There has been much pondering lately about the number of quick, simple sewing projects that I do.  There are a number of other slower projects awaiting my attention – such as winter woollen woven coats, Craftsy courses on fitting, and other suchlike.  Why do I keep putting them off?  It’s not that I am scared to make those more complicated garments, because I’ve actually sewn most of the elements they contain in the past.  I’m not worried about the technical aspects of garment construction.  My concern is the time that they take.  Getting uninterrupted slabs of time, in order to do them properly.  I like to get things done – so I return to the quickie.  Product over process – but generally I enjoy process!  I can happily put a lot of time into a crocheted project, getting it done over a period of weeks or months (or in the case of a couple of blankets, years).  Although I do mix up my crochet projects a little too, having faster ones on the hook while I am working on those that are more long-term.  Maybe I should approach some of my slower sewing projects in the same way – by mixing them up with quickies.  More pondering needed.  But that leads me back to my other recent quickie.

This is the StyleARC Laura cardigan, in a textured red poly knit from Darn Cheap Fabrics. This photo doesn’t show the texture in the knit very well – the red just overwhelms the lens!

I have two other versions of this, and wear both of them often. It’s an easy extra layer that works well for my fairly casual lifestyle. This time I remembered to join the centre back seam of the hood with the wrong sides of the fabric together, since when it is worn the “wrong” side shows. So now the seam is underneath. All the edges are finished on the overlocker rather than being turned and hemmed “properly”, which adds considerable to the ease and speed of construction.

The front just folds back into the hood/shawl collar. It’s such a simple style, but one that I have found to be highly wearable.

I was lucky enough to meet up with some other sewing buddies recently, and we had a chat about how the fabric we buy doesn’t always end up being what we actually sew, and how the items we sew don’t always end up being what we actually wear. It’s a never-ending journey of experimentation I think, unless you have very firm ideas about what colour, fabrics and styles you prefer. Personally, I do like to play around a bit with colour, fabric and style – there are some that I wouldn’t touch at all, but there are so many options around that I enjoy experimenting and giving them a go. After all, it’s only fabric! Many of my experiments do end up at the op shop, or with friends, but it’s not only about the product – it’s also about the process.  I must remember that the next time I am tempted to make a quickie – because after all, four quickies probably equals one more involved garment that I also really want to make!