I really should be sewing today. I have my spring project list to get through, things around the house to get to, Lent to prepare for, and just the general running of the household to get through. I've got Pascha dresses to make for the girls, plus sweaters to match, and a handful of things for my spring rotation for Project 333.
But I'm not doing much of anything these days. I've been fighting one respiratory infection after another for over a month now, and my body has just informed me that I am done. I think I'm spending the day with BBC documentaries on YouTube and a semi-mindless knitting project. The last week has been a fog of getting through my days, too fatigued to even shower in the morning (thank goodness for waterless cleansers!) I have managed to knit a bit, when I am feeling slightly perky, because I can do that while sitting in a chair.
I've been thinking more about Project 333, particularly as March is looming, and I don't have my spring projects done. I wasn't planning to have them all completed by March 1st, but I was hoping to have about half the list done. As it is, I've completed one thing, and have two more cut out. I think I have enough clothes to work for a while anyway. I know I did a ton of sewing in late March and April last year, so perhaps my winter sickness fog will lift in a few weeks. I think the beauty of Project 333, at least for me, is a concrete number of garments in my closet and drawers, for a specified period of time. It helps me keep my closet lean, and my sewing project list realistic.
Truth be told, however, I'm a little frustrated with the randomness of Project 333, most particularly in the spring and fall rotations. The three months of those two rotations see a huge shift in temperatures. From March 1 to May 31, we go from sub-freezing temps to 80 or 90 degree weather, plus everything in between. From September to November, we go from 100 degree temperatures to freezing or below. All the Seasons, All the Time! It is hard to know how to plan those three months appropriately and still comply with the Project guidelines. I'm a person who generally likes to color inside the lines, and follow the rules, but I think in this case, I'm going to have to break a few. I think perhaps the person who came up with Project 333 lives in a temperate climate that doesn't see such temperature extremes in a 3 month period of time. I'm considering waiting to start the spring rotation until later in March, and begin the fall rotation in mid-September. I may wait to start my summer in mid-June.
This also gives me a bit more time with my winter rotation (I'm not ready to put away my pullover sweaters just yet!), and also more time to feel better and make a few more things for my spring rotation. I'm also aware that my measurements are still changing rather rapidly, and I'm wary of making skirts that won't fit by summer. (My summer rotation includes the two skirts I'm planning to make for spring). My rust corduroy skirt is starting to feel and look a bit big, although it is still plenty wearable. My focus at the moment is mostly on Dottie Angel frocks because they are forgiving, and I'm pushing the skirts a little down the list.
So that's me for the moment. I'm off to watch The Great British Bake-Off and work on sweaters, tissue box at the ready.
we can't do it all and right now you need to rest and heal. praying for you. I know how hard it is to wait...
ReplyDeleteI've been doing project 333 for three years now, and my Spring and Fall rotations aren't really a specific set of clothes in their own right any more. Those seasons have evolved into "transitioning out winter stuff and in summer stuff one skirt and blouse at a time".
ReplyDeleteGenerally this starts here (I live in the PNW, so not super cold, but rainy. Heavy emphasis on layering.) in the first part of March. I'll swap my two thickest sweaters and wool skirt for the "heaviest" of my summer/ spring stuff. The next week, I'll see what the forecast is and how I've been feeling and swap in two or three other things.
Obviously, this is ANNOYING! Swapping everything all at once and BEING DONE is satisfying, but I find it easier, and more comfortable to do my seasonal adjustments more slowly.
I usually do my adjusting on laundry day, so I can see what I haven't worn and trade accordingly. Generally, I've made the full transition by mid April, and mid October. (Fall transition starts on September.)
I hope you have a wonderful day!
Caryn
That's kind of what happened to me in the fall, although a bit more piecemeal. I had a group of about 10 garments I wore in September when it was crazy hot, and then swapped those things out over October and November as I needed more cold weather stuff. It was a crazy fall, weather-wise here. The weather is really mild today, so it makes me think I might be able to make the big shift by mid-March anyway. I tend to wear dresses and sweaters and tights in the transitions and just lose the sweaters and tights as it gets warmer, so I guess that is okay.
DeleteI've been looking at the Project 333 ideas lately, but I don't know how I would make them work. With my work at the hospital, I tend to wear much the same thing year-round. I can't wear heavy sweaters, etc to work under my lab coat. It tends to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I do wear darker colors and heavier skirts, etc in the winter, but much of my wardrobe I wear year-round. I've been focused on building a collection of basics, and adding a more season look with pops of color in my tops, etc.
ReplyDeleteActually, I think that is sort of the ultimate point of Project 333--that you end up with a closet of 33 things that you can wear year round. I'd say you are there!
DeletePersonally, I tend to wear different things in different seasons, so this doesn't work for me, so my approach has been to wear 33 things in a 3 month rotation, but not have a ton of overlap between seasons. I think I need to work toward something like a 20 garment rotation with about 10 garments that overlap seasons, particularly for fall and spring, when the weather is so changeable.