Closet Auditions beginning at 4pm today!

I have to admit that last night was the LAST straw! Frankly, I love moments like these, not so much for all of the frustration they generate, but how they force me to face my frustrations and create a plan to deal with or remedy them. Last night I just stood in my closet glaring at my clothes unable to find anything to wear for church on today. Ok, this may look like a minor problem but it was magnified considering I'd had that same problem several times this month already. At this point the picture was PRETTY CLEAR!  And it wasn't until my mind drifted back to a magazine article I read on last week did I make the connection.

The July issue of Lucky had a pretty cool article entitled "45 Days of New Outfits: How to Remix your closet". This article showed 19 pieces and how they were mixed and matched to create 45 different outfits which could take you through Summer and into Fall.

(Here are the 19 pieces.....)

(...some of the outfit ideas.....)

(.....and some more. Not all 45 are featured but you get the point!)

I personally wasn't a fan of all the pieces and outfit combos, which is understandable since it wasn't a reflection of my style. But I do LOVE the point this article demonstrated. A wardrobe filled with great interchangeable pieces will definitely yield tons of outfit options. In my post just a few months ago I excitedly discovered my style and decided to only sew/buy items I felt that embodied my simple, effortless, and feminine style. I SO want getting addressed for ANY occassion to be EFFORTLESS!!!


So I've decided to revamp my closet---beginning with a GOOD PURGE! If I have any current pieces, with the exception of a few dresses, that can't be worn at least 3 different ways then it's got to GO!!!! In addition to that everything I sew has to not only fit into the "fun, simple, effortless, and simple categories" but it also has to be versatile. If I can plan 3 different outfits with it then I'm allowed to make it (of course special occasion dresses are exceptions to this rule). So everything that makes it into my closet has to audition first!!!! Trust me this isn't the first time I've thought about creating a versatile wardrobe but I have to admit it's the only time I've gotten drastically serious about it!!!

I've already started my purging and I feel GREAT!!! As things are heading to my church's clothing store I'll also get to work on planning some versatile pieces I can sew up and /or purchase. This may be a bit much, but I hope to create a chart of all my pieces so at a glance I'll know what I can mix and match. For the record I don't want alot of pieces (my emphasis isn't on quantity) but I want pieces I can get alot of use out of!!!! Whew.....breathing a sign of relief.....I love my new strategy and I look forward to making my wardrobe woes a thing of the past!!!

BTW got a quick 2 part question for you. Is having a versatile wardrobe important to you? If so, what steps do you take to accomplish this? I'd love to hear your thoughts!!!

Are you a LONG or SHORT Distance Sewer?

Ok, so I've been downstairs in my sewing studio working on  Simplicity top 3867. I've been working on it off and on this week to have it ready to wear to church on tomorrow (I'll review it tomorrow). I've had the usual interruptions this morning (the little one needed juice, preparing breakfast for the family, etc) but after being in my sewing room for the last 3 hours, I've realized that I've lost some steam and have to get out and try to accomplish some of the other things on my to do list (steam clean the carpet, relax my hair, do laundry, etc) before I return to finishing up my top.

It's not that I'm exactly all that excited to do my "chores" but in the last few years I've noticed something about my sewing (or the way that I accomplish tasks in general). I'm truly a Short Distance sewer!!! It's funny, because in a way it sounds sorta bad but trust me I always (for the most part) finish my tasks but only in short spurts instead of long stretches of time. I'm no good working on the same task for 8 hours at a time. My brain is too busy and I get mentally distracted too easily. Then I run the risk of "over-thinking" what I'm doing, making costly mistakes, and ultimately suffering burn-out.  I work better and more efficiently within shorter blocks of time. It's kinda similar to the concept of "circuit training" in workouts--multiple movements in shorter periods of times. That's probably the worst analogy and I don't think I'm thoroughly explaining it but you'd have to be kinda like me to understand.

 I've learned in life that the best thing is not to always change things about yourself but to make them work for you. We've all got our idiosyncrasies!!! So since I know how I am, I try not to push myself beyond my concentration limits---even with something I love as much as sewing. And since I'm a pretty time conscious person, when I know I plan to spend only 2-3 hours sewing I'm more focused on accomplishing certain goals.  This is part of the reason why my 10,000 Hours of Sewing challenge goals of 3 hours of sewing or sewing related activity a day actually works well for me. But I have to admit that I admire all of you Sista's and Guys who can sew an entire garment in one night--I mean 5-8 hours of straight sewing.  Trust me, I know people like this!!! What endurance. That's indeed a unique gift!

So here's my question to you. What kind of sewer are you? Are you a Long or Short Distance Sewer and Why? How are you able to make it work for you?