This year I'm not taking a week off to sew since my firm has summer fridays. Our offices close at 1pm on Fridays so I decided to take 1/2 vacation days for July and work from home during August. That way I will have a summer of 3 day weekends - plenty of time to create and also have a few adventures with my daughter and the grandkids!
My first weekend was this four day weekend due to Independence Day falling on a Monday. After a quick trip to the grocery store Friday afternoon, I've pretty much been in the sewing cave the entire time. Now I know this is a big "outdoors" holiday but I honestly hate these days. There's always so much traffic, so many people and so much involved in getting to and from the beach, the fireworks, etc. that I no longer enjoy going.
However, I have had the most relaxing weekend in the sewing cave and quite a few new pieces to wear to work.
So this is what I made this weekend ~
Three t-shirt dresses from McCalls 7348:
A maxidress refashioned from a tank top, a TNT dress from a great linen print and a tank top.
Here's a pic of all seven pieces:
I have a back log of garments to be photographed and talked about here on the blog. Due to the holiday weekend, pics won't be taken until next Sunday so everything will show up on the blog after that.
I had a great weekend! It was relaxing, creatively fulfilling AND I added some much needed variety to my wardrobe. I have a lot of McCalls 6559 dresses from last summer but I'm already bored wearing them. It will be nice to wear some new pieces. Also my to-sew list has a few more "DONE's" on it which is always encouraging!!!
...as always more later!
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.
- The way I feel about sewing and who I want to be when sewing has changed now that I work a job that I love. While sewing has always been a creative haven, it's no longer a refuge from a cruel work space but a totally uplifting and healing space.
- I worry that I won't be as creative now that I don't have dresses to sew. I'm thinking that I will turn my dress ideas into tunics to wear over leggings and slim legged pants while I wait out the winter...cause dresses and skirts are worn all the time in the spring & summer in the office.
- This fitting each and every pattern is a new thing to me. There are sooooo many steps to make before I can get to the good part - the sewing!
- My sewing is not perfect. Honestly, I'm not even striving for perfect. I'm striving to be the best I can be...and of course that changes from year to year. As I learn more, gain more experience, and figure out what I'm really good, at my goals change. However, perfect is not one of those goals.
- When I get into the zone, I don't want to leave the sewing cave. I know I'm in the zone when the fabric tells me something different than I imagined when I decided to make the garment. That's when magic happens - hahahahaha! Seriously though that's when the unique details get added to garments.
- I use to make notes while sewing a garment. Now I start a blog post and drop my info right into the post. I don't have to remember everything I did later and I have a more complete record in one place when I want to make the garment again.
- Sometimes I wonder if it's wrong to be so thrilled to spend all of my vacay in the sewing cave? To have had dinner plans with someone and they cancelled and be thrilled because it means another uninterrupted day in the cave. More time doing what I love...
- It's amazing to me that non-sewing friends and family members think you should go into your sewing space and create a wonderful new garment in an hour or two. Really?
It was a good sewing week. I did end up getting a lot accomplished - more than I realized. I do tend to lose perspective when I'm in the midst of the week grinding out garments.
There's only one more post of a new top to be shared ~ posting next. I will be sewing this weekend because I think I've found my way creatively. My sewing mojo is in full effect. So much so that I bought a couple of pieces of fabric during Black Friday weekend. Not a lot of yardage but things that are lacking in the fabric collection. Hard to believe right?! *LOL* I will more than likely do a post on them because I'm pretty excited about these purchases.
I want to leave you with a collage of the garments I made during my sewing vacay...
...as always more later!
