January in Review

RTW Fast

It is hard to believe that we're saying good-bye to January. This month I successfully participated in Sarah's RTW fast. Thirty-one days down, Three hundred thirty-four more days to go! The fast went well since for the most part I spent the month home on the mend. We'll have to wait and see if it gets more challenging as the year progresses.  

I'm happy to report that I did return three ready-to-wear items that I picked up late last year. One was a cardigan sweater. The plan is to replace it with a me-made version using McCalls 6844. I have read some wonderful reviews about this pattern. I also returned a double knit peplum top and a sleeveless turtleneck sweater. I don't know why I picked them up in the first place since I could easily have sewn them up on my own. This RTW fast is proving to be a real eye-opener so far.  

Sewing

I didn't have a great deal of energy to devote to sewing but the desire was certainly there. I did manage to give sewing while standing up a try. Oh my, I now see why some people swear by this method.  Not only was I able to keep my leg straight when I needed to, it was also easy on my back.  Of course, I wasn't sewing on a Singer Treadle. Thank goodness for modern sewing machines with on/off buttons.  

The sewing that I did manage to finish and blog about were simple projects, a flannel nightshirt and skirt. I didn't think I was going to have the time or energy to complete my Jungle January 2 garment but I did and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. THANK YOU to Anne for pushing me out of my comfort zone.  

Mending & Alterations

If it weren't for mending and alterations and sitting by the sun-filled window I might have gone bananas this month. It was a great way to pass the time. Most of my time spent mending happened after I did my physio exercises and was icing my knee. It was a great distraction. And I managed to mend/alter a total of thirteen items. THIRTEEN!  

Stash busting

Not only did I not buy any RTW, I didn't even purchase any fabric. It is amazing what happens when you're not mobile and your car is sitting in the driveway buried under snow and you can't shovel it out. I did, however, do some damage when BMV had their online sale. In my defence, one of my goals is to make a pair of well-fitting knickers and Gertie's underthings pattern was on sale for $2.99--wouldn't you? I have no excuse for the other three patterns that I picked up.

Items	Stash-busted	Added to Stash
Fabric	7.2 metres	0
Interfacing	1 metre	0
Lining	0	0
Sewing Patterns	2	4
Spools of Thread	2	0
Sewing Needles	1	0
Pant Hooks	1	6
Zippers	1	0
Trim	0.40 metres	0
Elastic	0	0
Bias Tape	0	0
Snaps	0	0
Buttons	15	0
Ribbon	0	0
Hook and Eye or other Closures	1	0

Happy Sewing!