Back-to-Stash August

Happy First Day of August!

Bees in our oregano flowers.

Summer has peaked with July, but some of the hottest days of the year are left, good for growing vegetables and time to savor the warmth and sun before Autumn arrives and the harvest begins in earnest to prepare for winter.  It's also the classic time to prepare for Fall and 'back-to-school', which still plays a huge role in my life, as I work in academia.

Sungold is my favorite variety!

July is my birthday month, which always means a festive and busy time. I took two trips that featured fabric shopping, as well as indulging on fabric.com and ebay... so the vegetables weren't the only thing growing larger this summer.  My stash also grew exponentially last month.

As I was working on my birthday sundress and shopping my way through July like there was no tomorrow, I thought - next month I should really buckle down and work on some basic pieces for Fall.  I also thought - in August I shouldn't buy anything new and should sew up all these wonderful novelty prints and vintage fabrics I've collected.  So, I've decided to do both.  I have a three-fold plan for August to get the most out of the remains of summer (i.e. sew a few more pretty cotton summer dresses while I can still enjoy them) and sew some Fall staples, as well as not buying anything new (except thread - I think I will have to buy a few spools of thread) to make space for new Fall fabric to be acquired come September.

I'm going to sew with patterns that I already have, use fabric & yarn that I've already purchased, and use notions like buttons, zippers, bias tape, etc that I've been collecting.  I've got a few novelty print dresses in mind, easy-to-wear knit tops and dresses, and a couple Kelly skirts (which I have decided on as my pattern for the OWOP challenge in early September.) I also want to finish my Twisted Grapes cardigan.  I just have the short-row sleeves and neck/button bands left.  

I'm not sure how much I will get done - I have a long list!  But if I temporarily stop adding new projects to my list with a no-shopping month, I think I have a pretty good chance of making headway on the projects for which I already have all the supplies & have been daydreaming about wearing for a while now.

One last counter-balance to the wild abandon of July - I have several presents and projects for others on my list as well... but some of those are (shhhhh!) secrets.