Me Made Wardrobe - A Quest for Fit

I am not sure I had a goal when this recent burst of enthusiam and energy for sewing hit me, but now it is all about fit. 

In recent times I have pondered how to think about my wardrobe. There has been a considered and quiet purging in my life as I re-evaluated my 'stuff'. I started to notice what was supporting me toward the life I want to be living, and what was there just because. I has the overwhelming experience of helping my ageing father move out of the family home of 50 years. Then 5 years ago moving house myself provided a brilliant opportunity for review. The energy of moving stuff, actually handling all those things which really, truly, have neither been used nor seen the light of day for literally years - phew!

When it comes to my wardrobe I am not particularly sentimental about keeping things, and do tend to cull to make way for the new. I have a wooden 'glory' box for my off season clothes, and when I make the transition there are usually items which either don't make it into the box to start, or don't transfer back into the wardrobe next season. 

Recently I prepared a photobook for one of my sons' birthdays. It was curious to see myself wearing clothes I had long since forgotten. In some cases I wondered why I hadn't kept a particular dress or top. But I trust the decision I made at the time. There were also clothes which I know would not appeal to 2022 me.

The concept of a me-made-wardrobe has seemed quaintly ambitious. But as my output increases in a pleasurable way I am emboldended to plan and dream. Increasingly when I put on my clothes I am noticing, and quantifying, those fit issues here and there. That lovely shirt with the tie sleeve trims which do not do up. Those trousers which are long enough but too full in the butt. Those sleeves which are too short. 

As these two ideas, sewing more and becoming cognisant of how clothes fit me, come together I see myself planning to make garments I want wear. This includes better versions of those I already have. And in some cases fixing some of the fit issues with existing garments, me made or not. 

Recently I adjusted a cuff top. This was a gift from a sewing friend, and I enjoyed wearing it, liking both the style and the fabric choice. But it was a little large. Here are the 'before' pictures.

Oh the fun of making adjustments, which were a pleasure with this fabric. And also working on someone else's hand sewn garment revealed insights to their process. There is the confidence needed to take up scissors, and make the cut. Overall though I am happy with the result. Maybe to an untrained eye not much has changed. But for the wearer the comfort is massively improved. Here are the results.

In terms of style, well I think and hope that will always be dynamic. While the 2022 plans include fluid tops and some fitting bottoms, I'm open to heading in a different direction beyond that.

Claire

Another Augustina (2022)

 I was quite taken with my first go at this pattern, re-purposing a garment into a top which was so handy. Then spring came and the temperatures warmed up, and a summer version seemed like a smart plan.

I found a small piece of cotton flax honeycomb, the bolt end, at Spotlight - perfect. The texture is nice to touch, the weight lends itself to adding a layer without adding bulk and I like the interest of the woven design.

If I judge a garment’s success by the number of wears, this one is a winner. Teamed here with a me made silk top (top) and a me made cotton skirt (bottom).

2022 Plans

I was a latecomer to the wonderful Instagram sewing community, (could be my family's description of me as a technology luddite does bear some truth) so possibly I am embracing ideas which others may have have long since abandoned, like Make Nine plans. Frankly that does not matter - it is enormous fun, to dream and record and edit and add and subtract!

The format of a grid is appealing in terms of structuring a plan, especially to a girl who likes a list! But to be restrained to a plan of nine was clearly not going to allow enough dreaming, no wiggle room. Perhaps it is better to plan big and fall short? After all the exercise is one to move sewing up the priority list.

Taking a moment to reflect on my 2021 year of making, much of the sewing I did was not on my radar at the start of the year. Things evolved, and my makes were informed by what preceded them. 

There are many strands of influence woven into my approach now.  

Sheri Lynn Wood writes in her Improv Quilting Handbook about the power of that reflective pause with questions like what went well? What did you enjoy? What surprised you? There are countless wonderful sewers who have been interviewed by Helen and Caroline on Love 2 Sew who talk about wardrobe planning through sewing diaries to how we record our makes, and what new skills we want to challenge ourselves with. Then closer to home is the up close experience of seeing my friend Maitland’s wonderfully creative Fantail tops.

As the year begins I have some rough plans. 

As always I would like to make up fabric I already have. Finally I have everything recorded on a spreadsheet which makes it very visible, something which appeals to me. I have 9 pieces. But I would also like to venture out on fabric shopping trips, make time to try some new sources. 

In my wardrobe I have several garments which have not been worn for some time. Refashioning these is part of my 2022 goal.

I would like to make garments to wear in my non working life. This has emerged after reading a wardrobe planning book and realising that not only do I already have lots of work clothes which I like and wear, sewing plans have gravitated to this type of garment. I would like to put energy into what I wear for the rest of my life!

In the same vein as purchasing fabric is easy to do, in excess of my actual production rate, it turns out online patterns are simply a click away. Also catalogued on my spreadsheet there are 10 patterns still waiting to be used. I plan to use them this year.

Sew knits. I have a couple of RTW garments I would like to try to copy, a raglan sweatshirt and my favourite tee shirt. A cover stitch machine is in my plans for this year too.

Having spent more time in my sewing space I have been making tweaks and improvements which in turn re-energises me. I did have a cutting table on my wish list for my husband to make, but a recent brainwave about doubling my mat area and using the dining table seems to have solved that. Small additions such as a small rotary cutter which I was given for Christmas are a way of showing love and attention to my making life. I look forward to seeing how the space continues to evolve.

How do these plans shape up under a reality check? Well pretty doable I think. Watch this space.

Claire

January 2022

2021 Makes versus Plans!

 At the start of this year I wanted to make 12 things. The idea was mainly clothes to wear, but also a bag. I wanted to reduce the fabric in my cupboard. Although I don't have a huge stash, I was somewhat overwhelmed by having material I had previously bought with big plans, only to have it sit in a box in my cupboard for, quite literally, years in some cases.

We have lived in our house for 5 years, and during this time there has been a gradual paring down of, well, 'stuff'. Part of living intentionally, wanting things to enhance my life, not engulf it. It has not been a dramatic Swedish Death Cleanse but a reflective process applied when energy permits.

So here was my plan.

So I executed 7 of these. The results were mixed.

(top row)

1 The Kingfisher top - still to get there. I have some silk but need ribbing. Then found I had a lot of ribbing but not quite the right solour. Then I found I had some scraps which might work, still might too - check in with me next year!

2 Ditto above for the Kobe top - so glad I bought both these patterns though because I am set (LOL)!!

3 Gingham checked shirt is as photographed. I am delighted with this. It is from a Japanese magazine purchased in Tokyo, Nippon Sewing district. On a rather hot 2019 day I lugged my purchases around; These included this red checked gingham and the 3 magazines I had bought and a lot of other fabric too. I have sewn up 4 pieces of fabric from that trip. I have worn this shirt a bit, so that feels good. I am a little wary of Japanese pattern sizing, but this did work. I may make it again. I think next time possibly a more drape in the fabric choice would be good.

4 The Kimono Top I have made before, including sorting some sizing issues. My first one was too large on the neckline which I adjusted mid-make. This orange one was made from a vintage table cloth. I confess I am not sure how wearable it is, but this summer will tell.

(row 2)

5 New Look 8536. This coat I have half cut out - then hit a snag, well I made a mistake. So I bundled it up and will look at it again one day. Given the fabric was some which I have had for at least 5 years, it will keep. 

6 Sewing Revival Snug Pants, I made in a striped cotton knit. These are my 2nd pair. I often live all day in my merino pair. Always need to remember to allow for a full calf adjustment, even in knit! I miss pockets in this pattern.

7 Capsule Trousers. I have a 3/4 made pair of trousers from the Capsule Wardrobe book. I am not sure I was thinking at all when I embarked on these, and they do need finishing. If I listen to Heather Lou's (Closet Core Patterns) pep talk I will get to the end and not focus on the fitting issues. My plan is to do an online course with Heather Lou for the next fitted pants make. So these did not make it over the line this year but they are not completely abandoned.

8 Friday Pattern Company V Neck Tee Shirt. I made two V-neck tee shirts, with this free pattern. In two different sizes. I was planning these would be for general in the garden and possibly tramping. The merino knit I used was way too fine. One shirt I managed a lovely finish on neckline, the other not so much. Chalk it up to learning, and for me buying fabric online does not produce the best outcomes.

(bottom row)

9 My Heron Shirt I am delighted with.

10 Morgan jeans pattern and online course purchased, fabric at the ready - this is getting bumped to 2022! Sewing jeans seems to be a 'big' project, but as this year has progressed and I have regularly spent more time sewing (13 weeks of lockdown helped) this has opened up the possibility of 'larger' projects.

11 The Sewing Revival Nikau dress was a success in Japanese linen. I am going to review the fit after reading a blog by Lucy and seeing how she made hers a little straighter. But it is in my wardrobe and in use, and who am I kidding that I will actually alter it!

12 Sidewinder Pants. I have a mixed relationship with the Sewing Revival Sidewinder Pants. I think largely my results have been due to fabric choices - put simply not enough drape, which is spelled out very clearly in the pattern instructions too I might add. I have already made 2 pairs, and neither worked exceptionally well. Then I tried these in a cotton, (I think) from The Fabric Store. I added the cuff after a couple of wears, but there is not enough drape and the bottom can look a bit romper like. The fabric tends to bag a bit after a wear, which means more washing and ironing than is my natural inclination. I am not giving up on this pattern though, I just need to select my fabric more carefully.

So there's the wrap! Time to look forward to the journey into 2022 and the makes it may contain . . . 

Claire

Legacy

Somewhere, on Instagram, or a sewing blog, or podcast there was mention of using up those ends of thread spools for basting. It was a small light bulb moment as I have a pile of those from my Mum.

There is something oddly pleasing about finishing these small tail ends. It appeals to my sense of thrift, as well as my ongoing desire to have less 'stuff'. Or more accurately to have things in my life which enhance it rather than weigh me down.

This trip into the drawer of assorted left over threads is also an opportunity to reflect on my mother's making life, and how she has influenced my making life - legacy.

Born just at the start of WWII my mother grew up in a small farming villlage, Ormond, just out of Gisborne in provincial New Zealand. Thrift was creative but it was also about getting by; nothing was wasted, much was kept for some future use or re-use.

Gran, my maternal grandmother was not a sewer although I recall Mum told me that she did knit socks and could turn a heel. There was  treadle Singer dewing machine in that house and I understand my mother and her sisters all sewed, by necessity I think. According to Mum one sister's work was carefully and very thoroughtly constructed, whilst the other sister left the house wearing dresses which, it could be argued, were unfinished. However this is only one view, and that Aunt has reassured me that her clothes never fell apart. (That sort of logic would appeal to the generation of young men in my house - why expend any more effort than is absolutely essential, but that is another story.)

My mother was a prolific maker across many fields. Sewer of clothes, for herself, my father my brother and me, of soft furnishings, table linen, countless pot mits and aprons, and quilts. A knitter of jerseys, hats and scarves. In the kitchen a preserver and chutney relish and jam maker. In the garden she was a sometime help mate in the vegetable garden, which was mainly my father's domain, but shared duties in the orchard pruning and harvesting. She also kept a large well maintained garden full of plants collected or grown from cuttings. Her home making skills extended to interior renovations, wall-papering and painting and, as often recalled by my father, she polyurethaned the entire corktile floor. She had her own Estwing woman's hammer, which I have inherited. She restored countless pieces of furniture, rescued from back rooms and sheds of her childhood home, as well as recovered from skip bins or discovered at the second hand mart. She also tried her hand at many a making trend, from macrame plant hangers, and basket making.

In the 2020 Auckland Writer's Festival Paula Morrison made a comment about her migrant English mother being slightly exasperated as the talents of the New Zealand housewife in the 1960's. 'They made everything'.  

I feel immensely grateful for my mother's model of a 'making life'. This also included making friendships which I can relate to. Those people who like to create are a vital part of growing and learning. I have special friends I have made at sewing classes, or with our hands in finger paint as Playcentre mums. These friendship foster my own creative pursuits, as well as spawning opportunities to try new ideas. Not surprisingly there are often many similarities we share about growing up with sewing and making mothers. I recall the delight in reminiscing with a friend about the novel containers our mothers made in the late 1970's. The bases were 2 litre icecream containers, holes punched around the upper rim, and a drawerstring bag attached, most likely in orange paisely or floral patterned fabric. In our house these were our 'camping toilet bags', in hers they were 'wet tog bags'.

Thinking back I am in awe of all the clothes she sewed for me, and my dolls. Wedding dress for my bride doll, dancing outfits, dresses, togs, the list goes on and on. If she were here now I would like to reflect on this huge body of work. 

I still have my Vogue Individualist  Claude Montana 1492 pattern, slightly tattered through much use, as a reminder of all those clothes. I remember the skirt, in a navy blue linen-like, the shirt, one in a deep teal but these were others, and the pants, made multiple times.

Although my parents never threw things away, which led to a mammoth job when I was clearing out their home of 50 years, Mum did in fact use a lot of these saved 'resources'. Thinking in particular about her sewing this would now be termed stash busting. Seems trendy these days but for my Mum this was a  habit of lifelong resourcefulness. Things were thoughtfully saved and stored. Scraps of fabric re-appears as pocket linings. And the thread, at the end of a project - the bobbin thread was carefully wound back onto the spool for use at a later date.

So there is a nice sense of connection as I use up these saved threads.

Claire, October 2021

Cheyenne Tunic in Rayon

 This is a garment which is inspired by a much worn, now retired due to tatty condition, favourite shirt. This is Hey June Cheyenne Tunic. 

Fabric

I was looking for a rayon or viscose, ideally in a geometric print, but I wanted to feel and purchase the fabric in store. And as I only went to one store that narrowed the options. The weight, drape and temperature of this fabric is really really lovely to wear. I am slightly suspicious of how it will wear with a few pin marks needing gentle pressing after construction. That said I did unpick a bit on the collar, and it has pressed up well.

The make:

After sewing a succession of very simple garments there was  a bit of hesitation on the scale of this shirt, and all the many pattern pieces. But once I began I enjoyed the process. I started with some of the smaller pieces, sewing the pockets and the sleeve tabs first, procrastinating and also getting a feel for the fabric before I tackled the front shaped half placket. This is evidence of smarter operating - why do so many patterns have you start on the centre front with the first seam.

The fit was fine, apart from adding 5cm to the body length. The sleeve length was OK but I must say once finished I am tempted to make them simpler next time. I think I will mainly wear them 3/4 length rolled up, so the work of the cuff and placket seem unecessary.

I found the directions of the front placket slightly tricky and I am still not sure of the final result. I see there is a sew along so I will research this before I sew this up again - which I plan to do 2022, maybe in a winter weight . . .

Claire

Sewing Self Care - Comfy Nightwear x 3

Much has been written about self care, and sewing, and the combination. But just for the record I agree.

This is a the True Bias Lodo Dress pattern. The idea was taken from Love, Lucy who wrote about using this pattern for nighties. (She has also documented a make that was inspired by seeing a fellow sewist's results. So I figure it might be OK to admit this is where the idea came from.) As a latecomer to the online sewing community and indie patterns, I do rather like having this connection with the pattern designer.

The striped fabric was from The Fabric Store and was an online purchase I made in a flurry in 2020. I was planning to make a pair of pants and bought 2 pieces of striped cotton knit. I have made one pair into The Sewing Revival Snug Pant. It was lighter weight than this, and on reflection this knit is 'winter' weight.

This is S14, it is very comfortable in bed! I also loved that little bit of extra length, slightly more cosy.

My first True Bias Pattern. It is a very simple design and the woven facings will no doubt help this garment throught the rigours of night wear and a fast rotation through the washing machine.

I am enjoying the chance to pivot, see an idea, grab some fabric and sew. It is also nice to be able to fill a wardrobe gap with such ease - I ditched a couple of nighties recently and the remainder on rotation are also looking, frankly, a bit shabby.

On a roll I have made 2 more Lodo nighties, both in S12. One is a cotton knit, the other a rayon, both from Spotlight. I love the feel of the rayon knit to sleep in and it is slightly cooler than the cotton. So much fun to sew, and fun prints I like. 

It is tempting to plan to replenish my supplies. Especially after such a productive time of Lockdown Sewing.  As I began to write this we were going to be able to actually visit fabric stores, in person, after 3 months of lockdown restrictions. I always look forward to some purposeful browsing with my list of want-to-makes, to feel the weight touch and drape of some options. But I rather hope too that I will be sufficently disciplined. My aim is to be sewing fabric I am still in the first flush of love with.  To have some clear space to make connections, lean enough stock to have creative ideas. To be considerate towards future me, that I might be able to buy material in the future which reflects sewing I want to do then - and right now I do not know what that may be.

Claire

December 2021