The heart of the matter...

So, my friends, it has been a little over a month since the Seven Day Wardrobe project began. The wardrobe is up to two outfits and two sweaters, and really, it’s quite enough for now. For most of January I only had one dress to wear, and was working diligently on the first sweater because I was cold, and because there’s something really comforting about wearing a sweater that I really missed. At the end of January I managed to get another outfit done and until spring comes around I think it will be just fine.

Here’s what I’ve learned about myself so far….

First, it is WAY easier to get by with just two outfits than I imagined it would be. Truth is, I just don’t care what people think about my wearing the same thing all the time. And it’s convenient not to stare at a bunch of clothes wondering what to wear. I thought I would miss my favorite things, and had trouble storing my favorites away, but the longing for those familiar things faded quickly and I am now quite happy with my two outfits.

Second, I love having all the extra space in my closet. It very quickly got filled with other things that needed to be stored, so the rest of my room is a lot cleaner

Third, I really don’t enjoy sewing clothes. In fact, it’s like doing an unpleasant chore, like washing dishes, only it lasts for hours and hours. I attribute this to just not knowing how to sew clothes, but I expect a more positive relationship with my sewing machine to evolve with time and experience. I am very hopeful for this.

Lastly, I am horrified, and I mean H-O-R-R-I-F-I-E-D at how much clothing is now in storage in my basement. Really, I don’t have words to express the sick feeling I get when I see the giant trash bags full of things that I eventually want to up-cycle. It may take a lifetime of crafty sewing ideas to use it all up. I ask myself what ever possessed me to keep buying clothes when I already had so many, and so far I don’t have an answer. And the money I spent on all the clothes??? Yeah, really sick feeling when I think about all the money I could have saved by being a lot more selective in my purchasing. I’m incredulous at my stupidity.

Now that the initial flurry of making has subsided and I’m satisfied with my two outfits, I’m contemplating the heart of the matter. I wonder about our cultural and personal motivations in excessive consumption. I wonder how we have become so disconnected from the objects in our lives that we don’t know or care where they came from or where they’ll go after we dispose of them. I wonder, most of all, about how to heal this disconnect. Can one woman help save the world?

 

 

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