I'm one of the members of the Goodbye Valentino Ready to Wear Fast 2018. Sewing what I wear was a lifestyle choice for me long before I joined the fast, so why am I participating? There are great prizes. This is a chance to elevate sewing as a viable life option. I get a chance to
stretch my sewing skills with a group of like minded tailors and
seamstresses and it is fun being part of a group that sews, participating in the discussion and
seeing what other people make and how it fits in their lives.
Since January 1, my only purchases have been fabrics. I've been shopping with my family and not been tempted to buy myself any RTW. I'm also not over-compensating by purchasing all kinds of clothing for the rest of family, something I did the last time I tried a RTW Fast. The Fast has really made me think about why I purchase clothing instead of spending time in the sewing room.
We had a series of heated discussions this week about 'allowed to purchase' and 'Not allowed to Purchase' over on the private Facebook Group. For those who aren't members of the Fast, the official rules are no purchases except for your dream Wedding dress, undergarments and uniforms. I don't shop for the 'emotional satisfaction' or buy things because they are a bargain, but I do shop second hand. I realized I buy second hand RTW when I have unanticipated lifestyle needs
combined with a lack of time, energy or resources to solve the need with
sewing.
I've done one RTW fast before, February to February. I bought nothing that year except for one item: a coat. I was at a conference in late May. I had packed for my trip based on a forecast of warm spring weather. And it snowed. In Canada, particularly at Universities and other institutions, central heat gets turned off the beginning of April. It was late May. It was cold, inside the buildings and out. I wore that coat to bed over everything else I brought, I was so cold. But I still remember how guilty I felt breaking my fast. I think now in the same circumstances, I would do the same thing but without the guilt. In my personal opinion, safety trumps Fasting.
The 'Is buying ski wear allowed?' discussion on the board hit a weird place in my gut. I know with enough time, energy, and resources you can problem solve your way through any sewing project--snow gear,
wedding dress, rain wear, winter coat, undergarments--and be proud of yourself after the fact. But if I was in the unexpected situation and needed a ski suit in two days and my friends didn't have something I could borrow, I would have bought a pair of snow pants and a jacket and not stressed about it. Safety trumps fasting and I know that I would lack resources and time to get the job done safely in that situation.
Maintaining a RTW fast or having a sewing lifestyle over the long term, requires learning how to accurately anticipate
what you need and having the skills, resources and time to sew
to meet those needs. Taking the coat as an example, I had an unexpected lifestyle need and I lacked access to sewing machines and fabric store. I also had very limited time between sessions at the conference. The emergency shopping trip for something to wear to my goddaughter's wedding came as a result of a failure to plan ahead properly and a lack of time and energy to solve the problem with sewing because I didn't realize the dress I had chosen to wear to my goddaughter's wedding didn't fit me until I put it on before the rehearsal dinner. And sometimes things come up that are totally not anticipated. After my concussion in the fall, I needed clothing for therapy that was not dress pants (all I owned at the time). Lack of energy and time upright sent me to the second hand store to buy sweat pants to wear to therapy instead of the sewing room even though I have everything I need to make sweat pants in my stash.
So, looking at all of this, I realize I need to think and sew more 'long term' than I am now if I want to make it to the end of the fast without having to 'buy a coat'. I will likely need a funeral dress in the next six months (my grandmother is ill) and that means I should start thinking about sewing it now instead of realizing the night before getting on the plane I need a dress to wear.
