10 Things I Learned From Not Buying Clothes For A Year

In 2019 my new years' resolution was to make, thrift or mend all my clothing for a year. It was a fun challenge to myself to see if I could do it, improve my sewing and knitting skills and try to be more intentional about the things I make. Here are a few of the things I learned along the way.

1) Mend items that are worn out early.

This is probably one of the key take-aways. If you are trying to make your clothing last longer you NEED to mend things as soon as you notice a problem. The most common mending that I need to do is patches on the inner thighs of my jeans. The patches hold so much better and for so much longer if you patch them before they actually develop visible holes. In this photo I waited to long, this patch only lasted a month or so.

2) Plan out what you want to make one season in advance.

I got into the summer months last year a realized I had no t-shirts and no shorts... So I did a blitz sewing weekend where I made four t-shirts and a pair of shorts. If I had planned out my sewing in advance I wouldn't have needed to rush this.

3) Craftcations are an excellent way to get things done but also relax.

In September I had some paid time off and I used it to make two pairs of jeans, a long sleeve shirt and a pair of overalls. It sounds like a lot but I had everything cut out in advance of the week and had all the supplies on hand. All I had to do was sew (which is the fun part). It was one of the most relaxing vacations I have had in a long time and I was totally prepared for fall. I even had time to stop by my favourite cafe and knit for a few hours.

4) Overalls are the most comfortable pants you can own and I need about 10 more pairs.

I made one pair of short-overalls and one pair of full length Yanta Overalls. They are so comfortable, cute and fun to wear. I have some ideas in my head about making a few more pairs some day.

5) If you are unhappy with how a sweater fits, it is worth it to rip it out and re-knit it. 100% worth it.

Ah, the great Zweig sweater saga... Here's the story of this sweater. I knit a swatch and my gauge was good, I knit a size that should have given me about 4 inches of positive ease. What happened was my gauge loosened up as I knit the sweater. I tried it on once I was done and thought,

"Okay, this is a little big, but I think I can live with it, as long as it doesn't get any bigger" Then I washed it. And it grew LIKE CRAZY. I ended up with a sweater that was 10 inches larger than I had intended, and had a total of 15 inches of positive ease... I let it sit for a few months and then talked with a few friends and they confirmed what I already knew. The sweater was too big, I needed to rip it out and start over.
So that's what I did. It took me 3 hours to unravel the sweater and then another month to re-knit it BUT, it was totally worth it. I love the finished product.

6) I need to focus on making more summer appropriate
clothing items.

I have enough t shirts now, but I need some more variety when it comes to my summer wardrobe, I would like to focus on making some cropped pants, lightweight knit sweaters and tops this year.

7) Wearing an outfit where I made every single piece makes
me feel like a superstar.

Having people complement what I am wearing and being able to say, "Thanks! I made it!" is one of the best feelings in the world.

8) Surprise events are stressful to handle.

I had a last minute wedding to attend this year and didn't have a winter appropriate dress to wear, so I had to quickly find a pattern and make it. It all ended up working out, but it probably would have been easier and less stressful to just go out and buy something.

9) How to do professional looking top stitching

Making three pairs of jeans and hemming five shirts have taught me the trick to getting good top stitching. I think the key is to go slow and pick a spot on your presser foot to focus on.

10) I don't need to do this again

It was a really great experience not buying clothes for a year, but I don't think I will do it again. I think I will still make the majority of my clothing but I will focus on buying/making quality pieces that will last a long time and mending them when needed.