Happy New Year! I must admit the year hasn’t started according to plan, as we have been self isolating with positive cases at home and we’ve also been short-staffed at work. I’ve been fine but there hasn’t been much time to do anything other than get through the day and my sewing machine has remained almost untouched since I finished my last project, the Make by TFS Poppy coat. In the meantime I’ve been putting some sewing plans together, with fabric from my stash. Here are a few of my favourites which I’m planning to use (you can find the links at the bottom of the images).
Last year I kept up with a no fabric buying pledge until my birthday (which is in May) – with just a couple of slip ups!- and I’m planning to do the same this year, and if possible really limit or not buy fabric at all this year. I am adding favourite fabrics to a Pinterest board so I can find them again later, but actually I find it best to focus my attention elsewhere to avoid temptation. I have been spending more time reading and knitting as a result which feels more productive! I am also going to go through my favourite projects and photos from trips in the past year and write them up as blog posts so that they have a more permanent home than on Instagram.
I have a few cold weather projects to make, including a quilted jacket which has been on my list for years, but have a few blouses and dresses planned which I’m really looking forward to making. I’m getting to the point where I really don’t need any more clothes so may focus on some other slow crafts like knitting and embroidery. I’d also like to finish a few projects, including an Anna Maria Horner tapestry kit which I’ve had for years and a couple of quilts.
I use Trello to organise my projects, as I can sort them month by month and add dates for deadlines which I find useful. I do tend to be a bit unrealistic in setting plans for each month, for example I’ve added 6-7 for January but its clear that I will probably only end up making 2 or 3 projects at my current rate. I think having a large stash does make me feel a sense of pressure that I need to sew it more quickly, so I’d like to get to the point where it is reasonable and work on not wanting to make absolutely everything!
Hi. I was googling knitting groups in penge and your blog popped up. Did you get your group started, and if so do you still meet up? I’d love to join. Nicola
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Hi Nicola! Yes we ran the group for quite some time but then I couldn’t go regularly as my children were small. If you’re thinking about restarting one I’m sure there would be some interest!