Sewing with a Plan

A Challenge to make 11 Garments in 5 months!

I’ve been reading about the Timmel SWAP over the years (first saw it in the Australian Stitches magazine Volume 14, Issue No. 7) and have often thought I would like to do this as it was based on the article by Lynn Cook in the Australian Stitches magazine Volume 5, Issue No.3 titled the "Perfect Wardrobe".

Just as I was getting caught up in the internet world of sewing buddies, I found out that Julie from Timmel was resigning and that she wouldn’t be running the SWAP contest again.

In stepped the lovely moderators from Stitchers Guild who posted last week the Rules for the 2009 SWAP and here they are:

Each SWAP must consist of 11 garments, which all work together to form a basic wardrobe. All garments must be handmade. You may knit, crochet or weave if you please, but they must be your own creations.

The garments are:

4 bottoms - jeans, pants, shorts, skirts or kilts.
6 tops - t-shirts, shirts, blouses, or camisoles.
1 jacket - a tailored blazer, jeans-style jacket, sweater or shawl will do, as long as it looks right with everything else.

* A dress will qualify as a top, if it can be worn with all the bottoms (tucked in or worn as a tunic) *

* Recycled garments are fine, as long as the new item is entirely different than the original, such as old jeans made into a jacket, or a wool coat made into a skirt. Before and after pictures are required, if you do this. *

All the tops must work with all the bottoms; and the jacket must work with everything. Dressier clothes require a dressier jacket, and vice-versa. Traditional clothing such as salwar kameez qualify, too.

2009 Twist: A wardrobe which reflects a week in your REAL LIFE. If you're a stay-at-home mom who lives in jeans and tees, that's what you'll be sewing. If you're a rock star who lives in zebra stripes and pink hot pants, that's what you'll be making. The finished wardrobe should consist of the pieces you'll be grabbing to wear for the rest of the year. Whether you work in an office, or spend your days eating bon-bons, your SWAP should reflect your current lifestyle and weight.

All garments must be made between November 1/08 and April 30/09.

The fact that we have been given an 2 extra months to complete this and the fact that I completed 3 garments in the month of June, (so at that rate I should be able to complete 15 garments) I am going to do it!!

The mind is going overtime trying to work out what I’m going to do so:

1. The notebook has been purchased
2. I plan to pull out the fabric stash (not so large) tonight and see what I can come up with.