to SWAP or not to SWAP?

That is my conundrum. I REALLY want to participate in the SWAP. I have a plan, I have fabric, I have patterns and I've made my participating purchase. What I don't have is the confidence to be able to pull it off. At least not now. I started out with a plan to make post-maternity clothing that I can wear back to work while transitioning from pregnant body to post-pregnant body. The problem is that the contest started January 1st, ends the middle of April and the baby isn't due until next month. My doctor thinks I might deliver late and that will give me really only a month and a half to make and/or finish 11 garments. I was going to try and make a primarily-knit wardrobe based on my pre- and early-pregnancy measurements, but it just isn't working for me. Add on top of that the fact that my sewing room is still a storage room for everything that was in the nursery (back when the nursery was a storage room). I can't sew well when I'm disorganized and while I may be organized in the fabric, pattern, plan sense, I'm definitely not organized in the sewing location and notions sense. I find myself digging through boxes looking for notions and not being able to find what I'm looking for...it's frustrating.

I'm still going to keep my name in the hat for the time being, as I haven't really made a final decision as to whether or not I am going to participate. I have a plan B SWAP idea in place that will consist of a baby or toddler SWAP and have preliminary patterns picked out for both boys and girls so I'd be ready regardless of what we have.

So now onto the next topic...my sewing goals for 2008. I sat down today to make a list of all of the things I would like to accomplish sewing-wise in 2008. The top of my list is to reclaim and reorganize my sewing room so that I can actually begin to accomplish some of these goals. I also plan to make a bunch of stuff for the baby, but primarily I would like to complete some of the following projects (not necessarily in this order):

1. A set of fitting garments using Pattern Master Boutique. I bought the latest version of this software with my annual bonus from work and have not been able to play with it since I've been pregnant this whole time. I would really like to spend time learning how to use it and make a set of fitting garments.

2. A SWAP wardrobe - regardless of whether or not it's part of the official contest. If I don't participate in the contest, I am going to heavily modify the wardrobe to be less transitional and more cohesive of the type of wardrobe I want for myself as a professional working mother. I would ultimately like the full 3-phase and will probably include all of the following garments into the SWAP plan (except for the items I plan on making for the hubby or baby)

3. At least 2-3 shirts for hubby. Part of the reason for buying my embroidery machine was so that I could make retro/bowling shirts for my husband. My husband has lost some weight and is back to the size he was when we met, and while he was heavier he got rid of all of his smaller shirts, so this is going to be even more important when his work schedule lightens over the next several months.

4. Make hubby a wool coat. He asked me over a year ago if I would make him a wool peacoat style coat. I have the dark charcoal melton wool and Burday coat pattern that he picked out all ready to go.

5. Make at least one coat for myself. I have several coats I would like to make, but I have recently purchased a gorgeous furry wool/mohair fabric that would make a fabulous dressy coat.

6. Make a Chanel-style jacket using couture techniques. I have 4 different boucle fabrics to currently choose from, and 2 different suitable patterns.

7. Make a tailored suit. This may not be feasible in 2008, but I would at least like to have this planned on the back burner for the end of the year if possible. I don't have a dire need for suits, but I can see a benefit for just about anyone to have at least one smart tailored suit. It may include skirt or slacks or both, and I may even include a vest - I haven't really thought this one through, but since my old suit is about 4 sizes too big for me even now that I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant I think it's time to rethink a new one.

8. Make at least one designer "knock off". This is to be determined and may end up being included with one of the other projects, but I would really like to refashion a pattern, or use PMB, to knock off one or more of my favorite designer pieces.

9. Make a pair of jeans. I haven't made jeans since I was in high school and would really like to revisit the idea of this. I realized the other day, when I was mending my maternity jeans, that my trusty Viking sews through several layers of denim like butter so I'm excited!

10. Make a handbag. I haven't decided if I want to make a diaper bag, purse or tote of some sort, but I would really like to try my hand at making a bag of some sort. This is something I have never done.

11. Sew something from leather. I'm not sure if my first attempt at bag-making will also include my first attempt at sewing leather, but we have a great leather source in town and I would really like to attempt something from leather this year.

So those are my lofty sewing goals for 2008. I can accomplish most of them as part of a 3-phase SWAP. Notice how I don't call them "resolutions"? I want to challenge myself to accomplish as much of this as I can, but do not want to limit myself to just 2008. If I can have some of these accomplished and others completely planned for 2009 I will be happy. Ultimately, this is the year that I want to spend really honing in on my skills and working on mastering new techniques and trying some things that I have never ventured to try. I think the idea of becoming a mom has made me braver when it comes to my sewing and now I relish in the idea of giving myself the ultimate in sewing challenges. Then again, maybe it's just the nesting instinct kicking in and all of this momentum will go away as soon as labor starts. We'll see how well I do...