Reflections, Inspirations and Goals

In my last post, I mentioned that I wasn't going to bother with continuing the Top 5 thread of reflections, goals and inspirations, but having given it some thought, I thought I might after all. I find these so interesting to read for other people - hopefully you will think the same, although it does all feel rather self-indulgent!

Reflections
1. I might buy less RTW, but I still impulse buy fabric and patterns.
My goal with sewing has never been to replace RTW. It has a place in my life and my wardrobe, and I am comfortable with that. Since I started sewing and reading blogs, however, I have been conscious about the quality of the clothes I buy. I'd love to say I only buy ethically made clothing, and that I know where every garment was produced, but I don't. To offset this, I try to buy quality as then it lasts longer and I buy fewer garments.This is working well, but I seem to have just shifted the impulse buy mentality to sewing stuff instead: tools, patterns, fabrics, haberdashery! I'm not sure this is much of an improvement.

2. I am not realistic about what I am able to achieve.
From a time perspective, I mean. I am often guilty of thinking I can finish a garment sooner than I can, which often leads to frustration and rush sewing (case in point: my Fall for Cotton blouse).

3. I got better at fit.
Actually, I tried! Previously I didn't bother. I still have a LONG way to go on this, but I definitely made some improvements. Starting to make muslins was a step in the right direction. Of course, none of this helps with point 2!

4. I love blogging!
I truly do! I never thought I would stick at this, but in a fortnight's time, it will be my 1 year blogiversary! God knows what I'll now write in my anniversary post! I've covered it all here.

5. I still cannot always make my perfect garment, because I struggle to find the right fabric.
I have written about this before. I don't know if I am just particularly fussy (probably), but I often struggle to find the "perfect" fabric, meaning that ideal garment is still elusive.

Inspiration
1. RTW
2. Bloggers
3. Pinterest
4. People on the street
These are where I get both my buying and my sewing inspiration from. I noticed this year that I started buying magazines a lot less, as I got bored with them telling me what I had to wear, but I have always looked to the shops and to people for inspiration on what to wear. I really miss my London commuting days for that. Pinterest and blogs have added an extra dimension to this. I think what has been interesting for me, is that when I first started reading blogs I was only interested in those that reflected my style, or the style I wanted/wished I had. But now, even if a blogger has a very different sense of style to mine, I can still get inspiration from her (or him) in terms of details, techniques, fabric choice etc. That's been quite an eye opener for me.

Goals
I have many sewing goals that need to be put on hold this year due to the pregnancy (and ensuing baby). In the meantime, I have a few thoughts. I am wary of calling them goals, they are more aspirations. Things I would like to achieve. These are nice-to-haves, not a to-do list.

1. Continue to sew and blog as often as possible.
2. Sew/refashion as much of my maternity wardrobe as possible. Because I am not seeing much maternity RTW that is inspiring me!
3. Clear out fabric and pattern stash. Neither are huge, but neither is my storage space. I need to review what I have, be honest about what I will actually use, use that and get rid of the rest.
4. Gain a better understanding of fabrics and their qualities e.g. handle, drape, correct uses. I am wondering whether I should start to create a little fabric swatch card or book to help with this. This may help with buying fabric online, which would open up the range of fabrics available to me.
5. Be more realistic about my sewing plans! Acknowledge how little time I have, and how long I take. Do not over-commit!
6. Get to know my overlocker! I have bought Beginner Serging on Craftsy, so this will be a help.

I realise I had also promised you my maternity sewing plans, but this post is already long enough. Given my aspiration not to over-commit, I probably need to review these anyway! Next time. I promise!