Unsticking Myself

Folks, I’ve been stuck. Not feeling like myself, but somehow unable to do the things that would make me feel “me”. Namely, blogging, buying fabric or sewing!

For the last two nights I tried to sew a dress for my cousin’s wedding this weekend… but using a slippery, shiny polyester for the first time was not a smart choice! It’s an unfinished mumu at this point, doomed to be a UFO forever. (Pretty fabric though - teal and purple painterly fabric. Might eventually make it a skirt?) 

I tried to use this pattern, which I’ve made before… but attempting to draft my own facings resulted in a huge, wide, gaping neckline! FAIL.

I’m also noticing a change in the kind of clothes I want to wear. Since I started sewing last winter, I’ve been using a lot of quilting cottons and fairly sturdy denims and twills. I guess I’ve finally read enough blog articles saying “Don’t wear quilting cottons!” that i’ve lost faith in my choices… Which is too bad, because look at this pretty little quilting cotton project under way: 

It’s an Alma-blouse Washi-tape Dress! Almost finished for 2 weeks, can’t find the energy to sew the sleeves on and hem it!

With the plethora of bloggers recently preaching wardrobe planning and everyday basics, I’m suddenly feeling like I need to assess my wardrobe as a whole, and think critically about my style. These days, I’d rather put on a comfy knit shirt than a constraining woven dress… Here’s my favourite outfit I came up with lately:

That’s me and my sister at the KW Knitter’s Fair… I made her model all of the lovely knits she had on display at the Guild sample table! She is both awesome and prolific!) 

I’m wearing a pair of bright coral jeans that I modified from low-rise to comfy pull-on mom-jeans. I’m wearing a me-made stripey tank and a me-made felt broach, and I felt both comfy and cute all day! I need more outfits like this in my wardrobe. 

Which brings me to the fabric shopping dilemma! Should I buy voile and lawn for blouses? Should I buy double knits and learn to make classic, versatile dresses? Or should I buy insano knits and make crazy t-shirts to wear with a cardigan? 

I’ve loaded up more online shopping carts than I care to count… but I finally pushed send on these lovely knits from Girl Charlee: 

I’m planning shirts with the chevron, floral stripe, and the bird fabric (I’ve been envying other bloggers that bird fabric for ages!). The sweater knit is going to be an experimental draped cardigan, based on a RTW sweater I like.

I like the graphic nature of all of the prints, and that they are neutral enough to go with lots of cardigans over top! I’m hoping that these fabrics fit perfectly into my wardrobe to round it out, while still being a fun replacement for the bright print dresses I used to wear to work. 

That’s enough rattling on from me - How about you? Do you the trends in blogging influence your ideas of style? Have you noticed any changes in what you want to wear/sew lately? Please tell me I’m not the only one so susceptible to peer pressure!