Saturday, December 27, 2014

Sew for a Change - wrapping up the year!




One year has past and what a year it's been!! Mindful shopping, a lot of sewing, and many new learnings on how to lead a greener life and I am so glad I did it! Some things have been very challenging and others came easier, but I think a lot of the things I've tried will stick with me for good.

Should I start by sharing my final score? You know we started out with 75 points for the year and then there were more points to earn if a challenge was completed successfully. I didn't pass them all, but I gave all of them a go. After a splurge (synthetic pantyhose are a killer!) at the end of the year I ended up on 13 points - woohoooo, I made it!



The best part of this whole experience was that I have challenged myself to sewing a lot more, and more advance things (such as jackets, coats and bras). Another cool thing has been the impact on the whole family, who I found to be equally into it all as I have been. I have also re-discovered many second hand/vintage clothing stores where I've scored very nice things. I will definitely continue to search for things in the second hand market more often than I did before. I have also learned that I don't need a lot of things at all (I kind of already knew, but it has been nice to be able to test myself on that), and may I just say that this has been a year when I have

  1. dropped several dress sizes since being pregnant
  2. started a new job with a fancy dress code
- and STILL I have managed just fine!! Actually kind of proud that I have dared to wear my home sewn things to work and also that I dared to remake/resize a lot of clothing by myself.

In 2015 I will not be tracking any points, but I'll continue to make conscious decisions for sure. My guess is that I would consume about the same amount of points for the next year too. I can live with that.

I have really enjoyed all the inspiring comments and sharing of experiences, both on the blog and in the Facebook group. I'll treasure this experience for a long time. I wish all of you a wonderful new year and thank you so much for hanging out here with me!

xoxoxox
Alexandra


3 comments:

  1. Bra jobbat! Trots att jag hoppade av utmaningen redan i våras så har även mitt år blivit lite bättre sett ur detta perspektiv, mindre shopping och naturmaterial har varit ledorden tillsammans med ekologiska eller närproducerat som kompletterar min egen och utökade köksträdgård. 2015 skall bli ännu bättre! 😃 God fortsättning!

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  2. Thanks for running the challenge! I wound up using every single point thanks to a flurry of jewellery-buying materials at the end of the year. I enjoyed the monthly challenges, even though I didn't complete all of them.

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  3. I'm glad you enjoyed your year of rationing and that you will consider with some practices. I am a big believer in making considered, measured consumption part of our narrative, rather than 'bingeing/abstaining' for a few months only to fall of the wagon as it were. I shall continue to read your efforts and come here for sewing inspiration! - Meg (aka Mrs, now of http://www.mrsmscuriositycabinet.com/)

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