabric-in total was the 3rd lowest for the year since I started keeping records of such things back in 2004; and it was just 3/8ths of a yard over the 2nd lowest total, which was in 2010 (in 2015 my yearly total was 72.625 yards; that's the most disciplined I've managed to be... but that year I sewed over 62 yards, so I only added about 10 yards to the stash.  I'm way off of that this year).

I'm not going to totally restrict myself from buying ANY fabric...there are some gaps in the stash, and if I need Brussels Washer Linen I'm going to buy some, but it's gonna have to be something I NEED and will SEW when I get it.

Back to the old paradigm that I lived with until something like 1990...buy the fabric when you're going to sew it.

I can hardly remember what that was like...the excitement of going to the fabric store, coming home with the new fabric that I could hardly stand to wait to run it through the washer/dryer before slapping the pattern down and attacking it with the scissors.

Now, of course, that kind of immediate gratification just doesn't happen.   I had a good 4 or 5 stores a short drive a way then...that had things like cotton and linen and silk...now there's just Jo-Ann's World of Quilting, Polyester and Crafts.  But I digress...

So, this year I intend to Shop the Stash.  I might make things for choir...or I might make things I'll never get to wear in choir.  I might make aprons and tote bags.  I might come up with a SWAP plan.  Who knows.

But I want to get my sewing room cleaned out and somewhat organized.

Then I can have some fun.  Shop the stash...slap on the pattern...make something new...




7 comments:

  1. What a great idea, I'm trying to do the same in my own way :-) Really looking forward to what you sew.

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  2. This was a great recap of your year. Where do you buy fabric now?

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    1. Online, mostly...Fabric Mart, Fabric Dot Com, Emma One Sock are my primary suppliers.
      I think I've bought one piece of...expensive, even on sale, but I needed it that day...linen at JoAnn's since they came to town; I was really surprised they had a partial shelf of linen.
      There is a great fabric store about an hour's drive away, Sir's Fabrics up in Fayetteville, TN, but they are an outlet-type place and their stock depends entirely on what they buy up from discontinued lines, stores going out of business, etc. You can find some real goodies there...and you can also make the drive and find nothing.

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    2. OH...forgot one...Textile Fabrics in Nashville is fabulous but not inexpensive. I'm on their mailing list; they have a big sale in the spring/early summer and a friend and I have driven up a few times over the years to take advantage of it. They have REAL fabric...linen, wool, silk, cotton...great stuff. They moved a couple of years ago and I haven't managed to get to the new location yet. Maybe I'll reward myself if I manage to make a sizeable dent in the stash...lol...

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  3. I have to agree on the sewing room clean up. I've not sewn in sometime and I'm hoping to get back on track - maybe my sewing mojo is hidden in here somewhere ;-) Your comment about more fabric shops. When we first moved here in '93 I found Hambric's - I loved that store and those folks were so nice! We left in '00 and came back in '09 and I was so disappointed that they had closed. Then, of course, Hancock's, so now on line shopping, it is. I rarely find anything at Joann's.

    Good luck on your sewing and sewing room clean up.

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  4. Hambrick's was THE BEST. Oh, they had such nice stuff! Hancock's used to be Cloth Basket, locally owned; loved shopping at their stores, too. Not sure when Hancock's bought them out...obviously, before 1993. When I first moved to Huntsville in 1980, there was an indy fabric store in the little shopping center on the corner of Jordan Lane and Bob Wallace that had amazing fabric and buttons...but there was a fire there sometime in the early 80's and they didn't come back after. We had Wilson's Fabrics in what the old Heart of Huntsville Mall in the early 90's; they would have massive sales about once a year or so that would pack the store. There's still a little fabric around in the sewing machine shops...Barb's Sewing has some...but it's mostly heirloom type sewing, or Huntsville Sew N Vac, which I think carries quilting cottons, neither of which is not my thing.

    Hobby Lobby has fabric but I rarely see anything in there worth bringing home.

    I'm still mourning the loss of Hancock's.

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