Lessons from Style Workshop, part 2

So Style Workshop was the best kind of jump start/reset to the way I think about my clothes and my stuff, and if I'd gotten nothing else out of the exercise other than the words "sustainable, authentic, put-together, and "&" it would have been enough.  But there was more to it, and the ways in which more persists are life-giving and lovely and I am grateful for them.  Sometimes the biggest take-away is that when we're searching for more, what we actually need and want and desire is truly LESS, and more space, and the other word that comes to mind in that is "effortless" which I don't love, but I can see where the natural appeal of the thing that you have worked toward becomes so much a part of you as to be more instinct than effort.  

And I definitely can see wanting that.  So, with some amount of effort at digging through, I give you some things that have been a delight to behold:

-My newly lightened up closet/wardrobe. Before Easter I started the process of putting away 2 bins of fall/winter stuff, and I also bagged up 4 (FOUR!!)13gal trash bags of things to donate as I put away fall/winter. I have 2 trips coming up, so as I build suitcases for spring travel I expect that number to keep going up. I want to make room for more ‘YES’ energy and that means letting go where I’ve hesitated.

-My WIP bags and the mending/alterations pile. A dreamy rayon Zadie is just waiting on hems and maybe a little decorative stitching. There’s a black linen Laurel dress(hacked to have French darts- I just wanted to try!) that I want to sew up. A couple pairs of thrifted RTW linen pants/shorts-all with good pockets- that need to be taken in. A skirt I will love a lot more if I give it pockets. A dress I will love a lot more if I give it better straps.  A dress I need to send along to a new person, but not before I figure out how to hack it and add pockets.

-Functional details, good fit and strong coordination. Strong coordination comes from me listening to back episode of the podcast… and Haley’s rule of 3 is a win!

But also. I don’t want to fuss with my clothes. Bottoms need to fit and stay on, even with things in the pockets! And there should definitely be pockets, or provisions for when there are not.

-Accessories are fun! So I will be making sure these outfits work with sandals! And FUNCTIONAL! Another thing I will be noodling with is a very small purse- like, cell phone, keys, and chapstick- and whether this is a thing I make, or a thing I source as a buy-once item in good leather, or a thing I thrift in a fun bright color... I might even have to switch wallets but it also might be really worth it. 

And finally… my old Trello boards/reminder lists/digital queue. These are showing me ways in which my core style has been around for a long time, and it’s empowering me to start with what I have as distill that as I build a more cohesive wardrobe.

So, that's where I am in the process- noticing what details matter and figuring out where that meets up with the time and the wardrobe I have.  

Going in: Style Workshop and... why now?

 So.  I am gonna do a thing that's kinda weird because internet and, well, society, and I'm just gonna say it... I am 35.
And 35 has been way more... with all the feelings about age/appropriateness/identity than 30 was for me.  There's also the part with juggling a big move right before that big birthday and the changes that came with that, which is all to say that it's been a topsy-turvy year, and I have been on a hunt for fewer choices and more bandwidth.
So, wardrobe planning is a part of that.  
But who even am I at 35? 
So, Style Workshop gave me space to think about that.  I did have to stop and start, but this is where I landed, quoting my post in the Design Your Wardrobe community: 

I have gotten to a place of a closet full of nothing to wear and am realizing that when we moved, and I had this walk in closet for the first time in years, I did some mindless filling up of the space.
I haven’t gone on a hard buying/making freeze but have found myself trying to be more mindful of why I’m spending so much time in thrift stores searching for more and doing style workshop was a really affirming exercise in that it reinforced some of that mindfulness.

All of the words kind of fell under 4 umbrellas so I’m trying to distill them and that in and of itself is an adventure.
my words, right now…
SUSTAINABLE- thrifted, vintage, classic, genuine. Part of sustainable for me is environmental- which first means turning to the wardrobe I have- but also sustainable, as in… it’s important that I’m able to care for the things and they fit in with my life.
AUTHENTIC- rooted and grounded, Southern, instinctive, fun, feminine, strong, wild hair, maintaining self expression. This isn’t going to work if I don’t feel good in my skin and whole in my body. I don’t want to feel like or dress like “just a mom” “just _____” because who I am is never just anything. Who I am is enough.
PUT-TOGETHER- appropriate, fitting in, classy, chic, capable, professional, attractive, red lipstick, capable. Because my vocation and place in the community call for these things, and because the baggage of growing up a woman in the South comes with Expectations and that’s not something I am going to shed overnight… but it’s also a piece I want to claim and carry with authority. I want to show my daughters how to navigate bodies and clothing and the way we go about doing the “put together” thing with authenticity. With strength. With sustainability.

&- not a word but it’s the best thing I could come up with short of saying split personality. Because every week spans getting dressed in athleisure and in a suit and heels, plus a couple of stops in the middle. While I’m never going to rock a sports bra and yoga pants in a board meeting, I do want to find/embrace some chameleon pieces that can fill multiple functions to lean into more simplicity and sustainability.

- - -

So grateful for good tools to identify values as they show up in my clothes, so I can work towards showing up as myself!

Oh, hello there.

 So! 

Not sure anything will come of dusting off a blog that's a million years old... who even BLOGS anymore?

But I am thinking I'd like a longform spot to dig into thoughts about design and wardrobe and round up some of the things happening in my head around redefining style.

I love clothes.

I have real, honest-to-God closet space for the first time in 4 years.  

And I am putting on yoga pants more than I am getting dressed.

So thanks to Seamwork Radio and all of their oh-so-accessible (in some ways) thoughts on wardrobe and style I have been diving back in.  First came The Style Workshop.  Making plans, getting rid of 4 trash bags of clothes at a first pass. You know, the usual.

I will throw posts up in the community, and expand upon them over here.  Because this craving for authenticity and simplicity isn't going anywhere.  

State of the Stash

So, some things are happening in the Anachronism household.
And that means boxing up EVERYTHING because shiny new jobs and big opportunities are on the horizon.  Our new house will mean a  bit of a different sewing room/studio configuration, and that's something to get excited about, but it's also something I have to be more intentional about.
My sewing space will be taking over half of our den- I think having the machine out where I can get to it and sew while enjoying family time is going to make a difference in my productivity.

It means I am re-doing my catalog, and streamlining.  
Stash totals are being completely re-counted, some UFOs are being abandoned.  Fabric isn't making it into the new system or into a box if it's not something I can see myself using.  A lot of polyester from days gone by is going away.

Now, I did the UFO list in the Spring, but I'm a little terrified about this update the fabric catalog, because that would be revealing how much fabric I bought(gulp) or forgot about(sheesh) in 2015/16 when I was working on the catalog to begin with.
But then I bought more fabric last week, and I remembered how much fabric I actually have used, and I decided maybe I should bite the bullet and maybe even give myself a little bit of encouragement- and an accurate place to begin from as I put my hands on every piece of fabric to put them in boxes and move them.

We've got 3 weeks till the truck comes, and I have projects to finish between now and then, and a good amount of house to pack up.  Wish me luck!

UFOs... A Complete List

So flipping through Instagram I've seen several things about finishing UFOs, and even a challenge to make it happen. Then over on the Stashbusting Sewalong  folks started LISTING all of their UFOs, and making goals about finishing them??!
What is this madness- no more half-done projects lying about and sucking all of our creative juices?

Well, actually, that sounds pretty good...

I'll join in.  Listed, by category, from oldest to youngest:

Apparel:
1: Made by Rae Washi Dress, ca. Spring 2013 At this point, I think it would be safe to call this a wearable muslin... In retrospect, the colors aren't great and I'm not sure I'm quite the same size!

2: Colette Juniper Pants, ca. Fall 2013(I think?)Started in a butter-soft peachy twill, I'm hoping they'll fit.  I love the idea of these pants for Spring!

3: Sewaholic Thurlow Trousers, ca. Fall 2013(I think) Started in a hunter green twill, they'll go with a lot, and I really want to wear these! Hopefully soon!

4: Raspberry circle skirt/dress refashion, ca Summer 2013 I made a backless dress out of this lovely, drapey stuff in 2010.  And then turned it into an infinity dress in 2011.  And I ripped that apart in 2013.  It's all set to become a skirt with the awesome yoga waistband that could be a strapless dress in a pinch, because that's a lot closer to what my life needs right now.

5:  Turquoise shot cotton TNT shirt, ca 2015 I ran out of thread and it all went downhill.  Back to the machine soon with this one!

6: Seamwork Moji Pants, ca Summer 2016 They really don't have far to go... I want to try something a little different in the waistband, and I have to cut another piece.

7: Red mini, ca Summer 2016 This one was self-drafted, and may be a wadder, but I should sew the button on and find out for real, don't you think?

Accessories(sewn and knit):
8/9: Self-drafted weekenders for me and for the husband: Simple box shape, a couple pockets in the lining, and a big pocket along the front.  Zipper closure.  Kraft-tex accents(sews like paper, looks like leather... Very cool stuff!)

10: bag for a good friend: Another self-drafted thing.  Block-fused, cut out, and ready to go!

11: checkerboard scarf: This one is knitting.  It's an infinity scarf, and it's a way to get used to alternating between knitting and purling, and it's been so fun to carry around and work on!

For the Home/Office:
12/13: Re-cover the wingbacks:  It'll get 12 yards and about twice that in piping out of the stash.  Plus, the 'before' on these is too crazy to live with for much longer.  It's a good thing they're comfy.

14: Slipcover the chair-and-a-half at work: It's silly that I haven't already finished this.  Only one arm, the skirt and the cushion to go.

15: Chunky knit blanket: This is my car-knitting.  SO bulky and warm, and much more pleasant to work on since I got circulars to use on it.

16: Curtains at work!: Sheers that will add character more than anything else, but that I look forward to having, nonetheless.

Quilting:
17:  Sampler Quilt for our bed, using (some) blocks from the Farmer's Wife Quilt: Really, this one has become the best kind of hodgepodge.  Lots of blocks from the book, with extras from blocks I've taught or wanted to recreate from Pinterest.

18: Star Sampler couch quilt: Born of the cool assortment of star blocks I've come across, and designed to hone some skill-sets.  I am excited to get these in my living room.

19: Oxford Comma Quilt: Charm squares and lots of prayers in this one.  No real pattern.

20: Quarter-log-cabin Baby Quilt: For a cool little one of a good good friend, whose children I used to take care of.  It's back from the long-armer, and just needs binding.

21: Scrappy Trip for a Baby Cowboy: A sweet little chunk of a boy needs some handmade love too.  Working on big-stitch quilting this one off-and-on.

22:  Scrappy potholder palate cleansers: So close on these! Just need to back and bind them, and they're little so they should go quick.

23: Christmas Scrappy Trip: 2/12 blocks done, and another 4/12 begun.  All the fabric is cut.  This will be good mindless sewing, if nothing else...


I think that's all of them.  I HOPE that's all of them.  Here's hoping they get finished off in 2017!

The Studio

I love the word studio... It is more inspiring to me than "sewing room" and generally makes my heart pretty ding-dang happy.

Our house is a parsonage, which means it has to be big enough to house a family of 4 or 5, but there are only 2 of us, and we have 4 bedrooms... Which means we each took a bedroom to be used for workspace.  Jon's functions as an office/library, and mine functions as a studio/guest room.  Over the year and a half we've lived in this space, I've had... oh... 3 different configurations with existing furniture that we already had?  And none of them were really working, so I didn't use the space.  For Christmas this year, my big gift was a studio refresh.
Ikea legs went onto custom-cut MDF, painted white and sealed, for a sewing table, and another long, beautiful surface was set up on top of bookshelves(expedit, again, thanks to IKEA) to be counter/cutting height.  Perfect for quilty endeavors, and for folding stash.

I have 2 closets, one holding WIPs, odds and ends, and Christmas decor; and the other holding quilting cottons, upholstery supplies, and notions- and both are getting overhauled and evaluated.

Built-in drawers still hold thread, batting, the notions that don't fit in my cute card catalog, and scrapbook/painting/craft supplies- which I do use on occasion.  And above, a bookshelf we made with scrap wood covers up a boxy mirror and holds all of my big cuts(above a yard) of woven fabrics- everything from quilty backings to apparel fabric.  Once upon a time, it was all sorted by weight, but as I am pushing the boundaries of that poor bookshelf, it's more by color.
Do y'all see why I need to sew my stash off this year?!

Another bookshelf holds knit fabric, office supplies, old photos in their boxes, and WIPs in the Clementine boxes.  There's a serger that needs some mechanical help sitting there too- it was a hand-me-down and I've got to find someone to help me get it up and running this year.
 The goal, by the end of the year, is that the only WIPs will be in the Clementine boxes- and to eliminate the big bin of them in the closet...  We shall see!

It's funny how spaces have the potential to get creative juices flowing in all kinds of different ways.  Hopefully this iteration of the studio will be good to me!

Checking in: A year of stash-busting

I made a resolution that I would finish 3 things a month.  And then I did that thing I do where I disappeared for months at a time... Life took over, y'all.  There's a big stack of projects that are SO CLOSE to being done, and a smaller stack that only want a photo and a little note before they can be shared.  I have sewn.  Some quilty things, some mendy things... A couple of wearable muslins, and even a finished-up UFO.  Because y'all, sewing is one of those things that is necessary to a balanced life for me, and I am SO THANKFUL to the Stash-busting Sew-along for the encouragement to see that.
But I have not taken pictures because mending is blah, and quilting happens in spurts, and, to be honest, I wanted to spend more time this summer with my tomatoes right now than my camera.   I taught a block of the month for 6 months, but it's been on hiatus, so I have a quilt to shape up and share after that.

And hopefully, slowly, as I come up for air and make time for myself, recording these things will gain some more importance, and I will make the time to share some things here.  I think for me it might become more about telling the stories about the things.  See, in my day job, I get to tell stories, and people who know me will tell you I am a talker and a memory-maker and a story-teller, and I reply with phrases like 'guilty as charged'.  In the last year, I have gotten to slow down and embrace that side of myself, and I am seeing the benefits in my life and in my relationships... And I think, if I can get myself out of the garden and in front of the computer, they would show up here too.

2016 by the numbers:
More in than out, I'm afraid... I've been jotting purchased fabric down on little sheets, and when emptying the 30-gal bin(!) of fabric I bought this year, I kind of gave up on counting.

But things I made:
-Tiny Pocket Tank, times 3!
     -First wearable muslin was a wadder.
     -Then 2 successful ones! Green dottie fabric from the 70s and gingham.
-Moji pants, times 3!
     -First wearable muslin was a fail.
     -a white pair finished the week after labor day, and a red pair in November.
-Baby quilt, times 2!
     -quarter-log cabin that ended up looking like tetris blocks
     -scrappy trip around the world from old shirts for a cowboy-themed nursery
-Friend Quilt, times 1!
     -Charm squares for the win.  This one was a labor of love.

Now, off to photograph and blog about these things... Maybe some stories and catch-up posts soon.  And plans for the new year are coming at you too!

The Stash

Well, short of the stuff I've had since high school and just retrieved from my mom's attic, my stash is all counted up and cataloged.  It's a good feeling, even if the number is a little scary at... gulp... 317 yards.  Not counting Fat Quarters.  Or Scraps.  Or anything currently in progress.  But, I am happy to say there are some goals and plans, and I am officially sewing along this year as a Stashbuster.
In January, the goals were revolving around organizing stash and sewing space, and there were some great blogs written and posted about organizing.

So the other thing I am supposed to do for January is to make my goals and plans for the year.  I want to...

-Do the mending.  Simple things like buttons and hems have sat... and sat... and sat... in the WIP basket, and I want them to hang and be loved in the closet instead.  I want the mending basket to be empty when I switch clothes over for spring/summer, and again when I switch things back over for fall/winter.

-Keep the Progress in WIPs.  In the process of organizing my fabric and cataloging everything, I opened up a steamer trunk and a plastic tub... both of which contained half-started things.  Some of which were started in high school.  And I am proud to say I chucked 21 things, making them forever UFOs(UnFinished Objects) to get down to a manageable(ha!) 15 bags/pieces of clothing and 4 quilts... And I'm really good with the variety of these projects.  As I was tallying them up, I made a separate list of things that will take less than an hour.  I want to complete at least one of these a month, and finish 2 quilts this year.  

-Use yardage I have for a project, if at all possible.  If something old will work, why buy something new?

-Finish 3 things a month.  At least 1 WIP.  

So I, Rev. Sarah McBrown, promise to do my very best to meet these goals, and check in monthly as to my progress in these matters.

Oh! January finishes:
-mending a shirt
-a new wallet- will blog soon.
-cataloging the stash.  It took up a whole Saturday, and then some, so it counts.

The Queue: Revised

Looking at that long list of projects, I realized that I have about a million things in the Work-in-progress bin, and a lot of them are likely to be declared UFOs- unfinished, never-to-be-finished objects I need to up-cycle or let go.  But some of these things really are worthy things.

Part of what the Stashbusting Sew-Along, which I joined on Facebook, encourages is setting some yearly goals.  I think one of mine is to come to grips with the giant WIP bin, and be realistic about what I find there.

So, with that and my current life in mind, I present my Wardrobe Queue, to be placed back on its page, only a day late.

Wardrobe: Items that will work with at least 4 things I already have in my closet, which fill specific needs, and which fabric and pattern already exist for.  A mix of quick projects and things that will take a little longer.  Properly finishing seams as much as possible.

 Winter

Thurlow pants, by Sewaholic in Hunter Green They're cut, and in a color I've had on my pants wish list.  Everything is together for them.  Just gotta do it to it.
Charcoal dress and jacket.  I have fabric and lining, and even a relatively well-fitting pattern for a professional dress... I just need a simple jacket pattern to accompany it.
 Moji pants, by Seamwork in black. For those nights when I'm teaching or have meetings.
Already have fabric.  I know I will wear them. Without the drawstring but with the cuffs, I think.
Scout tee by Grainline, in red and(if I like it and if/once it fits well) in Liberty.  Heck, if the first one fits well, I'll make several!
Blue Moneta knit dress(Colette), or Mesa knit dress(Seamwork).  Will transition nicely to Spring, and work for some of the same situations the Moji pants will.
Pencil skirt trio in blue, red, and camel wool, all from the same vintage pattern; to be assembled assembly-line style where possible, which will require lots of hand marking.

Spring

Anna Graham's Envelope sleeve dress from her book, in red chambray
Thurlow shorts in twill
Tiny Pocket Tank by Grainline in several cuts of rayon I have waiting for this pattern, also sewn up assembly line style
Easter Wrap Dress in crazy rayon

The Queue:

Friends, I have made the choice to start a new leaf.

It's a new year, which is giving me motivation to re-write the sewing queue I have kept for years... But I think I am going to take the old queue and place it here for posterity's sake... When's a better time than throwback Thursday??

Looking back has me thinking... And the new queue, with a post to explain, will go live on Monday.

___________________________

Gwen over at After the Dress inspired me with her queue posts, which are added each Wednesday.  This is the place I'll keep a running list of upcoming projects, and the blog entries they will(I hope, one day) link to upon completion.
Not everything will come to life, and definately not in the season the idea is posted, but I figure this is a way to begin to keep track of what I'm doing.  And let my imagination come up with all the things I could be doing.  Strikethroughs are the things that don't quite make the list anymore, what with all the new inspiration coming my way.  I'm not completely erasing them because they're part of the journey though, you know?

Winter 2013-2014
Corduroy blazer
Quilt for J.
Bag for Mama
Jewelry roll for KDB
Purple plaid kindle cover for my baby brother
Big brother backpack for a little cousin
Fancy dress for a feisty fancy girl(and her baby doll will need one too, of course.)
Slippers for dad


Fall 2013
Colette Juniper wearable muslin
Sewaholic Thurlow wearable muslin
Pleated yoke shirt in floral print
Colette Laurel? Eucalypt tank dress? Something.

Spring/Summer 2013
Red TNT skirt for baseball season
Red stole completed 2016
Knit tees. With cute details.
Navy stripe mystery fabric skirt
Crazy floral pleated skirt
Border print pleated skirt
Bag for my BFF

Winter 2012-2013

Blue cord skirt

Green knit shirt

White knit shirt(Spring 2012)
Red patterned woven top

NICE black or navy pencil skirt
Pink patterned woven top

Fall 2012

Red cord skirt 

Brown woven skirt:  Kickpleat, pencil-ish, pockets

Stripy dress… Maybe just a top? Wide band at the bottom and sleeves in the shot cotton? Just to get it done without more fabric…

Green linen-blend skirt:  Big pockets! Not much trim, A Line.  (Completed 1.12.13)

Refashions/Alterations:  

Nana’s dress tried on again, none needed

McCall 5801 Dress… Or just make it a (lined) skirt, but make it wearable! With pockets!  Maybe divert from the princess seams till I have a block? Work them out with a fitting buddy?
Deep red dress... Hemmed and belted- Completed 2012

Spring 2012
breezy white woven top
another woven top: moda half-moon paisley in grey in an OOP Simplicity pattern
grey pleated skirt from Winter that was not Completed Aug 2012
White topper- half-sleeve in white twill
white tee with fun neckline
lavender tee
Spring Refashions/alterations galore:
Restore Mom's white eyelet dress to former awesomeness Completed July 2012
red skirt Completed 4.3.2012

Summer 2012…

Brown bike-able skirt… maybe knit, maybe a bubble.

Scraps of the purple-white floral dress to a bike-able skirt

Rie dress- eyelet and dotted swiss

Shirtdress- blue Oxford cloth
sky blue knit top
royal blue gauze skirt

Spring/Summer Refashions/alterations galore:

Re-work Easter 2011’s dress for better insides and fit

Finishing touches on the Easter Dress of yore- M5801

…Pinstripe dress of yore needs bindings and a cowl.  Do it to it!

See 2011 list… Do those

Winter that Was Not 2011-12:

Coat liner

Pop-of-color dance skirt- Completed 2.10.12

Refashion purple plaid skirt

Winter schoolbag

3-season grey twill bikeable skirt…pleats? Pockets for sure…- Completed Aug 2012

Grey button-back man’s shirt refashion- half-sleeves

Winter Alterations galore:

Cobalt dress- take it in (gave it away instead, it's three sizes too big now)

Purple/grey tweed dress- take it in

2 pairs of pants… take in

Cardigan refresher

Fall "6PAC" 2011
      filled out with the sweater from Feb. 2011, and the red dress from April 2011.
brown multi-gore swish skirt
brown herringbone pieces:
     pencil Skirt (February's suit skirt)
     vest (instead of February's suit jacket)

Summer2011:
Alterations galore:
Rose dancing dress
White vintage eyelet dress
Easter Dress
red pencil skirt
Vintage green shirtwaist dress

April 2011:
Red dancing dress completed 1.4.12
Re-work print dancing dress
Add gores to black dancing skirt
Easter dress- completed 4.24.11
Petticoat
March 2011:
Print dancing dress - completed 3.18.11
Elastic belt-completed 3.18.11
Black dancing skirt- completed 3.14.11
refashioned men's shirt to sailor shirt-completed 4.6.11
February 2011:
Suit jacket
suit skirt
refashioned sweater
January 2011:
-A dress w/  Burda turtleneck- completed 1.21.11
-a half-circle skirt with bias strips- completed 1.24.11
-a makeup bag
-elastic belt- completed 1.23.11
December 2010:
-Burda Turtleneck- a long-sleeve version
-Burda Turtleneck- a half-sleeve version wadded 1.19.11

New Year, New....?

Well, new lots of things.

I'm trying to write and create more as disciplines, I owe y'all a tour of my new sewing room, and I REALLY want to write a project list and set some self-imposed deadlines.

My new year's resolutions?

Sew more.
Post more.
Finish 6 quilts.
Finish the fabric catalog.

Oh boy!

Plans are in the works.  Hold me to them, folks!

Checking in

Hellooooooo?
Anybody there?

I think I win the prize for erratic blogger.  It's been a busy couple of months- but let's be honest- when is it not?  I think part of that must just be part of where we are right now- starting a marriage and 2 careers has left little time for blogging, although some sewing has happened.

I'm quilting a bit- and I start teaching a BOM(block of the month) in a couple weeks.  It's very exciting! I love my chosen colors...

And I am participating in some fun swaps through Instagram...

And my new sewing room is making my heart happy and my soul sing.  It's as if, when September rolled in, my creativity just took off.  I have been making time to sew more days than not- which is reminding me so much of how necessary creativity is to my happiness and my life.  

So I will hopefully be posting more regularly too- look for a quilty roundup after each class, and some new professional clothing as I navigate the gaps in my wardrobe and a change in seasons all at once! Huzzah!

The Finished Dress

Throwback Thursday once more- one you all have been waiting for!

I can't remember where we left off... But I can tell you life happened.  I really have intended to write this post for a long time, but there are big things happening in life offline that have pulled me away from the blog-o-sphere.

I was gonna give you all more of a blow-by-blow of the ending fiddly bits- and the meltdown they almost caused.  This last bit is, I think, the thing I would do the most different, and where the best of plans ended up falling through with even better results...

All the buttons and the hem were done, by hand, on my living room floor, with the dress sitting between me and a dear fitting angel on the Wednesday before my bachelorette party Thursday and the weekend of wedding adventures. Those hours of help were filled with great conversation, wisdom shared, and oh, the stories... I'll always be grateful for the best of folks sharing their time to make this dress and this wedding happen.

My aunt and my cousin steamed the dress on the farm the morning of the wedding while my amazing bridesmaids and I were all getting hair done and having too much fun with makeup.
 Another aunt put together a veil from some tulle when I realized my grandmother's from 1952 had been left at home, 4 hours away.  I made a bow tie the morning of the wedding from some lovely Liberty of London lawn, backed with scraps from my wedding dress.  It was wonderful... The whole wedding was a great big child that the village raised, and my wardrobe was really just one illustration of that, even as last minute as it was.

 Last minute is in my blood- There's a picture of my mom ironing the Mother of the Bride dress that her mom wore to my aunt's wedding with a clock in the background, showing that the wedding started 5 minutes later.


Accessories:  If there is interest I can pull better pictures of everything.

-pearls from my grandmothers were made into my tiara, which also included a pin from my Nana, who passed away in July(she taught me to sew, and was able to help me re-make the veil I originally planned to wear).
-I wore an heirloom pair of chandelier earrings with raw diamond centers to flowers, which were first worn by my great-great-Godmother- they're over 100 years old!
-My pearls were a gift- I think from my dad's mom, but I can't remember which ones I went with in all the crazy.
-The wrap was from a professor- she brought it back from me from India as a surprise gift!

But I'm going to hush and give you pictures because they are what you really want.    The silk really glowed in the light and fell beautifully- and I'm kind of still in love with how it all turned out, despite how last minute some of it was.  I posted a couple of shots  of us practicing our first dance just so you could see how well the dress moved, and because my bustle made me really stinking happy.

Thank you thank you thank you for all of the comments, the support and the encouragement you have shared through this process.  I have always been told that whether or not you can imagine every detail of your wedding after the fact, you will always remember how it felt... and it felt wonderful to have all of my family and all of the food, and the love in one place for one magic night.

Vintage Revived

This is no April Fool's joke, y'all!

On a recent jaunt to Goodwill, looking to expand my professional wardrobe, I found this dress.  It's handmade, y'all, with the tiniest of stitches.  It fits like it was made for me, but to look at it I would place it somewhere in the 1940s.  The button plackets are reminiscent of sailors, and the side closure is made with snaps instead of a zipper.  If I can manage to get the small makeup stain off the collar, this will be the best bargain I've gotten to date at a whopping $6, and in constant rotation until I can't wear it anymore.

It'll take some stain removing prowess of the gentlest kind and the making of a lovely slip to make this the summer gem it deserves to be.  Since the whole dress is off-white, and cut on the bias, and vintage, I think a slip really is a necessary, and I've wanted to figure out how to make one so I am taking the plunge.

The dress is floor length as it is right now, and I would love to wear it more, so I am taking it up to knee length, but that leaves enough fabric and an intact hem for a whole second skirt on the bias!  When I buy fabric to make a slip, I plan to get enough to line the skirt too.  It's all making me VERY happy!

Catalog

It's a beautiful labor of love, and how I spent a good chunk of my week last week.
9 tabs in a spreadsheet.
176 pieces.
223 yards.

We're going to ignore the fact that I have yet to count the linings or the interfacings or the net/tuelle/crinolines or the flannels and just marvel at all the pretty fabrics now.  They're lined up on a shelf where I can see them, wrapped around tiny bolts made from comic book boards.  It's been a 2 day process, but I think it'll be worth it if it means I can see my fabrics, I stop buying duplicates, and I want to sew more... which is what it's all about, right? If I can see my stash I can sew my stash.

This process is part of the complete re-organizing and un-cluttering of my sewing space in the guest room.  As I cataloged the fabrics, I folded them the width of the comic book boards, and stored winter fabrics that way until after we move.  Summer fabrics, knits, bag fabrics, and quilting cottons all went onto the shelf.  Decor fabrics were put away till it's time for curtains/slipcovers in our new house, folded in their own bin, and I have yet to find the solution for cuts of fabric under 1 yard(mostly quilty stuff) so it has its own bin, where everything is neatly folded and arranged vertically in rows so I can see it all.

Now I'm off to drool at fabrics and finish the rest of the room... Maybe I'll come up with some sort of grand reveal to do here on the blog.

Stitching, fitting woes and SO CLOSE

This is another post in my new(ish) Throwback Thursdays series.  I've used this spot as a way to highlight the process of sewing my wedding dress over the past few weeks, although a bad cold kept me away from the computer for a couple of weeks, and a new computer means this is a post without pictures.  Read on for the latest steps in the journey!


So I overcame fear of the machine, and it was smooth sailing because of all of the hours of basting.
And it was a big moment when I finally got to put the dress on... and a good bit of shock too.  In the 2 and a half weeks between un-stitching the muslin and putting real stitches in the silk, I'd lost nearly 3 inches at my bust and probably an inch at my waist. Thanks, stress.  And thankfully, a good bit of the excess pinched out at the sides pretty easily, and with the addition of foam inserts at the bust, the shape was maintained without messing with the hand-sticthed, carefully clipped princess seams.
 This was not a welcome surprise, but I unpicked the join of the lining and the dress at the top, berated myself for not trying it on sooner, stepped away from the dress overnight, took in the side seams, and put everything back together.

I used organza selvages to strengthen the curve at the neckline, and all the way around the dress, which really helped the integrity of the silk when the top had to be un-stitched and re-stitched. The straps went in the front at this point, to be pinned to the right placement in the back.

This is the point where I needed to go to the fitter/hemmer who is a friend of a friend and get the back marked for all the tiny pearl buttons, and for the accompanying tiny button loops.  She also pinned the hem in place, and I was very proud of myself, y'all.  I left it with her for her to hem. I let my baby- the project that had consumed all waking, non-working hours for some time at this point- in the hands of an almost complete stranger.

She had the horsehair, and the silk thread, and the dress, and I'd see it in a week to sew on all of those tiny pearl buttons and the bustle.  Cue a sigh of relief and the simultaneous biting of nails...

SWAP 2015

Y'all, I really like this year's rules for SWAP... Sewing With A Plan. Given my new job in a business casual environment, my desire to do something creative and use some color after acres and hours of sewing white, I think I am going to dive in.  A capsule wardrobe fitting the SWAP model would go a long way toward giving me a cohesive work wardrobe, and as a young professional I need all the help I can get.

If you're unfamiliar with the SWAP format, here's a run down:

Stitcher's Guild specifies you must create the following in an 11-garment format:
5 tops
3 bottoms
3 "wildcard" items

For this year's focus and twist, one garment has to reversible, multifunctional, or upcycled... making something new out of something old(which is right up my alley!!!) You are allowed one garment finished before the start date of December 26, and one purchased garment.  Wild Cards may not be accessories.

The deadline is April 30.  I think I'm in!

5 tops:
grey oxford cloth tee in TNT pattern
blue swiss dot Jasmine tie blouse by Colette Patterns
woven white envelope shoulder tshirt(will riff on TNT)
1 knit top using Renfrew by Sewaholic Patterns
1 cowl neck knit top in royal blue (likely also Renfrew)

3 bottoms:
upcycled purple boucle skirt with shaping and black side panels added??
Purple herringbone wool skirt??
black TNT skirt, add a pocket
grey pencil skirt with pockets

3 Wild Cards
Grey sweater knit dress
Fuschia Sweater knit dress
cardigan/jacket tie-together TBD, probably already in my closet.

Springtime

It's over 70 degrees! Easter is in 3 weeks!

My "sewjo" as phrased on Instagram is here with a punch-packing presence and so it's off to the machine for me... I have quite a bit I would like to get through before Easter, so it's a good thing I've gotten a kick in the pants from the unlikeliest of places- a bed for our dog, Winston.  He outgrew his puppy crate a while ago, and I was ASTOUNDED at how much people pay for pet beds... So I made one with Minky and canvas. It's stuffed with scraps and clothes too worn out to give to charity.  He's one happy customer. I'm one happy customer because I didn't have to buy a dog bed, AND everything was stash.
Plus I have an excuse to share a picture of my dog, since he would kind of growl and whine if I tried to take the bed out of his crate to get pictures of it.  Apparently it's a good one.

Housekeeping

Hi all,

It's time for some housekeeping... which I realized and thought about while I was away from computers and sleeping a ton... Thanks flu.

But, now that I'm feeling better, I thought I'd drop y'all a line, and say that I'm alive, and will pass on more wedding dress updates this week.  I've gotten a couple things made since then, so I am going to try to write them up as well, and in the next few weeks I'm hoping you'll start to see some changes on the appearance side of things... I have buttons hanging out from forever ago, and I'm missing others, and there's this quilting thing I've been dabbling in, which I would like to post a bit about as well, so I am going to see if I can make a schedule and stick to it.  The creative juices are flowing! I can't wait to share more!

Cutting and basting

This is installment 2 of Throwback Thursdays... I am attempting to catch up the blog with all the sewing I've done and somehow missed blogging about, and I figured the best place to start was my wedding dress.  So without further ado...

Trying on the muslin over the petticoat and corselette was a really good feeling.  I finally felt like I really knew what the dress would look like! And it was so fluffy! And not at all what I imagined and everything I imagined. It was pretty great. And of course, I forgot to take a single picture.

So it was time to mark my fitting changes (running and stress had made all of my measurements smaller from the waist up... Not fun. :/) and when that was done, I got to rip the muslin apart, iron all the pieces, cut them down, mark the right sides with washi tape, and then lay them out on a silk sandwich that was 8 yards long. 

The makeup of the sandwich: habotai silk lining on the bottom, silk organza in the middle, and the gorgeous shantung silk on the top layer. I pinned the layers together using superfine, very sharp silk pins, and it took a few attempts, but I finally got all of the muslin pieces on the silk, on grain.  Small victories, and pretty scrap piles! Silk at the front, lining in the middle, organza at the back. I've found so many cool uses for the scraps.  To include the bias mentioned last week for the edge of the corselette... I also made enough for the shoulder straps, hanger straps, and more!

Then came the basting. I pinned pieces together 2 or three at a time, then stitched it all together with orange silk thread, just to make sure everything would lay smoothly and come together properly. Everything stayed pinned in its silk sandwich all put away till I was ready for it, and I went from front to back, adding godets in batches. It took many many hours, but it was a strange sort of calming, if that makes any sense. I just listened to podcasts, and stitched. It was meditative and prayerful and calming, and since the rest of wedding planning was really going crazy, I was so thankful for that. 

Once everything was basted together, it was kind of difficult to imagine turning my sewing machine loose on it.  It was one of those silly things that was half-paralyzing:  I was so close to finishing this dress, without a whole lot of time to spare, and I was TERRIFIED that using my sewing machine on it would somehow ruin it.  So it sat.  For 2 days.  And I turned my attention to other wedding-y things that were demanding, like flowers. And wine choices, and vendors... So I'll leave y'all here till next week.