Plans, Hams and a Glockenspiel

I've been sooooo good about not buying fabric this year (yeah, I know, we're only in month #1, but still.....), so I felt justified in finally treating myself to a ham stand.  Oh yes, and a new ham to go with it.  I already had a ham (vintage, practically free, & recovered by me) but it was sort of an awkward size, and I REALLY wanted a ham stand.   I hadn't forgotten the rave review that shams gave last year to stitch nerd, and then Pam recently gave her new ham & stand from Stitch Nerd another rave review, and that pushed me over the edge.  You get to choose your own fabric!  You get personalized service!  And after a very short wait, you get your own custom ham!  Her prices are very good.   The stand is pressboard; maybe not as pretty as a hardwood piece, but it looks very sturdy and I expect it to give me years of use.  The ham is VERY well made, and you get a choice of wool on one side, cotton on the other, or any combo you want, with quite a few lovely fabric choices.

I'm beyond delighted with everything about this.   My old ham is on the right - flatter, wider, & shorter.  The new one is more rounded, longer (12") and, well, prettier ;-)   They will both have a place in my ironing regime.   And you know what?  With goodies like this, I actually LIKE ironing more than I ever did before!  What I really like is actually the result that consistent, conscientious pressing gives.

And since we're on the subject of not buying fabric, I'm doing some serious stash shopping instead, and starting to make some actual plans that involve matching fabrics to patterns.   Everything is subject to change, of course, but this is definitely helping me to realize that I don't need ANY MORE FABRIC.  Not right now, anyway.   Except for that organic cotton I bought for the baby gift.  And the flannel I got today for my winter robe.   Because it doesn't count if it's necessary to complete a project that is going to be worked on immediately.   Right?

To help keep me on track, here's The Plan:


#1.  I need a new robe.  I've needed a new robe for more years than I care to mention, but finally, FINALLY, I found the right fabric - that yummy Marc Jacobs fleece that FabricMart had about 1000 yards of (they still have some as of this writing), with a flannel lining.  Toasty warm.   Crazy as it may sound, I'm going to use the SW Soho Coat as my base pattern.  Partly because I am LOVING my little hoodie bed jacket, so a robe with a hood sounded like a good idea, and partly because I have another fabric that I want to make into a raincoat, using the Soho pattern, so this robe will be my practice run.

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#2  The Soho Rain Coat.   This fabric was a score from Fabrix (thanx shams!!!) - Yummy, rich color, incredibly fun pleating, and probably a b**ch to sew, but I'll find out.   If it works, it should be AWEsome!

#3.  I think I've finally worked up the courage to cut in to this frabjous Chanel boucle that I splurged on at Emma One Sock, shortly after I re-started sewing.   I've been looking for the right pattern (along with  the courage-gathering), and I think I finally found it in this Loes Hinse....with some modifications, including shortening it to sweater length.  I'm trying to work with more blues, to expand the blues I already have, so this will be a nice wardrobe expander :

#4.  It's the year of pants.  One down, 11 to go.  This is the pattern I'm choosing for this yummy wool blend, that I also used on The Koos Coat.  This is actually the 3rd piece in my Winter 6PAC, so it also will be a wardrobe expander.

#5.  More pants.  Style Arc's Jilly Jeans, because of COURSE I need to make Jilly Jeans!

#6.  Continuing to make  what I actually need, the wintery California chill is bringing cardigans up to the top of the list.   This is a possibility for this Jalie pattern, but I'm not too sure about the fabric yet:

This should keep me busy for a few weeks.   Yeah, I know I'll get sidetracked, but at least I do have A Plan!

And what does a glockenspiel have to do with all of this?   Absolutely nothing.   But I put it in the title because I just couldn't resist using the word along with Plans and Hams,  so here's a picture of one:

Edited to add A trivia tidbit, because it came up in conversation the other day so I looked it up -
a glockenspiel is made of metal; a xylophone is made of wood.
Now we both know!  ;-)

I must admit that creating a plan like this (whether or not I actually follow through with it) not only helps me to solidify my options, but it sort of makes me feel all grown up & stuff....it feels pretty good, in a responsible sort of way.

Do you play with storyboards, or match fabric swatches to patterns, or pictures like I did above?  Or do you work with one pattern & buy the necessary fabric as you need it?   Or do you just live your life being distracted by bright shiny objects and bring home whatever speaks to you at the moment?  I know we're all different in our approaches, and I know my own propensity to wander off at the sight of today's fancy, but the end result of actually having something practical that I will wear simply can't be beat, and I'm finding that having something resembling an actual plan helps make that happen.   What works for you?