Most Beautiful Dress

Soak it in.

Graphic Floral Dress

I realized after a year of clipping pictures of dresses I covet out of fashion magazines, that most of them share this shape. It’s not an unusual shape, but none of the pattern companies I know of are selling this style right now, so I had to make my own pattern. It took a long time because I don’t officially know anything about pattern drafting, but I managed to work this out. This dress will look better with a belt. I’ve already sketched a bunch of color & detail variations that I plan to start on soon.

Striped Stretch Denim Skirt

First Day of Summer

I made this skirt out of an old Gap shirt Scott was throwing away. It has a little pocket at the hip. I put four darts in the waist and added three buttons (spares that came with the shirt) to keep the front from gaping open. I like the shape of the hem - untouched from the original shirt. I consider this the best skirt I've made.

The t-shirt is also new and is my first perfect v-neck. This was a major accomplishment, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it right every time, but I have a pretty good system now.

I don't like these capri pants, so I didn't bother to show you the front. I did figure out how to make welt pockets and it's surprisingly fun to do.

Colorful Sweater

I finished my faire isle/intarsia wool sweater today. I am pleased with it, even though it has its own love handles. It bunches at the waist because it’s too long and the ribbing at the hips causes it to ride up.

I did not make the pants in this photo. I’m still wearing a lot of manufactured clothes, with a new appreciation. It can be great to do things for yourself, but it’s also great to rely on others, especially when they have skills and talent. I’ve learned how much repetition it takes in order to really know how to make a good piece of clothing. The only things I’m good at are the things I’ve made twenty or more of (just tote bags, really).

I will continue making clothes, but I realize I will never replace everything because what I really want out of this project is pleasure, and I experience that during the learning and creating, not in the fulfilling of a particular goal.

On the subject of appreciating manufactured clothes - the only items I purchased since April 2007 were socks, shoes, and bras. I happened to find the perfect bra at Target for only $11. I bought one in white, black, gray, and beige. One day after tenderly hand-washing them in my bathroom sink and hanging them in the hallway to dry, the four bras were neatly stacked on my dresser, waiting to be put in the drawer. I paused to admire them - it's so wonderful simply to have what you need, something that works well, something convenient, a good design, and affordable!

Square Pillow

Martha Stewart featured square pillows in a recent issue, so I decided to make one to go with my pillow with corners.

100th Post

Wendy Mullin’s book on sewing knits, Sew U Home Stretch: The Built by Wendy Guide to Sewing Knit Fabrics, was just released. Her other book, Sew U, was really what inspired me to start sewing. Both of these books come with three basic patterns and pages of suggestions for how to use and alter them. The gray sweatshirt here is one of the patterns included. The other two are for a t-shirt and a dress which I will try out soon. The fuchsia tank top here is McCall’s 4872 and the other tank and t-shirt are my own patterns. To anyone who wants to begin sewing, I recommend starting with these two books. While I’m on the subject of book recommendations, I will mention that I read Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth and am participating in his and Oprah’s online class on the book. Tonight is the last class of a ten week series, but it can all be downloaded free at Oprah.com. The book is all about being conscious and present - living in the moment.

The Project - Deadline

April 15 marks the one year anniversary of the simple wardrobe project. I thought one year would be adequate time, but I’m nowhere near finishing, so I’m filing for an extension. Three factors contribute to my failure to meet the deadline.
1. I was much worse at sewing & making clothing related decisions than I ever thought possible. Around month ten I think I made some very promising improvement on that front.
2. I ended up with a ten class course load at two different schools this year. I was only expecting six courses, but you have to take opportunities when they come. Four of the classes were brand new for me, which meant I didn’t even have weekends for sewing throughout most of the year.
3. I’ve never felt compelled to adhere to randomly set goals in the first place. It’s more important to me to make this project into a two or three year success, than to finish on time.

Last week I entered a new quarter with a reasonably light course load, plenty of sewing days on the horizon, then I received an email inviting me to participate in a show in May and June at Portrait Society Gallery in Milwaukee, WI. I’m painting up a storm right now, but I promise that after May 16 there will be a clothing explosion.





some paintings for the show - acrylic on panel, 5x7 inches

These are some ideas I had for summer clothes. I may not have time to sew, but there’s always time to fantasize.

Spring Clothes

Scott seems very suspicious of these pants. He told me I should wear them only with a black top, and definitely not with this blouse. I don’t know. I think flowers go with flowers. I used new patterns, Built by Wendy (Simplicity) 4110 for the pants and McCall’s 5630. I made my usual alterations for fit and had no problems with either item.

Business Casual for the Home Office

I was watching Sewing with Nancy the other day and she demonstrated tips for packing a suitcase. The main tip was to put each garment in a separate plastic dry-cleaner’s bag and this prevents wrinkles. Once she finished layering all her outfits she zipped up the suitcase and said she likes to use the outer pockets for her “jammies and undies.” I love that.

Wool Sweater

My mom and I knitted this sweater together. I’d like to say she was holding one needle while I worked the other, but it was more of a tag team system. Our gauge isn’t identical, but the blocking evened it all out. I used a pattern but added several inches to the torso & sleeve length, and they’re still barely long enough because as the sweater stretches around me, it shortens more than I expected. My question to seasoned knitters is – can you pick up & knit on a ribbed edge to add length, or will that look weird?

Best T-shirt So Far

I finally made a great t-shirt to go with my favorite jeans. It only took a year - but I finally succeeded in making the all American outfit. Of course, the jeans are starting to fall apart after a year of almost constant wear.

Recycled Clothing

I was looking for a quick and satisfying project, so I made two tops out of four shirts I already had that didn’t fit right. Knit tops are always too square and short for me. These are tops that wouldn’t be worth donating, so I reworked them. It’s hard to get a good looking seam at the waist. I used a three-thread flatlock on the striped top and four-thread overlock on the solid one. I’m not thrilled with either seam, but overall I really like the striped top. It’s very flattering because the darker color at the waist makes a good transition to the dark pants. It gives me a waist without making my butt look too long. That’s the problem with high-waisted pants – they elongate the legs really well in the front, but they make the butt look really huge, especially when the pockets end higher than the cheek folds.

Pillow Cover

I made this pillow cover from some cool vintage bark cloth Sharon gave me. I see now that the pattern is upside down – or maybe it’s the pillow.

Grapes and Grapefruit

Second Breakfast today consisted of grapes and grapefruit, followed by super dark chocolate. I’m pretty sure you can’t absorb any of the vitamins from the fruit if it isn’t eaten with chocolate.

Tote Bags & Dog Toys

I made nine more tote bags and some dogs toys.


A friend told me that the Salvation Army uses 60% of its budget for disposal because people unload so much unsellable junk there. There should be a disposal & recycling center next to Salvation Army. Then you could get rid of all your clutter at once. I would want to see a bin for recycling electronics, old tennis shoes, and all those other weird things - large pieces of metal - and anything else that salvation army can't use, but shouldn't be thrown out. I think the major reason people are so irresponsible about recycling is that it's confusing and inconvenient when it gets more complicated than cans & paper. There could also be a pawn shop or eBay selling store. It would be a strip mall of disposing solutions. At the end there could be a car wash. Wouldn't that feel great? When I’m doing a home purge I always like to shave my legs as the finishing touch.

Sick

I’ve been sick for a whole week. On the fifth day I broke down and went to a doctor. My doctor was on vacation so I saw someone new.

Her clinic is painted pink with rose rubber baseboard and a cluster of gold-framed impressionist posters decorate the waiting room. There was also a large original pastel drawing of an abstracted woman looking round and peaceful. I wish all doctors, dentists, and veterinarians would put original art in their waiting rooms. I know they’re willing to spend money because framing those posters is costly. I don’t know if they just don’t want to invest the time or if they don’t think it makes a difference – but it does!

The doctor was short and older with hair that was dyed auburn and had grown out to expose an inch of gray hair. She wore ultramarine blue corduroy pants with front pleats. The pants were in good condition considering that they had to be twenty years old. She shook my hand when we met. I never get over the willingness medical people have to touch sick people. I liked her because of the drawing, the pants, and the handshake.

When she asked me about my symptoms I explained that the worst of them was my sore throat. She told me to rate my pain on a scale of one to ten, ten representing the most pain I’ve experienced. I said 6-7. She seemed surprised. I thought about this method and wondered if I should have told her that I’ve never experienced extreme pain. I’ve never had a serious injury or a baby. I had a migraine once when I was sixteen, so that represents ten on my pain scale.
Next she held up an illustration of a man with the flu. He had messy hair, pink eyes, pale skin, and was frowning. “Is this how you feel?” she asked.

“Yes, except he looks like he has a fever and I don’t.”

She told me I had the flu and I should keep resting until I feel better.

Another Pair of Jeans

This is the first time I've put belt-loops on pants. The only full-length mirror in our home is in Scott's studio, so his opinion naturally accompanies the first try-on of everything I make. He said, "That's an outfit you can wear outside the home."

Knitting

I’ve been working on three sweaters this week. I started them at different times – the first one in August. It’s been relaxing to clear the machines off my work table for a bit. I was sewing more pants from my favorite jeans pattern last weekend and made another practically complete pair of gray pants with elaborate pockets before I discovered that they’re too small. This was the first time I used that pattern with fabric that has no stretch. I didn’t realize how badly I needed it. I wore them for an hour, hoping for a little give and tore a hole at the base of the fly, not in the seam, but in the fabric itself. Knitting is becoming my therapy for sewing.

I started this sweater with the intention of keeping the whole thing dark gray. It was really looking like a man’s sweater from the Boston Store – maybe made by Dockers, so I decided to add some color. I’m trying out a combination of Faire Isle and Intarsia. Basically, I’m just changing color without a design –responding to what’s there. It’s like painting which is probably why I’m really excited about the process. I think I’m going to be very happy with the sweater. Of course this morning instead of picking up my sweater and knitting more, I spent an hour online shopping for more yarn so I have a broader palette. I found one brand of yarn called “Lamb’s Pride.” I don’t believe lambs feel pride, and if they did it probably wouldn’t be about having such great hair that it compels people to continue stealing it from them. Still, I’m just as much of a sucker for marketing as anyone else. I can’t get the picture of smiling, satisfied, naked little lambs handing out baskets of fur to eager knitters.

Blue Turtleneck

Sock Cuffs return in this ribbed turtleneck. I’m running low on worn out socks, so I will have to start knitting my own cuffs soon, or solicit donations.

I dyed this fabric from pale blue to medium blue. I realized when I was cutting an extra piece for the hem that the fabric has faded dramatically where it was exposed to the sun. In addition to the enormous inconvenience of dyeing fabric, it also becomes high maintenance for the rest of its life, just like dyed hair.