Tag: fashion

sewing, Wardrobe Improvement Project

Sew Grateful and a Giveaway

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It’s Sew Grateful Week! That means it was just about a year ago that I started looking around the internet for folks who sewed clothes for themselves. Not to knock the quilters I follow or those who sew kids’ fashion, it’s just that I want to also sew for me. I may not comment much, but I’m a regular lurker around My Happy Sewing Place, Four Square Walls, Cation Designs, Ginger Makes, and several other sites. I may be moving slowly on my own Wardrobe Improvement Project, but I’m pretty sure any forward progress at all is at least in …

sewing, Wardrobe Improvement Project

Picking through The 100

 

Since I’m thinking about wardrobe improvement these days, I checked out The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own. Coletterie had recently posted about this book, asking about what 100 pieces would be in readers’ personal essential collections. First off, what’s with the word “stylish”? Every person has a “style” – maybe it’s trendy or sloppy instead of classy or elegant, but it’s still a style. How did “stylish” come to mean “style worth copying”? Why is “stylish” associated with looking as though you have nothing better to do than drink cocktails and inspire people …

Seasons, sewing, Wardrobe Improvement Project

Further experiments in knits

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Remember this top? The one I made in a knits class with unshrunk fabric? I sent it off to my sister (who reports that it works fine for her) and I’ve finally got around to trying again. Ta-da! I pre-washed the fabric this time and happily the finished shirt still has lovely long sleeves. I’m not 100% sure I’ve got the fit right, but at least this one is wearable. The armscye might not be totally right and there might be too much fabric in the back. It’s hard to tell when I’m twisting around in front of a mirror …

sewing, Wardrobe Improvement Project

Everyone needs a Plan

 

I have a closet of clothes that are either showing their age or don’t fit me well. It’s already known that shopping and I are not friends. I thought I’d written up a more recent rant than this one or this one. The short version: I’m tall, I’m reasonably narrow, I tend toward classic/minimalist style with a touch of romantic/bohemian, I’m excessively practical. End result: very little ready-to-wear clothing actually fits me and I’m endlessly frustrated by poor quality and trends that assume I have nothing to do except look pretty. My clothing should not require special handling (no regular …

Caitlyn, sewing

Adding inches

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It seems Caitlyn’s pants are always too short. Sometimes this condition coincides with wear and tear, and then we call the pants “grubby” and she wears them for things that involve dirt and mud (p-patch work parties, walking in the woods, puddle stomping, etc). And sometimes the pants are in perfectly serviceable shape. They are just too short. I don’t know why it’s never occurred to me before to just make the pants longer.  I’ve had this blue floral fabric in the stash for ages.  I’ve also got a red and white print that makes me think of red bandanas …

sewing, Wardrobe Improvement Project

Prewash for shrinkage

 

Despite my best intentions, it seems that as the seasons tip into fall, I start feeling generally dissatisfied with the contents of my closet. It’s not that there’s a shortage of clothes in there (although I’m wearing holes in nearly all my jeans). It’s not that I’ve grown out of anything (unlike Caitlyn). It’s not that I have new places to go or people to impress with an up-to-date wardrobe. It’s not like I need to be fabulous when I spend the day at home, banging away at the computer and stirring up messes in the kitchen. I mentioned this …