When Sewing Mojo is a No Go

2.14.2015

Hello fellow lovers of fabric, I seem to be suffering from lengthy loss of my sewing mojo. It hightailed it out of here some time in November when my back was turned. Maybe it was offended at all my Black Friday clothing purchases, or just saw a chance to escape for warmer climates. We may never know.

In the meantime I've been keeping myself busy with the following things:

1. Casting on a crap load of yarn.
The cold weather seems to have sparked a desire to cover myself in yarn until I'm entangled in a yarny cocoon. I've been running amok on ravelry queuing up loads of sweater patterns and debating about how many should be cast on at once. My knitting mojo says, "How about all of them? That won't make you crazy or anything." Hey Mojo, I'm already crazy, does that make a difference? No? OK then, pass me those 40 yarn skeins.

2. Watching lots of TV
What goes together better than knitting stockinette and TV?  Nothing...unless you also add chocolate and wine to the equation.  Then you are having a proper Granny style party. "Ain't no party like a Granny style party, cause a Granny style party stops at 10 pm.....Granny needs her beauty sleep."  

I've watched "Death comes to Pemberley" which was very enjoyable and I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys period pieces.  Next I went on a large bender of crime dramas with "Broadchurch" and "The Killing." "Broadchurch was excellent and had me guessing the killer almost to the very end.  "The Killing" began strong, then started to drag and finally ended with me yelling about the writers being monkeys with type writers. After all the heavy fare I watched Lifetime's "Liz & Dick" and ironically enjoyed the horrible train wreck of a program that was. Oh Lohan, you better hope Liz Taylor's ghost doesn't rise from her grave intent on revenge. Though death by diamonds does sound kind of sexy.

3. Culling the fabric stash
After culling the fabric stash last year I thought there wouldn't be much more to remove.  Ummmm wrong. I've gotten to the point where my tastes have changed, which means some fabric has fallen out of favor. This led to some serious musing about the number of sewing plans vs time to sew. It so easy to wrack up a mental sewing list, harder to actually sew it.

I'm never going to be the one to say, "No more fabric purchases," because sometimes you need a pick me up or you run across something fantastic. However it crossed my mind that I should only purchase fabric I LOVE and not fabric that I only like. I've also reached the conclusion that what gets sewn and worn most often are cotton fabrics of both the knitted and woven variety. For years I've been buying all manner of fabrics because "I'm a real sewer and can sew all sorts of things."  That's all well and good, but if you don't wear those other fabrics what's the point? Well the point probably was to Have All The Pretties. I might have to concede there are some flaws to that way of thinking. Flaws like when the fabric stash starts invading every room of your home and other family members start giving you the stink eye. It's like they want space for their hobbies, ungrateful wretches. ;)
(I did post some of my stash for sale on Etsy if you are not aware. Store name is FrogsStash.  Thank you to those of you that have already given some of my stuff new homes. I know you'll treat those fabric babies well.)

4. Eating my weight in chocolate. 
I'm sure you're aware that February is chocolate month and you must stuff your face with it at every opportunity. I've been fully embracing this concept and have been ransacking Trader Joe's and the local independent candy store. My current favorites are anything that involves chocolate and caramel creating a sinfully delicious union in my mouth. Come to Mamma!

5. Browsing Etsy for vintage sewing patterns......for hours
The part of my brain that wants to plan projects is still going strong.  I'm using vintage pledge a thinly veiled excuse to slightly pad the small vintage portion of the pattern stash. Maybe I'm genetically programmed to hoard things, but buying summer dress patterns helps me get through the winter.  I have no regrets about these new new additions. Bonus, the Advance one was only 5 bucks because the pencil skirt pieces were missing. No problem, I've got pencil skirt patterns a plenty.
So that's what's up in my neck of the woods. I'm hoping the sewing mojo will return soon because the lack of new clothing in my closet is really bumming me out. Where are those sewing birds and mice when you need them?

30 comments:

  1. Oh my god, The Killing. Why did we need 16 x 1 hour long episodes? Why did they suspect every damn character yet the culprit was revealed in the last 15 minutes with absolutely no foreshadowing or motive? I swear I was dreaming in Danish by the end.

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  2. Thanks for the tv suggestions - I hadn't heard of those.
    I've been getting far more knitting than sewing done lately. I need to get more sewing done in the next few weeks. (But I am getting to the point of deadline sewing with some of that, and that stresses me out!)

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  3. My sewing mojo is intact, but my blogging mojo has been MIA. Oh well, all will return in due time!

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  4. I've been on an organize the entire house kick (pantry, sewing room, garage, closets) and that's all that's been getting done. Oh - and some knitting on the bus. g

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  5. I wondered where you had gone. Glad to hear you are alive and well. I'm feeling all the summer fabrics too...

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  6. Wish I had your organizing the stash mojo! Sometimes a good clean out is the perfect way to kickstart the sewing. Knitting.... Well that's not likely to happen around these parts. I admire your ability to knit and watch tv... At the same time. yeah I need every bit of focus I can muster to even knit stockingnette. Seriously. It's not pretty.

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  7. Yes! "Death Comes to Pemberley" I recommend "Grantchester". I got my sewgo going by watching the "Great British Sewing Bee" and by buying fabric, natural fibres.

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  8. YES YES!!! And every character was like, "I don't have to answer your questions. What I was doing is none of your business." WRONG, it's a murder investigation. Do you think the police aren't going to find out anyway?

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  9. Ugh deadline sewing. I hope your sewing mojo returns to help you with that. Sewing is not so fun when you're stressed about it.

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  10. Can it come visit me too? I think my blogging mojo doesn't exist. :)

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  11. The organizational bug as bit be a bit as well. On the plus side at least your living areas look better for a bit.

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  12. I miss you summer fabrics! Lately it feels like all my time is slipping away doing.....who knows what. But yes I am alive and well and I hope you're feeling the same. :)

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  13. I'm hoping a good stash clean out will jump start the sewing mojo. Even if it doesn't I am going to have a little more room in the stash which helps with my stash busting goals. That's always good. :)

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  14. I have not heard of "Grantchester" and will now seek it out! If I can find some way to watch it on my TV, I'll check out the sewing bee as well. Thanks for the suggestions Janet. :)

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  15. Oh I feel the same! Glad to know I'm not alone. I'm sure we'll be back at it soon.

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  16. Even though the sewjo may be missing it sounds like you are still keeping busy and being creative - so Yay!! You totally have me wanting to watch Broadchurch now! I am just about finished with Six Feet Under which I have enjoyed immensely.

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  17. Hooray for knitting! But not so much for slow, slow FO's. Oh well, it is what it is. So should I be adding Six Feet Under to my watching list. I heard it's kind of a bummer.

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  18. I really enjoyed it, but it is quite dark, and can be quite sad because it's about a funeral home. I love Michael C. Hall though...so I loved the show. That's what I hate about knitting - it takes forever, but the end result is usually worth it!

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  19. Glad you're still with us! And oh my Gee, the rabbit hole that is Etsy vintage pattern shopping. UGH. Entire days have been sacrificed to that noble cause. I have Etsy gift cards to spend and am impotent when faced with my out-of-control "Favorites" list. If only gift cards earned interest...O_o

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  20. Maybe you are not in winter mood for sewing... That's what is happening to me. I have a lot of sewing plans but all involve summer dresses so I am sewing nothing, because I say to myslef it's not time for summer clothes and don't feel like sewing winter garments... I should do something with this.
    Well, I'll be waiting to see this knitting meanwhile, and soon or later your sewing mojo will be back.

    Thanks for the tv suggestions, they seem interesting so they will go to my "to watch" list.

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  21. I too got sucked into the Vintage Pattern Pledge. But I didn't have any patterns. So I *had* to go and buy a load on eBay.... No choice in the matter. Other than that, I'm trying to actually make some of the items from the list in my head - so that there's space for more patterns and fabric.... I'm even managing to blog a little bit more.

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  22. Dude, I'm in the same boat! I've been knitting like crazy but didn't sew a stitch (other than homework) all last week! Saturday and yesterday the trains were down in my neighborhood, so I stayed in for 48 hours, watching TV and ordering delivery... over and over. Like, I didn't cook once in two days! :O I think I'm just not very interested in sewing anything winter-y, and it will be ages before anything spring-y will get worn. Ugh!

    PS- watched the first and second seasons of the American version of "The Killing" and thought it was DUMB. Like, 50000 red herrings and so much stupidity? Ugh!

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  23. Sounds like we are fellow etsy addicts. "I'll just look at one more page..." Then you look up and it's an hour later.

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  24. You are right that winter sewing doesn't sound very appealing right now. I'd sew some summer clothing but then it's be too cold to photograph and blog about it. Oh well, at least I'll have a sweater to show you soon.


    Hope you find some creative outlet in the meantime. :)

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  25. Yes you did have to go by patterns. Sounds like you might be making headway on your sewing list. You go!

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  26. Have to say that sitting indoors, eating take out sounds really great. "Bring the carbs to my cave!!!" Also great is your horses sweater. I LOVE it and your stranded knitting looks really good.

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  27. I enjoyed Broadchurch and I'm currently watching series 2. I'm also avoiding buying new fabric, but from time to time I succumb to the temptation. I think we need these little pleasures to get us through the long winter.

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  28. I agree Elena. Some times the small things are all that keeps you going in the cold.

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  29. I am so with you on most of these! It's been a slow start to the year and casting on knit projects with no real plans of finishing-- it's just therapeutic and nice to keep my hands busy during Netflix marathons. Browsing patterns and Ravelry seems to catch my interest better than anything right now. I blame winter! Come summer I will not want to go anywhere near knitting needles and my sewing machine will go into overdrive with summer dresses.

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  30. Yes! What you just described is exactly what I'm also doing. Must admit I'm ready for summer dresses.

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