Monday, June 30, 2014

No ideas for July MAGAM Project - A Rant

Once in a while I get into these periods of a sewist's block - similar to a writer's block. I can't decide what to sew next because nothing seems really 'inspirational' right now. After all the work of making that wedding dress, all the excitement and inspiration seem to have dried up. To be frank, I HAVE MADE EVERY GARMENT I NEED ALREADY. I have made more than I really need. There are dresses/jackets/pants/hats/skirts/shorts, etc that have been sitting in my closet that had been worn only a couple times. Those items are very low in terms of their Cost per Wear which I'm not happy about. There are special occasion dresses that had only been worn once!

As for my kids, they have lots of gently used hand-me-down clothes. It would be wasteful for me to make more clothes for them since they outgrow their clothes so quickly. Besides, my daughter is super picky and only wears a fraction of the clothes I made her.

My hubby also has a lot of clothes. In fact, he just dumped a whole pile of clothes from his closet to my Refashioning pile because he didn't need them. My mom did exactly the same thing last month.

However, I really NEED to make new things. It gives me joy, put a little excitement in my life, gives me something to look forward to, nourishes my soul, works my brain, etc. So I tried to find ideas from the articles in my Threads magazines. In the latest issue, a few articles caught my eye: Bra Making (haven't tried that yet), dying fabric with ice (that's interested - something new to learn), using salvage as trims (I did that when I made bags but haven't tried that on garments yet). Bra making is definitely a skill I want to acquire but I already have enough RTW bras right no. And bra making supplies seem to be expensive. So I guess I'll have to look in my scraps stash to see if I have enough interesting selvages to embellish a self-made garment. Otherwise I will buy some fabric dyes for experiments.

So I still don't know what I'm making for the July Make A Garment A Month project. The theme for July is 'Sew your Wish'. Unfortunately I think I fulfilled that already in my June Wedding dress garment!  There are lots of special occasion dresses that I 'wish' I can sew, but I have nowhere to wear them (no special occasions coming up!). Wouldn't that be a waste if I can't wear them? Since it has to be a garment, I can't just make a funky bag for a friend and submit that as a MAGAM entry. I'm really out of ideas for my July MAGAM project! Any ideas?

4 comments:

  1. This is probably a good time then to tackle a larger project that you may have put off.

    okay, okay, I know the wedding dress was A.BIG.PROJECT!! ;) But something that maybe has been on your mind to sew but not quite *needed*; like outerwear or a lined blazer or jeans...etc.

    Good luck!

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    1. Thanks Nakisha! I'll have to think hard and look hard in my wardrobe to see what I don't really need but would be 'nice to have'.

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  2. I agree with Nakisha. Actually, I have been saying the same thing - I've got all I need, so I have decided to make my next garment something I wouldn't usually make, and then to slowly replace things as needed.

    Perhaps just quietly collect ideas like you are about things you would like to try - like undies, embellishing a garment, whatever is new that appeals. I think we sometimes get jaded by making the same old things.

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    1. Thanks Sarah Liz! I think you are right that I need to continue to collect ideas for things to try. Hopefully, I'll be able to finally make a firm decision and have time to make it before the end of the month!

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