I'm not really one for making new year's resolutions, but I do enjoy looking back at the year, everything I did and everything I made. 2018 is especially interesting, because I started a new job in January and shifted from part-time to full-time hours, which obviously had an effect on the time and energy I could devote to sewing. Work habits are super interesting to me, so I was genuinely excited to compare tallies at the end of the year.
In 2017 I made 41 garments (33 for myself); last year I made 26 (22 for myself).
Now, some of those makes were intense, like four pairs of jeans and four button-ups (including a men's shirt), and I counted five pairs of underwear as one make. I also didn't include all the baby quilts, bags, bibs and teethers I made as gifts because I was counting just clothing, for some arbitrary reason.
Still, that's a significant difference considering I worked only a day and half more than I did when I was part-time. But more than the actual time lost, I think it was the energy level that affected me the most. The new job had a steep learning curve and required a lot more brain power than my previous position, so I was usually too tapped-out in the evenings, and when summer came, I was much more interested in relaxing outside on my weekends. You will likely have noticed that my blog suffered as well. If I had the time and energy to do something, I didn't want to spend it back on my computer — I wanted to sew! You understand.
The best part is that I can use this information to plan for the year ahead. Knowing I can only manage about two garments a month will help me keep the ambitious sewing lists shorter. That's the hope, anyways. Haha! I'm also hoping that a couple of sewing "challenges" will help in the same way.
I was pretty sure I wasn't going to participate in the Make 9 challenge again this year. I was moderately successful last year, completing five and starting three.
Honestly, I pretty much forgot about it for half the year. I think I learned that I am a much more seasonal sewist, motivated by making fresh lists a few times a year. This is why when I heard about the Seasonal Sew 3 challenge (created by the Sew Altered Style ladies), I knew it would be perfect for me. I divided up my notebook into four boxes and started filling them in... and it felt so right. I felt organized, calm and overwhelmed-free.
Then a funny thing happened. I realized I already had nine garments picked out for the year. Haha! I can do two challenges at once, right? It actually makes a lot of sense, if you think about it. Macro and micro. One big picture goal and a bunch of bite-sized lists to keep me checking in and adjusting if necessary. I'm into it.
* Seasonal Sew 3 picks for rest of the Winter.
