Tackling my Sewing Mindsets ( or My Burda Challenge )

I have this `thing ` about using stuff . According to Clear The Decks decluttering sewing spaces podcast this could be due to many different mindset issues like sense of duty or sentimentality or money ( these are great podcasts by the way - I have found them very helpful ) .
Backtrack a few years and one of the best sewing op shop finds I have ever had were  10 unused recent Burda magazines . I have been determined to make at least one project from each one - see `thing` above . But I have struggled with the last two magazines left .

Burdastyle June 2012 had a few items I could have made - a stretch lace dress ,  a pleated skirt ,  a loose fitting pleated neckline dress but I had no suitable fabric . I have really thought about this a lot and I mean a lot . I finally figured  the above jacket could work with scrap knit left over from a winter dress I made earlier this year and a piece of black knit given to me .
The jacket was easy to sew and looks really cute in the above photo .
However it is very short  , too short for me and the elasticated waist band creeps upwards .It is comfortable to wear but just not a good look for me .  I did  wear the jacket several times because I like to give something a thorough go before I make a decision on whether it is a winner or wadder and this is a wadder .
However the length is not the main issue here . The main problem is my mindset about using stuff and not letting it go to waste . I could have used my fabric better for another pattern or bought new material to make a different pattern . I am trying to tackle my mindsets and not get caught in this obsession.

Burdastyle February 2012 was the other issue I struggled to find a pattern to sew and I almost gave up .
This issue seemed to have either very loose , baggy clothing like the paper bag skirt below and the super puffy sleeved wrap top or very slim fitting dresses . There were also some maternity styles.

I finally took a punt on the pants above .I haven`t sewn many pants before but I have somehow accumulated quite a bit of navy blue fabric so there was nothing to lose and I got to satisfy my ` thing ` ( and replace my old navy blue pants which have a shiny bum and knees ) .
The pants have small waist pleats with slim fitting legs .  I used an old Kwik Sew pattern to construct the fly front ( I wasn`t even going to bother looking at Burda for this ) but overall pants are not hard to sew , it is just the fitting that is difficult .

Now this is a case where my using stuff mindset triumphed . I can see from the photos that my pants are too long and I should go back and rehem them but apart from this I love my new navy pants . They are comfy and I am pretty happy with how they fit and look.

I have now completed at least one project from each of my most recent Burdas I own and am tackling my unused envelope patterns but with more mindfulness and hopefully more success.

Sewing Stash from the Abyss .

My latest sewing ticks a few boxes -replacing old garments, using ancient stash and trialling new patterns.
The  above top uses a Vogue pattern 8982  by Katherine Tilton . I made view E .I  thought this was a pattern for a shirt but it is for a vest / jacket so I had to make a couple of modifications to  make this work. Many reviews stated that it runs large so  I cut out size 10 instead of my usual 12 . Looking at the photos on the front cover I could see the arm hole is very low so I raised the  bottom by about an inch. The result is a top that still has plenty of room but won`t flash my camisole.

I used two pieces of navy and white ditsy floral cotton that Mum gave me 10 years ago . Turns out the fabric was really skirt pieces . I had no idea. I managed to just squeeze the main pattern pieces onto the fabric. I did not  have enough  fabric  for the armhole facings but I like the bias binding better anyway and not enough for  the bottom hem facing which wasn`t necessary as well. The small print covers up all the interesting seams of the shirt but it looks lovely on the inside. The shirt was quite easy to sew  and all the pieces came together really well. 

I am really happy with the fit and the style. Despite the interesting seams being lost in my fabric it still has the shaped and lovely hem line . I will have to make this again and try emphasise those curved seams (  my list of to do one day projects is getting  impossibly long ) . 

My next project was to make a much needed long sleeved winter PJ top  ( I only have one other ! ).It was a perfect opportunity to trial an unused pattern with another piece of 10 year old stash . Nothing to lose. The pink fabric is that old fashioned polycotton interlock with not much stretch or recovery . 

I used this T shirt pattern from Ottobre Spring /Summer 2016 . It appears to be fitted around the shoulders and bust and flares  out at the waist and hip . I obviously lengthened the sleeves and had a bit of fun practising some machine embroidery. 

The top is easy to make but I have the same criticism that it is hard to trace Ottobre patterns because there is no distinction between the different sized pattern lines. My top did not seem to flare as much at the bottom as I was expecting but it still makes a very comfy PJ top which I  have worn heaps with our cold weather. I am not sure if I will make it again though . 

Now for some reason I always get a bit worried about sewing with really old fabric. Sometimes I have thought so much about what it will become that I think I will be sick of the garment before I have even worn it. But so far I always get double the pleasure from wearing them and satisfaction of using the fabric . Silly and a bit weird I know. 

Now with these garments finished my sewing room is actually looking a bit tidy . Using the Katherine Tilton pattern fulfills my personal sewing challenge to use my unused patterns. A couple of years ago I blogged about my pattern piles and looking back at that post my piles have definitely shrunk. The patterns below are what I have left to make but that will keep my busy for a long time . I have cut out the paper pattern pieces for the Marcy Tilton Vogue  bag pattern 8407 ( all rectangles ! ) and will have a play around with some fabric scraps I have . 

The magazines in the picture above are a lucky gift from my eldest daughter travelling around the world in her gap year. These are magazines I could not get in Australia . My favourite is the Patrones but I have picked out something from each magazine to make . So what is the oldest fabric anyone else has used and do you have reservations about sewing it ?