pumping iron

'Sup dudes! It's the first day of October (as I'm writing this)... how did that happen? September, where did you go?

This post is going to be a bit different for me.  I'll just be talking about sewing briefly before I begin quite the ramble... This past month I've been experimenting with making my own activewear.

I go into a good amount of detail on the construction of each of these 4 makes over on the Mood Sewing Network blog, so I thought it might be nice to change it up a little bit over here and talk about making fitness a part of my life.  Hopefully this doesn't send you all running for the proverbial hills! As I said, there's lots of sewing talk going on over on the MSN site, so no hard feelings if you click over now and skip what's to come! I promise I'll be back with more shop talk next time.

I began working out in earnest a little over a year ago and it's become a pretty important aspect of, if not my life than certainly my daily grind! I know a lot (erm.... all) of you come here for the sewing talk, but I thought today I might talk about my fitness journey and a few of the tips I've picked up along the way, as well as my philosophy behind the whole 'fit' lifestyle. I'm always nervous to tread off the beaten path and talk about my other interests on this blog, but I've also received so much inspiration, knowledge and even comfort from reading about others fitness journeys this past year that I thought it might be nice to share my own.

Okay, so let's get physical! 

It was around this time last year that I decided I wanted to do more than the occasional, half-hearted attempt at yoga, and my daily bike commute in terms of activity.  This decision was brought on for a number of reasons, but mainly I just wasn't feeling great. And I also realized one day that I had sort of decided the whole 'working out' thing was not for me without ever really giving it a chance - like really really committing to it and seeing how it goes. I had been scarred by a childhood of always being picked last in PE and being the benchwarmer in every team sport I ever played.  I just thought I was un-athletic and that was that.  But with the distance of adulthood I realized that I always approached physical activity as a chore rather than a privilege, or - god forbid - something I could enjoy. And somehow this didn't seem fair. I figured if I was going to write something off as being 'not for me' I had to at least give it the good ol' college try.

So I started working out. Every single day. I started small, doing a little circuit I made up around the house that involved me running up and down the stairs and doing a series of bodyweight exercises. I vowed to work out for at least 20 minutes every day.  Slowly I upped my game to more intense workouts. I discovered Fitness Blender (I'm probably going to mention them a lot in this post - please know that I am in no way associated with them, other than the fact that they have helped me immeasurably in this past year) and began incorporating HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and weight lifting into my workouts. By Christmas I was hooked and I even asked for a set of dumbbells from Santa. Now, a little over a year later, I work out, on average,  1 hour 5 days a week with two days of 'active rest' (yoga, stretching, walking the dog, going on bike rides etc.) I now know (oh! how I know...) what a burpee is (it's not what happens after you chug a beer...) and the proper form for deadlifting, and I look forward to leg day!!!

I workout hard. And, at the risk of sounding evangelical, I've seen changes in my body that I didn't think were possible. But I also have to admit that I've struggled internally about feeling good about all of this. See, I'm a proud feminist, and I believe vehemently in body positivity and that size does not dictate beauty, worth, or health.  I spent many years trying to undo the damage of my teens and early 20's and the near starvation I put myself through in order to be... what? More worthy of love and respect? And I was very proud of myself that even though my weight might creep up on me, I still felt beautiful. That was a huge mental hurdle for me. So why was I now throwing myself headlong into this exercise thing? If I can be beautiful at any size, than why do I want to lose weight? I asked myself if feeling good about your body, and wanting to be more fit could coexist together?

Prioritizing your health is always a good thing, but I wanted to be sure I was really doing this for my health and not my vanity.  The fitness world is strange. It's easy to go from affirming, body positive sentiments like "You can do this!" "You're powerful!" to body shaming stereotypes like "Bikini Body Workouts" and overly cheerful trainers yelling at you to "Banish the Jiggle!" And then, oh god, there's the diets. So. Many. Diets. How does one navigate all the bullshit without losing their sense of self - and finding yourself, mid jumping jack, thinking about how if you do this you'll be skinny and isn't that the ultimate goal?

I realize I'm rambling now, but these have been real concerns of mine! And I suspect I'm not alone. Here in the sewing community we're a beautiful, diverse bunch and I'm proud to think that we foster a sense of body positivity.  In fact, I know I've been part of many discussions about how sewing has been a major factor in helping women feel good about their bodies, mine included. I didn't want all the good that the last few years being a part of this wonderful and supportive community have brought me to slip away for the sake of toned arms.

Obviously I needed to work on my own mental hangups surrounding exercise. For so long I've thought of exercise as a punishment, not a reward. Something you have to do because you ate too many oreos. Again. So when I decided to really give fitness a place in my life, in a healthy way, I had to change the way I thought about my body and movement. Over the past year I've come to see it like this - our bodies are like dogs (stay with me here).  Dogs love to have a job to do, and the more physical that job the better. We show our dogs that we love them by taking them on walks and letting them run and jump and play. The worst thing you can do to a dog is ignore it.  Bodies aren't so different. They were made to move, and by letting them move, even challenging them, you make your body happy and are showing it that you love it. Essentially, exercise is a form of self love. And I'm all about the self love. I also don't mind a good belly rub.

SO! Now I got all that off my chest, I thought I'd share a few of the exercise tidbits I've picked up in case anyone else is thinking of taking the plunge! Clearly I am not an expert, nor a professional, just an enthusiast who would like an outlet to talk about some of this stuff!

In no particular order, and accompanied by a few progress pics, because - what can I say? I'm proud...

9 months in

1) Exercise doesn't have to be expensive

The fitness industry is just that - an industry. If you want to spend money there are a myriad of ways to do it. Me? I'm cheap. And broke. I used to love yoga but couldn't afford to go to a studio and never felt like I pushed myself very hard on my own.  When I decided to commit to a fitness routine I needed it to be cheap. No gym membership. No personal trainer. When I first began I had an old pair of sneakers and I wore the rattiest, oldest stretch pants and t-shirts and mismatched socks. And it worked.  Eventually, once it became clear that this wasn't just a passing phase I decided to invest in a few new things. First up were 2 good sports bras. Then for Christmas I got a new pair of running shoes and a super nice set of weights. Oh and socks (because no one deserves blisters - no matter how thrifty you think you're being). Over the past year I've added a few legitimate workout clothes (besides making my own as you see here) and a pair of ankle weights. And that's it! I work out 100% at home (besides going on walks and the occasional run) with Fitness Blender. As I said, I can't recommend these guys enough.  All their videos are available for free (theres over 400), but they also have 8 week programs for an insanely reasonable $10 and 4 week programs for $6.  Once you buy a program it's yours forever and you can repeat it ad infinitum. And the programs are good. My favorites are the 8 week fitness program and the 4 week mass building program, although I haven't tried them all.

2) I don't believe in dieting

I know that diet and exercise seem to go hand in hand, but I try to avoid diets like the plague.  This is because a healthy relationship with food is something I value and I feel like diets completely undermine that relationship (for me).  And at the end of the day, weight loss isn't my goal, living a healthy life is, and food in all it's glorious forms is part of that. This doesn't mean I haven't seen changes in my body composition - I have - but those changes happened very very  slowly. So slowly that if I didn't have pictures as proof I probably wouldn't even know it. But slow and steady does win the race. 

3) Make it a habit

This is that thing that everyone says and it's so much easier said than done. But it's true. When I first began working out I decided I was going to work out every day.  In the past I had tried to commit to a 3-days-a-week schedule and I always gave up after awhile. It's just too easy to put it off if you give yourself those extra days in between. Working out everyday got me in the mindset of "this is just something I do" - it was part of my day, like showering or breakfast, or feeding the cat. Once the habit was established I began working out harder and doing more intense exercises (like weight lifting) that require some recovery time. I give myself one full day off a week, and one light workout day.  And you know what - I kind of miss working out on those off days!

4) That being said... it never gets easier

Anyone who tells you differently is a crazy sadist! (Unless you're one of those people, then high five man! You go git em!) I still have to talk myself into working out everyday. My body still whines during my warmup "Why are you doing this to me?!? We were just sitting on the couch! What was so wrong with that???" If it's the weekend I'll still spend all day procrastinating on my workout.  But every. single. time. I realize that I've spent 3 hours being unproductive and avoiding my workout which would only take up 45 minutes of my day.  It's always a better use of your time to just get it done. It takes longer to come up with excuses.

5) Come up with non-appearance-related goals and focus on those

The first, oh, 3 months I was working out I saw no physical changes. As a matter of fact I even felt bigger for awhile.  It would have been so easy to get discouraged and give up. But I was determined to make working out part of my life regardless of my physical appearance. I took on a "come what may" attitude and decided to accept whatever changes, or not, that my body decided to deliver. Instead I made myself small, performance related goals to judge my success. I worked on upper body strength. I worked on cardiovascular endurance. My current goal is increasing weight for my lower body exercises. These things keep me going. And occasionally I'll poke my head up, look in the mirror and go "Hey, that muscle wasn't there 2 weeks ago... cool!" It's fine to have appearance related goals but remember...

6) If you want to work out solely to look better, stop right there

In the past I would work out to lose weight for an event, like a wedding, or because it was swimsuit season, or to make my ex regret he ever let me go. If you've ever been in a similar mindset my advice to you is to forget about working out and work on being comfortable with where you are.  Buy (or make!) a beautiful dress that fits you as you are right now. Wear your dream swimsuit, whatever it looks like, and whatever you look like, and forget about your body and have fun at the pool or the beach. And your ex is dumb. Exercise is a beautiful thing, and as I said, can be all about self love. But in order for it to be that you have to get the basics of self love down, otherwise you'll be coming at it all wrong.



7) Weight lifting is awesome
This is my final bit of advice, and it's one of the things I've really taken to heart from my Fitness Blender workouts.  When I used to go to the gym I would spend the majority of my time on the treadmill.  When I vowed to lose weight for whatever reason I would go for a run. I hate running. Hate it. For a few years there I got deep into yoga in search of that mind/body connection, but I always lost steam when I saw no physical change.  I've weighed less than I do now, but didn't look it, if that makes sense. It wasn't until I started lifting weights - like really lifting weights, not doing 50 reps of bicep curls with 2 lbs - that I began to see any change in the way my body looks. Don't get me wrong, cardio is important and yoga is wonderful, and I still incorporate both into my weekly routines, but weight lifting  is where it's really at for me.  And when it comes to building a stronger, more capable body that ages with grace, the importance of building muscle mass can't be overstated. It's also a great way to stay curvy while you lean out - should those be things you care about. This is why the only "investment" into my fitness routine has been a set of adjustable weights - so I can lift heavy.  Obviously 'lifting heavy' is relative - my heavy is not Rhonda Rousey's, is not Arnold Schwarzeneggar's! But you get the idea.

Oh! And one last thing! Don't look at the scale! In fact, stop weighing yourself altogether. It's not an accurate depiction of fitness. I only weigh myself when I go to the doctors.  Besides, we sewists know to put our trust in our measuring tape!

Okay everyone. If you've made it to the end of this ramble, thank you for sticking with me.  I hope for some of you it was interesting and not just a bunch of navel-contemplation! And if you feel like it, please leave a comment telling me about your own fitness journey - sharing is caring, afterall!

xo

a little bit country

Hey kids! So... I really debated whether or not to post this project, since I wasn't sure if people really wanted to see another Archer from me, but in the end I decided it was totally worth it.  If for no other reason than to muse on what it is that makes me want to make a pattern again, and again, and again...

This could be a long post (ha! All my posts are long posts! Sorrryyy...) so I'm gonna give the details up front - this is my third Grainline Archer (you can check out my first here, and my second here). I used some super soft and cozy plaid flannel from Mood (here) and decided on pearl snaps instead of buttons, which I had a helluva good time hammering in! I enjoyed matching the plaid (a big thank you to my plaid goddess,  Lauren, for her de-mystifying tutorial!) which was a first time for me, and made this a bit less of a mindless sew than it could have been. I made no changes to the pattern since the last time I made this shirt. I loved sewing it, it went together without a single hitch, and I've literally been wearing it everyday since I finished it (which, by the by, was over a week ago. And I'm pretty sure I don't stink yet. Or maybe that's just denial...)

Cool! So for those of you that were just curious about the details of this make - there you have it!! For any one else that feels like meandering with me through some thoughts on creating my own wardrobe, and the makings of a Tried And True (TNT) pattern... git on in!!!  This train's a'leaving!

I'm pretty sure that every sewist, in her (or his) quest to create their own, unique, handmade wardrobe comes to that point where they look at all the lovely clothes they make, and then look at the clothes they reach for day in and day out, and notice a discrepancy.  This has been well trod territory for the online sewing community (think Tasia's cake vs. frosting post, or Sunni's Everyday Wardrobe project ) and yet I still think many of us find ourselves in that dreadful paradox where you have a closet full of beautiful, handmade, clothes, and yet nothing to wear.

I've been trying for a long time to close this gap, and it's led me to make things like jeans and shirts and simple, loose dresses - perhaps not the most glamorous of clothes, but I'll be damned if I don't wear them week after week and day after day! But yet I still find myself thinking that I have nothing to wear. Some of this could just be a deeply ingrained dissatisfaction with all things that I own, and a desire to acquire something new - just for the sheer newness of it. Sure. Some of it could be that... Or some of it could be that I don't do my laundry nearly often enough (stop giving me that look, Mom!) Okay. Yeah. It could be that too... but.... but

Couldn't some of it also be that I actually don't have enough of the clothes I actually wear? To be sure, making a great, basic, top that you know you'll want to wear every day is a great step towards making a wearable wardrobe - but that's only one top! That gets you, like, one day! Ideally you'd have enough of those tops to fill an entire two weeks worth of I-have-nothing-to-wear moments!



Which leads me to the TNT pattern. My longterm sewing goal is to build a pattern library of weekly go-to's - the sort of things I wear on a day to day basis, when I'm not taking blog photos, or doing anything more glamorous than making dinner. And then actually make them! Again and again ad nauseum. Pieces like I'm wearing here, in this post. Consider this my rather unapologetic 'real me' look.

I love skinny pants and loose fitting, button-up shirts (in the summer I also love my silk dresses). I feel good in this look - confident. I don't feel over-dressed. I can take on pretty much all tasks that my day might throw at me. And I like the versatility of the look - pair it with a blazer and nice shoes and I'm ready for a meeting.

But I've made lots of patterns that I've loved. They looked good on me. I've enjoyed the experience of sewing them. I wear them pretty regularly. I've even sworn I'd make them again. And yet I don't... which has led me to ponder: what makes a TNT pattern?



So far, I've made my Built by Wendy pants pattern 4 times (the most recent iteration is this pair of jeans I'm wearing here - in all their saggy knee-ed glory - and no, they haven't been laundered recently either) and the Archer 3 times. And I don't think they're going anywhere anytime soon. I've decided that they share the same properties that, for me, makes them TNT patterns:

1. They look like RTW things I already own, love, and wear, or have already worn, literally, to shreds. This winter I wore the same, old, ratty, red plaid shirt pretty much every day until it dawned on me that adding another to my closet might not be a bad idea!
2. They can be made in a variety of fabrics and patterns without losing their integrity. I've made my Archers in lightweight linen, sheer silk, and now thick cozy flannel - and each one worked beautifully.
3. It's easy to tweak the pattern to make it, truly, made for me. Sometimes you stumble upon a pattern that just fits you, but more often than not you have to make that pattern fit you. Let's be honest, I'm not going to wrestle with an ill-fitting pattern to make it work for me - I have better things to do (and sew) and besides... been there, done that (ahem! coughcoughclovers... ) But if it's just a matter of straightening out the hip curve here (BbW pants) or narrowing the shoulder there (Archer) than we're in business.
4. They can easily be used to create a different style of garment. I haven't tried this yet with the Archer, although I have plans to, but I've used my BbW pattern to create shorts, pants of different leg widths - even leggings! And they have never failed.
5. I reach for earlier iterations of the pattern day after day, especially when I might not be feeling so great (bloated, tired... hungover... you know... generally kind of blah). As I said, this look is pretty much my daily uniform.
6. It can't be so simple that it bores me to even think of making it. There will always be a time and a place for easy patterns that come together in just a few hours, but, generally, I like a little bit of a challenge when I sew. Whether it be perfecting my topstitching or matching plaids, or finding the best way to finish a collar stand, I need something that's going to hold my interest.

And there you have it! Hopefully throughout my sewing life I will find more beloved patterns, and maybe one day I'll get to the point where I can open my closet and know exactly what to wear!

But maybe first I need some to see a shrink about that 'newness' issue, and get my laundry habits up to par? ... Nah!

So what are your TNT patterns? Or what do you look for in a TNT pattern? And do you have the perfect wardrobe yet?

xx

summer linen

Wow. Where did I go?

So sorry for disappearing on you guys like that! Unfortunately I don't have a really great reason for it, just, ya know, the usual... Life got super hectic this spring and there was just no time for sewing! And when there's no time for sewing, well, what is there to say on this here blog-o-log? Unless you wanted to hear about how busy and tired I was, how I had no time to sew, and how my couch and Girls became my new besties... Which, lets be honest, I don't think you do! So let's just forget about those dark, dark days and chat about some recent makes, eh?

Meet my new summer uniform! What is it about this time of year that always makes me gravitate towards blue and white? Is it something subliminal? Can I blame Pinterest? (I love to blame Pinterest) well whatever it is, here I am, once again, decked out in blue and white.

I made the shorts last year, but the shirt is a new make, a Grainline Archer. What seems like, oh, eons ago now, the lovely Nettie sent me this pattern basically on a whim (have I mentioned how much I love our corner of the Internet? Seriously you guys, you're just the best) it was such a lovely surprise. Like everyone else I fell in love with Archer upon first sight, and literally kicked myself for buying the McCall's pattern I used for my polka dot shirt. I wasn't sure I could justify two button-up shirt patterns in my "carefully curated" pattern stash (read: broke and stingy). However, after making both shirts now, I can safely say that they differ pretty greatly, and I think they've both earned their distinct places in my pattern drawer.

To me, the Archer is the ultimate "boyfriend" shirt. It's roomy, and comfortable, but with just enough feminine touches that you don't feel like you're drowning in it, or, you know, like you actually raided a man's closet. I love the subtle details on this shirt: the angled cuffs, the petite collar, the slim button bands... They feel very current and modern to me. The McCall's shirt has a much more "lady-like" vibe with it's bust and back darts.

This is actually the second Grainline pattern that I made this spring (I'll reveal the first later - yeah, we're a little out of order here, just bear with me...) and I have to say, I'm really really impressed. As someone who mostly sews with Big Four patterns I've generally come to expect that level of quality and fit from my patterns.  But Jen's patterns prove that there is an art to pattern drafting.  Her designs are classic and oh-so wearable, but with these misleadingly simple nuances that make them a cut above. I think I remember Sonja once saying that Jen's patterns are "beautifully drafted" - and I just can't put it better myself.

I made my Archer in a straight size 4 (for once all my measurements were in one column!! I'm telling ya... it's true love...) trusting that the ease would be just enough for it to be roomy, but not sloppy.  I did add 1 1/2 inches to the length because I liked how long the McCall's shirt was on me and wanted the Archer to have the same booty-cloaking ability. Sewing it up was pretty easy-breezy-lemon-squeezy with the help of Jen's awesome sew-along posts, which were just so chock full of awesome tips and tricks for sewing shirts (like that ninja-like move you make with the front of the collar stand and facing... any one know what I'm talking about?)  The fabric is a linen from Mood that was described as having a "chambray-look" - and, well, who doesn't love chambray? And a chambray-look-linen = perfect for summer! Also perfect for looking cooly disheveled (right? right??) with all the wrinkly glory that's going on. You will note I did not deign to iron the shirt for you after a day of wearing at work... because that would take away some of the cool... obviously...



Overall I'm really happy with how the shirt turned out. There was minimal cursing involved during it's construction (always a good sign) and while my topstitching may not be the thing sewing wet-dreams are made of, it still is pretty darn passable! Not to mentions almost completely invisible due to the white warp threads (as opposed to weft - not like... of the time-warping variety... that would be weird!) in my fabric...

Now I just need to get my blogging act together and show the rest of the stuff I've been hiding from you! I've got a couple of beauties up my sleeve...

xx

polka dots

It's really starting to warm up here. Today was one of those stupidly pretty days that makes you ride extra slow on your bike, wave at complete strangers and smile indulgently at screaming children in the supermarket. I had a dentist appointment today and even that couldn't dampen my spirits! And the icing on the cake has got to be all the jasmine thats blooming like crazy all over the place. The streets are heavy with their fragrance and I find myself taking detours on my ride home from work just to sniff them out.

Isn't springtime just the best?

I finished up this blouse, McCall's 6436, earlier this week and I can already see it becoming a transitional wardrobe staple. In fact, the outfit you see here is pretty much my uniform these days (which means I need to make myself some new button-up shirts stat!) The fabric is an airy fairy silk habotai that I dyed this pale minty shade and then hand-painted with purple polka dots. It sewed up beautifully into this shirt, and I only had to use my glue-stick trick once!

You may have seen this pattern earlier this week on the ever so lovely Miss Heather Lou. Isn't her version just fantastic? Totally classic. Her chic, classic white shirt is what I always envisioned I would make, until my impatience got the better of me and I decided not to wait and buy a classic solid silk crepe, but to take the plunge with the habotai I had in my stash. But having Heather go first gave me fair warning about some of the peculiarities with this pattern. Mainly - the sleeves. I ran into the same problem she had with the sleeve head being far too large for the armhole. I'm pretty certain this is a drafting error, and not a user error, since we both had the exact same issue. However, since she gave me the heads up I was more than prepared to gather my sleeves and give them a gentle "puff". I actually think the puff sleeve works really well stylistically with the irregular polka dot print, so it was a pleasant surprise. 

I ended up switching all the interfacing to silk organza, rather than the batiste I was originally going to use. Y'all were so kind giving me your thoughts on the matter and telling me you didn't notice any 'brightness issues' with the batiste interfacing, but, as many of you pointed out, if I thought it was going to bother me I had better go with the organza. In the end it didn't add too much extra time onto my sewing, and I am glad I made the switch. The color difference, though hardly noticeable before in the photos, is really non-existant with the organza. Plus, silk organza is just kind of nice in shirts like these, isn't it?

Lately I feel like there has been a lot of talk around the sewing blogland about perfection.  Sunni wrote an excellent post on her belief that 'perfect fit' is a myth. The post, and the comments that followed, were really interesting and totally worth a read (if you haven't already).  And I often hear fellow seamstresses talk about how they are willing to rip something out a million times until they get it perfect.  Now, I gave up on perfection in all areas of my life a long time ago, but all these conversations did get me thinking about what my standards are in sewing. How do I measure the success or failure, technically speaking, of a garment? 

The conclusion I came to is perhaps greatly influenced by the fact that I was raised in a family full of teachers, or maybe it's from my own past as a teacher, but I realized that what I look for most in my sewn garments is whether or not they show improvement. 

"Shows Improvement". Wasn't that such a downer when you saw that scribbled across an essay or in a note on your report card when you were a student? Usually accompanied by some distasteful letter grade like a "C" or "B-"? But the thing is, showing improvement is really the most important thing! It means you're paying attention, learning from your mistakes, and applying your knowledge on future projects. And continually learning is always my main goal in sewing. And in life, too.

I really felt like this shirt was an example of "shows improvement".  I've been sewing a lot of tricky narrow hems with silk recently, and I finally feel like I'm seeing progress - hems that are satisfactorily tiny with neat, even stitches. Even my edgestitching, while not 'perfect', is getting, well, edgier. And I recently used this technique (found through Gertie's blog post on the subject) to make my collar points, and I have to say, they are the sharpest, pointiest collar points I have ever made! So while this shirt is far from perfect, it is an accomplishment that I'm proud of.

Now I'm off to make about 3 billion more! Well, maybe not of this McCall's pattern, but do I spy an Archer in my future..? Yes. Yes I do.

xx

lessons in working with what you got

This weekend I really got the urge to make some clothing. I mean, I pretty much always have this urge, it just doesn't always get fulfilled because of time and life and work and blah blah blahfreakingyawn. I've been sitting on McCall's 6436 for a couple of weeks now after picking it up in the last $1.99 sale (love those things). Finding a nice, normal, woman's shirt pattern seems rather tricky, but this one looked inoffensive enough, and even a bit like those Equipment blouses I've been coveting for, um, ever. I had beautiful images of a whole army of these classic, everyday blouses in easy to wear, solid, crepe-de-chine. Colors like navy. Or white. Or (lets get crazy) plum. I would wear them every day and they'd solve that weird hole in my wardrobe and I'd finally be on my way to creating a perfect, daily uniform! I'll look like a Jcrew catalogue! Wardrobe bliss shall be mine!!

But as I mentioned in my last post, I already blew my fabric budget this month and so I've been sitting on my hands until payday rolls around again (worst. feeling. ever.) Looooonnnnng Sufffferrrinnng Siiiiggghhhh.....

What's a sewist to do? I'll tell you what she's to do. You put on your big girl panties, throw your stupid ideal out the window and make something! What I don't have is cash to buy more silk. What I do have is silk. Yeah. I know. Just sitting there. I always talk about how I don't really have a stash, and this is mostly true (I keep a couple yards of special fabric around, just waiting for the perfect project, like any sane person) but I did have about two yards of silk habotai that I bought for dyeing. I'm sure I had it earmarked for something special, but like I said, sometimes you just gotta throw that ideal image out the window. 

So I set to work dyeing my silk habotai. If I'm going to go to the trouble of dyeing my own fabric you can bet your butt I'm not just going to dye it a solid navy. Oh no! We're going to make it a little special. I decided to depart from my past tendency (see here or here) of haphazardly mucking the dye about until I ended up with something I didn't hate and instead tried to work off of a grid system. I also wanted something that wouldn't overwhelm my shirt pattern and so I settled on a polka-dot design (because who doesn't love polka dots?!) Of course it's me doing it so I wasn't too concerned about making the dots the same size, or too evenly spaced. I mean, the beauty of hand painting anything is being able to see the hand. 

I also realized that one of the things I was never totally happy about with my past dyeing experiments was the color.  I don't know why it took me two whole tries to come to this conclusion, but it makes perfect sense. Any color "straight out of the tube" always looks a bit manufactured to me.  In painting one of the first things you learn is to mix your colors - even if you're painting a red flower, you never use the red straight from the tube. I found the same to be true of the dye colors, even the premixed colors look better when they get muddled about a bit. For this fabric I mixed "seafoam" and "steel gray" to get the subtle minty base color and then mixed "plum" and "strong navy" for the purple-y dots.  Is it obvious yet that I only bought dyes in shades of blue? I need to remedy that because I'm getting a bit bored by it! I would have liked to push the purple color more towards magenta, but alas! No warm tones!

I really love the way this fabric turned out. It reminds me a bit of the playful Nani Iro prints. It has the classic look of polka-dots, but with a quirky and offhanded painterly quality. It won't make quite the understated blouse of my dreams, but I think it will be beautiful all the same. In fact, it might be even better.

Take that dream wardrobe.

Oh! And P.S. For those of you that may be wondering, I'm still plugging away at my quilt. I got two more rows done during the evenings this past week. My vehement distaste for the whole thing has, well, paled a bit. And as I said, I'm determined to finish. Because quitters never win... or in this case quitters never get cozy bedding.  

xx

feeling scrappy

So I'm currently in between projects at the moment. I've already spent my monthly fabric allowance on a top secret project that I can't show you yet, and you all know I'm not much of a fabric stash-er, so this weekend found me with the itch to make something, and minimal means with which to make it! 

Enter the quilt that has been languishing in the dusty recesses of my brain for the past year and a half.  I think I posted about this way back when...? I remember spotting the inspiration for this quilt in the early days of my Pinterest addiction when I wasn't so jaded by the never-ending parade of pretty (and unattainable) pictures.  I thought it was genius because I had saved the fabric-scrap-bunting that I made for my wedding (an uncharacteristically sentimental move, might I add...) with the intention of making my husband and I a wedding quilt....awwwww....

Never mind the fact that the idea of actually making said quilt sounded like the most horrid thing ever, and I was convinced that it was a task reserved for some circle of hell (perhaps as punishment for, I don't know, cutting out your paper patterns or some other ridiculous sewing-sin...) Or that I really have no idea how to make a quilt. So there my scraps sat.

Until this weekend! When I decided what the hell, it can't be that bad and gave it a go.

I found a couple of old toile's (ahemcloverscough...cough) that were crumpled up somewhere, ripped them apart and used them for the white triangles. The patterned triangles were ripped from my bunting and resized.  I plan on spacing out these rows with a plain white row (pretty much a dead copy of my inspiration photo).  I have no idea how many rows I'll need to make it actually fit on our bed. Alot probably. So many that I may even need to buy more vintage fabric just to make it work.  

I should also probably tell any serious quilters to please, cover your eyes! I'm sure I'm doing about a million things wrong technically but just bear with me here! I think this will work! I'm basically going about this in the same "bull in a china shop" way that I tackled learning how to sew garments. Thank god I didn't have a blog around then!! Y'all would've died of horror...

So after spending an entire day working on this, I've gotta say, I found working on a quilt to be...

(please ignore the weird brown stain... our place is old... yeah... that's it... not dirty, just ollldddd...)

Yeah, no, not fun. Sorry quilters! I just don't get it! I mean... where's the fun in this? All that tedious cutting, and then at the end of it you don't even get to wear it! Don't get me wrong! I will finish this mother fucker. Oh I will finish it. And I will put it on my bed. And every single damn person that comes over to my house will be forced to look at it as I tell them that I made that bitch.  Because it may very well be the first and last quilt I ever make!!! 

Here's what I really don't get... see that picture up there? You see, I thought I was going to get rid of my scraps by making a quilt... No. Not the case. Instead I just get more effing scraps! Just smaller ones. And more oddly shaped. What now? Do I have to make another quilt with even tiny-er pieces?? 

God? Is this what hell feels like? Is this for that vintage 60's pattern I cut? Look, I'm sorry! I didn't know!! I only just started sewing! Surely that small sin isn't worth wiling away my eternity sewing short, straight lines, cutting smaller and smaller pieces of fabric until my carpal tunnel acts up, all in the effort to put something on a bed???

Nah. I'm just kidding. This quilting business isn't so bad! It certainly is a way to kill some weekend time. But something tells me I won't be making a quilting conversion anytime soon...wink.

xx

because, i mean, why not?

Yes, yes, yes, I know that we are now a full week into 2013 and all this New Years Reflection bullshit is soooooo last week... but what can I say? I'm a chronically late person? Or just slow? Ah well, better late than never I say!

There is actually quite a lot that I am proud of in 2012, and I'd like to take a second to recognize a few of the good things that have come my way in the past year, sewing related and non. After all, New Year's is the time for self-reflection, even if the time for reflection is reaching the end of its shelf-life and starting to stink up the fridge...

Let's start with some life reflections, shall we??

Almost exactly a year ago I began working at a new job here in Galveston, TX. This has made a huge difference in my life. One of the reasons I've been so slow about writing a post about my job is that it is actually kind of difficult to explain what I do. The relatively straight-forward explanation is that I am the program manager for a small art non-profit here on the island. We are a fully funded artist residency and we also have a small project/gallery space, which I am in charge of along with the director. In fact, the director and I are in charge of everything, because we are the only employees (the director is also the co-founder) so basically we run a very small, but ambitious operation.  I'm incredibly grateful that I get to work in an extremely creative environment, with someone I enjoy, and that my work is varied and meaningful to me. I've worked a lot of terrible jobs in my time (that stint as a secretary at a tax firm was a particularly low point...no offense to secretaries, or tax accountants, and, besides, I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual...) so I'm particularly grateful that I am actually challenged and excited by my work, rather than feeling like I'm just slogging through the week in order to get to the weekend. As I said, the difference it has made in my personal life throughout the last year is huge.

This past August my husband and I moved house, yet again. This time just to a different neighborhood, same city, but it still marks the 4th time I've moved in the last 6 years (since my undergrad) never staying anywhere for more than two years. I really sort of love Galveston in all of it's weirdness and I'm happy to be staying here for the foreseeable future. Our new place is spacious and wacky and charming and ugly all at the same time, and Nick and I have been having a good time making it feel like home, even on a shoestring budget.

Which leads me to - Nick! I could write a novel here, or say nothing at all. I'll try not to be toooo sappy (for his sake). He's really my backbone, the one who's holding this bag of tricks together. We've been married every single day of 2012 (our first FULL year of marriage! Yay!) and it's our relationship, more than anything else, more than the job, or sewing, or the blog, that has made me feel so very grateful for this full and loving life I get to live. 

Now are you ready for some good sewing/blogging reflections? I feel like I can be a bit more succinct with these...(ppfftt!!! Who am I kidding??)

As I was putting together the images for this post I had a lot of fun thinking about how sewing has changed my life, like really had a major impact on my life in a very real way.

- I buy way less and am a far more discerning consumer when I do. 

- Looking at the images above I really like how you can see my own personal style begin to develop and become stronger.  I feel like through sewing I've been able to really focus on clothes that make me feel good, that help me to feel like my absolute best version of myself. This is something I hope to really continue to nurture in 2013.  

- This is kind of piggybacking on the previous thought, but I feel like making my own clothes has really helped me conquer some body-image issues I've had in the past. I always hesitate to talk about this because it is so personal (ppfft!! This is already an insanely personal post!) but it's also something that I feel very strongly about. Oddly enough, since I began sewing my wardrobe I've become far less critical of myself physically and I feel more at home in my own skin than I've ever been. You could certainly chalk this up to getting older, or being in a loving, stable, healthy relationship - but I really suspect sewing has had a hand in this (as well). 

- I feel like this past year I conquered a few of my goals for sewing. I tried with all my might to sew a hard-working, practical wardrobe, and all in all, out of 21 (really 22 but I haven't got around to posting the last make of 2012...woops) garments made I really feel like the majority of them get a fair amount of rotation in my wardrobe. The all star, of course, is my jeans. Those babies get worn at least 5 days out of the week. I'm wearing them right now. I wear them all the time. So much, in fact, that I believe I need to make a new pair in 2013. I also began experimenting with dyeing and handpainting my own fabric, which was a long time goal of mine. I enjoy adding that extra personal touch to my clothing, and I hope I can find a way to improve on my methods in the upcoming year.  I'm also proud that, really, looking at all those clothes up there, all of them are wearable, finished beautifully on both the inside and out, very few corners were cut, and most have stood up to repeated washings and wearings. Way to go, handmade wardrobe. Way. To. Go.

- 2012 is the first full year that my blog has been a big part of my life. I sort of started it half-heartedly back in 2010 (I think...?) not really sure what I wanted it to be and eventually I gave it up.  Once I became more engrossed in sewing it just became natural for me to want to share it and connect with a community and so I started up the blog fresh in the fall of 2011, decidedly more sewing-centric. I know everyone says this, but I am just so amazed by all the wonderful people I've been able to connect with over the past year.  Many of you I care about just as much as any of my friends that I get to see in the flesh, and I sincerely hope that our paths will cross in 2013! (Oh how I'd love a blogger meetup!!!) So to all of you, dear readers, I don't say it enough, but thank you thank you thank you! I'm so grateful to have discovered your blogs, shared in your stories, oohed and ahhed over your beautiful creations, and connected with people who share my same passion. 

You guys, I'm feeling a bit mushy!! I wanted to list out some real hard practical goals for 2013, but I seemed to get lost in all my reflections! No matter how old and moldy they might be! And I think this post is long enough for today. Congratulations if you made it all the way to the end. Your medal is in the mail (just kidding). 

Thank you again for a great year, and here's to 2013!! Woot! Woot! Can't wait to see what you all have in store. 

All my love,

Sallie

cobwebs

Well friends... it's getting to be that time of year. Time for the cobwebs and dust bunnies to creep in on this here blog. For the tumbleweeds to start a blowin' through. I know what you're thinking, more than usual? And the answer is, yes, more than usual. 

Because its the holidays!! Yay!! Time for the annual excursion back east to see family and more family!!  This year Nick and I will be road-tripping our way through the south and meandering on up to my homeland - Pennsylvania. I'd like to say that we are one of those couples that makes it a point to stop at all the funny little roadside attractions on our way, but if I'm being honest with myself, We're really more of the wake-up-at-dawn-only-stop-for-coffee-and-a-piss-until-we-reach-our-destination sort of road-trippers. We have a schedule to keep, dammit! 

We leave tomorrow and will be gone for roughly two weeks. But! Before I go I wanted to leave you all with a little sneakery peekery around my world as of late. Enter, the Instagram photos! (p.s. If you'd like to follow me I'm sallieoleta although I haven't quite figured out the point of Instagram yet, so my photos come in fits and bursts and are generally pretty lame... fair warning, ya'll)

From the top down:

1. A pretty little number I made for a friend. But because I'm not a totally selfless seamstress I made one for me too! See number 3...

2. A box of ruby red grapefruit, lovingly tended to by a sweet South Texas friend. These will be coming on the road with us... to stave off scurvy... just kidding... 

3. A close up shot of the version of #1 I made for myself. Truthfully, mine did not turn out quite as pretty as my friends. I suppose that's one of the joys of working with hand painted fabric, the results are somewhat unpredictable. But I'll tell you all about that when I get back from or journey and do a proper post on it. 

4. My Christmas gift from work. An engraved hunting knife. Symbolically kicking off our newest project, which is to create a satellite art space in the hills of West Texas. The knife will obviously be needed to protect myself from mountain lions... You guys, I love my job...

I know it's not a very comprehensive glimpse into my life lately, but unfortunately it'll have to do. Because now there is laundry and packing to do, a final wipe down of kitchen and bathroom (I hate coming home to a dirty house) animals to be crated up and dropped off at assorted friends houses, and audiobooks to be downloaded. Not to mention the fact that I generally live in denial of all the fun "Christmas spirit" type stuff that most normal people enjoy this time of year, which usually means that my grinchy-self goes into shock when I arrive home to a decked out house, glittering trees, presents, cookies and non-stop Christmas music. This year I'm determined to work up some cheer to bring along with me to prevent the all-systems-shut-down that sometimes happens. And guys, that takes work! 

So I'm off! I hope all of you out there have a nice lead up to your holiday. If you're traveling, be safe, and if you're staying put, revel in the season just a tiny bit for me! 

xx