Throwing in the Challenge Towel: Sewing for ME!

At the beginning of the year I thought about all the things I needed in my wardrobe, I plotted, I planned, I gave myself a year-long sewing challenge.  I did something similar last year, and I really enjoyed thinking about making clothes that work in a wardrobe, for multiple occasions, or fill a need in my closet.

However.

I have been doing a lot of sewing you guys.  A lot.  Now, granted, I feel like I can't share a lot of it with you since I was commissioned by other people, and I don't really want to go around and ask permission to post their clothes on my blog, so it really doesn't look like I have been doing much.  But in the past four months I have made:

4 Men's Skating Practice Shirts
6 Men's Skating Practice Pants
9 Woman's Skating Practice Dresses
5 Men's Skating Tuxedos (Jacket + Pants + Boot Covers, includes beading and rhinestones)
8 Women's Skating Competition Dresses (includes beading and rhinestones)
1 Child's Skating Competition Dress (includes beading and rhinestones)
1 Pair "Shoe" Costume Boot Covers
1 Knit Top (for my sister)
1 Dress (for my sister)

I have also stoned a pre-made shirt for skating, and done various mending and assorted other skating projects.  That is over 36 sewing projects, and probably closer to 45-50 total projects if you include all of the small mending and assorted other things.  Of all of this sewing, only 3 things were for me.  Three!

So, basically, I am a bit tired of sewing what other people want me to sew, when they want me to sew it.  That includes past me.  Yes, at the time it was fun to plan out sewing projects and think about what I was going to sew all year long.  But I wasn't anticipating spending a good third of my year sewing costumes for other people.  And I have, yet again, missed the entire season of summer sewing.  I really need summer clothes you guys!  In looking over my year-long sewing plans I realized I would have to skip over a lot of projects I really, really wanted to make.  And I don't want to wait until next year to make them.  So I won't.  I'm officially throwing in my sewing challenge towel.  Especially since I know I already have costume orders for next year, so I don't even know if I would get to my projects next year even if I wanted to.  So instead I am taking the rest of the year to sew for me.  I mean, sure, I have some projects that need to get done for my sister, and sure, I have some mending that has been sitting around since March.  And yes, my sewing space is a sparkly mess with glitter and sequin fragments everywhere, so I probably will spend at least a week cleaning before I even get around to sewing actual projects BUT when I get there I am going to make what I want when I want as the fancy hits me.  Right now my fancy is telling me to make up some Burda patterns I have had traced since the beginning of March, and to fix a zipper on my birthday dress that has been on the dress form since a full week before my birthday *mumblecoughfourmonthsmumblecough* ago.  Oh, and I am going to make a fancy dress from the June Burda magazine.  And the jacket I wanted from last year.  And maybe some shorts.  And pants!  I need pants.  And PJs!  I could use a lot of quick knit tops too.  Sigh.  So many things I want to make.  But now at least I have some time to make them.

Right now at the top of my to-sew list are:

(1) Finish my "birthday" dress - I just need to fix the zipper and hem it!

(2) Mending and hemming.  I just need to get this stuff out of my sewing room!  Especially since the clothes aren't even mine.

(3) Summer dress for my sister:

S1801 - Summer dress.

I know I am supposed to be sewing for me, but I have had the fabric since last year and the pattern traced since March, so I feel like I owe it to her.

(4) Spring/Summer dress for me:

BS-03-2013-114

I don't usually wear halter dresses, but when I saw this in the magazine I had to have it!  I already traced the pattern, and I bought the six yards of fabric I need to make it.  And I get to have my first experiment with boning!  I want to get it out of the stash and into my wardrobe.  Oh, and I want to take a fun twirly picture of me in that skirt.  That might have something to do with it too...

(5) Lightweight summer jacket:

BS-06-2012-121

I have been wanting to make this since the issue came out last year.  It is well past time, so even if I can only wear it for a month after it gets done, it is jumping up on my to-sew list.

(6) Maxi Dress

BS-02-2013-115

I haven't been very on board with the whole maxi dress trend, but then one of my friends was wearing one and looked awesome, and then I saw some cool fabric and thought of this pattern, and then I saw a few examples of this made up and now I really want one!  Hopefully if I can make it I can still wear it through the end of September at least before the temperatures change.

(7) Lace Cardigan

BS-03-2013-107A

Everyone has been making this cardigan, and I think it is my turn!  I have had this traced since March, and it shouldn't take too much effort to sew, and if I like it I will probably make a few more "winter appropriate" versions.

(8) Another LBD

BS-06-2013-101B

I have been obsessed with this dress since June (well, since the May preview really) and I finally found some nice (and affordable) stretch silk to make it up with.  I am excited for this one you guys!

(9) Mid-weight Fall Jacket

BWOF-08-2006-101B

Right now I have warm coats and light sweaters and not much in between.  I have some blue corduroy, so it will look a lot like the photo, minus the breast pockets.

(10) More skating costumes for me!  My set of practice outfits are pretty worn out by this point (you know when lycra starts to go bad and feels all sticky and gross even when it is clean and dry?), and I really need some more.  Didn't really want to do more skating stuff for a while, but I can't deny the need for it.

(11) PJs!  Another sewing need.  I have about three bottoms I should just toss (we are talking hole-y rags and safety pins here people) but I don't think I can really do that until I have a few replacements.

So, yeah, I am giving up on my sewing challenge.  But most of the things I want to make right now were on that list to begin with, so I guess it isn't a total failure?  And that also means I can get back to blogging my sewing projects.  Right now I am terribly behind in book review posts, and I feel bad about the long pause in the skating dress tutorial posts.  And I haven't been very good about confessing my fabric buys lately either.  Oh, and showing off my sister's graduation dress, and my skating costumes for this year.  So with any luck I will have a bit more time for the blogging of things, hopefully with some finished garment photos soon!