Dudes, I adore my two boys but I NEED to rediscover who I am when I’m not Mummy. I need to reform my own identity and I’ve been trying to work out how to do that whilst juggling all the other commitments that make up life – you know; being a mother, wife, employee so I can help pay the bills, and supporting the school and Beavers (the youngest level of Scouting), swimming lessons… The list goes on!
I have to admit that SewBusyLizzy has been the voice of reason on a number of occasions and I am so happy that sewing has brought me this friendship! Lizzy is a one woman power house and crams an insane amount into each 24hr period but also manages to (mostly!) find time for herself. So I’m following her advice and carving some time out for me.
Some of it involves sewing (hurrah!) & some involves a new gym membership (also hurrah for me, but boring for you guys!).
Sewing is my happy place, its something that easily gets me into a state of flow where everything else just melts away. However, Husband is currently wandering around with a tape measure and is preparing to deploy the sledge hammer… This means that I am going to have to clear everything out of the office so that it can be partitioned to create a utility room that will be accessed from our kitchen. Holes will be knocked in walls.
I really want, in fact NEED, to do some sewing that isn’t repairing holes in A’s trousers. So I’m planning to put together three or four ‘kits’ so that I can keep some projects accessible along with my machines on the dining table. I want to be as sure as I can that these projects will be successful and really help kickstart my sewing again. So I’ve been having a real think about what it is I want to sew and what it is I need to sew.
I’ve been reading into-mind a lot recently. It’s a site that Sarai referenced as part of the Colette Wardrobe Architect series a few years ago. I have always meant to work through that series properly but never really got round to it. The guidelines and articles on into-mind have resonated more with me and I have actually been doing some of the exercises suggested. This has really helped me define what it is I want to wear and also enabled me to put together a colour palette.
I find this really exciting as until now I have always been very whimsical with my sewing and simply made whatever I wanted with no real plan in place. I have sewn for events where a little more planning has been involved but thats been the limit of my considered, thought out sewing.
I’ve created a whole Pinterest board with images of outfits and colours that make me happy and that I aspire to. It’s all very predictable in a lot of ways – fit and flare silhouettes, shirt dresses, pencil skirts, flared skirts, jeans. I aspire to be far more ‘put together’ than I actually am. Two things that it has really opened my eyes to though are the proportions I like and also the colours!
In terms of form, I like a fitted top with a more voluminous bottom, and vice versa but the waist is always defined. So pencil skirts with draped blouses or a flowing maxi or a circle skirt with a fitted tank or t-shirt.
Colour wise, I used my board to create a colour palette using Gillian’s tutorial on Crafting a Rainbow.
Those that know me will not be surprised that navy and purple dominate with other cool tones and the odd pop of red, gold, turquoise and cobalt. I’m also drawn to tropical prints and large scale florals too.
As a result I’m re-evaluating the fabrics in my collection and re-homing those that don’t suit the wardrobe I now want to sew. There will still be some crazy or whimsical prints in there though because I’m too weak to resist and every wardrobe needs a wild card or two!
I’ll pull together my final kits over the weekend (as well as a few Anderson blouses that need finishing and a pencil skirt that has been waiting for a hem since January…) and share them next week. I haven’t been this motivated to find the time to sew for far too long!
Vicki Kate Makes 
I’m so glad you’re realizing the importance of finding time for yourself! I can’t imagine how busy you must be with two boys to take care of as well as juggling work and all your other responsibilities. And I’m so glad that you’re feeling energized to sew! I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines! Also, let me just put a little plug in for knitting- it’s great to have something portable to work on and I imagine you’d enjoy being able to get a row or two done while you’re waiting for swimming lessons to finish up or whatnot. I don’t have much time for sewing these days, but I keep a small knitting project in my bag all the time so I have something to work on when I’m riding the train or stuck in a waiting room or something like that.
Good to have you back! I’m always in awe of just how much you achieve in a day and with such grace! Brava for carving out some time for yourself. I’m with Ginger on this…a portable knitting project is a sanity saver at kids classes, and you feel super productive. Also, I find knitting something simple like a stocking stitch sock to be an immensely soothing activity. Highly recommended. I can’t wait to see your sewing projects. Good luck with the renovations!
It’s a strange thing, rediscovering who you are, isn’t it?! I’ve been going through that for the past several months as well. Glad to hear you’re prioritising time for you – it makes such a huge difference! *hugs*
Lovely to see you posting again 😊 Hoping your plans work out well x
Oh Vicki, I am so glad that you are finding time for yourself! Even if you will be creating at a slower pace, it is still super important. I love your color palette and am not surprised by the silhouettes that you prefer. I’m in a bad place right now as far as time for myself goes. But I’m hoping soon to change that, the plans in my head are wonderful and I can’t wait to execute them! Haha. If playing with duplos counts as creative, I’m all about that 😉
Great to see you back vk! I remrmber feeling like this after i was getting back to work after n was born. I didnt sew at that point and i think it would really have helped! I am also getting back into sewing after a bit of a break and taking a step back to think about what i loved to wear from my existing wardrobe that i could make another one of. I have also been reading a lot about decluttering and minimalism and wanting to use what i have rather than buy more! Very efficient in terms of time and money!
Lool forward to reading about what you make!
Hello lovely. So pleased that you have chiseled out some time for yourself. I remember going through the same thing – several times! – and it always came back to realizing that ‘time for me’ had disappeared into the swamp of doing things for ‘everyone else’. While doing these things are important, it’s important to take a breath and make sure that you aren’t always coming second, third, fourth… last(!) every time!
I don’t apologise for finding time for myself. That’s not to say I don’t feel guilty sometimes BUT I’ve also coming to realise that I’m a happier person for it. Everyone needs some time out, head space, and I think you feel refreshed to tackle life again.
I’m dong too much at the moment… but taking a few days out to learn to sew a tutu in June. The thought of that sustains me through the next few weeks of madness!
Mwah. Look after yourself – the rest will follow xox
Oh & as Sonja says – knitting is good. I’ve knitted a lot this year as finding time to cut out fabric & sew has been tough! But there is always time for a row or two of a simple project.