Self-Stitched-September Update: Participants are Amazing!

I haven't been piping up much recently about Self-Stitched-September since my initial call to arms, and announcements of wigit and Flickr group creations. I thought it best to keep on the down-low for a while and let it gather it's own momentum. Which is exactly what's been happening.

You may or may not recall that Me-Made-May had over 80 participants and in my initial SSS post I stated that my goal was to get 100 participants on board for this round of hand-stitched goodness. Well, I am incredibly pleased to announce that we have approximately 130 participants signed up so far! High fives all round! I'm sure that once more lovely sewers out there see the beautiful work and hear/read the persuasive chat of those currently signed up more people will decide to come along for the ride, so keep sewing/sharing/blogging/commenting/photographing/talking/writing about the challenge! More is most definately merrier.

The Self-Stitched-September Flickr group is already a lovely place to 'visit', with members displaying their self-stitched wares in preparation for the month itself and discussions taking place about all manner of related topics. I've been finding the 'Welcome' thread particularly fascinating, with members making small bio's about themselves and sharing what drew them to the challenge. Remember, you don't need to belong to the Flickr group to participate in SSS if you don't want to, it's just a useful place to 'gather', share and interact. Similarly, if you don't feel able or you don't want to participate in the SSS challenge, you can still head over to the Flickr group and 'hang': checking out the photos and discussions without even having to sign up to the group. How more frikkin' inclusive can this be?!

The beautiful garments that you see 'decorating' this post are from SSS participants visible on the Flickr group pool. Click on each individual image to see the whole thing and find its creator. Thanks everyone who has signed up to the Self-Stitched-September challenge so far, or offered encouraging sentiments, or both. I really believe that we are doing something special here, in different ways and on different levels.

Scrap-Happy

Now some people may not respect this, but I’ve been making a few things for other people recently. I’m mid-way through cranking out a couple of Jenny skirts for two honeys, trying to apply my limited knowledge to making the (I assume) necessary adjustments for their individual figures. And Saturday night I whipped up this little purse for my mate because hers is dying its inevitable death.

When you spend most of your sewing time on lengthy garment projects, it can be a real eye-opener to make something that only takes an hour from start to finish including cutting the pieces and hand-stitching the lining to the zip tape. Creating an entire thing, one hour, está! Unbelievable. Of course, I’ve made little purses and makeup bags before, but I’ve always tended to make a load of them at a time, production-line style, either for Christmas presents or to sell on my old market stall. It was really nice to make one thing whilst thinking about the person I was making it for, hopefully infusing it with good juju that she will feel.

Aside from the time it (didn’t) take to make, the other thing I loved about this little project was that it’s made entirely from scraps. The front bird fabric was left over from my Macaron dress, the denim I used on the back came from some jeans that I cut down into shorts for my boy and the lining is formed from the crazy Chinese takeaway fabric. I still had some anchor trim left after this and this and the turquoise zip (which echoes the turquoise in the bird fabric) was floating around in a drawer. Final score: Thriftiness: 1; Consumerism: NIL.

Bloomers!

I'm pretty late to this particular party, but I finally got round to making the Colette Patterns Madaleine mini bloomers this week. I downloaded the pattern the second I clapped eyes on it but it wasn't until my revision of my Summer Essentials list that I realised they might actually prove to be darn useful.

Generally speaking, I found they went together very well, except I found the front and back inside leg seams didn't marry up. Did anyone else have this problem? When you lay the front and back pattern pieces together, there is clearly a sizeable discrepancy. Anyhoo. I really like the way the pattern instructed the insertion of the elastic in the waistband, with two lines of casings which look really neat. I'll definately be using that method again in the future as I HATE it when elastic sometimes folds over and monkeys about inside it's casing.

I must say that these are realllllyyyyyyy hipstery. If/when I make these again, I'll definately be adding some centimetreage at the top to make them cover by substantial arse and hips a bit better. Also, I wish I'd gone with my first instinct to put elastic rather than a drawstring/ribbon round the bottom for comforts sake. I like the pleats at the front of each leg which wouldn't be possible with elastic, but I think I could live without them.

I used some really nice crisp shirting cotton that was chillin' in my stash without a plan attached to it. I think it gives a traditional mens' pyjama vibe which is a quirky reflection of the bloomers use. I also handstitched all the ends of the ribbon so that they don't fray during washing. I have actually used them each day since their completion for sleeping in/wandering about the flat in before I go for a shower (for a visual on that, see below), so I would have to declare them a WIN! Thanks to Sarai for going to the trouble of creating this pattern and instructions for free. There are some seriously cute versions of these bloomers out there, check out this post to see some of the cuteness.

Vintage Pattern Giveaway

Maybes you've already read Gertie's post on Vintage Pattern Sizing, maybes you haven't. She's a damn clever one, that lady. I have to say, her post made me finally accept something that I've been trying to ignore for some time. I've been buying the wrong size vintage patterns. I've learnt this after massive eBay sessions which have seen my collection swell to a number I have yet to admit (and seeing as they are presently spread over two countries, I don't need to just yet). I didn't realise about the whole measuring your top bust rather than full bust thing to determine your size, so I have a whole heap of 36" bust patterns that are going to take some grading if they are to fit my 34" bust frame.

Now, as Gertie points out, it's not the end of the world. Grading one size down is theorectically do-able. Except I'm lazy. Therefore I've decided to have a giveaway to re-house a couple of 36" bust patterns that I've already tried and decided are too big and too much hassle to re-size if I were to use them again. Lucky you!

Both patterns are used but complete and in good condition. Neither pattern is dated, but I'd estimate both are from about 1970. I'm giving them away together, so if you would like them to be yours, leave a comment with an email address (I'm a busy lady, no time for hunting out ways to contact you!) and I'll pick a winner at midnight on Sunday 27th June. Just copy, paste and complete the following sentence: 'I would like these patterns because.......'. I love a bit of audience participation, me.

Thoughts on Forgiveness

I don't know how I missed it until last week, but back in the day (like, the 8th of May) Susannah of Cargo Cult Craft wrote a relevant and though-provoking post (as usual!) about the differences between and perceptions of Homemade and Handmade garments. She discussed how, in her eyes, her self-stitched creations didn't match up to the finish of mass-manufactured garments. She raised many interesting points, as does the post's comments section, and if you are interested in sewing clothes, I'd recommend you check them out and get involved in the debate. I waded in with my own comment on the topic, but have since found myself revisiting this issue in my thoughts and felt a post brewing to help consolidate my thoughts more clearly. (At times, I'll admit I view my blog as a kind of cheap sounding board/therapy.)

Susannah's post made me realise that when I really got into sewing my own clothes, about four years ago, I felt exactly the same as she did on this matter. Obviously I took pride in my creations and loved the buzz of being able to reply 'I made it' when something received a compliment, but there was always this fear that the garment would somehow fail or display tell-tale signs of homemade-ness. In my clothing company jobs I'd seen sample machinists whip up amazing things in less time than it took me to make a round of coffees due to their decades of daily experience. I knew that the wealth of tips and tricks would never be at my disposal, and my efforts seemed so lame in comparison. Even when the clothing a couple of those companies made was produced from cloth so cheap it felt like paper, the factories' products always came back so crisp and sleekly made, it was as if they were mocking my out-of-office-hours endeavours.

But last week I realised I no longer feel like that. It's not that my skills have greatly improved. On the contrary, I'm appalled at how little I seem to have learnt (dealing with stretch fabric aside) since I stitched the last seam on my final collection at university and took my wares down to London Graduate Fashion Week almost a decade ago. I think my expectations for my garments have changed due to a widening of my knowledge of and involvement in the issues that surround handmade culture and consumption. I have accepted that I don't have access to the fancy binding machines, fusing presses and other industrial equipment that make mass-manufactured clothing appear so slick (at least before they get worn and washed). But that's ok. I know that I can make a damn good approximation that would (I assume because I never ask them) fool the casual observer. I pretty sure everyone is far too busy to stop and try and figure out the origin of my garments! But even if they did figure out that I made everything I'm standing in, except for my bra and flipflops, that's something that these days I'm more than happy to broadcast.

I am far more forgiving of the homemade-y looking elements of my clothes because they exhibit the truth that it is possible to avoid mass-manufactured clothing. That badly applied bias binding or concealed zip reminds me that I'm contributing, in some small way, to the debate about our culture's sustainability. Not only do I forgive the signs that put my clothes into the homemade/handmade catagory, but I guess I've learnt to almost embrace them.

Of course, my awareness of fitting and finishing flaws of a newly finished garment is as heightened as the next seamstress's. I still cringe when my skirt twists about when I walk because I made it a little too big. Sometimes even, I look at all my handmade clothes (which now form the majority of my wardrobe) hanging up and feel that it's all just shoddy shit and I have no 'real' clothes. But that doesn't last long and I acknowledge that is my social conditioning speaking, not really me.

Take this newly finished red and black top pictured here as an example. Where I tried to deal with the sleeveheads' ease and put them into the armhole, I have some pretty major crinkling that refuses to disappear with pressing. Also, the seam allowance of the sleeve/armhole refuses lie correctly all the time so I have to consciously remember to tuck it up at intervals. And although these things annoy me, on balance I'm far more forgiving of them because I have a new top to wear that by and large looks pretty good and complies with the boundaries I have chosen to try to stick to.

I saw a girl the other day on the street who was wearing a blatantly homemade/handmade skirt and it made me so happy. Like finding a vintage garment has actually been hand-stitched, seeing that someone has taken the time to create or adapt a garment really pleases me for reasons that I can't fully express right now. This red and black top actually started life as this rather hideous 80's/90's over-sized blouse, complete with shoulder pads and crazy contrast collar band which I found on the street by the bins on the way to a class. Even though it's the type of synthetic fabric that I wouldn't give a second glance if it was in a fabric store plus I clearly didn't know where it had been, I was drawn to its print seeing some Rockabilly potential there. When I started to unpick it, I found it had been altered by a previous owner at some point in its life which kind of made me appreciate it more and spurred me on with my plan to lengthen its life and customise it still further.

In my experience, making a garment out of an existing garment if infinately harder than with fabric and a pattern, yet I have a mate with a pattern phobia who confines her sewing activities solely to repurposing existing clothes. Hats off to her, this was not easy. I used my adapted New Look 6808 pattern and had quite a tussle to squeeze the pieces out without throwing the giant checks out of wack. And of course there were the sleeves and seam allowance issues mentioned above. I chose these really cute anchor buttons to replace the hideous original ones, but I might change them to flatter ones without a shank in the future that don't dig into my back when I lean against a chair back. I didn't have enough fabric/patience to attempt neck facings so gave the neck edge the ol' bias binding treatment.

Although I generally dislike this type of fabric, I must say it feels really nice when worn. Cool and slinky in the sticky weather Barcelona is so good at. This is the second completed garment from my Summer Essentials challenge list and I was pleased to finish on Friday in time to wear to the last class ever with the kids I was off to teach the day I found the original blouse on the street. Of course I didn't tell them about my bagging street clothes antics, I've found 12-year-old boys tend to have different opinions than many of the thrifty sewing community towards such things! After the lesson, I met up with my boy for an impromptu end-of term celebration date. What girl doesn't enjoy wearing an (old) new garment for such an event?!

Question Time

I've been tagged by the lovely Tilly of Tilly and the Buttons to play a game of eight questions. As she wrote in her post, she chose me to answer them because I'm moving back to the UK soon and she'd like to know more about me before we arrange a blogger meet up, which kind of makes me feel like the likelihood of that blogger meet up is riding on my answers! Oh well, here goes:

1. What is your staple meal? (ie. what meal do you cook most often, when you can't be bothered to think of anything adventurous)

Tomato-ey pasta which could include almost anything in the cupboard/fridge but MUST involve onions.

2. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Funny this question came up as I’ve been putting a lot of (albeit abstract at this point) thought into this very matter seeing as I’m moving to UK in the very near future and employment of some description will have to be secured. This much I know: I’m a massive fan of working hours that are less and at different times than the norm and am happy to sacrifice a comfortable salary for this ability. I need to feel I am in some way in control of my schedule. I’d prefer to work all the hours under the sun as a waitress than 9-6 in an office. I cannot bring myself to work for a corporation or big company, no matter how much better the pay is likely to be. So, given those conclusions, at this precise point in time I guess I would like to write about sewing, self-sufficiency (and if that’s even achievable), questions of consumptions, etc. more seriously and maybe teach some sewing skills classes. This is subject to change!



3. What book are you reading at the moment (if any)?

Right now I am busy trying to read all the books I’ve borrowed from people in Spain before I have to give them back. I’m reading ‘Conversations with Hunter S. Thompson’ by various authors and I started ‘Dreams of my Father’ by Barak Obama on the train today.

4. How do you relax?

I don't consciously do anything to help relax as I have a pretty relaxed schedule at the moment so I think I'd feel a fraud if I did, although I might sleep better if I did. I guess the most relaxing activities I indulge in are sewing, reading (books and blogs), writing and wine.



5. What colour are the interior walls of your home?

Since leaving my folks’ gaff when I was 19, I have always lived in rented accommodation so haven’t had much say in interior decor to date, although I fantastise about it often. The two times I had the opportunity to paint my room I painted the walls red. I’m looking forward to doing that again sometime in the future.

6. What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Recently, I’ve been playing way too much Hearts on my laptop. Maybe it’s a form of relaxation, but whatever, I’d have a lot more sewing projects finished by now if I hadn’t discovered the Hearts function. Please, for the love of god, if you haven’t tried it, don’t! It might get you too!

Another guilty pleasure is swearing off buying vintage sewing patterns on eBay (.co.uk), then falling off the wagon and buying a load more. If the seller only sends to the UK, I get them sent to my mum’s house, but if they send to Europe I get them sent here even if it’s more expensive so my mum doesn’t see them stockpiling up between my visits home when I can collect them! I guess my relocation to UK will mean my own conscious will be the only thing barring me from owning all the vintage patterns in the world!

Oh, and I guess eating lots of tasty things and drinking too much booze should go in the guilty pleasures bit too, as I almost always regret them the next day.



7. What time is bed time and getting up time?

For the last two years my ‘school’ day schedule has been midnight-ish for bedtime and 9-10am-ish for getting up. I have a really hard time getting to sleep (if at all) so it’s not quite the luxurious sleeping pattern that it may seem to some.

8. How long do you spend reading blogs (per day or per week)?

Same as the Hearts issue (see above), if I did less blog reading then more sewing would have got done by now, but I love it! Solely reading other people’s blogs, I’d say an hour a day. Including writing for my own and the Colette Patterns blogs, and checking out/commenting on Flickr groups and Burdastyle, then it’s pushing towards a figure I’d rather not admit.

Here's the bloggers, in no particular order, I will tag in turn who may or may not decide to play along (fingers crossed, no pressure, blah blah):

Cecili from Sewing and so on
Michelle from Naughty Little Epoch
EmilyKate from This is EmilyKate
Coralene from Fawn and Flower
Veronica Darling from Veronica Darling's Crafty Adventures
Jen from Grainline
Jessica from A Yen for Craft
Susannah from Cargo Cult Craft

The questions I would like to put to them are:

1. If you had to choose a famous person to be your new best friend, who would it be any why?
2. What proportion of your wardrobe is handmade?
3. Where would you live, if money, jobs and responsibilities were taken out of the equation?
4. Describe the weirdest or most horrendous place you’ve worked.
5. What is your favourite sewing technique or part of a garment to sew (eg, collars, piping, etc.)?
6. Which sewer out there do you envy the most?
7. Do you collect anything?
8. What’s your personal motto? (I stole that one from the Burdastyle featured members questions because it’s my favourite)

Because a post with no pictures is no post at all (I'm trying to make up personal mottos but I don't think that one's going to stick!), I've 'decorated' this post with paps of me in my Rockabilly tribute dress that I finally got to wear to a Burlesque night last week. Thank you for your time.

Japanese Top Sew-along Results

Back in, ooh May sometime, I signed up to participate in a Japanese top pattern sew-along which was masterminded by the lovely Cecili. The garment was also to form part of my (revised) summer essential sew-along line up due to its potential airy, hot-weather appropriate properties. Because I went to the UK over the weekend I was unable to follow Celili's well-crafted sew-along stages timetable and cranked it out last week but didn't get the opportunity to present it to you until today. Which leads me to the statement: ta daaaaaaaaaaaa!

You may be thinking 'Damn, that fabric looks familiar'. Very observant of you, it's actually more of the duvet case from which I previously fashioned an Anda dress for my best friend. I decided I really wanted to adhere to my Stash Bustin' commitment for this project, and this pattern was BIG which excluded much of my stash, so this kind of got picked by default. The original duvet cover did feature an amusing little tag which I decided to appropriate into this garment. True, if not entirely relevant!:

Although the instructions looked rather scary to say the least, I drafting of the pattern was actually quite easy. The process was very much like following the instructions in my usual pattern cutting book for drafting a basic block. What did kind of flaw me was the (lack of) construction pointers. I spent ages staring at the tiny sketches and at the pieces of fabric in my hands trying to figure out how they should go together (I was trying to get it done before going away so this was before Cecili put up helpful tips on her blog). In the end it went ok, aside from trimming away too much of the seam allowance on the neckbands' facings. To address this issue, I ended up making two rows of topstitching (in contrast orange thread due to a lack on brown) to trap them down.

Of course, I could post up pictures of myself wearing this top, but I think it would be much more amusing to show it modelled by my boy, who decided to try it on after I left it on my mannequin and turned my back. Thankfully I had my camera to hand, and he's not the shy type:

I think he was aiming for some classic catalogue poses, but upon analysis of the pictures, we came to the conclusion that the photos have more than a hint of '70's cult leader about them! He has relinquished possession of the tunic for now, and if this status quo continues, I imagine I'll wear this top mainly around the flat in a bid to keep cool over the next month or so. If I don't get the opportunity to wear it myself, please keep an eye on me via this blog in case I start to exhibit strange cult-follower tendencies! It's good to know I can rely on you.