Project 333: Week Two

Another update, and I am still enjoying the stillness that comes from opening the wardrobe every morning to reveal - space. It's so calming. I don't think: oh shit what can I wear? My outfit for the day is laid out if it is a workday, otherwise I can easily pull something together based on my mood and planned activities. It's quick and stress-free.

I am still taking better care of my clothes - hanging them up, folding them neatly, ironing them after washing - and my shoes - wiping off dirt, polishing and waterproofing the uppers. This is also easier than normal because I am needing to do fewer loads of laundry. This does surprise me, I was expecting that I would run out of clothes quicker and need to do more loads, but in fact I always seem to have plenty of options to wear and we're down to one load of laundry a week, rather than 2-3. Less clothes washed each week means the prospect of ironing is much less daunting.

I am increasingly aware that almost none of my clothes actually fit me well, in the same places - clearly I have broader shoulders and longer arms than the average, and longer legs. Tops and shirts generally also are not a brilliant fit across the back and bust, or around the waist area. And my trousers and skirts are not the most flattering style across my hips.

This might sound as if my clothes look awful and misshapen on me - not at all! They look fine - but fine is not okay any longer. If I only have a few clothes, I want to invest the time in making sure they all look and feel fantastic. I'm making gentle progress with my current clothing project(s) - knitting a cardigan and converting a pair of my boyfriend's trousers into a skirt.

Finally, I am again struck that small changes have unexpected knock-on effects. Doing fewer loads of laundry for clothes means I can wash bedsheets more frequently and with less stress. I have rarely changed the sheets more than twice a month, and sometimes less, simply because it takes me so long to get the sheets laundered around my other jobs. Only one load of laundry a week means I can easily fit a bedsheets load in as well, which in turn has meant clean sheets every Friday evening since I started this project. Still at the beginning, of course, but it's such a pleasure to sink into the freshly made bed!