So if you follow Goodbye Valentino I'm sure you've seen her invitation to join in on the Ready~to~Wear Fast of 2014.  That means no store bought clothes for a whole year people!! (underwear, shoes and socks permitted) I was all in as this is something I've contemplated for a long while.  Before I started sewing I was a shopaholic.  Fast fashion was like a drug to me.  Totally addicted my lunch hours were spent buying cheap clothes that I really didn't need.  Once I started sewing some 2 years and 6 months ago I really started looking at what I was buying and at what cost.  I didn't stop buying RTW completely though.  Like a drug addict I had to ween myself off and still suffer from withdrawal every now and then so sue me.  Since I've started sewing one thing people ask a lot is, "Is sewing your own clothing cheaper?"  And a lot of people assume that it is indeed way cheaper.  I mean why would you waste your time sewing the Lady Skater when you can just go buy it at Forever 21 for $8.00?  Why not save yourself the time and frustration.  I mean there has to be some sort of payoff, so making you own clothing must equal out to pennies right?!   Uhm...no...yes....sometimes??   First off the major payoff for me is the satisfaction I get realizing I made something with my own two hands and by golly it fits and looks great! Sure there is some frustration that might go along with it but that's a part of the process.  Working through those frustrations (like fit and the secret love affair I have with my seam ripper) is what's really rewarding. (Bonus points for using fabric I found on clearance for $3.00 a yard.)  No matter what it cost me $3/yd to $10/yd, sweat, tears, hair loss... in the end it was a learning experience and I enjoyed making it AND to be honest I'm really freaking pleased with myself about it too.   We too should also realize not all RTW is Forever 21 prices.  If your looking at THIS Skater dress for $248, well then hell yes sewing my own is cheaper, and I'm definitely gonna get a lot of satisfaction outta that! 

Besides cost there are lots of other pros and cons we could discuss on the topic of RTW vs Handmade but I don't want to travel down that road right now because I have some other things to share.  Instead I want to know..   Why do you sew? Do you sew to save money or simply because you enjoy it? What are some of the pros and cons you see with RTW and handmade?  Will you be joining in on the RTW Fast of 2014?   Please share! 

I Shannon Jordan,  solemnly swear to buy NO ready to wear clothing in 2014 (with the exception of shoes and underwear and I do feel I should allow for some thrifting for refashoning purposes). 

Wow I felt myself breaking out into a cold sweat as I typed that.  I desperately want to go on a shopping binge this weekend.

On with the other things I wanted to share.  I haven't sewn any clothing since the FM competition.  I've sort of taken a break from clothing and have been keeping busy with alterations and Christmas gifts.  Last night I made Vito a pair of snow booties.  Here in Indiana the temperature is frigid and there is snow on the ground (and according to the forecast more snow and ice to come, boo!)  Watching poor Vito trying to find a spot to relieve himself makes me feel bad for him.  By the time he's done his poor little paws are so cold they are numb and he's walking on them like he's got glue stuck to them or something.  Quite a sight!  So I stopped at Joann Fabric on my way home from work last night and picked up some fleece from the remnants bin and followed this tutorial from Instructables.com.  The result was not pleasing to Vito as you will see in the video below.  They were a pain to get on his feet. He didn't want to cooperate and I realized I'm going to have to wake 20 minutes earlier in the morning to have time to take him out before work if I want him to wear these ridiculous contraptions.  Once he got outside in them he just stood frozen like a statue.  So I don't know if these were a total waste of time or not.  I'm sure it will take him some time to get used to them and it sure makes for a good laugh watching him walk in them so not a total waste.  Enjoy the video. (not the greatest quality, it was taken with my iphone).