Next up...

I can't believe it's April tomorrow! The weather has been quite spring-like here, where by spring-like I mean so changeable that it frequently pours with rain while being blindingly sunny at one and the same time. My daffodils are out in force though and things are generally looking a bit more green and cheerful, so I don't mind too much.

It's also the end of the first quarter of the year, so I had a squint at my sewing goals for the year to see how I'm doing.

• Budget: Uh, well. /o\ I am about 20% over right now. At least there is plenty of year left to claw that back. On the plus side, I have been super careful about my pattern buying so far this year and have managed to keep spending on them to a bare minimum.
• Reduce garment stash to under 150m. I mentioned at the end of February that unfortunately in the middle of a really terrible couple of weeks I went kind of mad on the fabric buying. I mean, I don't really regret it, precisely, because there are much worse ways to relieve stress. However, it does mean that even though I've done quite a lot of sewing (by my standards) over the last three months, I haven't made that much of a dent in my stash -- I am a mere 3.75m down on where I started the year. On the other hand, nearly everything I bought is for use in the next few months, so that's an improvement on last year. My 2016 stash reduction AND use-what-I-buy-in-2016 goals are definitely still achievable with 9 months to go and a sewing queue that mostly uses stash.
• Among my specific skill-building type goals, I actually ticked one off! I made a piece of outerwear, my red raincoat, and after 2 weeks of wear I can report I am still thoroughly delighted with it.

New Look 6251 -- I am making view B

My plans for March start out pretty specific and then get all vague. I am in the middle of making New Look 6251, a knit bodywarmer type thing -- I guess Americans would say a 'vest', though that means something entirely different to me! - with a zip. When I say "in the middle of making", I mean I cut it out last weekend but then so far have had a week of total sewing apathy so it's still just in pieces on my cutting mat. I have barely walked into my sewing room this week, let alone got around to re-threading my serger in suitable thread. Some weeks are just like that.

Once that is done, I have another shirt on my list (using my old favourite Ottobre 05-2012-07) but it's a plaid so of course I've been putting off cutting it out because urgh, plaid matching. I also want to replace some of my older and more worn t-shirts before summer arrives. I'm planning to make four in total in a mix of patterns, some of which are new and some of which I've used before.

After that, there are more question marks than firm plans. I want to make some kind of cardigan with the expensive striped knit that didn't (and won't) end up being a Grainline Morris, but I am not at all sure what pattern to use. I'm also sort of thinking about making a grey denim jacket, or working on the unlined jacket I'm planning to make with the blue/green linen I dyed in February, but I also can't decide what patterns to use for either the denim or the linen or which I want to make first. I urgently need a tote bag with a zip but I need to resize the pattern I plan to use, and I'd like to make a new handbag for this summer but have so far no opinion on fabric, pattern or anything else.