A midway change of plan

There's not much in the way of pretty pictures this week, just musings. (If that's not your thing, I'll be back next Sunday with lots of sparkle from an exhibition I went to recently.)

Yesterday was the middle day of year - that's to say, there were 182 days before it, and 182 days to come. So it seemed like a good time to review progress on my MakeNine2022.

MakeNine2022 plans

This didn't take long, as there has been almost none. The coat is part-done, and that's it. Instead, I've completed a dress I started last year, rescued a not-quite-right dress I made last year, done a couple of non-dressmaking projects, and been sidetracked by a totally new project.

Theoretically, I probably could make eight dresses by the end of year if I put my mind to it. I could replace the pattern choices which I'll have to regrade with ones which are my size, simply shorten the bodices by my standard 5cm/2" regardless of the effect on the overall proportions, and make them exactly as they appear on the pattern envelope. But I don't want to do any of that. I want what I make to fit properly and look right, I have plans for several of the dresses which involve extra steps and, increasingly, I find that this slower and more detailed approach is how I choose to work.

In May I took part in #thevintagefashionchallenge, and one of the things I really enjoyed about it was the number of posts by vintage-wearers who clearly thought a lot about how we can square our love of 'dressing up' with the challenges of reducing consumption. They gave me so much to consider.

Then, for the last eight(?) weeks, I've been watching the latest series of The Great British Sewing Bee with a faint sense of disquiet. Don't get me wrong; I love the programme, the contestants were clearly all very talented, and I'm fully aware that it's a television show whose primary purpose is to entertain. But the emphasis on speed over quality, and the resulting standard of the garments produced (many of which looked unlikely to survive an encounter with a spin cycle) just don't sit right with me. It also gives a completely unrealistic impression of how long making a garment actually takes. I was at least reassured when I discovered that some other sewists have similar concerns about the show.

Most weeks, I had a Sewing Bee mini viewing party with my friend F. She doesn't sew but is a talented artist, and watches similar programmes on painting. She told me that these emphasise the unreality of the situation, and stress that artists would usually take far longer than the time given to complete a picture. Some even have a section where pieces which the contestants have completed at home are included for judging. The format of the Bee hasn't changed since the first series in 2013, but views on clothing sustainability have - perhaps it's time for a bit of a shake-up?

But back to my own sewing. Obviously I still want to sew, but with an emphasis on quality not quantity, and improving my skills rather than concentrating on numbers made. So for the latter half of the year, I'm setting myself four goals:

1 - Complete my grey coat
2 - Make at least one thing with complex decorative details
3 - Improve my pattern drafting skills by making at least one thing which requires extensive pattern alteration or regrading
4 - Make one thing from a self-drafted pattern for the same reason.

Goals

Goal 2 can be combined with goals 3 or 4, they don't have to be separate garments. I also hope to use a few of my MakeNine choices in the process, but I'm not aiming or expecting to use all of them.