Mid-Year's Resolutions

The year keeps racing by! I've been busy at work, at home, in the yard, and in the sewing room, but not so busy on the blog. I'm having the usual mid-year crisis--the days are getting shorter and winter is coming. How will I have time to make all the things, let along blog about them?

Clearly the answer is not to make all the things, at least not all at once. I keep on pursuing balance, in work and in life in general. To me this implies some kind of contentment with each area of responsibility or enjoyment--I may not be the best, but I can be good enough to satisfy myself (usually easier said than done).

Acknowledging the need to set reasonable expectations given the limitations on my time, should I continue to blog? I'm not the only person in sewing blog-land to ask this question. I think the answer depends on why I'm blogging. To impress others? To be part of the sewing community? To document my work as a sewist?

If my goal is impressing others, I certainly need to work on widening my readership--I'm not impressing very many folks based on my Blogger statistics. 😉 I'm not here to compete or one-up other sewists. There will always be more accomplished and/or more prolific bloggers, most with way better pictures. As far as being part of the sewing community, that's part of it, though Instagram is probably a more realistic way to accomplish this goal. Photographic documentation of my sewing and a chance to reflect on what I've learned is the main reason I started this blog.

So, here's what I've sewn so far this year (for me unless otherwise noted). I will try to write a quick blog post about each item (or group of items) and add a hyperlink when it's completed.

• Black floral polyester crepe tiered midi skirt (Simplicity 8305)
• Black floral polyester crepe bias cut sleeveless top (Simplicity 2614)
• Burgundy faux suede waistcoat (BurdaStyle 02/2017 #101)
• Gray and red floral silk blouse (Itch to Stitch Zamora)
• Burgundy crepe de chine long-sleeved top (BurdaStyle 10/2017 #116)
• Navy floral pleated skirt (self-drafted)
• Navy floral button-up shirt (McCall's 4992 heavily modified)
• Tie-dye T shirts for my boys (Burda 9439)
• Boot cut jeans for my husband (1083 101 Le Droit)
• Boho Style knit polyester crepe skirt (Sewaholic Hollyburn)
• Boho Style knit polyester crepe tank top (Itch to Stitch Lago)
• Navy rib knit long sleeve pullover (Seamwork Astoria)
• Coral rib knit 3/4 sleeve pullover (Seamwork Astoria)
• Coral rib knit sleeveless dress (Itch to Stitch Lago hack)
• Black wool suiting cigarette pants (BurdaStyle 10/2017 #113)
• Taupe wide-leg cropped pants (Butterick 6183)
• Navy and white striped Breton top (Tessuti Mandy Boat Tee)
• Navy and white striped Breton top for my mom (Tessuti Mandy Boat Tee)
• Blue/teal/coral printed cotton gauze sundress (Sew Sew Def Jessica)

Along the lines of goal-setting for the year, here's my #2018makenine (chosen in January; documented now for the first time):

1. 1083 101 Le Droit men's bootleg jeans
2. BurdaStyle 10/2017 #113 cigarette pants
3. Butterick 6183 wide-leg pants
4. Closet Case Ginger Jeans
5. True Bias Lander Pants
6. Butterick 5526 button-up shirt
7. Itch to Stitch Lago Tank
8. Seamwork Astoria Pullover
9. Tessuti Mandy Boat Tee

I'm using these 9 patterns as a core group to solidify my me-make wardrobe. As you can see, there are no skirts or dresses in the line-up. I'm trying to add pants and versatile, neutral-ish tops to my closet. This choice was vindicated during MeMadeMay, when I participated (unofficially) by wearing only me-mades on the bottom half for work. At the beginning of the month, I had only 1 pair of pants, and often needed to pair my fun me-made skirts with RTW shirts, many of which are getting worn out. I'm hoping to slowly phase RTW out of my wardrobe (after I get all the use I can out of each item of clothing--I don't want to throw out/donate pieces that are working perfectly well for me). 6/9 patterns are done already, and the year is just half over, so I am well on track!

What about you? Are you someone who enjoys making sewing plans, or do you find a list of goals too overwhelming or too constraining?