Thursday, January 2, 2014

The year ahead: crafting goals for 2014


1 Sew a tailored jacket. I've been signed up for Gertie's starlet suit jacket course on craftsy.com (unfortunately no longer for sale) for a few years now. It's time to actually complete this course! I really want to learn to be better at making jackets. I've made a few from Burda and the big 4, but none have ever really turned out that well (and hence ever made it onto the blog). There are a few stashed vintage jacket patterns and burdastyle magazine patterns that I would love to make up, and I'm hoping this course will give me the confidence to attempt more jacket sewing. First jacket is by Dear Creatures the second is Simplicity 8453 from the 1950s.

2 Sew for other people. I've gotten pretty good at fitting patterns to my body, now it's time to branch out and learn how to fit on others. I have a first project already planned for this, a Negroni dress shirt for my boyfriend. I've had this pattern in my stash since some time in 2011? Too long. This project will be extra satisfying as my boyfriend has a hard to fit body type and a nearly impossible time finding shirts that fit right (medium in width extra large in length).


3 Sew more from my stash. I've got quite the horde going on, to the point where I feel a bit like Smaug in the Hobbit (excuse me while I nerd out a bit), surrounded by my treasure trove. It's messy. I have fabrics that have been in my stash for over a decade (!). I live in a one bedroom apartment with my boyfriend. That shelf in the picture is in our living room (and is only a fraction of my collection). I think I'm going to follow along with the stash diet: 2014. All fabrics currently in my collection as of the beginning of January count as "stash". I will be allowed to buy notions / linings etc. as needed, and new fabric for every 3rd project if I want to. If I special order fabric online, I can buy an accompanying piece of fabric. If I go on vacation to somewhere with a nice fabric shop I can buy a few pieces of fabric (although not a huge problem, when I went to New York this past summer I didn't even make it to Mood. I love fabric but I love the Met more [I love the Met a lot]).

4 Do more remakes, and finish UFOs. Related to the goal above. One large part of my sewing mess or more charitably 'stash' is things that I want to refashion or have not finished. Hopefully this is the year I can finally get around to it.



5 And finally, learn to knit from vintage patterns. 2013 was the year I finally learned Fair Isle (from this amazing course even though my vest turned out too short and needs to have the ribbing lengthened).This year I want to learn to knit from vintage patterns. I have my eye on this cardigan, and a copy of Vintage Design Workshop, which so far looks awesome and has the level of hand-holding I feel I need for this undertaking.

If I somehow manage to complete all these goals I will consider 2014 a year well spent. Here's hoping.

5 comments:

  1. Hi Laurel: I made the Starlet Suit Jacket (I've blogged on it extensively) and I have to warn you to stay away from the pattern - even if you use the instructions (which are quite sound). It's really not well-drafted - that's one of the reasons, I think, that the course was removed from the roster. The other reason is that Gertie and Craftsy parted ways on this course and she is no longer available to provide feedback.

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    1. Thanks for the heads up! That project would be a frustrating one to lose time on. I think I'll look for a similar style jacket pattern so I can still follow her course, I found the bombshell course really improved my sewing skills. I had heard something about the reasons the course was no longer offered, but only the part about craftsy and gertie parting ways, not that the pattern was poorly drafted.

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    2. Well, that's my perspective on the drafting (and there aren't a lot of finished versions though perhaps some would disagree with me). I sense the main reason that they parted ways, on that course at any rate, because she wasn't responding to comments and questions. But I'm not in the know. I've extrapolated from a variety of things...

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    3. I've watched some of the videos and to me it looks like so long as the jacket pattern I use has welt pockets and a two part collar I'll get the full benefit of the course, so that's likely what I'll end up doing.

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