Introductions

Hello,  interwebs! I'm Sue. Lovely to meet you.

Hi, there!

It's a new year and I'm looking to kick off a new part of my life. Yep, I'm corny like that. Honestly, I'm creating this blog because I daydream about sewing all day. Really. So many times, though, when I finally get home from work, I find I've lost steam and end up being too tired or just too plain lame to work on anything I've dreamed up. I seem to have so many ideas and details for potential projects swimming around in my head every day that sometimes I get too overwhelmed to do anything...it's annoying, not to mention dissatisfying!

Well, here's my plan. I want to use this space to organize and hone my sewing focus. Some of the goals I'd love to work on this year are:

• tackle my mountain of mending! the pile at this point is a little ridiculous, but, in my defense, who wants to mend when they can start new projects or look at patterns/fabric inspiration on pinterest, not to mention marveling over all the other amazing sewing blogs out there? Time to focus more on practicality here, whether that means replacing that pesky lost button or refashioning a thrifted piece I've been meaning to finish for months...or even, heaven forbid, complete some of the abandoned unfinished projects I've chickened out on or gotten bored with over the past year or so.  
• try some new techniques so I can really work on developing my sewing skills. I've been learning to sew for a little over a year and, though it's a little nerve-racking for some perfectionists like me,  it's important that I make sure to push myself to try new things instead of only making things I feel comfortable with. That's right, bring on the pleats, gathering, slippery fabrics, gasp, linings, proper buttonholes, gasp-gasp, collars... I'll stop here before I begin to hyperventilate.
• de-stash! I need to do some serious chipping away at the ridiculous stash of fabrics and patterns that I've not yet gotten around to using. This is a big deal for me! It's so easy to get carried away with new inspiration. I really need to focus my efforts when it comes to new projects.
• sew actually wearable pieces. for real, y'all. This is my big dark secret: I've been doing some sewing and buying some fabric and some patterns and more fabric and some vintage sewing supplies, and did I mention FABRIC? and the number of pieces of clothing I've produced that I actually wear in my daily life is....drum roll....one. yep, uno. I must work on this.  I know. I dream of twirly party dresses and cute day dresses and fun, quirky separates and all I've got is one shirt. Anyway, hopefully working towards this goal will also help me to make fewer rtw clothing purchases (which I later end up regretting about 50% of the time anyway!).
• Lastly? learn to make properly fitting garments! or at least try to get pointed in that direction. This scares the bejeezus out of me. Fitting is rather intimidating, and by rather I mean ridiculously, as in this is like my greatest fear (apart from all of those new techniques I keep putting off).
• Oh and one more thing: start learning to knit by the end of 2012.  if I could one day have the knowledge/skills to dream up and then create virtually any type of garment or accessory, whether sewn or knitted, that would be truly AMAZING. 

Thanks for bearing with me for my rambling list! My goals and hopes may be a little scattered, but I think I can accomplish a lot if I work to really focus and hold myself accountable to a plan, even if it's a little bit all over the place. It's time to give my enthusiasm for sewing and my love of making things a more prominent space in my life. Hooray!