I was chugging along just fine these past five months with no temptations. Sure, I never found time to make a Linden sweatshirt or some basic knit tops, but I had enough clothes and determination to not be tempted.
Cue: work stress, life stress, no sleep, and an awesome and much-needed vacation to Alaska.
Result: I bought two activewear tops, a sweatshirt and one horrendously ugly pair of Lululemon pants.
So, how did I let this happen? It was the perfect retail therapy storm and I should have seen it brewing. After working late into the evening most nights the week before our first wedding of the season (Atlanta), I came home to my sewing machine and burned the midnight oil trying to finish the Anna.
I threw the towel in at 2am the night before leaving when I realized that that the skirt seams didn't match up with the bodice pleats. This was AFTER I had french seamed 7 seams (x2 for the lining). Exhausted, I went to sleep in tears! Yes, I cried over the dress and a thousand other things. It was the classic "why [I] still can't have it all" pity party.
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| I wore my guipure lace Laurel dress to the wedding (originally worn at our rehearsal dinner) |
I felt a little guilty about breaking the Fast, but I was too exhausted to care. These were all items I had wanted to sew, but never prioritized.
I returned to NYC on Thursday at 3am with just enough time to pack for Alaska. In Vancouver on Friday morning, I spied the flagship Lululemon store across the street from our hotel and emerged with what is quite possibly the ugliest pair of pants on earth. Lululemon's "Hot to Street" pants were on final clearance and I know why.
What was I thinking??? A bit too HOT for me...
I leave you with a few pictures from our Alaskan adventures.
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| Harding Icefield Trail (Seward, Alaska) |
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| Wearing my EB hoodie just before we trekked on the Mendenhall Glacier (Juneau, Alaska) |
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| INSIDE an ICE CAVE on the Mendenhall Glacier (Juneau, Alaska) |
Don't be to hard on yourself! I have burned the midnight oil sewing and it has resulted in tears too! Glad you had a good time on your holiday.
ReplyDeleteThanks Annie--appreciate your comment. Yes, my goal is to stay on schedule so that i don't find myself in the same position sewing for our next wedding in late July!
DeleteI read your Facebook post before but just now read this blog post. Sewing should be fun and not something we think we have to do. There are already too many "have to" things in life. If I have time to see and inspiration strikes, then I sew. If not, I don't. I think the most important thing is that you slept and had a great vacation. And also that you weren't walking around in your underwear because you refused to break the fast. Your pictures are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteHI Andrea! Thanks for writing and sharing your sewing philosophy. You are so right about the "have to" things in life--it's a mountain! Since we returned from AK I have committed to saying "no" more often. On a personal level that means not entertaining as much (we love to host dinner parties), outsourcing our laundry (I was taking everything to the laundromat myself), and not packing my weekend so tightly with activities. We will see how it goes. I was so inspired on vacation by all the Alaskans we met who left the lower 48 for a more simplified lifestyle.
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