I am all about simple sewing right now. Give me a project that's not too hard to mess up - a skirt, a knit top, a pattern I've made before. No hot-off-the-press new patterns, no fiddling with fit and absolutely no drafting or grading sizes (ha! - you've got to be kidding).
I just don't have the sewing time I once had, and I certainly don't have the patience (or quite frankly the brain power) for muslins or tackling bodice fit on a dress. My will to sew is fragile, and any failures would leave me incredibly disheartened. I'm also finding that it's the basic items that reach for again and again when I'm getting dressed. A couple of simple A-line skirts are firm favourites and I'm keen to make a few more. When reading blogs, I find I'm really drawn to reading about simple and practical everyday dressing too.
I'm sure things will change at some point, and I hope my ventures into practical sewing won't be boring to read about, but it would be untrue to pretend I'm interested in any complex projects right now. I am genuinely excited about sewing things that I know I'll be wearing frequently.
At the minute, sewing simple things suits my lifestyle and frame of mind. What about you?
K x
Skirt from vintage Butterick pattern, blogged here
If I really have a clear idea and can prioritize the time, it's fun to make something for a special event. But for the most part I love to fill wardrobe gaps and make things I'll enjoy many times over. Today it's Belcarra over a long sleeved renfrew :)
ReplyDeleteAh, both patterns I like a lot. I have another Renfrew in the pipeline
Deletei agree. i want to sew what i want to wear. i'm in the throes of Operation Winter Coat right now (almost done - at hemming stage!) and i'm really craving something lovely and simple. a basic skirt and a few renfrews i think! i also have plans for trousers which are basic to wear, but not really to sew, so i'm not sure where they fit in. i don't think i'll dive into them straight away after the coat. all the muslining i'll need to do!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to be able to balance complex and simple projects, I often do that with knitting, depending on my mood
DeleteI think it's really important to sew things that you are going to get a lot of wear out of, so this sounds like a good plan to me. Sew whatever you want!
ReplyDeleteThanks Megan, I agree that it's lovely to sew something you know you'll wear all the time
DeleteCompletely agree. I work from home, and more and more I'm realizing I need to be sewing for my home wardrobe, which is what I wear the most. Which is easy staple dresses and skirts, sometimes trousers, but in the end, all I really want it a couple of patterns of each I can rely on and repeat quite a lot. But that doesn't mean it's boring! Just sewing anything for yourself is far more exciting than what most people do for clothing. ;)
ReplyDeleteVery true Tasha, it's actually nice to make something and have it go 'incognito' as no-one has noticed it's homemade
DeleteNothing boring about stuff that you will actually wear. It is always the simple stuff that are the workhorses in a wardrobe. Xx
ReplyDeleteSo true, and the hardest to photograph for a blog because you're always wearing them!
DeleteI enjoy reading what makes someone's choices work for them. Simple can be just as (more so, in fact) interesting as a complex and involved project!
ReplyDeleteThanks Vicki Kate, I like to know why people sew what they do too. Eternally nosey!
DeleteI'm with you, why sew it if I won't wear it. For me that's pretty basic stuff too since I only need a non-work wardrobe (uniform wearer here). I get excited by a new knit top pattern. Or an A-line skirt. Swoon!
ReplyDeleteI like your skirt btw. Very good shape.
Ha ha, I agree it's lovely to find a great basic with some kind of interesting detail that makes it attractive or interesting to make
DeleteYup - me too! I think there is something in the air - maybe it's a backlash against all those fiddley patterns that were all the rage? Lucky Lucille has caught my eye with her simple tunics and dresses - it's been all about the fabric prints instead of fancy construction. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteAh, you're on the same page as me then :) I noticed from your blog you were into some of the patterns I'm coveting at the minute too
DeleteGod yes, I hear you! My wardrobe right now is all about the practical, so there is no point (and I have little inclination) so sew all the pretty things. I am actually making a dress for my birthday next month, from a vintage pattern. I did wonder if I'd bitten off more than I can chew, but fortunately a bodice muslin has proven no modifications are necessary. I think I would have given up if there had been!
ReplyDeletePracticality is absolutely key for me too. I like the sound of your birthday dress though. Maybe I'll make a dress for the festive season...if I can find time!
DeleteIts beautiful and you'll wear it loads. xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks Vix x
DeleteI am with you on this! I have been better at making time to sew over the last couple of years but, when I got promoted last year and my job went from being boring to being a lot more intellectually challenging, my desire to sew more challenging and time-consuming projects took a nose-dive. It's easy to feel that every new project should be more challenging than the last - there's a lot of that out there in sewing blogs. But it depends on what you want to get out of the process. For me - well, it might not be exactly creative to sew dress after dress - but the time I spend sewing allows me to relax and to think. I'll have my whole life to learn new sewing techniques. Right now I want to sew to relax and to end up with pretty and fun dresses to wear!
ReplyDeleteYes a good point Roisin. Some people definitely have an end goal of being able to produce couture-worthy garments or being proficient in all kinds of techniques. Not me though! And that's fine. It's good to feel happy and comfortable with what you're making
DeleteThe main thing is to sew things you'll wear I think. For me that usually means going for things with more details rather than less though. If it's not got pockets, it doesn't get worn, and sometimes that means welt pockets; such a time sink.
ReplyDeleteI agree about avoiding fussy fitting though. I sew more and more knits these days.
I do agree that some details are what make great basic patterns stand out. Just something simple like pockets, which are a must for me too and I always add them if I can. Never tried welt pockets though...
DeleteMy love you are always interesting no matter what you are knitting or sewing! It's nice to read a British blog with a different point of view too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks MrsC, I'm very glad you enjoy reading :)
DeleteYes! I am not alone...I am selling my house and have recently started a new job, I am lucky if I have time to hem a pair of trousers. I think about sewing more than I do it! I am downsizing, and I very much hope I will have more time to sew when I move. In the meantime, let's hear it for the practical things we can wear every day!
ReplyDeleteSounds like some big changes. I've also just started a new job and am hoping to move soon too so I get where you're coming from
DeleteI definitely don't eve have the brain power for clothes right now, but that skirt looks great!
ReplyDeleteThanks Katy :-)
DeleteI'm totally with you on sewing simple. I don't have the time these days to wrestle with complicated patterns like I used to. I much prefer to have a quick and easy make so that I can wear is asap! Knitting is offering me plenty of challenges.
ReplyDeleteThat skirt is a beauty and you'll wear it endlessly.
Simple is good.
x
Thank you Ivy Black. I think I will make something more complicated at some point but not just now!
DeleteYeah to simple sewing!
ReplyDelete:-) Thanks Donna!
DeleteMmm maybe it has something to do with a stage your reach in your sewing? Anyway as many comment writers above I must say I agree with you. I'm also all about sewing things I'll wear and that is mostly not very complex stuff. One exception though is for jackets or coats: I'm totally ready to take the time to make it well abouts I'll be wearing it nearly every day, which is the case with the Anise jacket I've just finished :)
ReplyDeleteI think I'm at a stage where I feel like I have too much going on elsewhere in life to be much interested in complex making. right now, simple suits me. It'll change at some point I'm sure. I really like the look of the Anise jacket, it's so like a jacket I used to own and I loved.
DeleteI dont need anymore wardrobe museum pieces- I need staples- sometimes I want a challenge, sometimes I just want a new skirt!
ReplyDeleteHa, 'wardrobe museum pieces' is the perfect way to describe those seldom-worn items you're precious about or which are just mostly unsuitable
DeleteFor me it is all about sewing what I will wear. If I have made it before, fine, if it is something new then whatever. I don't mind. I am not sewing for the challenge or to make something better and better each time. I sew to fill wardrobe gaps, for upcoming events or just because. That's where I get the enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting Liz. It's good to understand your sewing motivation, isn't it? And be comfortable with what you're making and why.
DeleteAt the moment my sewing is about making things I want to wear. Sometimes this does mean challenging myself. Mostly I like to sew things to beef up my everyday wardrobe, so for me that means simple shapes in colours that will coordinate and with practical features like pockets.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the mood for quick but complicated probjects. Things with a new challenge but not an endless number of steps to work through. Contradictory I know.
ReplyDeleteAt one point I was thinking to myself that I couldn't make a particular pattern because I'd already made it several times and I needed to give myself a new challenge. Then I wondered why. It's not like I'm at school. If I want to make a dress I've made a million times before, know is going to fit me, and that I could put together with my eyes closed, why shouldn't I?!
ReplyDelete