At my last SWAP report I said I intended to stick to my original plan even though it meant completing 14 pieces before I could count success, doing things beyond my current level of skill, and finishing my fall-and-winter wardrobe in May.
I have come to my senses.
I made this nice simple top from TNT pattern McCall’s 4261. I will be making one more top that is within my abilities, and then I will be finished.
My first SWAP was intended to allow me to go to church and to parties without looking like a bag lady. It has accomplished this already, and will be all the better once I finish it up.
However, I still attend work looking like … well, not a bag lady. Maybe a zookeeper? A clerk at Best Buy? I wear khakis every day. In the summer, I wear polo shirts or maybe a camp shirt, and in the winter, I add a sweater. Not, generally, one of my lovely handmade sweaters, but a machine washable pullover from Lands End. I am essentially wearing a uniform.
At my work, I may find myself climbing ladders, unloading a truck, carrying a baby around, cleaning up nasty dog and child messes, or sitting on the floor.
It makes sense that I would dress like a zookeeper.
But I do not think that this reflects my Essence. My working wardrobe does not Express my Inner Self.
So I intend to make a spring/summer SWAP that will coordinate well with my fall-winter SWAP, and be made of things I can wear while rearranging the math wall.
This seems implausible at the moment. However, I still have one more top to make for the first SWAP. In the course of making it, I will muse on SWAP Stage II, and come up with a clever plan.
Yesterday, I ran into a sewing blogger who is taking part in the 2007 SWAP contest and blogging about it in a really impressively organized way. She has numbered the 11 pieces of her SWAP and color coordinates the type when she writes about them, and lists “What Went Wrong” for each piece, with all the challenges she met and how she overcame them, and I was just so impressed I can’t tell you. I also cannot find her again to link you to her. If I encounter her again someday I will let you know, but for the moment it is enough to know that she is out there, doing such a good job.
Does this lady work other than sewing?
Like, is she a sewing instructor?
I am essentially making clothing to wear while cooking, cleaning my house, blogging, and making more clothing. Although I have been to a new church the last couple of Sundays which I like very much. I need new church clothes.
P.S. Lovely top. Is it a simple tee, or something more? I will check out the pattern.
That is a great, basic workout wear pattern! And versatile for other things, as you show here. Nothing beats a good tee, except perhaps a good turtleneck in the winter.
The top in the photo is absolutely beautiful. Way to go.
I like the colour of the top. It is a beautifully rich colour. It looks like the sleeves have a little bit of a flare to them. Nice. (What is SWAP?) I am working on a few sewing patterns right now:
* pajama shorts for my mum (she buys fabric for projects and never uses the fabric, so I usually recycle it into something she can wear – and me, too, since I am making pajamas pants for myself)
* fleece bottoms in a bunch of fun and interesting fabrics
* knitted t-shirts. Lands End has some cute ones, but why pay $12 when I can make it for $7? And in colours that I LOVE.
* bath set. A wrap around towel and matching headband for when I get out of the shower at the gym.
I am looking for a pattern for a fitted camisole (lingerie, not outer wear). I went to Joanns and found NO PATTERNS for lingerie camisoles. I surged the ‘Net last night but to no avail. (What else am I going to do when I’m sick?)
Hi! I wanted to tell you that you can probably find that lady’s website URL in the “history” of your browser. In Internet Explorer, just click on that arrow that goes in a circle for “history” (it’s in the toolbar, or you can use Help and the menu) and then click on the day you think you went to that site. It’ll bring up a window to the left that lists the sites you visited. I found your blog grand and want to start sewing again! But I was not born with the sewing gene. I had to throw away the last three things I tried. The crotch of the pants hit my knees . . . the blouse wouldn’t button across my chest . . . that sort of rot. (aargghh)
life of a novelist
shalanna.livejournal.com