I’ve been enjoying all the year-end reviews that have popped up in my reader over the last 6 weeks or so. It’s crazy how 6 weeks seems like it’s a lifetime ago, and obsolete. One reason I really hate social media these days.
I haven’t blogged very much this past year for a variety of reasons, and it seemed to be a reflection on what I’ve actually done creatively in my sewing life. But after reading Naomi’s wrap-up post I thought I would set up a similar Excel workbook to track my makes. And my fabric inventory.
Lo, and behold! I actually sewed 62 garments during 2017! I was so surprised! Only about half got photographed or blogged, some were thrifted, and only a handful haven’t been worn yet, as I decided in December to sew up a collection of short-sleeved summer tops.
I must say, compiling this list was encouraging. I sewed a lot last year! It makes me feel I can move on to 2018 with a right good will to getting some of the larger projects going that I have been purposely avoiding out of fear for the last couple of years (fear of fitting, fear of less-than-perfect execution, fear of garment-lifestyle clashes).
And speaking of 2018, there has been a lot of kerfluffle in the sewing universe about the 2018 Burda Challenge. I’m sure Burda appreciates all the variations on this challenge every single year, although each iteration to date hasn’t gotten a lot of social media attention. When I participated back in 2013, only a few bloggers were interested, but this year, I guess the right person with enough clout in the sewing blogosphere decided to get on board, so everyone’s talking about it. I think credit should be given where credit is due, however, and so here’s to ReadyThreadSew and Pattern Review with the idea of a year-long challenge from waaaaay back when. I always find it amusing when the masses jump on a bandwagon that’s been around for a while simply because they hear a louder or more popular voice talking about it. No rant intended! It’s just my observations from the sidelines. 😉 Ideas need persistent, loud, popular voices in order to take root and get people on board. But that smacks of politik, and I am not going down that rabbit hole.
Anyways, I’m looking forward to actually getting photographs of all my 2018 makes – both successes and failures – and sharing them with you this year. I’ve tried IG for the last year, and it is sooooo not my thing. I’m a sideline girl, and although I occasionally like to scroll through my feed and see what you all are up to, posting prolifically is not my style. Of course, this article went a long way to explaining why, never mind that I like my neurons and my privacy.
That said, this year I have resolved:
- to actually blog and share my makes this year, and not get dopamined-up and depressed on my IG feed. There is a small part of me that screams, “But you’ll be missing out on so much!”, and I’ve decided to ignore it and stay true to my watching-from-the sidelines self. Sharing all my makes is also not really in my comfort zone (I often feel I have nothing interesting to say, or any pretty pictures to share), but I have also resolved this year to…
- take baby steps. Baby steps in healthy activity, in French, in social settings; permission to be creative, including TAST (an embroidery and stitching challenge); and..
- sewing up some of my prolific stash, including ticking off the
- 2018 Burda Challenge box and a
- Year of the Jacket personal challenge with each make. I have so many beautiful coatings in my stash, and I really want to attempt a French jacket, so I have set this as a many-birds-with-one-stone step.
And here’s a teaser, although I probably won’t blog any of these, as they were last year’s makes.
Mezzo Couture 
OMG! I’ve spent the past few days sorting through my patterns and fabric in the hope of starting up sewing again. I also thought I should see if my long-neglected blog still exists and I found this reference to it. Thanks so much for mentioning it and it makes me very happy that any Burda Challenge ideas still exist out in the blogosphere 🙂 Good luck with 2018!
The only challenge I’m going to set for myself is to sew *something* in the near future.
Squeaky wheels always get the grease 😉
62 Garments!!! Lordy Lorde. That puts my paltry output to shame, which I can practically count on one hand (ok that’s being a tad melodramatic… it was 7). I vote a big hearty yes to you sewing a French Jacket, as I am currently scheming about my 3rd… It’s a real love affair, that particular garment!
I’m with Ruth – SWYWWYW. Which is partly why I don’t pay a great deal of attention to various sewing ‘challenges’ and ‘plans’, apart to admire the individual garments sewn by those I follow. That said, I have been feeling the itch to expand my blog reading recently, thinking that the blogs I follow are in their own little bubble of like-ness (not a bad thing) and there are other bubbles out there that aren’t connected that have makers making things I would like to be reading about! So perhaps I’ll click on over and see if I can find some new-to-me makers 🙂
Here’s to happy sewing in 2018!
In my defense, not one of those items was a time-consuming project, probably why I felt like I’d accomplished nothing at the end of the year. And to counter that, a LFJ is on my list this year. I have several lengths of bouclé which would be perfect. And I’m liking the SWYWWYW, although practicality argues with that sometimes!
I so appreciate “knowing” grounded people like you! What a lovely post. Here’s to a successful 2018!
I’ve joined a couple of FB challenges this year to encourage me to actually sew. I am a hopeless blogger but I might resurrect my blog. We’ll see. I have also set myself the personal challenge of a jacket a month. Good luck to both me and you on that one!
Lovely to see your post. I’ve missed them! But totally get why you haven’t posted. My blogging is pretty sporadic too. But that’s okay. One of the many great things about the sewing online community is that it doesn’t feel competitive. See what you want when you want and blog or IG in the same way!
Loving this post and all the comments. Agree with everything, heehee! oh look! Butterfly! Same here, I haven’t blogged much, maybe I’ll do more in 2018, but I probably won’t stick with it. I still love the online sewing community, love seeing what all the younger people are sewing. You do inspire me to keep sewing, so keep it up! Happy 2018 to you!
Hmmm… couldn’t find it (your YSL-like safari dress) 😦 any chance you’ll blog it after all? I may try to make one too come summer 🙂
I will blog the dress later this week – it is a BurdaStyle pattern from 2010. I have missed your blogging, and am so very happy to hear from you! Here’s to a great sewing year in 2018, blogged or not! 🙂
Lots of food for thought in your post. I haven’t blogged in 2 years (i think?) and clearly I’m with Ruth: “sew what you want when you want”. But while lurking still affords me lots of inspiration for my sewing, i completely miss the sense of community. I’ve been wondering a lot about how to get that, but on my terms. My introverted personality really cannot handle high volumes of anything, and i often need more depth than in the average online interaction i see. But staying out of it altogether as i’ve done these past two years doesn’t get me anywhere. So maybe it is about trusting in the generosity of spirit of our sewing friends. That we will be accepted as we are even if, or especially when, we choose not to keep up with everything? For me it apparently starts with not feeling that i dont have the right to comment just because i haven’t blogged myself. Sounds ridiculous now that i write it, i know! For you, if you don’t mind me saying it, it may be about not feeling like you are not appreciated just because you havent blogged all your makes or because you think you havent been as productive or as popular as others. Know that i for one always appreciate your posts and makes. Speaking of which, i’ll go now and check your post on that safari dress a la YSL, It looks fab and i’d love to hear more! 🙂
Welcome back – you’ve been missed.
Sew what you want when you want – there, I’ve just created another sewing challenge! SWYWWYW – LOL! only my voice in IG is so tiny that we will probably not get too many followers.
Have a happy, healthy and productive 2018
I love that! #SWYWWYW2018 I think I’ll tag everything with that!!
Me too! I was thinking how I have failed to complete every challenge I have entered, so this is the one for me!
I have missed your posts, but in a concerned manner. Do what is best for you and your family; I will look forward to your inspiration when it comes.
Great post. Like all these other great ladies commenting here, I too appreciate posts when they come both as writer and reader. While i am loving IG it’s so easy to get caught up in it, so i am trying to use it on my own terms. Glad you liked the excel idea, I’ve set one up for 2018 already. I love seeing it all laid out in front of me like that!
No, like Steph, I had no clue about the Burda Challenge either. It does seem like a great idea, but then they all seem like great ideas… ooooh, look butterfly! What I don’t need is distractions!! I agree Naomi’s Excel spreadsheet is a very interesting way to track projects – that’s something I really must do. Like you Tia Dia, my blogging is sporadic and enthusiasm for it waxes and wanes! Wishing you a fabulously productive 2018. x
“fear of fitting, fear of less-than-perfect execution, fear of garment-lifestyle clashes)“ oh how those fears paralyze me! I always appreciate your posts.
Tia, Thanks so much for this post. It helped me quite a bit, actually, in my own thinking about this year. I also want to tackle those challenge projects that I avoid out of fear. I also completely agree about IG – not me. I write too often about nothing on my blog, but I just can’t do the constant flow of many other types of social media. The article made me think quite a bit about changing habits. Really helpful.
Here’s to a great new year. I would love to read more of your blog posts as I love your sewing.
PS I hadn’t even heard of the Burda Challenge!
Forgot…thank you especially for the link to TAST.