Time to get back into things!

2020 was a weird year.  We'll just leave it at that.  Who knows what 2021 will bring, but I do think I want to get back into documenting a little more thoroughly my making journey!  I've decided that my instagram account was turning more into just a general life journal (@mcwethy.meanderings), so I split out my making into a separate account (@mcwethy.makes).  I'm also dedicating myself to sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly as I go along, as I find I learn just as much from the mistakes as I do from the successes!  Anyway, I'm not sure if anyone even reads this thing anymore, but at the very least I know I get a lot out of various blog posts that come up when I google a pattern, so hopefully someone else can find my muddlings helpful as well.

Before I delve into some goals/intentions for the next year of making, I always find it interesting to look back at the past year.  I am a data nerd, so I keep track of everything, so here is a snapshot of both my fabric stash and my sewing production for 2020.

First up is my stash - I added quite a bit last year, despite having more than enough fabric.  I went through it all towards the end of the year last year, and put aside several pieces to pass along to others, so I'm trying to lean things out and only have fabrics I truly love.

As I said before, 2020 was a weird year, and despite hopes that I would be more productive in my hobbies, I didn't end up making as much last year as I have previously, with only 25 new garments and 3 refashioned garments.  Part of this was I was very focused on my yard, putting in a new firepit area and a pond, and then we redid my attic/sewing space a bit, which meant it was out of commission for about a month.  I think another piece of it is that I tend to be most excited to make special garments for events, be it a dressy party or a costume or whatever, and there just wasn't any of that happening!  I also had a smaller proportion of projects that I kept, but I'm ok with that, as I am trying to keep my closet lean and full of things I love.

A few goals that I have for my 2021 sewing and making:

• Finish up projects - I always have a long list of half-abandoned projects that get tossed aside when things get rough or something new and shiny comes along.  I am determined to get that list down to zero early on this year, so I can move ahead with a clean slate!  I started the year with 6 projects on the list, which is low, but I had already thrown away a few projects that weren't sparking joy.  Three weeks in, I've wrapped up a couple more already, and just have three more left.
• Be intentional and slow in my sewing - going along with my earlier statement that I love to make things for special occasions, I tend to be rushing to finish up a garment right before an event.  NYE was a case in point, and I ended up having to abandon my original dress plans and making a simpler garment just to get something done.  I don't mind sewing with a deadline, I just need to start sooner and not rush through!
• Not add to my stash - I make this goal for myself constantly, and I'm constantly breaking it.  The problem with having a large sewing room is that there is lots of space for fabric, but I'm currently overflowing my bins, and I would like to at least get back to being able to store everything away and not in piles laying around.  I did delete from my quick links on Chrome the link to Emma One Sock, which is by far my biggest temptation! :)  I'm not opposed to a quick run to JoAnn's if I need some notions or something else to finish up a project, but I'm going to try and make it as long as possible without buying fabric for an entirely new project (or just because I think it's pretty).  I'm not expecting to make it to the end of the year, but I'm hoping for at least April.
• Time for a big clean-up and organization - my patterns are a mess, my machines all need a good cleaning and probably a servicing, and I would like to take one more pass through my stash to see if I can get rid of anything.  Again, I always get distracted and want to get on the new shiny project, but it's so helpful to have everything in its place.

Time to get sewing!