October results

To get this out of the way: October was a net stash gain month, and I completed only the Schnittquelle Oslo coat. I'm going to consider the boiled wool in question gone.

I do still need to swatch from the scraps for my shopping swatchbook, and it's possible there are enough scraps that I could make a hat or something. On the other hand, it's probably little enough that I wouldn't feel bad if I didn't use it. That's 2.22 yards out.

Incoming:

1. A cut of navy linen from Fabrics Etc., 2.56 yards 58" wide. Should be more than enough for trousers.
2. Gray-violet mystery-synthetic jacquard from one of the Our Social Fabric sales, 3.69 yards 44" wide. The thought was to use this to line some sort of raincoat, though I don't have fabric for such a thing yet. It survived washing and drying with no trouble, so I presume it isn't acetate.
3. Moleskin print from the same sale, 2 yards 44", for a skirt. It's a nice weight with a satin back, and seems not to cling at all. It must be synthetic, which is just as well for wet weather IMO.
4. Silk charmeuse from the same sale, 2.19 yards 42", for I-don't-know-what-yet.

That's 10.44 yards in, for a net +8.22.

In other news, today I graded down the Butterick Retro '36 skirt pattern I mentioned yesterday (I have a copy that's a too-big size range, either because I thought I was that size at the time, or more likely because it was part of a group of OOP Retro patterns I got on eBay, several of which were too big or too small.) I suspect an excessive amount of the waist shaping is being done at the side seams, but I'll have to play around with it to be sure. It remains to be seen whether I'll get that all done in time for this week's contest deadline.

Stats for May-July

I haven't done much sewing during this time, but my stash has changed a lot.

• I acquired four pieces of silk and one of acetate (some from friends, thanks!) which amounted to 14.08 yards.
• I gave away a net 31 pieces/72.3 yards of fabric before the move, which presumably means a total of 36 pieces at 86.38 yards.
• In the past month, I cut one project, New Look 6387, using 1.11 yards. This is not far from done, but I do have to finish the hem, and decide on and finish the front closure.

Notes to self:

• I now have access to a dryer, so I feel like I can go wild get more washable but slow-drying spring and fall fabrics.
• I need to recheck what my stash reduction goals were, but it's less than half what I had since I started keeping a database. 
• I'm behind on my planned project rate. Part of the problem was that my stash was inaccessible for a month and a half. Not to mention it isn't realistic to get a lot of other things done around a move.
• Although I kind of wish I had more linens and cottons, the proportion of those in stash actually decreased. A lot of what I had was in colors I no longer prefer, so that's why. I'd also acquired some more silks and wools in good colors, because those were readily available where I was, but I'd really like to find some more rayon wovens and linen prints, among other things.

So that's out of the way. I hope I get more done this month.

April results

Stash: 7.06 yards out, 4.22 yards in. (The latter are two linings from friends.)

Projects:

• Schnittquelle Malmedy jacket finished
• Simplicity 1540 coat (still) in progress
• White top with lace from New Look 6802 finished

On that last point,
 
I wrote a whole lot more in my review there than I want to repeat here, and along with that, you can see lots of great tops from everyone else who entered (in random order).

March results

Projects:

• Schnittquelle Trondheim hoodie finished mid-March
• Neue Mode 22957 blouse finished a bit later in March
• Schnittquelle Malmedy jacket in progress
• Simplicity 1540 just cut

Out:

• 5.83 yards of fabric stash (I do count it as out as soon as I cut)
• Lots of clothing; certainly more than the 4 pieces I'd set as a minimum. Off the top of my head, among other things, I think this included: 
• RTW jeans, sort of a desperation purchase, never fit quite right (like most RTW) and had become much worse. Came with a belt that literally fell apart. They were bootcut and too long which I think is one of the worst combinations. What can I say, I was desperate, new to the area, and didn't know which stores had the best least worst fit.
• RTW gray jeans, also a desperation purchase, terrible fit, but such a useful color that I wore them a lot anyway, until I found a new pair that fit better.
• Likewise, taupe cords.
• Dark teal stockings (why? Some sort of costume I've forgotten about?) 

In: nothing.

February results

• 2 projects done: LWD and black crepe dress
• I haven't got around to picking my exact 4 old things to donate, but I'm sure they exist; more on that later. (They won't go out until next week, anyway, next time I go in the direction of the donation bins.)
• Fabric stash: 4.95 yards out, none in
• Schnittquelle hoodie cut

Some stash stats while I'm not sewing

I've been foiled from sewing for the past few days, but there's this, I guess.
The current composition of my stash (by area and by main fiber category):

• 71% wovens, 29% knits. ("Knits" includes boiled wool and swimsuit fabric as well as the usual jersey, interlock, etc.)
• 29% wools, among my favorite things to sew, but this is a bit too much given what I typically wear. Recently I've at least been careful to get ones that can be hand-washed.
• 22% cottons, another pleasant fiber to sew (as long as we're not talking all-cotton knits).
• 16% rayons. A lot of these are linings, some in rather iffy colors, but I've kept them since they can be hidden inside garments and they don't take up much stash space. I wouldn't mind having more rayon challis if I could find it in nice prints.
• 13% silks, more than I want, honestly. I know silks are supposed to be nice and all, but the care requirements are just annoying, and for much of the year they seem either too hot or too cold to wear. I also don't particularly like the shine on most of them. I do have several pieces in nice colors, though.
• 11% synthetics. These get a bad rap, sometimes deserved. Their main advantage IMO is they dry quickly (important for the moment since I don't have a dryer) and some of them don't wrinkle. I'd consider getting more microfibers but not a lot else.
• 8% linen. I haven't been getting much more of this lately, because where I've been living it hasn't been particularly hot, by my standards — IIRC it's been 37C, once, for a little while —nor is linen a particular specialty of the area. Once I move somewhere hotter I will want more, not least because I love sewing it.

A fair amount of this reflects things I used to be interested in, colors I used to like, or fabrics I kept because they were relatively "valuable" or "impressive". Now I wouldn't recommend stashing so much, because sewing takes time, during which your tastes might change or you might get a better understanding of what you actually like sewing and wearing. One advantage is that it does seem to diminish fear of cutting, for me anyway, since a well-aged stash fabric is so long separated from any memory of what it cost.

January results

• 2 projects done: boiled wool pullover and crushed taffeta bag
• 4 old things selected to donate: olive green knit Vogue tunic (pilling, too big); bright blue Donna Karan/Vogue doubleknit coat with attached scarf collar (too big, and not my color); aubergine wool knit Kwik-Sew tunic (too big, huge annoying neckline, scratchy); gray rayon knit draped Butterick top (too big, saggy, front is double and takes too long to dry)
• Fabric stash: 6.87 yards out, 4.22 yards in
• Fabric stash inventory rechecked and lingerie supply stash inventoried
• Basic pattern drafted using the Müller & Sohn system
• Linen/silk dress drafted from the basic pattern, fitted, and partially completed
• Part of the work done on relining the navy wool coat