Skirting the Fall

Any mother can attest to the necessity of looking ahead. A day trip to run errands with child in tow involves assurances that there will be no restroom emergencies, snacks, toys, a list, coupons, money, and a strategic plan to accomplish all tasks before Child or Mommy has a meltdown from exhaustion, hunger, or boredom.

Thus I find it perfectly logical that I am already thinking towards autumn clothing. Maybe it isn’t all my desire to plan things as much as possible; fall is my favorite season. I love early nights, pumpkin pancakes, talking walks in the afternoon when things are golden and cool; and, of course, reading with a coffee in hand. And I love cool weather clothing; sweaters, tights, and darker colors are my choice items. Hope’s wardrobe is easy to figure out, her Teflon coated school uniforms come from JcPenny and her play clothes can be picked up cheaply from Target or a thrift store. 2 bucks here, 5 dollars there, and before you know it, Hope is rockin’ an awesome wardrobe.

I, however, will have NO clothing in the fall to start out with.

I have lost 107 pounds in the last 4 years; nearly 50 of those pounds came off this past year. By March, my sweaters were baggy; my cords sliding down my bum, dresses gaping, and skirts slipping. Even my bra straps and bra band were too big. When the months got warmer, I packed away the too big winter stuffs and forgot about it.

Until I realized today that come fall I will either need to spend some serious money on clothing, go naked, or spend the summer sewing and constructing a fall wardrobe. I’ve already sworn off my credit cards so plopping down some debt at a store is out of the question.

Hence, I’m obsessing about what I will wear this fall.

Luckily, mom is teaching me to sew this weekend – I’m starting with an apron – and then I can get to crackin’ on some outfits. Of course some things must be bought at the store (bras and tights and shoes) and some things will be cheaper from Target or a thrift store (sweaters and basic tees for example). I pretty much only wear dresses and skirts now and find I prefer them to pants, so my goal is to sew 6 skirts and a dress by October 1st.

Of course leave it to me to not want anything normal. There are plans for tons of embroidery on the skirts that are “basic” (non-patterned fabric) and then I’ve been salivating over more fun fabrics. For example:

Let me know if you know of any kick-ass fabric places, or if you have a stash you want to part with!