The Catalogue of UFOs (new edition)

We’re halfway through Me Made May, a wardrobe challenge with the goal of wearing your handmade items more often or differently.

My pledge for May was:

1. Choose one item to wear for the whole week, styled with different things, aiming for comfort, fun and variety.

2. Make a list of sewing UFOs (UnFinished Objects) and tackle at least three to be incorporated in MMM outfits.

It’s time to work on the second part of this pledge. The UFOs have piled up again since last year when I cleared the decks. But I found that once I got started, intending to finish three things, I finished off almost the whole list, so I’m hopeful the same thing will happen this time. (Btw, some people said they were surprised I had “only” ten UFOs. Gee, how many do other people have?)

Fellow procrastinators would say that making a list of things to do postpones actually doing anything, but naturally one must see the whole picture to get a grip on the task at hand.

Here’s the catalogue…

1. Two hat brims needing crowns

Both from the low-waste sunhat pattern.

The yellow was an experiment with a crownless version, which I cannot wear with my thin hair and the hot Aussie sun – it’s just asking for a sunburnt scalp and it really needs a crown.

The orange was an original sample when I was developing the pattern, but there’s not enough “spread” on the brim and it looked like a lampshade. It needs a crown and the brim trimmed to bucket length.

(Should I count this as two separate items? Then I would have the pleasure of ticking TWO things off.)

2. SKFK Habene dress

I just knew this dress would end up on this list. It’s finished and wearable, but needs a few little tweaks to make it great: bra strap holders and a slight lowering of the front neck. Motivation is low as it’s too chilly to wear, but it’s a quick job.

3. Yellow dress

A dress my teen asked for from a vintage pattern, and then we both lost interest. It’s a simple A-line with plain sleeves.

4. Mr H’s jeans

Does mending count in the UFOs? He let these go far too long with holes in, and now it’s a big mending job instead of a small one. The seat has a big horizontal rip. Have got the denim for it.

5. The Arc T-shirt

This is a carry-over from last year’s UFO list. It’s the Arc T-shirt from Zero Waste Fashion Design. I thought it might suit my sister, but now I’m not sure. I’m going to cut oval-shaped armholes and bind them, and cut up the front to turn it into a vest. I’ve still got a bit of fabric left, so there’s some “artistic freedom” for how it can be finished.

6. Brown knitted vest

Just look how close I am to finishing!!! Yet why can’t I???

7. The coat from Zero and Zen

It pains me to include this one, as Zero and Zen was a course I co-ran last year and I didn’t finish the project. The coat is the modular jacket from A Year of Zero Waste Sewing, with a hood (the hood’s a free update, if you happen to have this pattern). When the weather turned hot I didn’t feel like working on it, as who wants a winter coat sitting on their lap while it’s 35 degrees? I enjoyed the stitching though, so this one might be a slow burn over the next several months.

8. The quilted dressing gown project

This is a shrunken, quilted dressing gown, which might have potential as a jacket. It was destined for a second hand clothes sale, but got passed onto me. It cannot be sold second hand as it’s in such poor condition – the lining is hanging down below the hems and is ripped under the arms, and it has no buttons. If it got donated it would just get binned, at the charity’s expense. But I think I could do something with it.

9. Smith pinafore original sample

This is the first sample I ever made of the popular Smith pinafore pattern. The central red strip hides the fact that I didn’t cut the panels wide enough initially – they’re just butted together behind the strip. But much as I like red-on-denim, I find I don’t really like the red stripe much and it never gets worn. I could unpick it and sew something in its place – perhaps another strip of matching denim? There’s no more of the original fabric.

I’ve been trying to pinpoint why projects stay unfinished. Either:

1.The weather changes and it gets put aside because it can’t be worn.

or

2. There’s no clear direction on how to finish things off. I’ve noticed that if I haven’t thought a project through properly, there’s a high chance I’ll dilly dally with design decisions and never do anything.

So…I think the projects most useful for wearing now would be the knitted vest and the hats, and maybe the Arc T-shirt as a long-line vest. If you have any thoughts on the Smith pinafore, I would be interested.

Cheers!