Minimizing the Year-Round Wardrobe

And why take ye thought for raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field,
which today is, and to morrow is cast into the oven,
shall he not much more clothe you.....?
Matthew 6:28-30

Back in early spring, while looking on-line for inspiration

(and motivation) to do more purging and de-cluttering 

in order to fit the stuff we use in our every-day lives into a fifth-wheel,

I ran across Project 333 and decided to try it.

The challenge of the project is to limit the clothing in your closet to 

33 items which are to be worn for 3 months.

After 3 months, you can choose another 33 items, 

which allows for change of seasons, etc.

The purpose of the challenge is to simplify one's life,

by determining what one truly needs,

and give one pause to reconsider spending habits.

(For details on "rules" of the challenge, see link above.)

Now, I'm not really keen on displaying 

all the innards and unmentionables of our closet.....

but as I am grateful for those who have shared 

their photos and challenges of their journey.....

(and because a few of you have asked.....)

here's my contribution in hopes of encouraging others considering a similar path.

Here is our closet when I was just starting Project 333.....

.....and here is the stuff I had just pulled out of the closet, 

hence the bare space in the photo above.

(Please forgive the poor quality cell-phone photos--

my camera had an accident.)

I tried every single item on and got rid of everything

that did not fit or did not make me feel good 

about how I looked while wearing it.

I also put much thought into what pieces I really needed,

and how to mix and match those remaining things to prevent boredom.

(Turns out the boredom is MY problem.....

nobody else really cares what I wear!)

Here is the same closet after purging it 

for spring/summer Project 333.

(The top half is mine, bottom half the Man's.)

The pared-down wardrobe worked very well for me,

but I was quite intrigued that I still didn't wear every item 

in the 3+ months of the challenge.

As you can see, when I put my 33 choices back into the closet,

I put all the hangers in backwards.

Three months later, it was very easy to see what had been worn

and what had not by looking at which way the hangers were left hanging on the pole.

After noting how many clothes I still was not wearing,

and then reading about

36/365: A New Fashion Project inspired by Project 333

and decided I was up to taking on a new challenge.

When the heat of summer finally broke, 

and I was inspired to open up the stored winter clothing,

it didn't take me very long to pull out my favorites 

and fill all 36 hangers.

So, (because you asked,) here is my "Wardrobe of 36"...my choices at present.

Far left (above, partly hidden) are  "dress" clothes & winter wraps.

3 Drawers=unmentionables, jammies, workout wear, xtra sheets, etc 

Everyday wear (hanging)

Shoes (some in boxes, some on floor)

(Black travel bag on shelf is for personal toiletries)

(#36=)Black bag on top of shoe boxes is backpack/purse.

Everyday & casual:

1= Denim jacket/blazer

2= prairie skirt

3= prairie skirt

4= drab green skirt

5=denim skirt, A-line

6=denim skirt, straight

7=denim skirt linen khaki skirt, not pictured

8=white short sleeve t

9=gray short sleeve t

10=black short sleeve t

11=brown peasant blouse

12=blue button-down shirt

13=red 3/4 sleeve t

14=brown long sleeve t

15=black long sleeve t

16=plum long sleeve t

17=green long sleeve t

18=red 3/4 sleeve t

Shoes:

19=Brown Cowboy boots

20=Black boots

21=Black flats

22=Blue teva sandals

23=Black sporty Mary Janes

24=Brown Mary Jane slide-ons

The only things that "count" for this challenge

in the 3 drawers shown above 

are the scarves, bottom right.

And at present, I'm not counting them.

I wear them so rarely.....I'm waiting to see what or if I actually use them.

(I also have a black and a brown belt that are rarely worn...

I'm not counting, yet waiting on those as well.)

Winter Warmers on left:

25=Down Coat (which will be replaced with a black knee length one 

when I find it.....it is "lost" in the moving process at present.)

26=Green wool cardifan

27=Snowflake wool sweater

28=Blue wool cardigan

Dress clothes (for church, weddings, funerals)

29=teal sweater

30=red sweater

31=black cami

32=black cardigan sweater

33=black skirt

34=black ballerina dress

35=denim dress

(#36=)black bag, listed above

In top-of-closet storage are 3 hats:

gardening hat

cowgirl hat

straw bonnet

I rarely wear any of these, excepting the gardening hat,

but am keeping them around just the same, for that occasional event,

or until I'm ready to pass them on.

<pic or remains to store>

And here's the remains that will go to temporary storage.

I hope to be able to let all of it go within the next few months.

So these are my choices for now.

If something isn't working, I will trade it out for something that does.

My goal is to permanently downsize my wardrobe to (around) 36 items, 

to cover four distinct seasons.

I am challenging myself to choose contentment and humility,

instead of always acquiring more out of boredom or prideful vanity.

I truly do love having an abundance of space

rather than an over-abundance of things.

Here are some of my personal parameters that have helped me make my wardrobe choices:

(My clothing choices are personal and reflect my way of living. 

Your choices will doubtlessly be different, and I'm perfectly ok with that!)

~~I 'm definately  NOT  a fashionista,

nor am I afraid of the fashion police. 

I don't follow fashion fads, but rather, 

I base my choices on  principle and personal taste.

~~I live a home-based, agrarian life. 

(That means I work in the dirt and with animals a lot.)

~~I am a wife and mother who works at home

by keeping our home, home-educating our child, caring for elders,

and many other miscellaneous titles/roles.

~~I love wearing skirts and dresses and I love dressing modestly.

~~I don't wear jewelery...which greatly simplifies my life and gives me more clothing choices!

:D

Daddy's Mended Jeans

This is a pair of my 84 year old father's blue jeans. He's a farmer, and all my life he's worn the same work uniform: leather boots, blue jeans, long-sleeved chambray shirt and straw hat. Since most all he's done his entire life is work, it was rare to see him dressed otherwise, although we do have a few photos to prove that he did!

When one spends a lifetime doing physical labor in cotton clothing, it takes a toll on the fibers. My 76 year old momma was an excellent seamstress before an atypical parkinson's type disorder robbed her of her ability to use her hands, and I remember her spending many an hour at the sewing machine repairing his shirts and jeans. If you look closely, you will see some of her handiwork on this pair. She put patches upon patches, and my frugal daddy loved them. Even now, he is often found in a pair of his old, patched jeans, and he rubs the patches with his big, gnarled hands, and tells me how proud he is of how well my momma could mend his pants so nicely. "She's a good woman, and she's been a wonderful wife," he says. He misses her so much,  and those patches are a little part of her that he can keep close to him.

When I was visiting my daddy recently, doing some homekeeping for him, I grabbed a stack of his old jeans and took some photographs. I needed to document my momma's loving handiwork. She left a stack of ready-to-be-mended jeans and cover-alls upon her sewing machine cabinet the day she left their home 5 1/2 years ago for a doctor's appointment in the city where I live, and she has not been back since. She was ill, hospitalized, and went from there to a long-term care facility near me. My only sibling lives in this area too, and we look after her. She misses daddy. Thankfully, both my parents are still pretty good mentally, though we see some gradual short-term memory losses. They call each other regularly, and both are looking forward to the day when we can finally take momma "home." When our home sells here, we will make those arrangements. Soon.

As I deal with my parents aging processes, I treasure the legacy they are leaving me more and more. I'm so grateful that my momma showed me how to mend blue jeans. I love the bedspreads she made me out of still-good part of daddy's jeans that were too worn to mend any more. I love that my parents taught me much about using up, wearing out, making do and doing without. I rebelled against living that way for a long time, but I've come full circle. I've learned waaay too many lessons the hard way. Thankfully, I've learned that I'd rather wear patched clothes that are paid for than new clothes purchased with a credit card. I'm going home to the country, and I'm eagerly embracing that once dreaded frugal way of life, for I've found that it is truly rich.

I'm married to a man who has the same frugal-country values as my parents. So it comes in handy that I know how to mend jeans and over-alls. It helps that I love to sew, and to create new things out of old. I hope to pass some of those skills on to the Little Princess as well. I think she's gonna need them. I have so many ideas and recycled denim projects going.....so I'll be sharing them here.

I think my momma and my daddy will be proud.....I'm finally getting it.
Makin' somethin' outta nuthin' is waaay more fun than struttin' feathers that you're still payin' interest on!!!