I must admit dear readers, that I am quite the planner. I love to make lists, jot down ideas, and have the perfect plan in place. I must also admit that I absolutely terrible at sticking to all of the plans that I make. I can have a plan for every piece of fabric I own, and in the end maybe one piece of fabric will have followed the path I set forth for it in the original plan. Regardless of the fact that I never stick to my lists, I still enjoy making them for some odd reason.
Lately though I have been thinking a lot about my fall and winter sewing. I think it would be wise to at least have a vague idea of what I want to sew for the upcoming seasons. You see, I have been entertaining the crazy idea of making a coat this winter. Nothing too detailed or exciting, but just a simple coat that doesn't need three months worth of tailoring and ten miles of thread to pad stitch with. I suppose my recent acquisition of some wool is to blame for this sudden desire. I have also came to the realization that if I truly wish to make a coat, I am going to have to put some forethought into it if I want to finish it while it's still cold out. Don't get your hopes up dear readers, since this may not be one of my fantasy projects that comes to fruition anytime soon.
When I am not day dreaming about sewing a coat, I've been dreaming about sewing pieces to match things that are already in my wardrobe. I have lots of cute jackets and the like that I just don't seem to own the "perfect" shirt to accompany. It would be so amazing to reach into the closet, pull out a jacket, and know that there are coordinating pieces to match. So, I suppose my other tentative sewing plan is to make pieces to match the loners in my closet.
Oh, so many plans and so little time! So, readers, I want to hear from you. Do you plan your sewing or do your prefer to wing it? Do you make lists and rarely stick to them like me? Are you a meticulous planner who already knows what they'll be sewing in 2012? I want to hear your lovely thoughts!
In the past I was pretty willy nilly about my sewing plans, and my lack of finished projects is a testament to how well that works. Due to my current circumstances (moving to another country) I've had to really buckle down and plan. I find I really like it and I think it will really increase my productivity.
ReplyDeleteI also want to make a coat this fall. I finally realized that 4 animal print coats doesn't cut it. Sometimes you really just need a solid color. So my goal for the fall is to sew a black trench coat. A fairly lofty goal for me. Perhaps we can help keep each other accountable. :)
PS: I should have a post on wardrobe planning up on my blog soon if you want to take a look. :)
When I get fabric, I usually have a plan for it or a pattern I want to use it with. As for actually knocking out said project... erm.... yeah. My ambitions exceed my time. Some fabric (for skating costumes) I buy way far in advance (like 2-3 years...) because I never know when I will find something unique. Since we have a fairly regular competitive season each year, I do try to plan out my skating sewing fairly rigidly.
ReplyDeleteAs for other types of fabric... I usually buy with a plan in mind, but I get distracted by other things, or my projects take longer than I expected, or don't turn out and I have to remake them... Yeah.
So to keep all of these things from bouncing about in my brain, I keep several sewing lists. One is for upcoming projects I want to make, and while I try to stick to the list, it isn't rigid, and things move up and down as necessary. I also keep a list of Burda magazine patterns I want to make, so I can remember what I liked in each issue.
However, I don't really do much wardrobe planning. I don't really think about clothes for various seasons as much as many people do because our seasonal weather shifts are quite a bit more mild here. So what I might consider dead of winter sewing, someone else would probably consider early fall. I do try to make things I think I would use in the near future, but this year I have done so much sewing for special events, I haven't done a lot of sewing with the intent of wardrobe building. Sadly, most of the clothes in my wardrobe are rather ill fitting at the moment (when you can pull on jeans without undoing the zipper or the button, it is time for new jeans). On the other hand, I have gotten so picky with fit I don't want to buy new clothes because in many cases I could make it so it fit better.
So I guess this is my plan for the rest of summer: sew up some pants that I need in a few weeks, then make my sister a winter coat. By that point, it will probably be fall. If I have time I might whip up a skirt for her before she leaves. Although I have been wanting to make myself a coat, I think after all of the complicated projects I have done in the first half of the year (and sewing for other people...), I will probably want to try some tops that I can wear year-round, and also various pants patterns that I have been dreaming about since April. Long-term projects include a rain coat and a wool coat, but I think some instant gratification type projects are in order this fall.
I can relate to this. I was just thinking the other day about planning my fall wardrobe and saw your post on the same. Now that I'm sewing a lot, I want to plan for my fall-winter wardrobe and get some nice clothes made for the fall. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteI love to make list but like you I rarely make what I plan because I can't stick to my fabric choices.
ReplyDeleteOh my god, I am like that too. I make countless list and plans but often deviate from them, lol.
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