One thing leads to another

Have you ever freshened up a room with a new coat of paint and found that suddenly the bedspread, or pillows, or curtains look dowdy -- or the wrong color, or just somehow not right? 

Well, it happens with planning a new capsule for spring sewing -- how can you complete your plan when you know your closet is overfull with clothes that just don't work for you anymore?  So, after figuring out the pants/skirts I wanted to sew I decided it was time to do a little closet organization. DH was away for a few days, so timing was perfect. I could pull out/try on/make piles to my heart's content. And make piles I did -- such a huge pile of things that just weren't right anymore.  No photos, because it was an embarassment of poor choices and over-consumption. Hopefully I've learned an important lesson and will be more mindful of future fabric purchases and garments sewn. 

One thing I will show though are the little tags I bought to label different 'areas' of my closet. They're called "blank clothing rack size dividers" (mine came via Amazon) and they've been so useful in bringing order to my slacks and leggings -- now I know when I reach for something that it is exactly what I want. No more cropped length when I want full length, or navy when I need black -- such happiness from a little piece of plastic!

I'm hoping that now that the closet is sorted that I can get back to choosing which tops/blouses will be made to go along with the skirts/pants I have already picked out.

Another goal I've set myself this year is to use up more of the stash -- not only fabric, but also yarn, beads, etc.  To that end I pulled some ribbon yarn (Berroco Zen, now discontinued) to make a spring/summer light coverup. Since letting my hair go grey it's no longer one of my best colors, but I think I can get away with it since it pairs well with navy -- which is one of my basic neutrals.  Here's hoping next year I won't be going through the closet and saying "what was I thinking?".

Pattern is a variation of Soft Serve by Doris Chan from her book "Everyday Crochet".