As I am about to cut a new project I see it lurking in the corner… That bin, box, bag. We all have one and mine seems to grow exponentially at times. And the more projects that get relegated to the “UFO” bin, and the more I seem to start new projects.
UFOS a.k.a unfinished objects are such a source of stress for me. A year ago I vowed to clear them out and not become a repeat offender, but here I am again. There is a box full of Phee fabric cut and sitting in plastic bags. I decided to take a stab at conquering this box, one project at a time and try to figure out why it gets this way and how to prevent the cycle.
First up my favorite scrap busting project, UNDIES! Phee rayon spandex scraps are the base for more or less every pair of underwear my almost 4 year old son has ever worn. Some day he will know how lucky he was 🤣
These take less time than it takes to even write about this project, but somehow they ended up in the bin.
Since these went so fast and I always run out of speed, I decided to stick with underwear and work on the two pairs of Made 4 Mermaids Greta thongs I cut out when I was working on the Lana bras from my last blog. These have a no show option, FOE, elastic and bands. I was super excited for these because they have a mid and high rise option. I cut out a pair in some Cherry RS and circular knit scraps.
They were very quick to sew and I like that you can add elastic and lace straight and not in the round….however, these are the mid-rise and these babies are SUPER HIGH!! and pretty baggy for the no show so I added some elastic and it helped, but I decided to file the red pair in the circular file bin… womp womp!
On to the bigger projects – the Crimson Top from George and Ginger and a pair of P4P Peg legs with the side panel. I cut out the Crimson top during testing to make this Pinspiration… and in the UFO box it sat for months!!! I had wanted to wear this so many times but for some reason just never got back to it. I absolutely love this top – the white circular knit feels so good on and the wide mesh worked really well for the panels.
The same thing for the leggings – I made the shirt and bra to go with them back in March but the leggings, which I have made many time and hardly need the directions for and yet they just sat…waiting to meet the rest of their outfit. The funny thing is that I really needed these. I made a bunch of full length leggings but wanted to have something a little more airy and light for the spring. The wide mesh is perfect for that and of course you can never go wrong with leggings in Phee Supplex!
Here I am at the end of this project and reflecting on the process. I really wanted to figure out why I have this bin in the first place and while I know some of it is just my nature to overschedule and under estimate my time, there is something else I realized. I started sewing because as a stay at home Mom I needed something more. When I worked, there was a sense of satisfaction from completing my tasks and projects at work, but being at home those daily tasks can just become so mundane. Taking care of my son and my family is the hardest work I have ever done and gives me the most joy at times, but I am left feeling empty on some level. Sewing fills that gap – when I finish a project I love I have a sense of accomplishment that is like nothing else I do everyday.
Sadly, I did not finish all of the UFO’s in the bin (including the leggings above) – my Claire Coat from last fall is still sitting idly on my dress form half sewn and it taunts me. But that’s ok. They will get finished and I will not be adding endless projects in between but instead the ones that will fulfill me. It does not need to be about quantity, efficiency or checking off someone else’s list. This is something I do for myself and if I continue to focus on that I will have a wardrobe and craft that I love!
-Liz-
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