It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye

The time has come to say goodbye to some of my handmade garments. I’ve been sewing almost every weekend for the past 4 years and my closet is getting smaller and smaller. DD refuses to give up the little space he has in our closet(s), so that means it’s time to donate.

We did some spring cleaning last year and I donated a lot of clothes, but those were RTW (Ready-To-Wear, AKA mall clothes). This year, I had to get rid of more RTW and unfortunately some of my own projects. It was difficult to choose which ones had to go and I know I could have chosen more, but I figured I shouldn’t do anything too drastic.

See? The pile isn’t too big – 10 pieces total. I chose to donate based on things that I barely wore because of fit, quality, and style issues. I’ve decided to pay homage by making collages and descriptions of each garment donated.

1. The Skirt Turned Into Cautionary Tale – This piece got a LOT of wear until one tragic day at the office. I’ve since repaired it but cannot bring myself to wear it again after a very embarrassing event. Hopefully it will behave better for someone else.

2. The Simplicity Shirt of Doom – Same fabric as #1 and the fit was way wonky. It was pretty tight and there was major cleavage going on, which wasn’t too good to wear to work. It’s such a bummer because I struggled so much with the construction and put so much time into it. C’est la vie.

3. [Unblogged] McCall’s 6754 – This dress cost about $4 to make. I was pretty stoked about how cheap the fabric was and loved the color and fit. However, I followed the instructions to a T and put darts in the bodice (which, by the way, you do NOT need for stretchy fabrics!). Since the fabric is a solid, the dart points stood out a little too much for my taste.

4. My First Dress! – Oh wow, this one was hard to let go. I love the fabric (a decent quilting cotton from Joann’s) but the fit is just wrong, as is expected of a first dress, and it’s not really my style. Fare thee well, I’ll miss you!

5. My First T-Shirt – I’ve worn this a few times, but it’s tighter than I’m comfortable with and the fabric is a little itchy.

6. Passport Madness Shirt – This is another one I’m bummed to see go! It’s such a fun shirt but again, the fit is wrong and I can barely breathe when it’s buttoned up. I hope to make another passport-related shirt or dress one day, though.

7. [Unblogged] Self-Drafted T-Shirt – I made this after #5 and played with different fabrics. The front and sleeves are a very drapey jersey and the back is a black lace knit. It’s a good shirt, but now I have so many Renfrews, this barely made it in the rotation.

8. The “Don’t Hire Me” Skirt – I’m holding onto the matching jacket I made for this even though that doesn’t get much wear, either. But the skirt is just awful. The fabric is too thick and bulky and the front poofs all weird. Not my best work. :-\

9. Colette Sorbetto – The fit is off and the weird fabric just don’t make for a comfortable shirt. Now that I’m in my 30’s, comfort is everything!

10. My first knit dress – I’m sad to see this one go. I love the print of the fabric, but it’s such poor quality I’m embarrassed to wear it in public anymore. Oops, I guess I should have just chucked it instead of donating it…

And that’s all for now! Some of you may be wondering why I didn’t try selling some of these. These were all “firsts” or “trial” projects, so the quality isn’t quite up to par. I feel weird selling clothing that doesn’t at least have serged seams. I’m hoping a customer at Goodwill can use these or refashion/recycle them in some way.

This is my first me-made donation haul. I feel sad to see some of my first projects go, but I think it’s easier having documented most of them in this blog so I can go back and read about their stories any time I want. 🙂 Hmmm… I see a lot more of these in the future (unless I get a bigger closet!). ‘Til next spring cleaning, then!

Have you managed to donate some of your handmade items? How did it make you feel?

-RED