I've been doing a massive closet clean-out for the last week . . .
I've said a few times that I have clothes and shoes in my closet that are twenty years old that I keep because I still like them and they still fit. Well, a couple weeks ago I went to put on one of those older pieces and discovered it didn't fit after all. It got me wondering how many of those other pieces don't fit either.
And with all the sewing that's been going on the last couple years, my closet is jam-packed now. Add to that the fact that my body and my style have had some mid-life changes over the last couple years, and you get the perfect recipe for a good clean-out.
I've just done a small portion so far, a little bit each day. But I've already managed to fill 2 shopping bags full of stuff. Some things go in automatically if they don't suit my style any more. But a lot of things I'm trying on to see if they still fit. And the biggest reason many of the pieces don't fit is because my back is now so much broader than it used to be. Thank you, rowing machine :-)
One of the pieces to go in today was a wrap-style faux suede jacket I made in the late 1990s. I was so proud of this piece when I made it! I'd seen a similar style in a shop but couldn't justify the price, so I went and got myself some faux suede and traced a pattern out of a Burda magazine to make my own version. The microsuede was a bear to sew - I didn't know about using different types of needles back then! But it feels so luxurious and is actually very easy care: machine wash and dry!
I tried it on this morning and it's just too tight across the back and upper sleeves. It's a little hard to part with it, but I'm hoping someone else will love it just as much. So here are some pictures to remember it by. This is probably more for my sake than for yours! But I think it's fun to share this stuff.
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| darts up the front for shaping, and 3/4 sleeves |
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| small shawl collar |
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| dart |
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| inside of dart, opened up to lay flat |
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| no seam finishes - microsuede doesn't really need it! |
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| more darts in the back for a nice shape |
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| darts and center back seam, with wrinkles from wearing! |
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| and sleeve darts - this is closest to the true color |
Do you guys have a hard time getting rid of beloved items that no longer fit? Is it harder for you to get rid of your hand-made items than the ones you've bought? Or do you do clean-outs regularly?
