Check-in on not buying new textiles in 2019
It's been ages since I blogged. For the last year, I've doing some contract work on top of my regular job. The contract is up and I'm happy to be back to a sustainable work/life balance with more time for creative pursuits and rest.
I'm excited to get back into chronicling my makes and reflecting on making & ethical/inclusive fashion. Over the last 12 months, I've had to choose between making or blogging with my limited free time... and, of course, making won out!
For my first foray back into blogging, I'm taking stock of how I've been doing with my resolution not to buy any new clothes/shoes or fabric in 2019 & to cut down on thrifting.
I have broken the resolution on two occasions, each time resulting in handful of purchases. Only one purchase, I really regret.
Occasion 1:
I had a really big professional situation for which I decided I needed heels & not just any heels, but comfortable heels I could stand and walk in for a very full day. I pared down my shoes earlier in the year and I didn't have anything remotely workable for this need. I looked at thrift stores and ebay, but I just felt this situation called for something brand new.
So, I did research, found a pair of black Naturalizer heels I really liked, thought about it for a while, asked friends' opinions, and finally decided to buy them. I love them and they will serve me for a long time for those rare, but important, occasions that call for heels. I think they could be for work or evening wear too, which will make them more versatile. I don't regret this purchase.
Related to the heels, I also bought some new stockings. I wasn't sure if I wanted to wear black or nude, so I ordered one of each from snag.com, which I had been curious about for my winter staple of opaque tights. Since snag has a pricing model where they give 10% off when you buy 3, I decided to buy a pair of opaque black tights too. I really like them and they have lots of great colors, so I will be able to confidently order from them again when I am ready to restock on tights.
Occasion 2:
I have 4 pairs of Thinx and I like them a lot, but it wasn't enough to use them exclusively. After talking with my doctor a few months ago, I decided to switch to period panties, so I knew I would need to purchase a few more pairs. I ordered 3 pairs of Thinx (again there is a small discount for ordering 3+) and I have no regrets on that purchase.
Side note: Thinx are awesome. I bought my first pair 5 years ago and they are still going. 4 years ago, I bought 3 and they are also all still going strong. The only thing that is wearing out on any of them is the lace parts, so this time around, I ordered styles without lace.
Unfortunately, I also started getting all these targeted ads for another period panty company called Ruby Love. They are a little cheaper, so I decided to get 2 pairs to top off my collection and make sure I had enough for a full cycle. Terrible mistake. They don't work & they have the worst customer service ever. This company is awful on all counts. JUST DON'T BUY THESE!
So I feel really bummed that I wasted money and broke my routine to buy something new that I can't use. Instead if trying to save money, I ended up wasting money. I wish I would have spent twice as much and ended up with 3 more pairs of Thinx- the cost per use in the end, would have been more than worth it.
Thoughts:
I'm actually going to try to Frankenstein these bad ones with two pairs of regular panties I already own, to see if I can make them into something useful, since I have nothing to lose & these are not things you can easily donate. I absolutely hated the way I felt being disappointed by this purchase so much, that it galvanized me on waiting and thinking things over.
When I broke the no-buy routine with research, intention, and a specific purpose/occasion, I was excited to add something to my life mindfully and I know I can get a lot of use out those items for years to come. When I got caught up in an impulsive, unresearched bargain... I was very unhappy.
I'm planning to finish the year with no additional new purchases and they stock up on a few more underthings & possibly an eco-friendly cotton skater dress from Pact.
As for fabric - I've been organizing my stash recently and I have lots of fabric I am excited to sew into garments. I'm planning some more sewing, now that my life is calming down, but not too much sewing - as I've realized how easy it is to make more than you need and clutter up your closet. That's hard when you need to make tests and sewing is a self-care activity, but I'm trying to remember what Meg from Sew Liberated has written about slow making. I really want to make some basic workhorse pieces and I have three kind of wild Metamorphic dresses in mind too, though two of them might be able to be made into one...
Till next time: Happy Making!
I'm excited to get back into chronicling my makes and reflecting on making & ethical/inclusive fashion. Over the last 12 months, I've had to choose between making or blogging with my limited free time... and, of course, making won out!
For my first foray back into blogging, I'm taking stock of how I've been doing with my resolution not to buy any new clothes/shoes or fabric in 2019 & to cut down on thrifting.
I have broken the resolution on two occasions, each time resulting in handful of purchases. Only one purchase, I really regret.
Occasion 1:
I had a really big professional situation for which I decided I needed heels & not just any heels, but comfortable heels I could stand and walk in for a very full day. I pared down my shoes earlier in the year and I didn't have anything remotely workable for this need. I looked at thrift stores and ebay, but I just felt this situation called for something brand new.
So, I did research, found a pair of black Naturalizer heels I really liked, thought about it for a while, asked friends' opinions, and finally decided to buy them. I love them and they will serve me for a long time for those rare, but important, occasions that call for heels. I think they could be for work or evening wear too, which will make them more versatile. I don't regret this purchase.
Related to the heels, I also bought some new stockings. I wasn't sure if I wanted to wear black or nude, so I ordered one of each from snag.com, which I had been curious about for my winter staple of opaque tights. Since snag has a pricing model where they give 10% off when you buy 3, I decided to buy a pair of opaque black tights too. I really like them and they have lots of great colors, so I will be able to confidently order from them again when I am ready to restock on tights.
Occasion 2:
I have 4 pairs of Thinx and I like them a lot, but it wasn't enough to use them exclusively. After talking with my doctor a few months ago, I decided to switch to period panties, so I knew I would need to purchase a few more pairs. I ordered 3 pairs of Thinx (again there is a small discount for ordering 3+) and I have no regrets on that purchase.
Side note: Thinx are awesome. I bought my first pair 5 years ago and they are still going. 4 years ago, I bought 3 and they are also all still going strong. The only thing that is wearing out on any of them is the lace parts, so this time around, I ordered styles without lace.
Unfortunately, I also started getting all these targeted ads for another period panty company called Ruby Love. They are a little cheaper, so I decided to get 2 pairs to top off my collection and make sure I had enough for a full cycle. Terrible mistake. They don't work & they have the worst customer service ever. This company is awful on all counts. JUST DON'T BUY THESE!
So I feel really bummed that I wasted money and broke my routine to buy something new that I can't use. Instead if trying to save money, I ended up wasting money. I wish I would have spent twice as much and ended up with 3 more pairs of Thinx- the cost per use in the end, would have been more than worth it.
Thoughts:
I'm actually going to try to Frankenstein these bad ones with two pairs of regular panties I already own, to see if I can make them into something useful, since I have nothing to lose & these are not things you can easily donate. I absolutely hated the way I felt being disappointed by this purchase so much, that it galvanized me on waiting and thinking things over.
When I broke the no-buy routine with research, intention, and a specific purpose/occasion, I was excited to add something to my life mindfully and I know I can get a lot of use out those items for years to come. When I got caught up in an impulsive, unresearched bargain... I was very unhappy.
I'm planning to finish the year with no additional new purchases and they stock up on a few more underthings & possibly an eco-friendly cotton skater dress from Pact.
As for fabric - I've been organizing my stash recently and I have lots of fabric I am excited to sew into garments. I'm planning some more sewing, now that my life is calming down, but not too much sewing - as I've realized how easy it is to make more than you need and clutter up your closet. That's hard when you need to make tests and sewing is a self-care activity, but I'm trying to remember what Meg from Sew Liberated has written about slow making. I really want to make some basic workhorse pieces and I have three kind of wild Metamorphic dresses in mind too, though two of them might be able to be made into one...
Till next time: Happy Making!
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