i'm boycotting new clothes!

For one year, my goal is to not buy any new clothes.  Instead, I'm going to build my wardrobe entirely on thrifted or handmade pieces.  And I'm going to look hot doing it.

Here's why:

1.  I want the challenge of working hard for my clothes, feeling the pride in how I dress myself.  I've been stuck in the same boring jeans and tshirt forever.  I wear boring, safe colors and very few patterns.  It's time to find fun new clothes, take chances, and get out of the boring box.  I want them to represent who I am.  And I don't want people to think I came from the boring box.

2.  I want to reduce the clothing waste in the landfills.  Do you ever think about what happens to the clothes that no one buys from your thrift store?  They get squished into a huge clothing cube on a pallet, shipped to my clearance center, dumped in big rolly bins for people to sort through, and sold for $1.29/pound.  And when no one buys the clothes at the bottom of those bins, they get sent to the landfill.  Why buy new clothes when there are so many awesome pieces that can be bought for $1.29 a pound?

3.  I want to improve my sewing skills.  I'm starting this project with a basic understanding of my sewing machine.  And by basic understanding, I mean I can basically only sew straight lines.  Hems and curtains.  Through refashioning my thrifted finds, I want to learn how to sew, so I can eventually sew new pieces from scratch (from recycled materials, of course!).

I'm doing all of this with my sweet little sidekick, Olive Ant.  She's the cutest cat, even if she is anti-helpful with sewing.