Sunday, January 1, 2017

My Sewing Story/Aspirations for 2017

Happy New Year!


Welcome to 2017 everyone! I hope it finds you in good health, and full of peace, hope, love, and JOY!

For 2017 I have decided to aim at posting more on my blog (whether I have sewn items or not).  So, I wanted to start the year off with my very own sewing story. This post is about how I got started, and I will finish by telling you some of my goals for the year.

Well, let me start by saying that those of you who had a mom, aunt, grandma, or other mentor to teach you how to sew are so blessed! For me, that did not exist. NO ONE in my family sewed. Not a single one. Yet, somehow when I was a little girl in middle school, I told my best friend that I one day wanted to have a family and sew all of my children's clothes. Yikes! Where did that come from?

In 2006, after being married for a year, my dream came true. I gave birth to my son, took my very first sewing class, and made him a baby blanket:



Those were the days I remember that sewing was not easy for me, lol! I bought "easy" patterns, but I couldn't figure out why they weren't as "easy" as they described. I understood basic sewing foundation, like sewing right sides together, and lining up seamlines, but it seemed as though the rest was a foreign language to me.


I did a few small projects here and there, but didn't really begin to sew again until I got pregnant with my daughter in 2008.  She was born in 2009, and I have been sewing off and on ever since!  Somewhere in there I started this blog, and I have been able to use my sewing to treat myself, my family, friends, and many others!!

Sweet dress I made for my friend's daughter

But you know what the BEST thing is??!?!?  Lean in close and I will tell you...the BEST part is my sewing is still growing--still developing and maturing as I seek to learn new things and apply them in my life!



That brings me to my aspirations for 2017.  I would love to share them with you for accountability, AND I will be putting them on a tab on this blog site for reference.  They are as follows:

SEWING ASPIRATIONS FOR 2017
  • Use what I have! I never fully avail myself to the sewing resources I already own: Burda, Ottobre, My Image, and Sew Now magazines, Sewing books with patterns inside, and patterns from the Big 4 (WHEW, that's a lot!)
  • Sew something for my kids every couple of months. They love it, and so do I!
  • Sew for my husband! He has expressed his desire for ties, and maybe a vest or shirt.  I avoid his requests at times because he is picky!! But, certainly starting small wouldn't be bad.
  • Sew for life events. This year has a few special times that I would like to create something for. My brother is getting married in October. I will definitely need a nice formal dress for then. Also, I used to sew my daughter an Easter dress. That would be nice to do again. I also would love to sew some items for our holiday photo in December, and possibly my birthday in June.
  • Finish at least four of my Craftsy classes! Again, I have a lot of great resources, including some Craftsy classes I have piled up from sales over last year. It is time to get movin'!
  • Copy RTW styles I love! I don't know how many times I have seen a style in the store that I knew I could recreate at home, with a better fit.  
  • Enter a Patternreview contest. I participated in one, and submitted a cute top and legging set I sewed for my niece, but I haven't entered one since. It would be fun, and there are lots of different themes.
  • Draft a pair of pants. If you remember, I have a Craftsy class for that, and am really interested in learning basic drafting techniques for sewing.
There are also some garments I would like to create this year:
  1. Jackets
  2. Blazers
  3. Coat
  4. Button down shirt
  5. Dresses
  6. Jeans
  7. Dress pants
  8. Cargo pants
  9. Bermuda Shorts
There you have it! I have been mulling over this plan for the last couple of months, and am happy with what I came up with. I know my real issue is getting the time to sew, and I have recruited help from my hubby. He has agreed to watch our "littlest bit" for a few hours on some days so I can accomplish some things.

Another promising development is that I found a sewing buddy! She is a neighbor of mine, and we will be putting some days on the calendar to get together and sew.

If you have never sewn, but are interested in getting started, I hope I have inspired you to realize that you can do it! Set a goal, and follow through! There are local sewing classes, community groups, Craftsy classes, Youtube tutorials, and even sew-alongs you can join.  Your journey doesn't have to be perfect, it only has to be your own.


Stay sew-filled!

10 comments:

  1. Happy 2017 Vanessa!!!

    So excited for your fun-filled year of sewing! I think it's so important to make time for your hobby. Even though you have a very full life with little ones! It's amazing what a little bit of time can do. And YAY! For a sewing buddy! That will be fun for you!

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  2. Loved your touching sewing story. Looking forward to seeing your new 2017 makes!

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  3. Your family is so lucky to have you -- love that story. I sew regularly for stress relief but sometimes blogging falls to the wayside -- that is my goal to blog consistently!

    Happy New Year!!

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  4. A sewing buddy sounds great! And using what you have sounds like a great plan - we all collect so much, time to put it to good use! Happy New Year!!

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  5. Happy New Year Vanessa! It was cool to read how you got into sewing!! :)

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  6. Great story Vanessa and so happy you kept at it because you're really good! I so look forward to your 2017 creations! Happy New Year!

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  7. "Your journey doesn't have to be perfect, it only has to be your own."

    This line is the truth! If more of us realized that we would probably be happier with our sewing! I loved your story and Happy New Year!

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  8. I really enjoyed this post. It's nice to learn how others got into the sewing process. I also plan on learning more this year. Finding time to sew is also a challenge but I just try to do what I can. I look forward to seeing what you make this year. I hope you'll have a wonderful and blessed 2017!

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  9. Great post as always my friend! I can't wait to see all the many wonderful things you will create this year! ~ keiva

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