Tuesday 10 January 2017

What about this UFO?

Do you want to join a virtual sew-along?  (January 2017)

I am planning a virtual "Sew-along" with my sewing group: look over unfinished objects (UFOs), otherwise known as WIPs (Works in Progress) - and consider whether to chuck, alter or finish.
  

And oh boy! Do I have a lot of material to work with on this one!  It's downright embarrassing to be honest.


I already posted about a couple of projects on the group's website (meetup.com - London Dressmakers). I've since remembered a lot more, or found them when I looked through a basket I've long left alone.  Oh my word, it's horrifying.

I would start projects, run into some kind of issue with it (or maybe just get bored?), decide that I'd work on it again when I am in the right 'head space'... forget all about it... Pick it back up for a look and then promptly lay it aside again.

That's what I kept doing.  Did I mention it's horrifying?

I desperately need this virtual event to motivate myself into looking into the recesses harbouring long forgotten items that I probably don't even want to think of again.  I don't know if I find it reassuring that one of the sewalong's options is to chuck anything that I don't want to carry on with?  Or does the thought make me feel anxious: I would also be throwing away my hopes and dreams and aspirations wrapped up in that never realised item?

I need to get over that, I cannot just let things lie around and become oppressive, I really can't.  That's not good for your soul, let alone your sewing mojo.

I must say though that I started to think about some sewing WIPs in the morning before I need to go and do anything else: I think through what my next step on a project is or if there is some kind of difficulty.  Because I know that I don't have to get up and tackle that challenge right then and there, my early morning thinking time is quite pleasant and more productive: no pressure.


I have actually had an idea or two of how to tackle a UFO that may even help, we'll see (this is about the White Jacket, which I have now posted about).

For now I will identify those projects that I want to include in our sewalong (I can't do them all) and maybe plan a couple more blog posts around them. I already blogged about my tunic with the clever pockets.

Do you want to join in virtually? (Time of writing: Jan 2017)  Click through and describe your UFO/s in the comments and let us know what your thoughts are about it - the sewalong is on for two weeks, and can easily be extended.  There is a photo album to post pictures (close-up shots of details are particularly useful). If you need advice then the others might be able to come up with something, so use the comments to ask!

It'll be fascinating to see if we can get some of those old projects kick-started again. Happy thinking, planning and sewing!

2 comments:

  1. I am still finding UFO's. It is really shaming the number of things that i have left half done, truly from decades ago - most horrifically before I pre-washed my fabrics so now I don't know if they will shrink when completed.

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  2. It's very sobering when we find that our endeavours from ages ago didn't bear fruit. We started them with plenty of vim and vigour (read: hopes and ideas) only for something to go wrong, or to interfere, and then those hopes wander into a dark corner.

    If you could bear to lose some of those WIPs from long ago: perhaps you could wash them one by one now and if something shrinks too much then it was "meant" to be thrown out? You can still take a decision on whether you want to carry on with any that survive.

    I found that my shape had changed from more than five years ago so I had to throw very old WIPs away. I am hoping to not pile up all that many more in future!

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