Mid-year checkpoint: Sewing goals for 2015

Like many other sewing bloggers, I set a list of goals for myself for 2015 at the beginning of the year.  By some sewing blogging standards, my goals for this year weren't particularly ambitious, but they did all relate to areas where I wanted to progress. Now that it's the end of June, and we're already halfway through 2015, I think it's about time to check in on those goals and see how I'm doing.

Finish that damn winter coat.

Done! Yaaaaaaaaaay!

Simplicity 1254 - Leanne Marshall coat

Pattern stash goal: none

I didn't want to set a pattern stash goal for myself this year because I felt that I should stop fighting my "Ooh shiney!" tendencies and embrace them instead. Interestingly, I do feel like I've been a little more thoughtful in my pattern/project selection this year by concentrating on wardrobe holes and very wearable garments, rather than purchasing and leaping into The Next Big Thing, pattern-wise. I do feel like writing my weekly pattern roundups has helped me evaluate new pattern releases a little more objectively than I had been, and as a result, has curtailed some of my impulse pattern purchases.

 

 Fabric stash goal: Shop my stash first, shop local for wovens, and quality over quantity

This one has been a bit of a mixed bag.  I think that about half of the projects that I've made so far this year have been sewn from stash fabric, as opposed to fabric purchased in the past couple of months. I am realizing that I really do need to go through my stash and do another cull--there are fabrics in there that made the cut at the last cull because I liked them, but I am now realizing that I am unlikely to wear a garment actually made from those fabrics. I also did have a few pretty bad online buying binges while my father's health was failing, but that was retail therapy in the truest sense of the phrase. I don't need to beat myself up over this, even if my credit card statement is a somewhat nasty reminder.

On the other hand, I've definitely been doing the quality over quantity thing--making fewer purchases if not spending less money. I can't count how many times I've filled a cart on FabricMart's website and then had the willpower to close my browser tab.

Sew a water-resistant jacket with a hood.

Can't say that I've made much progress here. Granted, we've been having a ridiculously warm and dry year here in the PNW, and that's killed my motivation for this goal, somewhat. The other thing killing my motivation has been the lack of pattern options that fit my idea of "the perfect rain jacket". If the Sewaholic Minoru wouldn't require major re-drafting to fit me, I'd probably sew that and be done with this goal. If a jacket with the details that I want doesn't get released in the coming months, I'm toying between either trying to feminize the fit of a men's pattern or converting the Jalie City Coat to a zippered opening.

Jalie City Coat

Jeans! Jeans! Jeans!

I'm almost there on this one! Technically, I guess, I did make a pair of jeans when I made my wearable muslin pair of Burda 6951. However, now that I've made this pattern again and have the fit much closer to what I wanted, I'm not counting this goal as "accomplished" until I make up my "real" pair of jeans. I do consider this goal to easily be "on track" to be done by the end of the year.

Burda 6591 - wearable muslin

Burda 6951 - back pocket and rivets

Fit and sew a button-down blouse.

I haven't tackled a button-down blouse yet, but I do currently have a couple of shirtdress patterns sitting on my cutting table as candidates for my next project. Does that count? In any case, I'm pretty confident that I'll accomplish this by the end of the year. Note that by "fit", I mean "wearable in public", not "get rid of all wrinkles and draglines".

Watch and complete the relevant projects for at least two of my Craftsy classes.

I've started watching Suzy Furrer's skirt sloper class. I want to learn more about drafting my own patterns and figured this was probably the easiest place to start. I'm also hoping to get through one or both of Suzy's bodice sloper class and/or Beverly Johnson's basic bra-making class.

 

Final Thoughts

So, I feel like I'm doing "not bad, but could be better".  On the other hand, I feel like I'm on track to accomplish most of what I set out to do in 2015. As a list maker, I know that it will feel awfully good to tick a few of these boxes when I do accomplish a few of these goals. I guess we'll just see?

Did you make any sewing goals for 2015? How are you progressing on your own goals?