1. Buying clothes is ok sometimes. This year I took the Seamless Pledge, which involved not buying any new clothes and instead making everything I needed or buying secondhand. I mostly stuck to it, and I greatly reduced the number of clothes I bought this year! But, I discovered that sometimes, you don’t have the time to make everything you need. And sometimes, even if I *could* make what I want, I simply don’t have access to all the adorable fabrics that retailers seem to. For instance, I bought a knit circle skirt from H&M with cats on it – yes, I could have made it myself (and I already plan on copying it to do so) but I know I couldn’t have found that fabric, or even anything similar. Trust me, I google “cat fabric” about once a week.

2. I buy WAY too much fabric. I’m leaving the US in less than 3 months, and my stash is frighteningly large. I also buy fabric without much of a plan, or if I do have a vague project in mind, I’ve forgotten what it was by the time I actually get around to using it.

3. Cheap knit fabric isn’t worth my time. It stretches out of shape way too easily, is thin, and just generally looks like crap. Much better to spend a few extra $ and end up with a much higher quality that will last a long time.

4.  I like challenging myself. This year I drafted several patterns from scratch, sewed a zip fly, made a swimsuit, and managed to successfully perform a sleeve adjustment. I love learning new things and new techniques, and I still feel like I learn something new every time I sew something.

5. I thought I was a slow sewer, but actually, I’m just a master procrastinator. If I have a deadline, I can go from pattern drafting to finished garment in a weekend. If I don’t have a deadline, I can be sitting on a gathered skirt for almost a month. It’s something I need to work on in most areas of my life, really, but I feel it most keenly when I see how many finished objects my fellow sewing bloggers have churned out this year!