Sunday 4 March 2012

Poetry & Clothing Project: December

It's been a long time coming, but here is an update from the Poetry & Clothing project. You'd be more than forgiven for forgetting where we had got to! The last installment was November's garment: a remade sweatshirt with spotty Peter Pan collar. Garments for December, January and February have been made and received, but a bad bout of writer's block meant Harriet was unable to reciprocate for a while. Thankfully that has passed and we are back in business so here is December's garment:

A cape, no less!!! It may not be obvious, but I generally try to make Harriet seasonally appropriate garments. And what with it being Christmas, I thought I'd stretch myself to a larger and more involved project that my previous offerings. I used the vintage cape pattern I showed you in my outerwear sewing pattern hoard post. I created my own lining pattern pieces as this sewing pattern made the assumption the owner was so adept at sewing, that separate pieces would be an unnecessary frivolity (they wouldn't).

Look! Fully lined!!! I had to wing it and I'm not entirely sure I nailed the arm opening slits and how they relate to the lining at that point, but it seems to work well enough. The check wool fabric, in case you couldn't guess, came from my place of work, as did the lining. I decided to cut the collar pieces on the bias to alter the direction of the check. Because the check it quite a busy pattern, and because the fabric is so thick, I decided to use chunky poppers as a fastening which would be invisible when worn done-up.

Harriet was able to come and visit us in Brighton in 'one-night-only' fashion over the Christmas break whilst she was back in UK. We had such a great time together with Patty and Michelle, and I so pleased that she donned the cape straight away. Here she is pictured above, grappling with a cash machine!

It's so nice to be able to show you some photos of Harriet, to prove she's not just a figment of my imagination! The brief time we were able to spend together was as inspirational as ever, as we pow-wowed about all our projects and endeavours going forward into the new year and beyond.

Ok, poetry time! Let's hear how Harriet interpretted that remade sweatshirt of hers:


November




Girls in a deli


little red dots


bodies that twist and sprout


still laugh, trip & yell


I don't want to grow up


bright gloom


beyond the light of the classroom


dappled sun on a plastic cup


Who are you, Peter Pan?


red buttons erupt, they burst


laughter burns red & thirst


spilling over into the thought that they can


make that kind of joke


in the shade of a playground oak


6 comments:

jill said...

Great cape, looks super cozy! And I adore these poetry and clothing projects, her words are beautiful.

Herry said...

Wuuaaaaaa.. your blog very attractive n interesting, i love it...

Come and see my simple blog too if u have time..

Herry-tan.blogspot.com, but i still new member on blogspot, thks..

didyoumakethat said...

Oh, wow, that is a lovely cape and lovely photos! I always believed your poet friend was real.

Chase Clark said...

Cute! I still need to sew the collar onto my cape... I adored the first installment of this, that sweater was so lovely!

Hazza said...

more poems to come soon. It's flowing now! Thanks for posting these photos - reminded me what a lovely time I had with you. I am obsessed with that cape. love love love

trendy clothes said...

Very nice blog...i love those pics...Thanks for posting that blog....

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