2015 Sewing Goals [6 Month Check]

OK, we’re nearly 7 months through the year but I planned on doing this at the end of June and time flew by…

Those of you who have been with me a while may remember me setting myself some sewing goals at the start of the year. This is quite a popular thing to do in the blogosphere. (I wonder how everyone else is getting on?)

So now I think it’s time I checked over my progress so far this year. There’s nothing like a bit of public declaration to spur me on to completing them all…

Here are the things I proposed to accomplish this year:

Sew something every week. Finish a project and start another. Just keep sewing all year!

Yes, I’m definitely on track with this. In fact I have too many on the go…

Use A LOT of the fabric from my stash before buying new. This means I need to make some small things because I have a lot of fabric about the size of fat quarters but not a lot that’s bigger than 1m. I don’t have a big stash compared to a lot of other bloggers, but I also don’t have a big house!!

Ummm….. I might quietly pass this one. I have acquired some huge mountains these last couple of months!! In fact the postman just delivered me 4 more metres…

Make a quilt. That’ll use some small bits up 🙂

Whoops, I’ve not started this yet. Only 5 months to go until my deadline. Will I do it?!

Refashion a few items I have hanging around – a (stretchy!) maxi skirt, a sweatshirt, some t-shirts.

I have done a bit of refashioning. I refashioned that sweatshirt, and some jeans into girls’ dungarees. I think that’s all I’ve done! I was going to start refashioning the maxi skirt into kids’ leggings but abandoned it before I even started cutting!

Make my daughter a costume for World Book Day instead of sticking her in a ready-made one (unless her favourite book is genuinely one of which she already owns a costume for!) [Never have I done this!]

Hooray, a bit fat YES! I did this! If you weren’t following me back in March, you have to see this!

Sew with knits. Make a Coco dress and/or top like everyone else in the sewing world!

I made a Coco dress! I’ve made a Plantain top, a wiggle dress and a Morris blazer. I’ve just made a skater skirt in a lovely rich purple jersey that I’ll share with you one day!

Tilly & The Buttons Coco Dress

Deer & Doe Plantain Top

Eva Wiggle Dress

Try some embroidery. The little bundle of embroidery skeins that came in my Sewing Santa gift really was the little push I needed to try embroidery. I have embroidered in the past – years ago – but I have never actually embroidered a whole picture. I have done some little cross stitches in the past, actually… you can make really sweet motif etc., can’t you. And I will this year!

I have made some progress with this. I sewed this sweet hoop in lazy daisy stitch months ago but never got round to sharing it!

The link for the free pattern I used is here if you’re interested! I used lazy daisy stitch, French knots, and bog-standard back stitch for it.

You may have seen my embroidery on my sister’s apron, too, and my daughter’s dungarees. Oh, and the cute flowers on the skirt I spent ages on only to find I’d messed up the sizing!

Hello Kitty chain stitch

Embroidered flower stem stitch & straight stitch

“Beautifully polished” stem stitch

I should sit down and embroider something again soon, because it’s nice and relaxing!

And a bit of studying when my hands need a rest: learn more about different fabric types. I learnt everything in school but remember very little of the jargon now. I do find it hard to buy the right fabric for dressmaking.

I think I’m getting more knowledgable about different fabric types. I think it’s partly due to me buying a lot!!

I think that’ll do! Oh, one more – finish a project before starting another one!! Ha, I will try!

Erm, I certainly haven’t achieved this one! But I didn’t think I would. Which sewist actually does?!

***

I don’t think I’ve done too badly.

Must start work on that quilt, though!

And stop buying fabric!

Beth x