I was going to say ‘Winter is Coming’ but a friend of mine pointed out that people may think this is a post about Game of Thrones. Not being a fan, I did not immediately think of that… so I changed the title. – The Chill is Coming. Time for boots, cardigans, scarves and time to landscape in the garden.
Usually I am that annoying person walking around in Autumn, reveling in the cooler weather, thankful that summer is over and lamenting that winter is still too far away. I do not like the heat (and it gets hot here in South Australia – see The Week My Brain Melted). I prefer a hint of artic on the breeze, a cooling relief that brings with it the smell of freshly turned earth, woodfire smoke and the promise of rain to settle the dust that is my bane (allergies suck).
Yesterday was the first day that I had to rummage into the bowels of my clothes cupboard and find one of my knitted coats to keep the chill at bay. This is when I start re-evaluating my clothes and culling those items that do not fit anymore, I have not worn in over two seasons or have become threadbare from overwear. The last category is the hardness to cull.
With the culling comes the planning!
I realised yesterday that I have a serious lack of blouses. I have plenty of fun t-shirts, a few long sleeve knitted blouses (now looking slightly over-loved) but not many non-t-shirt type summer – or winter – blouses. They had long gone following previous culls. I had intended to replace them but had got side tracked with my writing.
While I have several really great jackets, I need to address this situation; I got hot flushes these days so I rarely spend the entire day in a jacket. I usually end up peeling the layers off. And t-shirts just will not cut it. This was a perfect opportunity to pull out some of my more fun winter items and plan replacements.
This winter I will be wearing my Doctor Who scarves again (yet another reason to love winter). A few winters ago, my friend Cheryl knitted me a Doctor Who scarf, in my favourite colours. I love wearing it! This year I have the official scarf to add to my collection.
I am set for winter, if I can keep my head or feet warm. As I am a horrendous knitter, I really appreciate my friends who make me some really cool winter woollies. My friend Cheryl also knitted me this ‘brain cap’ beanie. My friend Anwyn knitted me a Jayne cap in my favourite colours – perfect for keeping my ears warm when the wind starts blowing! I wore this a lot last year and it will come out to play again this season, along with my felt bowlers.
Taking a look over all of my favourite items, there seems to be three main themes: bohemian, steampunk and 50s. (If you don’t count the obligatory jeans and t-shirt.) All of them centre around fun. Something I need more of.
This winter I have finally got a good collection of cardigans to choose from. Sadly, I have only one 50s style skirt to share between them. (I realised the number of my skirts has been dwindling – darn you jeans – and they are up to fifteen years old and have seen much better days.)
So I am all set for the outer layers and accessories (though one can never have too many pairs of boots), now it comes back to that which I have a distinct lack of – blouses.
I used to do a lot of ‘everyday’ clothing sewing. Over the past few years I have let that slide, concentrating more on costumes. Now is the time to remedy that. As I plan to spend more time writing everyday, time is an important issue. This year I am using store bought patterns to cut down on pattern drafting times.
The local spotlight had a recent sale on materials. I decided to go for some fun prints with a more 50s or steampunk feel, which really cheers me up. I am now planning a few blouses and skirts to add to my wardrobe. Then I can finish my semi-annual cull and donate some clothes to Goodwill and Salvos.
