A massive thank you for showing so much enthusiasm for #makeyourstash! Its March which means we can now begin! We have been totally overwhelmed by all the love and we are very excited to be hearing all your thoughts and later on seeing all your makes. After reading all the comments, we have put together our sustainable sewing planning tips for this challenge in case you haven’t started planning your project yet. The key thing to remember is that there is oodles of time, so there is really no rush! Here goes:
Sort out your fabric stash
Some really neat storage solutions we have seen recently:
- Folding fabric in a pile and storing it inside a hanging shoe storage along a wardrobe rail. Or dedicate some shelving space to it inside a cupboard (then you won’t see it!)
- Hanging each piece of fabric on a coathanger along a wardrobe rail.
- Wrapping each piece of fabric around cardboard and labeling the tops so you can see what you have (like you would see fabric on a bolt in a shop) then filing on a bookshelf.
I confess that personally I am Mrs Disorganised. I live in a small 2 bedroom house with a toddler so my solution is 3 giant storage boxes stacked next to my wardrobe. This is obviously less than ideal, but hopefully one day we will move and I will be able to try some of the ideas above.
Decide what you would really like to have in your wardrobe for the season.
How often do you clean out your wardrobe and assess what you really want and will wear for the season? If you are doing #makenine this year, how closely did you think about what you wanted to make? We think wider wardrobe considerations are important when doing #makeyourstash or any other sewing for that matter – there’s not much point making something out of fabric that you happen to have if the colours, fabrics or style does not make you happy to wear it! You could also go RTW window shopping and to try things on. Then you can assess what you like before spending a load of time and effort on sewing.
Make just one thing
Are you a planner or do you sew on a whim when inspiration strikes? Do you know how many clothes you own? The point is that you probably don’t need anymore clothes, though it is of course nice to sew and enjoy the things you have sewn (that’s why you are reading this right?) But we think it is perfectly fine to pass on the new shiny dress pattern that is all over Instagram and you don’t need to keep up with anyone. The state of your wardrobe and how much you sew is not a competition.
My fabric is too precious to cut
We have had some people say to us that #makeyourstash is giving them motivation to finally use that piece of fabric that holds a lot of meaning and association for them. It is a scary thought to dive right in isn’t it? Especially if you have complicated plans with lots of things that could go wrong. The suggestion here is to make a toile if it is a new pattern, or go back to a TNT. If it is not possible to make a toile, I will generally make the usual adjustments on my pattern, cut a size larger then normal in iffy areas, then keep trying and fitting as I go.
Liberty silk definitely feels too precious to cut
5. Take it easy and sew slowly
The ethos behind the challenge is to help you think about your sewing footprint and reduce it just a little bit by asking you to use what you have. We know some people sew quickly and some sew slowly – but as we said before, there is really no rush and it is not a competition! Take the time to make your garment beautiful on the inside, do some handsewing if you like it, and enjoy the process.
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Till next time, happy sewing
Kate and Pilar xx
Photos by Pilar and words by Kate