Today I want to announce that I will be taking part in the 2018 Goodbye Valentino Ready-to-Wear Fast! This means no purchasing clothing from January 1st to December 31st, 2018. Last time she ran this event was 2014 and I didn\’t feel confident enough in my sewing back then to commit… but this year, having made jeans, coats, bathing suits, underwear, and even a wedding dress, I am really excited to say I\’ve signed up! Here are the rules, from Sarah\’s blog:
What exactly is the Ready To Wear Fast?
The Ready to Wear Fast is a vow to abstain from buying clothes for one year. You will give up buying clothes from January 1 – December 31, 2018. You may sew anything, and you may fabric shop as much as you would like! The purpose is to Save Money and Improve Your Sewing Skills, but believe me, the rewards of the commitment will exceed your expectations.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
1.May I buy sweaters since I don’t knit?
No, you may not buy sweaters.
2. What about bathing suits?
No, you may not buy a bathing suit.
3. I’m attending a ball this year. May I buy a ball gown?
No you may not buy a ball gown.
4. Do I have to make my wedding dress?
Please buy the wedding dress of your dreams. A wedding dress or bridesmaid’s dress is the only exception.
5. What about scarves?
No
6. What can we buy during 2018?
You many buy underwear, socks, jewelry, handbags and belts.
7. Can we buy shoes on a Ready to Wear Fast?
Y E S !! Shoes are allowed – Enjoy 😉
8. Can I wear the Ready to Wear clothes I bought before the Fast?
Yes, absolutely.
9. May we accept gifts of clothing?
Of course.
10. Can we buy thrift shop clothes to refashion?
No. I encourage you to refashion clothes from your closet.
As you can see, the rules are pretty strict–if you want to supplement your sewing with thrifting, vintage shopping, etc, this is not the pledge for you, although, of course, you\’re welcome to create your own version of the fast to keep yourself accountable! I\’m going a littttle bit stricter, and I\’m going to include underwear in my vintage pledge–I need a kick in the pants (get it?) to start sewing my stash of lingerie patterns and fabric. I also want to try and sew from my stash a decent amount. I don\’t feel like I need to eliminate my stash entirely, but I really should look through my stash and the stuff I don\’t think I\’ll use, put it in the \”muslin\” pile, or toss/donate.
Here\’s a little list of what I hope to accomplish by the end of the year:
1. push myself to tackle intimidating things, like bras and underwear
2. make the things I don\’t like making, like tees, or go without
3. cut down on spending on both clothing and (more importantly) fabric
4. assess wardrobe and stash and clean out both
5. feel fully confident sewing knits and using both my serger and machine on knit fabric
6. create a full me-made \”resort\” capsule for my cruise
That last one is the most fun I think! I\’m still working on my Winter Capsule but I also plan on putting together a mini capsule for a week-long cruise using mostly items I\’ve already made and a few simple things. That will also include swimsuits! I want to make at least one or two in the next few months, since the cruise is at the beginning of March–but don\’t expect modeled photos when I\’m sewing swimsuits in January!
If you want to participate, please note that you must sign up with Sarah by the end of the month! Go to the announcement page to get all the details. Will you be participating? If so, good luck! If not, what\’s holding you back?
xoxo,
This is fab! I signed up too last week. When i read about the challenge It got me thinking….and apart from about 4 sweaters, I made all of my other clothes last year. I figured it's not much of an extra leap for me to pledge the whole way. I'm not as disciplined as you though. Underwear is something I'll still buy. I'm always in awe of ladies that make beautiful undies.
Thank you for this post Allie – I just signed on! What a great pledge to participate in 🙂 I only bought 2 items last year and they were both sweater weight ponchos and one was technically a gift from my husband for my birthday so I definitely feel ready. I've been saying for 2 years now that I just don't need that many clothes that I could make AND buy them. So make them it is!
I think you will find the underwear sewing much easier than you think, especially if you are able to buy the necessary hardware easily–bra straps etc. The trick, of course, as always is fit. But once you get that right you can almost mass produce.Knits (as in sweaters) are easy to sew with a serger. The problem, living in Canada, is to find suitable fabrics. They are here–somewhere–but would require of lot of time to track down.I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Yeah, most of the sweater knits I've seen are low-quality–and look it. I'd rather wear an all cotton french terry sweatshirt and look a bit casual than wear a polyester sweater knit!
Yes! I think the only clothing I purchased this past year were a few tee shirts and underwear… I'm excited you'll be participating as well and I can't wait to get started!
Hooray! I'm excited to be sewing with all of y'all!
I'm doing this too! (She writes, as she dashes to the store to buy more sports bras…)
I'm assuming hats falls within the acceptable category? I hope so! I just bought a winter-lined rain hat this morning that I honestly would have NO CLUE how to make. I bought it locally, made by a local designer here in BC – I was being as mindful about the whole thing as I possibly could be 🙂
I'm doing this too! I think it'll be fun. And I'm also trying to cut down on my stash.