My 2016 Challenge

Earlier this month I came across a blog post by Heather Lou, of Closet Case Files, called Just Make it Already! How to Boost Your Sewing Confidence. It is a brilliant post! Go ahead and click over to read it - I'll wait :) I found myself nodding and smiling as I read because what she was saying really resonated with me. The gist of the blog post can be summed up in this statement Heather Lou makes at the beginning:

Stop telling yourself you can’t do it.

Do you talk yourself out of trying something new because you're scared to fail? I do it all the time. I really want to learn how to do something, but I'm scared of it, so I put it off and then I procrastinate, and then I put it off again and in the end I accomplish nothing. I did it for years with my desire to learn to sew clothes. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to understand the patterns, and that I'd ruin fabric and waste money, so I didn't try. Then, last year, I finally plunged in and discovered that I can do it!! With the help of the book Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes I made a skirt...

 

and a dress that I love.

You'd think that I'd be ready to tackle anything now, right? Instead, I find myself in the same holding pattern. I really want to try sewing with knits, but I'm scared of them. They stretch! Quilting fabrics don't stretch! What's the difference between jersey and interlock, and which one do I want to use to make a t-shirt? I've spent hours reading different articles and blog posts and I'm still not sure!

So, after nodding my way through Heather Lou's blog post and agreeing with her that it's only fabric, I am publicly stating that in 2016 I will try sewing with knits. There are so many patterns I want to try (I'm looking at you Renfrew Top and Lady Skater Dress), but I'm going to start with a Craftsy class.

I figure Craftsy worked for helping me learn free motion quilting (which also used to scare me), so I'll use their class Sewing With Knits: 5 Wardrobe Essentials to tackle this next challenge. The class includes patterns for a hoodie, two styles of t-shirts, yoga pants and a dress, so I'll have plenty to work on. The class has been sitting on my wishlist for months, but no more - I just bought it!

Wish me luck!

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