Sewing quietly – Prioritising self-care.

sewing and mental health - prioritising self-care. By thisblogisnotforyou.comOh, hi! It’s been a while!

I’m back from yet another random blogging break. I wanted to start right back with a fun little project post, but now that I think about it, I’d rather talk a bit about shifting down a gear and putting self-care first. It’s such an important topic and it shouldn’t be brushed over by just going on posting the next cute outfit.

I have to disappoint you, there’s no big reveal or good excuses. I just took a while off blogging and social media because other areas in my life were a bit busier than usual.

Did you read my post a while back, about why we should stop making our hobbies stressful?

Well, I just basically followed my own advice! Since I started a further training course last year, the work bit of my work-life balance has a bit more weight to it. I have to study or go to seminars on weekends and have a bit more on my to-do list at work. Also there are times when my daytime job as a psychologist is more stressful and demanding than usual. This is why I took the “worky” bit out of my hobbies for a while. For me this sometimes also means blogging. As much as I love it, it can sometimes feel a little bit like work. To be honest, it IS work in the way that blogging for me is also a side business that needs to be run. It’s a very small business, but a business nonetheless. Emails, calls, project planning, taxes and all that. Editing pictures, writing content and managing social media is more or less the “fun part” of the business.

sewing and mental health - prioritising self-care. By thisblogisnotforyou.com

It’s hugely important to have the courage to prioritise self-care when needed. It does not mean being a selfish person, but looking after oneself, when your body and mind tell you to.

I’m a perfectionist and I take everything – including my hobbies – quite seriously. Feeling like I cannot live up to my own standards stresses me out endlessly and can be a source of anxiety. I love my blog and I’m fascinated that there are, oh, so many lovely people out there that have been following this little blog’s adventure for ages and still are enjoying content that I create. Taking a break sounds easy enough, but I noticed how much courage it still costs me to make a conscious decision that IT IS OK. This is the part you should always keep in mind: It is OK to self-care. 

The frozen blog had been a nagging thought in the back of my head before I consciously chose self-care before an overly organised hobby. It just felt so disappointing that I couldn’t make the time or have the energy to blog at the time. At first I thought I would disappoint blog readers if I just stayed quiet like that. I now know that it was rather my own feeling of disappointment over my lacking standards.

It’s hugely important to have the courage to prioritise self-care when needed. It does not mean being a selfish person, but looking after oneself, when your body and mind tell you to. Being anxious that others  might think you’re selfish makes it sometimes really hard to stand up for your own mental (and also physical) health.  When you actually find the courage to do so, the feedback in most cases is one of appreciation and understanding.

Now that I feel like I really want to – not should – share the next project, it’s a good time to ease back into blogging! During my offline-time I explored some other hobbies (like book-binding, knitting and crochet) and also delved into projects that I usually wouldn’t consider “bloggable”. (That sounds awful, right?) Mostly projects for kids or little personal gifts that I do not see fit to put up on the blog. I had a lovely but quiet creative time. I would even say it was therapeutic in a way, that I could use my hobbies again as counterbalance to work-related stress and immerse myself in funny little crochet projects and sewing for my friends’ babies.

Although I’m now swamped with emails of people almost aggressively offering guest posts, I feel like this break was more than worth it. Instead of adding to the stress, I could explore my hobbies as something incredibly refreshing and therapeutic. It helped to clear my mind and busy my hands on very stressful days.

Quiet sewing time is a source of calm and peace. Take it when needed.

The same applies to self-care in general. Just as you rest when you are physically exhausted, you need to allow yourself a mental-health time to balance things out again. I’ve been making the conscious decision to cancel an engagement in favour of self-care more often over the past year. I now also let other people know that I’m cancelling not because of time issues or scheduling conflicts, but because I feel stressed or drained that day and need to look after myself. So far, not a single person could not understand this. In most cases I even got very endorsing and supportive reactions. It showed me once again being anxious about other people’s opinions and reactions is wasted time.

sewing and mental health - prioritising self-care. By thisblogisnotforyou.com

Have you made similar experiences? Do you sometimes struggle with self-care or stressing out about even your own hobbies?

Please chime in, if you feel like it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

xx

Charlie


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Autumnal Florence Dress

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

leaves as golden as the buttons on my dress

Every year I’m sad at the end of summer for exactly five seconds until I remember how much I love autumn. I find beauty in every season and autumn has its very own special appeal. Hot chocolate and cosy blankets, long walks with muddy dogs and wellies, the smell of burning wood fire and red wine and books. Oh, and long dresses and boots. Why complain about the weather then?

Remember how I gushed over the Doris Dress in one of my recent posts? The only dress that got me more comments and compliments this summer was this gorgeous floral Florence number. And I am so glad how well this lady transitioned into the cooler season. Just add boots and denim jacket and you’re good to go.

pattern: The Florence Dress (Sew Over It), Version 1 (size 10)
fabric: lightweight cotton viscose from a Swedish sewing shop in Ljungby
amount: ~2,75 m
cost: less than 15€ (it was price per kg, buttons from my vintage stash)
duration: ~4 hr

I’m having a massive Sew Over It sewing spree this year and Florence is one of their more recent patterns. From its release on I had my eyes on this pattern and couldn’t wait to find the right fabric. I found this lovely viscose maxi flower print during our holiday in Sweden and it was perfect for this pattern. The shop sold pre-cut fabrics (price per kg) and I had a little less than needed for the Florence. As I’m super stubborn I went ahead anyway and just shortened the skirt pattern to fit my fabric. I love the midi length as it keeps the elegance but make for a much more casual, work-appropriate style.

Apart from changing the length, I sewed the pattern straight from the envelope without further adjustments. I got a pretty decent fit. (The shaping at the waist happens automatically due to the elastic sewn into the waist seam.) There appears to be some excess on the shoulders towards the neck, especially at the front, but since I wear the dress with the top unbuttoned it’s pretty much unnoticeable (to the untrained eye!) Now you go ahead and spot it!

I will certainly try and fix this when I make this dress again, which I most definitely will do!

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comSew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Florence Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Do you wear your summer dresses during the cold season?
Or do you have a separate winter wardrobe?

xx

Charlie


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Make Zero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads from Recycled Towels!

Zero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.comZero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.comZero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.comZero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.com

Reducing waste with ecoconscious DIYs

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this little Sunday morning project! I’ve been trying to incorporate more and more Zero Waste strategies in our daily routine and be more conscious about waste reduction in my shopping decisions. Talking to my friend the other day, I told her that I’d heard about washable cotton pads and whether that wasn’t a bit too out-there to try. She laughed and said she just bought some on Amazon the other day and loved them. I loved the simplicity of the idea but was shocked how much money a bunch of terrycloth cotton pads cost online.

This is why I made my own recycling an old white towel. This was so simple and easy, it’s absolutely mind-blowing. I never thought of this before seeing the ready-made ones in shops. And you know what? You can make your own, too! Here’s how simple it is:

Materials: old towel or wash cloth, organza bag, scissors, overlocker & thread (or zigzag stitch)
Duration: 5 Minutes
Costs: Zero
Benefits: no waste, no more costs, recycling old materials

Zero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.com

Instructions

As you can see, you need just very few materials for this project. By the way, if you do not have an overlocker, you can also use a simple zigzag stitch on your machine to keep the fabric from fraying. It’s a bit slower, but works just as well.

First, I cut off the woven edges of my towel. This is really optional. If you’re feeling a bit lazy and don’t mind looks too much, you can keep them and save yourself some overlocking time of those edges. The fastest way to do the overlocking is by cutting long strips of your towel and overlock these before cutting them into smaller rectangles. Finish all four sides and you’re done! It’s that easy.

Zero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.comZero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.comZero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.com

You will need a little organza or cotton bag to put the used pads in. Just let them sit in the bag and throw it in with your next wash. The bag also keeps the pads together in the washing machine. I found a cute wooden tray (IKEA) to put my new cotton pads in and it looks really pretty in the bathroom now! You could also just use a little box or porcelain plate to keep them together and keep them clean. Just as your towels, you can wash these with up to 95°C. If you use them dry on your clean skin, you can also use them to exfoliate.

This was just a whole 35€ cheaper than my friend’s alternative from Amazon and she got just 7 pads in total. I made about 50 and will give some away as my mum and sister are also keen to try this. Nice, right?

Zero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.comZero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.comZero Waste Reusable Cotton Pads tutorial by thisblogisnotoforyou.com

What do you think? Do you feel like this could be something you might want to try? Do you have other suggestions for zero waste DIYs? Please let me know!

xx

Charlie


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My Favourite All-Rounder This Last Summer: The Doris Dress

Sew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Sew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Sew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Goodbye Summer

Summer now has finally ended this last week here in the south of Germany after a gloriously hot September and October. I’m quite behind in posting my summer and early autumn makes so you’ll have to endure some off-season posts this year! I want to introduce you to my absolute favourite garment of this whole summer. I’ve worn this dress to death. It’s seen so many washing cycles that I’m very much surprised it’s still holding up really well.

So, who are we talking about? Doris!

She’s the perfect summer party companion, gets you lots of compliments on family get-togethers, squeezes into your vacation suitcases in no time and is your best friend on the hottest of hot summer days. She even did well as a wedding guest, but she doesn’t know where to stop with the free drinks, so beware. She could pull herself together when needed at work and depending on her mood didn’t even need a press before being worn. She does that nice trick with the back ties when you’ve eaten more than you probably should have and gets all her Marilyn vibes in the faintest breezes. To sum it up, Doris is your perfect wing-woman.

pattern: The Doris Dress (Sew Over It), Version 1 (size 10 graded to 12 below hips)
fabric: lightweight cotton viscose from a local sewing shop
amount: 2,45 m (end of roll, I just paid for 2 metres, 18€/m), directional print
cost: 36€ (+ zip from my stash & handmade self-covered buttons)
duration: ~5 hr

Pattern & Fabric:  Oh, and you can get her – guess what – as a PDF or printed pattern at Sew Over It. (Disclaimer: I’m REALLY not being paid by them I just have a massive style crush on their patterns!) This pattern has been sitting in my stash for quite a while. It didn’t really inspire me until I saw some made-up version of it and Lisa Comfort showing it on her YouTube channel. I noticed that perfect silhouette and had the perfect fabric for it: a gorgeous blush-pink stag print viscose my husband got me for our wedding anniversary. I did a crazy thing where I just cut into the very expensive fabric without having sewn this pattern before and I was super lucky that it fit straight out of the envelope. I do not have a lot of fitting issues with Sew Over It patterns, which is one of the reasons I’m drawn to them. I usually make them without trying a muslin or cheaper fabric first. Doris is a little fabric eater, especially if you use a directional print as I did. I used the whole 2,45 metres I had and couldn’t have cut it out with less fabric. (I made a second version with just a bit over 2 metres of fabric – non-directional – but it’s a lot easier if you have a little extra fabric to handle.) I’ve attached a picture below for you to see the layout for my size (UK 10 at the top graded to a 12 from hips down). It took quite a while until I had this layout figured out. I don’t often have more than 2 metres of fabric length in my stash, so I was super lucky that the lady cut me some extra as it was end of roll fabric.

The construction part was fairly easy. The most time-consuming bit is certainly overlocking and sewing together the seven skirt panels and inserting an invisible side zip. Apart from this, the dress came together very quickly. I chose a faux button-up front, which means I did not sew real button holes and just put on the self-covered buttons stitching through all layers. The dress isn’t fully lined and comes with a very uncomplicated facing instead, which is much more convenient for hot summer days. Fitting is not much of an issue, as the skirt is super wide and the top is shaped by tying a bow in the back. It might certainly be a challenging project for beginners but just a half-a-day project for the intermediate sewer.

Sew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

My favourite place I wore this dress in – a very close second place goes to my mum and dad’s legendary summer party is all I say – was at the childhood home of Astrid Lindgren in Vimmerby, Sweden. We had such a blast on our summer vacation in Sweden and visiting this amazing place where one of my absolute favourite authors grew up was such an amazing, inspiring experience. Aslan also did pretty well posing for pictures! Sew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comSew Over It Doris Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Will I make it again? This is easy to answer. I already sewed a second one that’s just missing the zip and some buttons. I made it in a more autumnal fabric and hope to wear it with tights this winter!

I really need to get started with my winter wardrobe now, though… Any suggestions?

xx

Charlie


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Another Sew Over It Love Affair: Mia Jeans & Juliette Blouse

SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.comSEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.comSEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com
SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Hello there. I hope you’re not getting tired of me sharing Sew Over It makes 100% of the time. I’ve been wondering myself what draws me to these patterns (after just buying and cutting out a bunch of new ones…) and I think it’s the simplicity of the construction, the versatility and having found that for most of their patterns I do not need to make any adjustments. And that’s just such a huge time saver! I rarely have these moments anymore where I feel like picking a super complicated Burda masterpiece that I most likely will only wear once or twice. I crave patterns that I can make in a day over the weekend and can wear to work on Monday.

The Juliette Blouse took me a bit more than a day, as I needed to wait until the sewing shop opened on Monday to find matching buttons! I actually found the exact same colour, a peachy pastel pink, which was a little weird but I carried those two buttons home as if I found the most precious treasure, I can tell you.

This was the first time making this pattern and I really like it. I had no adjustments to make, as it’s quite loose-fitting. The fabric is a peachskin polyester with a little bit of weight to it, which works really nicely with the drape on the front detail. I love those little sleeve cuffs, they make the blouse look so elegant. We had a super hot summer, so I haven’t worn it often yet. I already see myself wearing this to death in autumn.
SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com
SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.comSEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.comSEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The Mia Jeans does not need an introduction, I guess. I stopped counting how many Mias I’ve made and plan to make. It might soon overtake my Ultimate Pencil Skirt collection in numbers. I found this really cool stretch cotton in our local sewing shop. I wasn’t too sure about the print when I saw it on the roll, but I went for it and I really love it now. Such a cool trouser fabric! I got a lot of compliments wearing this. And it’s also really comfy to wear because of the stretch.SEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.comSEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.comSEW OVER IT Juliette Blouse and Mia Jeans by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Oh, and here’s a picture of me changing in the car, hehe. Anyone else do that when they take pictures for the blog? I’m being honest here – we do not take pictures just before I head out to work wearing my outfits. I would not have the nerve. Also it takes a lot of coaxing for the husband to comply with all this. (The current price is one round of board games per outfit…)We take an afternoon and drive somewhere and take pictures of several outfits during those sessions, so I sometimes have to get dressed in the car. This way I only have to get my hair done and apply makeup once! I noticed that I really need this as I feel much more comfortable having my picture taken when I had time to doll myself up a little.

What are you making on the weekend? I currently have cut out a Florence Dress and a Doris Dress (both Sew Over It), which I’m really exited about. The Florence will be a first. I have already made a beautiful Doris, which I’ll share real soon!

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!

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