Thoughts While Sewing - Fall/Winter 2025

I've written a number of these posts over the years on this subject.

I love these words from a December 2015 post:

I love the space I occupy when I'm knee deep into a sewing vacay.  I love how my mind starts to clear out the driftwood of life - those concerns that overburden us - and makes way for the soul cleansing that spending time being creative brings me.

Lately I've had similar thoughts now that I've started sewing again.

• I'm making way more mistakes now than I have in a long time.  One is definitely fitting challenges. My body has changed on me yet again. My mind is working to keep up and not doing a very good job. I still see myself as heavier than I actually am.
• Recently pulled a pattern and almost rejected it because the finished hip width was 53 inches. I thought too much work to add 12 inches. Measured myself and almost passed out. I only needed to add 3 inches and that was for ease. So yes, I'm using the pattern.
• I hate cutting out interfacing.  I don't know why but it's right up there with cutting out fabric. Not a favorite.
• My coworker showed me a cartoon from Reddit about a man using his wife sewing shears.  She innocently asked me if I had two pairs of scissors, too?  I laughed so hard and told her basically yes.  But in actuality I probably own 10 pairs of scissors that I use for various functions. She was shocked.  I had to use my painter & paintbrushes/paints analogy for her to get it.
• I'm sewing so I've been buying more fabric.  Why is that?  It's not like I don't have PLENTY of raw materials to use already! But fabric's siren song has been calling to me and I've been answering.
• I'm finally taking my time. Yes, I need some new pieces BUT I really want to enjoy this sewing journey. I'm making samples. I'm not forcing myself to sew. If I want to, good.  If I'm not feeling it, that's fine too.  I don't want to scare my sewjo away.. I like having that part of myself back.
• I'm concerned about how the tariffs are going to affect sewists abilities to purchase items we need to sew.  So much is made overseas or in Mexico. Shop after shop were issuing tariff updates and it worries me because how will new sewists get the materials they need. Or even someone who is sewing because it's cheaper than purchasing new.  Not all sewists shop at Walmart & Target. 
• Even after a trip to Lancaster, PA where everything is cheaper than in the metropolitan area where I live, the prices have gone up.  Buttons that I purchased in bags of a dozen use to be 98 cents are now $1.39 or higher. 
• Which brings me to my sewing spaces.  Because I turned my loft into sewing storage, I realized after I visited it the other day, that I own a lot of everything.  Trim, zippers, bias bindings, elastics, thread, zippers, patterns...I've collected them all.  Yes, they are nicely stored away but there is a lot of it.
• I want to make a couple vests for fall.  I've gathered a variety of patterns and comprised a list of fabrics I want to use.  This should be fun.  I've made several vests over the years, and a couple are still in my wardrobe. 
• I also want to make lounge wear for this fall/winter. I get cold very easily, and even though I dislike wearing pants at home, I want to make some lounge wear with oversized tops and wide leg pants.  I have plenty of patterns and just added some cozy wear fabric to the collection after a recent trip to Lancaster, PA.

We're coming into that time of the year where we can just stay inside and chill. I'm looking forward to the upcoming months because I'm sewing again and I have time off from work that I can use to create.  While I don't need much, I do want some new things, and to spread my creative wings so I'm going to sew.  

I am taking it back to a lot of what I've previously made, reusing patterns that have already been fitted with some fabric from the collection and some new pieces. Not many new patterns interest me these days.  Either I already own something like it or it doesn't fit my lifestyle now.  All that to say, I'm not sewing a lot of trends. I want this to be a season of using what I have especially since I've spent decades accumulating it!

As we approach Thanksgiving week, I'm off for most of the week and will be creating, so hopefully more to share with you soon!  To everyone who celebrates this holiday, I hope you have a wonderful time with friends & family, eat a lot of good food, and enjoy this time.

photo credit: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/when-is-thanksgiving-day

 

...as always more later!