September is nearly here! We all know what that means… Self-Stitched September is just around the corner!

My sewing activity of late has been mostly on the refashioning side – I haven’t posted about them, because they’ll obviously feature a lot in the Self-Stitched September posts. I’m looking forward to the challenge, but I’ve hit a few snags.

For various reasons, I didn’t get the basics I’d hoped done in time, so my wardrobe is fairly limited in this sense. I’ve been whirring the old cogs as fast as I can to try and figure out a way I can stay true to the ethos of the pledge while being able to maintain an interesting set of outfits.

So as you guys may have seen from previous posts, I’m a bit of a fan of the old charity shop, mainly to buy things to alter and refashion. However, if I find something good in a charity shop that fits well, more often than not it’ll become a wardrobe staple. In fact, I’ve noticed that I wear a lot in the way of hand-me-downs. So, I’m going to alter  my pledge somewhat.

‘I, Len of Can’t Say Strawberry sign up as a participant of Self-Stitched-September. I endeavour to wear only handmade, refashioned and second-hand items of clothing every day for the duration of September 2010′.

Basically, anything second hand goes, whether refashioned or not. I hope you guys don’t think I’m being too much of a cop out on this front, but it’s the best way I can think of to maintain the pledge with the lack of self-sewn basics that I have, especially as my job requires me to wear black and white, which I sew surprisingly little of!

Pre-loved clothing is sometimes the best kind, don’t you think? Furthermore, if I do buy clothing as part of the pledge, it all has to come from a charity shop – so my money’s going to an excellent cause as well.

Interestingly, this means that, while my plan was initially to keep Sportswear out of the pledge, ironically, some of it fits in to the new pledge! My gi (the suit that you wear in Karate) bottoms are hand-me-downs from when my brother did Judo, and the black trousers and black t-shirt I have for informal classes are also hand-me-downs from the brief time my brother did Karate! Interesting how these things turn out, no?

My only snag now is a coat! What with the atrocious August weather we’re having here in Wales, I have a feeling I’m certainly going to be needing one.

Thank goodness for Gertie’s Lady Grey sewalong! While I won’t have a me-made coat for the entirety of September, at least I can ensure I’ll be snug and cozy in my own by October! I’ll be sure to post my plans for my Lady Grey in due course.

How are everyone else’s preparations for Self-Stitched September going?