Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
Post #3125: No time like now
For the first time in two weeks, Brian and I woke up in a house without guests – a sensation relieving but also tinted with disappointment. It’s hard to give up the crowd!
Stranger still is that in the midst of visits and people to-ing and fro-ing, we had to put our dog Charlotte down last week after a massive stroke – and so we find ourselves suddenly without anyone to caretake, not even our constant companion of many years.
But the stillness does make me think about writing again – something I decided to put more time to a few months ago. It’s been hectic here since late spring, but the quiet of August’s heat, the heaviness of the smoke-laden air, have me convinced that perhaps I should free up the fingers on the keyboard and share my notes and fleeting philosophies with what few people read this.
A friend told me on the weekend that she appreciates this blog because I write things that she can relate to – something I am always glad to hear, for even a handful of people relating to each other is a positive event. But in any case I’ve had this nagging urge to write recently which is something I find difficult to ignore – so having readers is a bit besides the point.
I’m reading Ursula K. Leguin’s “No Time to Spare” – a collection of her blog posts from close to the end of her life – as a bit of inspiration right now. I would love to find my way to the occasional short essay, interspersed with posts about dress-making or weaving. The question is always – what do I give up in order to make time to write? Or perhaps I give nothing up but do less of one thing or another instead.
Whatever happens, I’m going to return to posting here after the last few weeks of nothing – I’ve had this blog for fifteen years or so – and I don’t feel like just now is when I want to abandon things here.
Post #3124: Unlocking new levels
In the last couple of months, I’ve leveled up my sewing on a few fronts – and the dress I’m showing off today is no exception:
This pattern – Vogue 8743 – from the Very Easy Vogue line is about as simple as it gets when it comes to sewing – princess seams from top to bottom which means no seam matching of skirt and bodice, and bias-binding for the finish (which I far prefer over facings). I even managed to omit the zipper since I can pull this one on over my head. The “fancy”element to the pattern is a pleat in the center which is a simple way to give the skirt extra volume and a wonderful shape.
In short – I am completely in love with this new dress – and it fits me near perfectly.
The leveling-up on this particular pattern comes with the finishing – which was all done by hand, using invisible stitches. This dress is the first garment I have made where no stitches are visible on the outside – and it really makes a difference to the overall look. Hard to tell in a photo – as it should be!
The hibiscus print fabric is from some yardage that I purchased in Maui a few years ago, and the remainder of the dress is made from Kaufman black broadcloth. I had originally planned to line this dress, but for summer wear I don’t want to add any additional layers and I made sure the inside finish was tidy. If I make this pattern again (very likely) I will french seam instead.
Other levels achieved recently include precision button holes as well as shirt cuffs and collars. More button up shirts and swimwear are on the list as well. I don’t know if I’ll get there before the end of summer or not – jeans and underwear are on the roster for the fall. I can’t say that my clothes look ready-to-wear because they don’t really – but it’s not really what I’m going for. Well made and well fitted – *that’s* what I’m going for.
Post #3123: Sewing all of the things in June
I have been pretty much Internet averse for the entire month of June. Very little instagram, no blogging, minimal Facebook. I guess taking a selfie everyday and posting so much in Me Made Made took a toll on me!
But I have been making things in the studio this month. The weather hasn’t been all that great, which has extended my sewing season a bit longer than normal and I’ve got a jump on a couple of fall things as well as dresses for various celebrations this summer.
So here they are – the garments of June (one more coming once I hem it this week):
Starting with my least favourite make – here is the Aster top from Colette Patterns. There is nothing objectively wrong with the pattern, but shirt-making is difficult and I made a number of miscalculations along the way. If I ever make this top again:
- it will be a size larger
- I won’t bother with the fiddly cuffs since I roll everything up to 3/4 length sleeves anyway
- I will take more care easing in the sleeves so the gathers aren’t quite so tight
This shirt was a learning experience and I’m not sure I would make this pattern again. I’m partial to princess seaming – so I think I’ll make a go at a princess seamed shirt like the Harrison by Cashmerette instead of one with darts next time.
I made this dress out of a cotton and steel rayon from my stash using the Mississippi Ave dress pattern by Sew House Seven. I really like the fit of this dress, and the elastic in the back gives it some nice shape. I did not love how the neckline turned out – but it’s not really a noticeable flaw when I’m wearing it. I made this for a friend’s anniversary party that I attended this weekend and it was definitely the brightest dress there.
Here is my first version of the York Pinafore by Helen’s Closet – made out of a fairly heavy-weight denim. This is definitely a fall wear and it helps cover up the flaws of the Aster so if I wear the Aster at all, it will be with this over-dress. I’m happy with the fit, though I worry that the narrow bib isn’t overly flattering to my shape. In any case, this will get wear and I would like to try another version in a medium-weight fabric.
File this one under least-interesting/most useful. It’s a Concord T-shirt, made with some fabric I ordered as a test for another project. It turned out not to be very good quality fabric – but I do need more black t-shirts so here we are. I’ve got better t-shirt fabric in my stash and need to get on some more staples.
And finally – I made this at the beginning of the month and Brian has been asking for more like it ever since. Made with stash fabric and buttons – this is the Men’s Shirt pattern by Melly Sews. I am really happy with how it turned out.
That’s it! All of the things from June. I’m hoping the weather will turn soon and I’ll be spending less time in the studio for the remainder of summer – though, there are still so many things I want to make for fall 🙂
Post #3122: Self sewing (and knitting) in May
Well me made me Maybe it’s not really about sewing as many garments as possible in the month I did manage to so three garments and finish knitting one this past month. Two of those items were finished in the last two days though were in the works for some time. In the case of the Harrison dress I cut out the pattern and bought the fabric last year – so it was a long time in the project pile.
This is a pattern by Cashmerette Patterns. It comes with several cup size choices for the full figured sewist. While I like the relaxed fit of this finished version I think I could have gone a size down quite easily. A couple of months of working out at the gym and I am at least one dress size smaller. This dress features princess seams, and was my first attempt at a full collar and many buttonholes. Definitely a levelling up pattern for me and I finally learned how to use the electronic button foot attachment for my sewing machine!
My other finish this week is a 3rd pair of Emerson Crop Pants by True Bias Patterns.
Not much to see here since I’ve now made this pattern multiple times. This version was made with leftover fabric from a skirt I made about five years ago – a lightweight denim, perfect for summer.
Another item I made this month completely from leftover fabric is a version of the Springfield top by Cashmerette.
Although I like this top for the ability to use up scraps of fabric, I do not like the facing pieces. They seem too small to me and so they flip up no matter how I’ve tried to stitch them down. If I make this again I will change the facing option, or make a lined version. I do quite like the lines of this pattern.
And finally as I previously showed here, I did finish the all black ensemble for meditation retreats also this month.
All my makes this month were sewn from materials in my stash which was part of my me made may pledge, and at least two of these items are gap fillers in my wardrobe. For my next challenge I plan to make a shirt or two for Brian and a couple fancy dresses for parties I’m attending this summer. My sewing roll does not seem to be abating so I am taking advantage of the momentum by upping my skills and pushing my own style edges a bit.
Post #3121: Thirty days of Me-Made-May
This has been my first year participating in Me-Made-May – and I have to admit I’m glad it’s coming to a close, if only because I am done having to document everything I wear!
Below is a photo round-up of the me-made items I wore or used this month. There are a few days in which I took photos of other makes – bags, quilts, and a garment I was working on – but rest-assured, I was also wearing a me-made item on each of these days.
In terms of insights – here are a few of the outcomes from my month of participating in this challenge.
This month I:
- discovered I can wear self-sewn clothes a significant percentage of the time – at least in spring – though many of these pieces are layer-able which is what I like in a diy-wardrobe
- dug into the closet and wore most of my me-makes – some of which haven’t seen a lot of wear lately; there are definitely a few items that have to go, but most of these items still have a lot of life left and I enjoy wearing them
- noted that my sewing has really improved in the last year
- was surprised by how many self-drafted garments I own – mostly simple skirts, but more than I thought
- enjoyed wearing garments made of natural fibres more than anything else – cotton for the win!
- learned that other people have a different take on what looks good on me than I do
- got used to looking at pictures of myself – and have started to think more about how I photograph my garments in the future
- decided that all ready-to-wear clothing which does not bring me joy is coming out of the closet
Favourite garments of the month were clearly my Cashmerette Webster tops and my True Bias Emerson crop pants. I also love my Coco dresses with modified neckline. I have determined no preference between knits and wovens – pulling out some of the older garments made of wovens turned out to be more of a pleasure than I thought it would. I do have a definite preference between self-sewn and ready-to-wear though – and looking at the photos I can really see the difference in terms of fit and also style. I think my self-sewn garments are much better reflections of my personal style than anything I can find on-the-rack. This is enough to remind me that the hours spent making my own clothes are more than worth it.
There is of course – one more day of the month – and I will post tomorrow with a round-up of the garments that I managed to finish in May plus some thoughts on makes moving forward.
Red Cedar 