Happy New Year: My One Word {2019}

Another Morning. The sun has not yet fully risen. It's light is casting a glow in the sky as it starts creeping up to rise above the mountains. The baby is starting to fuss in the bassinet by the bed, hunger and the need for a diaper change have woken him up.  I can hear the kids clamoring in the kitchen, their noises of excitement for the new day growing louder as the baby's cries increase. After all, there is no need for them to be quiet now that he is awake.

A quick glance through the blinds have proven to me, it did happen. It has been years since the last time. I poke my fingers between two of the metal strips and separate them to see better. The ground is blanketed in white. It snowed. Our desert ground, the cacti, and trees are covered in snow. The children, in an excited rush, start grabbing layer upon layer of clothing items just so they can go outside and play in the ice.

We live in the desert and a winter blanket of snow is not something we see very often. It had been 4 years since we last saw snow. It is an ordeal to get dressed just to spend 30 minutes in the stuff. The kids may have grabbed their layers. But it was coupled with grunting and screaming and crying because "the pants are too tight" or "I can't get my pants off" when they came back inside. Never mind they put their socks over the leggings they were wearing under their pants, and they had neglected to remove those prior to the removal of the leggings. By the end of it, I was exhausted and had no desire to finish the rest of the day.

Most days seem similar to the excited rush and frustrating ending to playing in the snow. I am either in the excited rush getting ready to get things done or am frustrated as I try to peel the layers and straighten up after whatever happened to take place. The in-between goes by so fast it seems it might not have even happened. Those things that should be so fun leave me stressed to get ready for it and stressed in the aftermath cleanup.

So much stress for a short amount of fun.

so. much. stress.

remember. to rest.

Spend the time before and after to rest.

With the clamoring and excited rush to go outside in the snow, I forgot to take a moment of rest and peace so I was able to fully enjoy the gift presented us on the new year. Being a desert dweller and really not getting to experience the snow, let alone 2 days in a row like we had the 1st and 2nd days of 2019, I needed to take a few moments to see it as the gift it was. I have never woken, ever, 2 days in a row with snow on the ground. What an amazing gift for my children, 2 of whom had never seen snow before that week.

Coming into the house, shoes, and pants soaked from snow angels and throwing snowballs, hot cocoa was just the thing to warm the children's little bodies. A cup of coffee was just the thing I needed as I sat with them and reflected on the events of a morning of playing in the snow.

Rest for me is not just about sitting and sipping coffee, but about a reconnection. I have missed participating in bible studies. I have missed the lessons, the thoughts and the connection gained through those studies. I need to take the time out for prayer and praise, which in the last few years has gone to the wayside.

I was searching before the snow fell upon the ground for what others have said about rest and I came across Matthew 11: 28-30. I had read it time and again, but this was written in the message translation and it struck me as different. Yes, rest is the word for this year.

Organizing PDF Sewing Patterns {Self Care}

Organizing our things. How do we do it, how to get our plethora of junk squared neatly away in tidy places so we can find it when we need it and put it back when we are done with it? I am not the greatest at giving my things homes. I have too much stuff. And I am definitely not great at putting things away when I am done with it either, but I have been working on it and getting better.

But, as a sewist of PDF patterns, how do we organize those? And I am not meaning the ones already printed. I have yet to find a system in place for those. The hanging file folders in a crate is no longer working since it won't hold all of them! I am talking about those the digital copies we all have a knack for collecting.

Just having my pdf sewing patterns stored on Google drive, in a folder is starting to get a little bit stressful. I have a lot of patterns (not nearly as many as some though) and having them in one file got too cumbersome to sift through. Then I started separating them out by the designer.

It's really nothing special. But it does help a little. Surprisingly I am familiar with most the sewing patterns I have, but of course, tend to go to the same designers for the kids and certain designers for me.

Yet I needed a better way to catalog. So I went through and wrote down all the patterns I had in google sheets. I have them listed by designer, pattern name, the type, how many times I have sewn, and whether it is woven or knit (I think I may need to fix several).

Speaking of how many times I have sewn a pattern, these numbers are crazy and I definitely need to sew from my stash...
women's patterns owned: 52
                            Sewn: 17
                            Not sewn: 35...
                            that's about 33% of my sewing patterns I have sewn!
Kids patterns owned: 115
                      Sewn: 59
                      Not sewn: 56...
                      51% have sewn.

I locked the first row so I can sort the columns in alphabetical order by any of the categories. Which I love and has been a great help!

And I love having the different tabs at the bottom. Since In my folders the kids and adults patterns are all mixed in together, this makes it easier if I am looking for something for me or for the kids.

The kids' patterns I have listed the sizes so I can sort by size too.

I saw in one of the facebooks groups someone link to this tutorial from "Attack of the Seam Ripper" on using Trello to index your sewing patterns. Now, I am a huge fan of using Trello, but this process is taking me a lot longer than the spreadsheet! I am doing it a lot more slowly. I do love that I can link to the pattern I downloaded in google drive, I can link to project plans in another Trello board as I sew, and I can link those to my blog schedule board. 

I just don't know about organizing them at the moment, and I think I may end up changing the lists around. I'm just not super sure yet. But, it is neat to see them. all laid out so nicely.

There are so many different ways to organize your digital sewing patterns and to catalog them. How do you organize and catalog your sewing patterns?

Sewing a Mini-Capsule: Update {Self Care}

At the end of March, I shared with you my plans for sewing a mini capsule. Or rather, filling in the holes of what I currently have. Now that it's the end of Me Made May, I'm ready to share my updated mini capsule.

And, now you know our big news you can understand my need for a mini capsule! One of the reasons I have been kind of working on the wardrobe is I had gotten rid of a bunch of my maternity wear way before baby 4 was even close to coming. I was fighting through this winter with elastic around the button of my only jeans that didn't kill my hips until I *finally* made my Love Notions Maternity Sabrina Slims and a friend giving me a pair of rtw skinny maternity jeans (among other awesome items).

I used the book The Curated Closet By Anushka Rees to help me out a little bit too. Mostly colors and what kind of items. I have way more than enough skirts for my lifestyle. Even if they are super comfy in the heat. You can read what I had to say about it here.

Here was the plan (using the 4x4 wardrobe sheet from Vivienne Files)...

And what I have now...

<img 4x4 update>

Added Items:
Ponte A-Line Skirt

Grey shorts

Mint Tank
Purple Tank
Maxi Skirt
Denim Capris

Ponte A-Line Skirt

Using leftover fabric from the navy Ponte pants I made a while back I made a knee length A-line skirt. Instead of gathering the waist of the skirt I decided to go with about 2" box pleats. They are far from perfect, don't sew pleats when the kids are awake and messing with you. Trust me.
 I've been wanting a pleated skirt for a long while. I would have preferred it in brown, like a faux suede, but that wouldn't fit in with my clothes and probably wouldn't ever get worn. It may be better in a woven material than the knit, but it didn't require any extra purchases! It's not a "love it!" item, but it is sufficient for now. I discovered this fabric pills horribly after several washes, so this is just going to be a seasonal item. 

Grey Shorts

I was given some grey shorts and decided to add those in place of the pinstripe grey pants! They are super comfy, and perfect for our southwestern desert heat. I'm super excited to have these and have worn them quite a lot recently.

Mint Tank

I used some leftover fabric from Halloween this last year and made myself a knit top using Pattern 4 Pirates Layer Me Up Shirt cut as a tank. It is so nice and cool in our really warm weather though I don't know how long it is going to last since I had to get creative about cutting it out of the leftover fabric. (shame on me, I know) ... I have had a really bad case of forgetfulness and ended up having to restitch the neck binding on twice! I don't know what I was thinking messing up the ratios as bad as I did. No matter how hard you try quartering the binding is not going to match up with the shoulder seams. Gapped in the back and super stretched in the front just looks so bad! I almost didn't fix it, but so glad I realized there was just no pulling off a poorly attached neck binding.

Purple Tank

This fabric is leftover from a project I had intended to make for the girls but ended up not for some reason. It's from one of those buys where you just get yards upon yards and then never use it. But it was perfect for this project, and I have room to grow. It's the Pattern for Pirates Free Spirit Tank. Super comfy. Super slinky, and super stretchy. I might make another top out of this material. Goodness knows I have plenty of it!

Maxi Skirt

I switched out my mint cardigan for a flower print maxi skirt. I got this from a LulaRoe seller who was closing up shop and selling everything discounted (IMO that's the best time to buy LLR pieces because they are way too expensive!) And I love the material. Perfect in the summer heat!

Denim Capris

I traded out pants for these capris. I am thinking I would much prefer shorts. These, I thought I got rid of, came from a time of my life when I disliked showing off my thighs in public and refused to wear shorts. I have since discovered how much more comfortable shorts are and have gotten over my thigh insecurities.

I'm super happy with how these outfits are turning out so far... (forgive my not so good phone pics, I was rushing through naptime)

Seriously!? So many outfits from a 4X4 Wardrobe from Vivienne Files! And that's not even all of them! I missed the ponte pants with a couple of the shirts! I am impressed. Now to just work on styling with jewelry, changing out shoes, and my hair (cause I am so tired of a bun and so want a haircut!)! 

Now what?

I'm thinking the cardigans need to be switched out for something else. Just one was not enough and I don't need them for the weather we have now. At least that is what I am thinking. Another top in that color, or a tank so I have a sleeved and non-sleeved option. I will need to sit on that one a little bit more. But now that our temperatures have hit a high where layering is just too much with the heat, I am thinking switching them out will be best. A lot changes in two months! I need to work on these things faster! LOL!

Although, I did pick up some cute leafy green patterned olive semi-sheer knit (mystery, it was from Walmart).  I am thinking it would make a perfect kimono. I assume that would make a cute layering piece and if not a cute swim cover. Not that I ever go to the pool. I added it into the plan, but with the gray. I think it should change places with the cream. But isn't it lovely?

I am also thinking of trading out my ponte pants for another pair of shorts. I haven't been wearing those either, it's just too hot and I can't handle the heat right now!

Had you been working on some self-care sewing?

Read a Book: Curated Closet by Anushka Rees {Self-Care}

You walk into my closet in the morning and look around at all the clothes hanging, waiting to be worn. You blink a few times before deciding on something to grab. Only thing is, you don't want to wear any of the clothes in front of you. Or you go through multiple combinations before finally deciding on something to wear for the day, feeling completely dissatisfied with the selection you ultimately made. All the pieces in your closet were cheap easy buys you made because it was cute, or you liked it for the moment only to discover they don't work with anything else you own or you don't really like it as much as you thought.

Yeah. I've been there.

I'm still there. Kind of. It's getting better. Slowly. My capsule has helped a little bit.

I'm still searching out tips for working on your wardrobe. The hardest part is not having the budget for it, so I am limited. But that will not always be the case. At least I hope not. For you all, I hope that is not the case. It's fun going clothes shopping. Usually. Without kids.

I read this book recently. Curated Closet by Anushka Rees. I picked up the e-book from my library after having it on hold for forever!

I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I was going to try to move through it quickly (seriously the wait line at the library for it is so long!) and a friend was next in line. But this is so full of information for the wardrobe obsessed individual it makes it hard to just read. I had to take notes. I have a Trello board dedicated to the notes I have from this book.

And I feel that I need to go over it again. I haven't performed all the exercises she goes through in this book. And some I need to be more thorough with. The above picture is outfits that I have pinned in my summer and winter inspiration Pinterest boards. I still have yet to create a "mood board". It seems like a lot of work, but I think it may interesting later.

One of the activities is comparing the outfits you have to the typical activities you do during a 2 week period. These are a rough estimate for now. If I pulled everything out and categorized my thoroughly it would be more accurate. And if I created a section for costumes, because I kept all the Halloween Costumes from over the years, it would be more accurate!

Seriously. I go nowhere except pick up and drop off for the kids, and grocery shopping during the week! Maybe the occasional play date if I can get the kids out of the house in time. My life is so boring! I had to back it out a month because I *sometimes* am able to make it to a house evening with the girls or a quilt guild meeting. Though that would still count as "daytime" outfits and not necessarily semi-fancy as I have it sorted for the purposes of the above pie chart. (I did this in google sheets, super excited I figured that out!)

The current wardrobe is an interesting thing, especially in comparison to what I actually do during the day. Granted it is not as accurate as it could be. It includes dresses I have worn for weddings, clothes that I never touch, clothes that don't fit that for some reason I still cannot get rid of, and the small number of clothes that I actually wear (making a case for a capsule for myself I think?) I still have clothes from my working days; I stopped working to be a SAHM back in 2013! It's been 5 years! I am laughing at myself at the moment...

After looking through the outfits I would actually wear, and the clothes in my closet I do wear and using her book, these were the colors I came up with. After doing this it made me feel better about my mini capsule choices (read about it here and here).

I seriously had fun with working through the outfit formulas too.

Now, this would all be amazing if I took the time to actually discover all my different outfit combinations and ways to style them. She even talks about that too!

I think my most exciting takeaway is that this book gives you strategies to help build a wardrobe despite the trend of fast and cheap fashion. I have fallen to the ills of fast fashion with almost all of my wardrobe buys. I hope that this book and the strategies she suggests help me when I am at the store.

All the rest of the book is probably way more hassle than it's worth. But, I have enjoyed it!

So far I have not made any clothing purchases in the last few times I have been to the store because none of the items worked for my lifestyle or what I already have in the closet. I call that a win!

Do you have a wardrobe you love, or do you wish you could vamp it up somehow?