Hashtags and sewing...

Talk about Full Circle... when I was very young I used to make doll clothes at my grandmother's house (I think I grew out of that one quickly), and then in junior high and high school made a lot of my own clothes. A purple mini-shirt and a brown velvet maxi-shirt come to mind immediately although I know there was other stuff I sewed back then as well. Just cannot remember anymore!

Then, a few years ago, and I decided to start making my own clothes.

 

I posted about the washi top HERE. I have worn that top several times and am happy when people compliment me on it. But then time passed and I didn't sew much else (aside from a little quilting and home stuff like placemats).

Flash forward to now and I have rediscovered not only my excitement about wanting to sew but also how motivating a few YouTube and Blog challenges can be! Enter the hashtag! While watching some random YouTube video about sewing, the idea of #2018MakeNine (also labeled as #MakeNine2018 in some blogs or videos so I am just using both) came up. Again. Then again. So I looked into it and discovered a whole world of people determined to make their own clothes this year.

I searched YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram... all with those hashtags and found all sorts of ideas, explanations, and some cool clothes people were making. I decided to jump onto the not too fast moving train and just start in, even though at the time it was mid-March. But luckily, making 9 items within a year's time was still easily do-able.

One of the things people were doing however that I had not done was to plan ahead. What were they going to make in their Make Nine? So I spent some time this weekend thinking about it and came up with two ways to think about it. I have a list of the 9 items I want to make and along the way, came up with Ten Techniques that I want to re-learn or learn for the first time. A lot of sewing for me is review because way back when (teens and 20s) I learned how to do most things, but then just let it all go. So I am finding once I review a technique it comes back to me easily.

I still do not have specific patterns attached to my list of Make Nine but at least I know what I want to make. Here is my list of #2018MakeNine more or less in the order I want to make them:

1. Scout Tee -- MADE, photo below!
2. Purple fabric Hawaiian top (no specific pattern, just what I want -- for the CCC Ukulele group)
3. Knit tee shirt
4. Sun Dress
5. Shorts
6. Long pants lounge wear (for around the house)
7. Knit Top with ruched sides or sleeves
8. Vest with separating zipper
9. Woven fabric Shirt with buttonholes and buttons.

This is the Scout Tee top I made for my first #2018MakeNine.

Here are the sewing techniques I want to work on this year:

1. Sewing in a knit facing (round collar)
2. Sewing a knit V-neck
3. Sewing a woven fabric V-neck
4. Fancy seams: French seams, Hong Kong seams, Flat fell seams
5. Using the twin needle for top-stitching
6. Sewing darts
7. Ruching (gathering)
8. Making buttonholes
9. Sewing a blind hem on both sewing machine and serger
10. Using zippers in clothing: separating, invisible, pants closures.

I am sure more will be added to that list as I stumble upon something new!

Word for 2018...

It didn't come easily this year.

For starters, I looked back to 2017 and realized I really had not focused much of my life around my word for the year or my CDFs... HERE is the explanation for all that.

Time to refocus and get an idea of what might work for me in 2018.

So I started making lists of possible words: change, observe, finish, regroup, see any pattern here?

My husband suggested ENGAGE complete with GIF of Picard from ST:TNG but cute as that was, it isn't the engagement (or starting) part that stops me... it is the continuing part.

Then it came to me... just like you have to complete a swing in baseball or golf, or keep the pool cue going in pool... you need follow-through. I don't completely understand why in sports but I see it is a major part of what I lack in projects getting done.

FOLLOW-THROUGH.

I never have a problem getting excited about the start of a project but often once that initial energy wans, I am left with yet another unfinished project. Part of my intentions for this year is to get things done, finish projects...

So a few days late this year, but I have found my word: FOLLOW-THROUGH.

And, in keeping with what I have been doing for the last few years, I came up with some Core Desired Feelings (CDFs). These are also explained on the link above from last year.

My CDFs are once again repeats with a couple of changes:
In 2018 I will be:
UNCLUTTERED
MINDFUL (INTENTIONAL)
HELPFUL
PLAYFUL
ACTIVE