Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Seasonal Sewing With Heather: A Stashbusting Interview

Today I have a lovely interview from Heather of Handmade by Heather B. Today she's sharing a bit about her sewing process and how the seasons effect it. Enjoy!
Summer of Dresses
I Dream In Blue

What's the cycle of weather like where you live? Can you wear the same things year round or do you have to make specific things for certain seasons? 
Here in southern Pennsylvania we do get all 4 seasons, though Fall and Spring seem to be about 2 weeks. Curse you global warming!  I'm also part reptile so my body temp tries to match the current outside temperature. In the winter I need lots of layers and in the summer I need light clothing that breaths. I also need hamsters to feed on. ;)

Does it effect what you sew? 
Yes indeed. In effort to keep warm I'm almost a 100% pants wearer in the cold months.  I might sew one dress for a fancy occasion during that time.  The rest of my sewing is tops that go with pants, blazers, leggings and if I'm feeling crazy some actual pants. Then I remember that my backside does not fit into pants and I make a hasty retreat back to knit tops.
In the summer my sewing is just one dress after another with a pair of shorts thrown in so local people stop asking why I'm so "fancy."


Do you sew for summer in summer, winter in winter, etc. or do you plan ahead so you can wear your creations in season?
At the beginning of the season I stick with clothing that works with the current season.  As winter/summer drags on and I get tired of being perpetually cold/hot then I usually start sewing for Spring/Fall.  An illicit dress project in late winter or jacket project in late summer feels so good that it must be bad for you.  Guess who has 3 summer dresses planned this month. This Girl!

Are there any things you have made specifically because of the climate where you live?
Most of the clothing I make works well for my climate except maybe those light jackets that you only need for 2 weeks.  However wool jackets get a lot of use and I have no guilt about the 5 colors of wool coating in my stash.  

How has stash busting hindered or helped?
Last year my stash was a little winter heavy in the woven area, but I filled it in with a lot of pretty cotton prints.  So now the stash is just about perfect.  I've found it pretty easy to sew up patterns with fabric that I already have. My brain does still jump to "buy something NEW!' but then I take a look around and usually find something that will work.  Thinking of my future adult child taking all my fabric to the dump helps too.  No Son, I thought I taught you better than that!!!!

What time of year do you get the most sewing done?
Well it's too cold outside in the winter, too hot in the summer and I have pollen allergies in the Spring.  So I'm outside for those 2 weeks of Fall and sew the rest of the time. ;)  Only a slight exaggeration. 


Does sewing help you stay sane in the winter?
Some people doubt that I was ever sane to begin with, but the answer is Yes. Actually I'm a fan of winter cause the cold temps keep me from feeling bad about keeping my kid inside so I can sew. I can sneak in some more sewing and he gets some home made cookies.  It's win/win! 

Summer of Dresses
Thanks so much Heather for sharing your story! I hear ya with the allergies! How about all the rest of you stash busters? Does the climate effect your sewing?

8 comments:

Becky said...

I live just a little south of Heather, so my climate is almost the same. Which means my sewing needs are pretty similar. Except I'm allergic to wool, and I'm stubborn enough to make the pants sewing work for me! I also do a much worse job at stashing winter-appropriate fabrics, because the summery ones are just prettier. I need to work on that, once I knock a hundred yards or so out of my stash...

Ginger said...

That Heather, what a minx! I'm in NYC, so we have all four seasons, and it definitely affects the way I sew. The last few years I've sewed less in the winter because I'm much more energized by warm weather outfits, but this year I got really into jackets and blazers and made a couple of those. I wear jeans almost exclusively in the winter, but I haven't sewn any, so it's been all about tops and outerwear. In the summer, though, I love to wear dresses, so I sew them all the time!

Sharon said...

Oh Heather, what a great read. I am in Sydney, Australia and I do have all four seasons to sew for but it tends to be mostly summer and winter as the other seasons I layer on or off to be comfortable. I tend to have more of a winter stash and find it much easier to sew for than summer but need to remedy this but shopping the stash better..

Jeri said...

Heather you always make me laugh with your outstanding wit! I,m a seasonal sewer, probably because I'm an instant gratification kind of gal. Once a garment is finished I want to wear it immediately!

EmSewCrazy said...

Hurrah for being brave enough to tackle pants. I'm working on them right now too. Sorry you can't wear wool. I love the stuff and don't know what I would have done without my wool sweater this winter. Keep up the stash busting. We can do it!

EmSewCrazy said...

You've made a lot of neat jackets this year! I think it's interesting the weather energizes you! I guess it makes sense though. I mostly knit in the cooler seasons so...

EmSewCrazy said...

Instant gratification! I understand!

EmSewCrazy said...

That's cool that you can get away with layering for all your seasons! Your winter stash sounds lovely....