Sewing News

It would be really cool if I could update all of the sewing I've done since I last posted.  But, of course, not gonna happen.

It would be easier if I had been keeping track of my sewing anywhere, like at sewing.patternreview.com, but I haven't even been doing that.

The quick version is that I've been sewing a lot of Jalie patterns.  I've sewn the Eleonore jeans so many times that I've started to forget how many I've made.  For example, as the weather started to cool down this fall I was thinking that I should probably sew a pair in grey denim; the other day I was sorting through my closet and realized that I already had a pair in grey denim. I have no memory whatsoever of making these, but here they are, obviously made by me at some point in the past year. Apparently it was such a humdrum thing to do that I barely noticed I was doing it.

Note: The pattern as drafted doesn't actually fit that well, but at this point I know what to do to make it work -- where to add a bit more, where to slice a bit off.

I've also made various Jalie sportswear patterns to wear during the summer when mowing the lawn or walking around or doing just about anything outside which involves lots of sweating (which, in St. Louis in the summer, is just about everything).  Lots of t-shirts, some tennis skirts, a janky pair of shorts I made off of a different pants pattern  that came out all baggy and shapeless, and were absolutely perfect for yard work.

Perhaps over time I'll get around to taking photos of all of this, writing down details about fabric and alterations.  For now I just want to make a note to myself that this is how I spent my time for the past few years.

Costume making continued.  Some were for Annabeth as she continued ballet -- she was in Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and Napoli.  Some were for other groups, such as the time I made a bunch of monk's robes for Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Overall, I've appreciated the speed at which I can make usable garments when I sew.  If I decide I need new clothes for a trip or event, my first thought tends to be what sewing patterns I own and what fabric is available.  I've also managed to sew up or give away yards upon yards of fabric that has been hanging around here for ages.

Part of me feels sort of subversive about rarely purchasing clothing at retail any longer.  But another part of me wonders how and why I would start shopping retail for clothing.

And then various other things happened ....

Which brings us up to date, right?

The other day someone said something about, "Look at what was interesting to you in 2006-2007, and see if those things still interest you."  I couldn't really remember what I was doing in 2006 (other than homeschooling) but then remembered AHA -- I have a blog!  I could check that!

Except, alas, this doesn't go back that far.

ANYWAY, homeschooling as such is over. Thalia now lives in a different state and is doing adult things.  Annabeth is attending a university.  I still spend November raking leaves.

In spite of that, there's a certain comfort to having this record online.  I associate paper journals with moody, overwrought pre-teen/teen essays on the injustices of reality; this public record helped me focus on the mundane "things I did today" aspects of my life. Honestly, the latter is more interesting for me to pick up and read.  Or maybe it's just less embarrassing.

Plus, online writing has spellcheck. And better legibility.

Which is to say, I'm thinking about starting this chronicle up again.  This will involve re-learning how to use Blogger (huge points to me for figuring out how to log in).  Also, what were all of these post labels about?  What the heck did I used to write about? Should I have a new focus?  If so, what?  Maybe this should be Tales of Post-Homeschooling Life?