Shocking Seasonal Closet Inventory: more than a modest problem

I hope you've never been in the position that I'm in, and I hope you never will be. I share this story with you for two reasons:

1. that you may feel thankful that your personal closet situation isn't as bad as this,
2. or to give you hope that, if your situation is as bad, there will be a way out for you too.

TEMPERATURE CHANGE
Today while waiting for my hair to dry, I took inventory of my autumn wardrobe. We've had a remarkably warm end to summer downunder in New Zealand, but it looks like temperatures are cooling down at last. My summer dresses will not keep me comfortable as we transition from no heating toward heating one room in the evenings, and my winter dresses aren't suitable either.

BAD NEWS
Having observed the entropy of the clothing I was wearing, I knew I was sailing close to the seasonal wind, but the big picture shocked me.

My Autumn/Spring Closet Inventory:

1 good dress
1 old but presentable dress in a bad colour (on me) but which I can fix with layering
2 old dresses (patchy, stained, or stretched)

That's it until winter. Nobody sells accessible, ready-made clothing that I can wear. Compounding this, my night clothes and chemises (full length slips/dress liners) have stretched so much I'm tripping on them or sitting through them. Nobody sells these either.

WHAT NOW?
Thankfully (unlike my hard-working garments), I'm not falling to pieces at this news. Why? Because it's been worse and I survived. Just two years ago, my closet was in an even more desperate situation and I was too sick to do anything about it myself. I juggled the value I had available (money vs. time/energy), and the solution I came up with was to import an Australian friend Suzannah who sewed as many garments for me as she could in eighteen days (seven new garments and three alterations). I've juggled again, and it looks like this year I'll have to do it myself. Somehow.

CHOOSING PRIORITIES
What do you have less of, MONEY, TIME, or ENERGY?

Which is the most precious to you? Which is the one you are most thrifty with? Which do you have more of, or is more readily available to you? That is the one you are more likely to feel comfortable with spending. Understanding this will help you choose what your priorities are.

Sometimes you have very little money, time, or energy. That's when you really feel the pinch, and you have to borrow from other parts of your life.

If you've been following this blog for the last two months, you'll know that I had embarked on a fundraiser project to launch the new Modesty Mall website, and a few weeks later I experienced the devastating loss of 6 years' worth of images from this site. The fallout of that has delayed development of the new site, and impacted other activity related to Boutique Narelle.

IT'S TIME TO BORROW
While I waded through the mess, I ignored my pending closet disaster. That, I can no longer do. I need a month to sew (I can't work as fast as Suzannah did).

Something's got to go. And that would be me from BN and the Modesty Mall. For a while. As the noble knight would say to his white charger (read 'sewing machine'):

"TO THE RESCUE!"

Mission Objective: modest, beautiful maiden (read "made in") New Zealand

Auf Wiedersehen, my friend! I hope to see you soon in new clothes!
Narelle