One Saving Grace

It was a little harder than I thought, getting this blog off the ground. The original project I had in mind, V8390, is a pretty easy vogue pattern that I thought I could turn out in an afternoon with some of my already on hand fabric stash. As it turned out, the front is fully faced and that meant it needed almost 3 yards of knit fabric. Nothing I had was suitable, I usually pick up 1 1/2 - 2 yards of knits, thinking tank or tee when I buy them.



This led me back through my pattern collection to see what I could make with what I had on hand, until I could go shopping. I came up with one of Christina Jonson's Patterns called Base Wear Two. I chose the sleeveless turtleneck. I love these and usually have quite a few in my closet in different colors. This one I made in black to replace one that has faded over time. It gave me an opportunity to try out Christina's fit (the arm hole seemed quite large and had to be adjusted for my size), and to use a twin needle finish. Remember, I did say it has been years since I spent a lot of time sewing.


All of this was an eye opener. I had spent time totally organizing patterns and made 3 pattern books to keep track of everything. This was fun but very time consuming. I copied fronts and backs of envelopes and organized by categories (skirts, shirts, pants etc.) Then I boxed and organized all the patterns by pattern company. Now I need to take control of the fabric stash. I have already sorted it and have a pretty good idea of what I need to do. I just have to find a system that I like and makes the most sense for me. I will probably create a catalog of reference with fabric content, cleaning instructions and amount on hand of course.


I have a long stretch with no days off at work, V8390 cut and started, and a new view on planning and organizing the next project. Oops, I almost forgot the most important thing: I need to have a more realistic view of what I can hope to accomplish with 10-20 minutes here and there to sew.