Replacement bag handles and the start of a wardrobe declutter

Well into February, and I'm doing my best to stay focussed on my New Year 'intentions'.  It's all slowed down a little since the initial, and somewhat frenetic 'I've got to get everything done' attitude I had at the beginning of January, but I'm feeling quite positive about the steady progress I am making.  I think I realised quite early on that I need to be adaptable and not get stressed out when things take a deviation from the path I think they should be on; generally speaking, it all pans out in the end.  Life, as they say, is for living, not for worrying unnecessarily.  'Go with the flow' is becoming one of my mantras.

One more project has been ticked of the list.  A very useful bag began to show signs of wear and tear last year - the covering on the handles began to peel off - and it looked quite unsightly.  The bag is really handy for overnight travelling, or for day trips as it easily accommodates flask and sarnies, knitting or a book, so I was keen to mend it if I could.  

Various stages of handle making

I originally thought I could just recover the handles but on closer inspection I decided it would be just as easy to make new handles from scratch.  Everything I used came from my stash - thick cord, fabric to cover, threads - and I'm pleased with the result.  The bag is now good for a while longer.

This week I have finally begun the grand wardrobe declutter; I just had to take a deep breath and go for it.  Armed with paper and pen, I listed all my clothes, drawer by drawer, box by box and rail by rail.  When you actually start to write every item down individually, the list becomes frighteningly long but I think it was a worthwhile place to start.  I've now re-ordered everything into categories (ie trousers, jumpers T-shirts etc) which sounds a little pedantic but I have a need for order ;-)

So, I discovered that I have no less than 96 items of clothing, not including underwear, sleepwear, swimwear and accessories (scarves and belts).  Included in those 96 items are three items of clothing I wear solely for my volly work, and 11 items of clothing for walking (base layers, trousers).  

Almost immediately I could see things which needed to go, and in the first cull I am parting company with 3 pairs of white sports socks (there was a time, several years ago, when I was at the gym almost everyday), one pair of jogging bottoms which I wore for the renovations and are covered in paint, 3 pairs of shorts which will be used for gardening this summer, and 15 items of perfectly good clothing which I simply no longer wear.  These will go to a charity shop.  I'll check all these items and wash them before passing them on.

So that's the first stage completed.  Inventory and initial cull.  There were no items I had forgotten I owned and actually none that had me horrified to look at.  What I do have, however, is a number of clothes that don't fit properly.  I have lost quite a bit of weight over the past couple of years - not intentionally, I may add, but due probably to a change in lifestyle, being much more active, several months of house renovation, and some major stress issues - and consequently there are clothes which I still like but which are now too big.  Whilst it may be tempting to just go out and buy a whole wardrobe of new clothes that do fit, my frugal nature will look for an alternative.  I'm sure some of these clothes can be altered so I think that may be my next step.

This whole process is going to take some time.  I don't want to rush and make mistakes.  I've been looking online at the idea of capsule wardrobes and I can definitely see the benefits of clothes that work together; it makes a lot of sense.  At the moment I have a random selection of clothes bought/acquired without any overall plan as to how they might fit together.  That's the problem, and I think it will be fun sorting it out.