Christie C. “You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.
What mood is that?
Last-minute panic.” — Bill Watterson
Bad Daily Habits
Procrastination has always been a terrible habit of mine that I’ve spent over thirty years combating. Although I’m confident in my ability to fight the dang habit as a young-ish person, the reality is that bad habits die hard, and they sometimes sneak their way into daily life in the most subtle ways. Today’s goal is to get a ginormous amount of work done on some crafting projects that have been lingering unfinished in my Velvet Room.
As a crafter (or as someone who enjoys watching other people craft), we expect and idealize the perfect space that is neat, clean, and ambitiously aesthetic. The reality is that crafting spaces are rarely neat. They’re messy. And, they will often remain messy for months to come. Perhaps even years. All of my unfinished projects have been scattered around generally in the same spots for weeks on end. It is summer now, and even though my crafting space has been functional for two months since conception and birth, I haven’t actually completed any projects. I’ve worked on plenty, but I need to actually see the fruits of my labor.
My pile of unfinished lovelies…
Java Joggers… with a TWIST!
Today, I brewed up a cup of Lady Grey tea and got to work on my second and third pair of Java Joggers by Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop. I began these in February of 2025… I think….
I’ve truly been getting into fashion and all of its creative angles, and it’s exciting to be moving out of the awkward phase where the experiments make little sense or have little to do with personal style. I ran out of sweatpants ages ago due to wear and tear on three pairs I had owned for over eight years. I’m not lying when I say that the only sweatpants I own today are the mock up pair I made a couple of years ago. I’m due for a replacement, and done procrastinating.
Back in 2023, I made a mock up of the Java Joggers using the Organic Cotton/Spandex French Terry in the color Tea from I See Fabric. Unfortunately, as of right now this fabric is unavailable or discontinued, but I had already stocked up on six different colors to make several joggers, sweatpants, and leggings. If we need another dupe, pretty much any spandex cotton blend knit or terry cloth will do.
My first pair of Java Joggers is slightly uneven in areas and the drawstring was not the best quality, so they appear a little more beat up than they actually are. My next two pairs are going to be far more carefully made.
What am I doing?
The first thing I always realize about abandoning projects, is that I always have to re-read the instructions and my notes because I can’t remember what the heck I was doing. I have to clear crafting space because I had been working on something else, and I have to remember the thread I was using and the proper tension settings.
Once I pulled myself out of amnesia, I got into the work flow again and a surge of new ideas began to emerge.
Woodland Creatures and Goblin Flare
The day before, I had donated a box of cat food Cleo refuses to eat and old towels to the same cat café we adopted her from. I had gotten so many compliments on what I thought was a bummy outfit. I was swearing some secret pants with a moth design, one of my self-made floral t-shirts, and a bandana. This made me think: despite working on sweatpants, I can still make them cute.
So, I pulled out some more interesting curios from my stash, and found a woodland creature nursery cotton, and a chest full of beads and buttons. I was originally going to use a standard I-cord for my sweatpants, but creating one using the woodland fabric and cute beads can turn my homey loungewear into something I can also style if I want to step outside in comfort without effort.
That is the name of my game, after all: seamless fashion that can go from lounge-wear to casual to dressy with a swap of shoes or accessories.
By the second cup of tea…
By the second cup of tea, I felt like Victor Frankenstein—a little obsessed with my creation prior to the moment of truth.
The positive thing about procrastinating on this project was that I got some better design ideas out of it. I was hellbent on using a boring I-cord and rushing through the sewing. This time, I took my time and found some creative ways to add some woodland flare to my joggers.
After locking in for five hours, I am very satisfied with the progress. I mainly have to complete the waistbands and cuffs. I promise I won’t procrastinate my crafts for months on end again. Call me out if I don’t have these done in the next three days!
