When Your Hobby Feels Heavy

 I don't even know how to start this post.  I'm not really whining about being able to afford a fabric collection. Nor am I whining about owning my own business which is finally doing really well. I guess what I am doing is mourning the loss of days of uninterrupted sewing time.

 As we all know, 2020 was a weird year.  It was the year that the world changed and we're still reeling from it.  I became a mask maker and used up a lot of small cotton scraps and some larger pieces too.  I mailed fabric to friends who couldn't find any.  And I bought fabric that I didn't have time to sew.

 I've gotten in the habit of taking fabric straight to the laundry room and washing it before it heads to the fabric closet.

 This is the stack of washed fabric sitting on my dryer because there's no room for it elsewhere in my house.  Most of it is cotton, although there's a couple of linens in there and with the exception of 3 pieces - they are all florals!!  At least I'm true to myself.

 With very few exceptions, each piece of fabric was bought with a specific garment in mind.  Because, honestly, that's how I've always bought fabric.  That doesn't mean that garment always gets made, in fact, that often isn't the case.  But I do try to start with a plan.

 On top of the fabric in the laundry room, there's a basket under my ironing board filled with shirts cut and ready to go for JB.  The interfacing is cut and the buttons are folded with the pattern pieces.  So there's no reason they aren't getting made - except time.

And then there's the washed fabric that I found stacked on top of the sewing machine cover.  I piece mostly cut, and several others matched to patterns with the notions already gathered. 

McCalls 7969 with a pretty floral from JoAnn Fabrics.  Top cut, hesitating to sew because shapeless sack.  Also predominately white.

Vogue 9299 Inspired by Carolyn in lightweight polka dot chambray

SBCC Stinger Dress - Green on the left is from deep stash (what is deep stash? How old?) for a wearable muslin and then the purple floral is for the final dress

Cute cotton ditzy print Fringe dress with snap closure.  Might have to get snap pliers to put the snaps closer together than I can get them with the snap source setter.

 So - all of that to say that this all feels heavy lately.  Like the dreams of new garments are mocking me and I'm feeling a bit guilty for not sewing up it fast enough.

 And in the next moment, I'm looking at FabricMart for a piece of fabric to make another Hope Woven Dress or the Vali.

 How do you handle having an excess?  Does it feel heavy?  Does it block your creativity?  

Cinco de Mayo

When you've created a monster by making your husband a wardrobe of bowling shirts.  I kid you not, the other day, he actually opened his closet and said "I don't have anything to wear!"

JB now has 32 bowling shirts in his closet.  All but 4 of them have been made with my hands.  And when I recently did the fabric closet re-org (look for a future post on that) I put a stack of fabrics for just JBs shirts.  There's enough for at least 4 more. 

Also, now if he goes to the fabric store with me.  The first thing he does is head to the novelty prints and ask if I can make a shirt out of X?

But - I will say - he does wear his shirts.  And he shows anyone who comments on them that they match across the buttonholes and asks if they can find his pocket!  So - it's worth it.