Jacket Updates

Maybe you get tired of me writing about my 1980's linen Jacket, but I am so attached to this piece of clothing.  Ridiculous almost, but I do love it and wear it often but not so much as I used to.  It has sustained so much wear and now the fabric is giving out in several places.  Last week I blew the elbow out on my right sleeve when I bent my arm.  Big ouch!  It sat miserably ripped while I considered my options:  Should I retire it and use it as a piece of wall art in my studio?  ...or should I keep it going with more repairs?  Well, happily, I decided that wall art is off in the future.  Under intense inspection against a bright light, it was apparent that the entire right sleeve was seriously worn and thin.  Patching and reinforcement was needed to make it wearable.

First I took out the stitching at the back side of the sleeve.  This is a small man's jacket that my sons wore, so the two piece sleeve has two vertical seams.  The one at the back was in better condition than the other, and its integrity was intact while the seam under the arm had a few tiny breaks at the edge of the seam and would require reinforcing.  I left the cuff join alone, starting above the button slit, and opened it up to just below the armhole.  This allowed me to open it up enough to work easily.  I cut a piece of sheeting fabric with a pink striped pattern (in case of future fabric disintegration and show through), pinned it inside the sleeve, and then placed patches over the front inner elbow area where thinning was the worst.  I used a heart shape patch, and plan to embroider my grand-daughter's name on it.  ...Wearing my heart on my sleeve obviously!  The blown out elbow was "stitched" together with lengths of ribbon, looking for all the world like the stitch job one of my sons got in an emergency room by a seriously inept doctor after ripping his thigh on a barb wire fence.   On his leg it was pathetic, on my sleeve it's artsy.  Ah well.  I also used thin ribbon over another patch cut in a circle form wide ribbon In order to strengthen the top part of the sleeve, I striped thin ribbon about 1/2" apart to secure the lining and add stability.  To secure the lining where there were large open areas in design, I drew swirls and over-stitched them, filling in the spaces with spirals like my favorite artist, Gustav Klimt.

The results are stunning it I do say so myself, and now there are plans to "fill in" the rest of the jacket.  ...It sortof looks unfinished now.  But oh how magnificent it will be when I am done! 

Twiddling Thumbs Gets Nothing Done

This week has been a time of resting up a little.  The DH has been on a mini-vacation since Wednesday, and both of us needed R&R.  We have been so busy taking care of things that have to be done that just staying home and having a movie marathon sounded good to both of us.  Unlike our past "stay-cations" in which we did a little bit of local traveling and sight seeing, we thought it would be easier on both of us if we did not try to take my mother out every day.  Now 97, and deeper into Alzheimer's Disease, we never know what to expect from her health-wise or in terms of attitude.   Also, I just don't feel like pushing a wheel chair even 5 feet in the 100* heat we are having.

So, you should know by now that I do not just sit twiddling my thumbs.  I have been busy working on the chair swing, patching the other pocket of The Jacket, and sewing up a tunic which is up-cycled from an old tank top, matching shorts, and similar color knit capris.  I have had these three items for years, but have not worn them in forever because they "got little."  I could have worn them, but I hate seeing a of any age woman stuffed into her clothing.  As far as I am concerned, it is seriously deeming to her dignity and speaks volumes on her self worth.  Clothing should add grace, mystery and beauty, and there ain't no way that defining every bulge and cellulite dimple does that.

Because the tunic took too much thinking as I designed it, I didn't take photos of the stages it went through, but it is easy enough to describe the process.  The first thing I did was to remove a label that was sewn to the front of the tank top.  I am not at all big on wearing someones labels on my clothing.  I knew I would slip up with this and made a few tiny holes in the knit.  Yes, this could be a disaster, but there is a great product called Fray Check that will stop unraveling in T-short knits.  I used to use it often on my son's T's because they always got holes where they were tucked into their pants at the front waistline.Then, I picked out a stitched on logo from the shorts.  No holes this time!  Next, I cut the waistband from the shorts, and cut the two front and two back pieces apart along the seam-lines.  I was careful to preserve the pockets.  The waistband is a folded ribbing with a drawstring, and I decided to use it along the waistline seam when joining the "skirt."  I actually cut it in half the long way, and extended it by sewing the two halves together, and then cutting it to fit the hem of the top.

For the skirt portion, I cut the shorts pieces straight down from the center front and back seam-lines, removing the crotch areas.  The legs of the capris were cut into elongated diamonds and sewn in at center front and back as well as the side seams.  I only needed to hem the diamonds as the shorts already had the hems.  After sewing the waistline together, all that was left was to thread the drawstring through, and then patch some pieces onto the holes on the front of the top.

I have already worn this over black capri length leggings and tank top, but plan to wear it under my Aruba sweater when weather gets colder, with either tan leggins or pants.

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The Cobweb That Caught the Sky

COBWEB: A flimsy, insubstantial snare spun by a special breed of spider to entrap its prey

After weeks of repair and remodel, I needed an outlet for a gentler creative side of me. Picking up knitting needles once again after months of neglect, I vowed that I would just simply let them and the yarn take me to places I have never ventured before. I did have in mind something sort of Rodarte, who I have venerated ever since the sister's 2008 lines came out. Based on nature and totally radical knits, they represented for me a no-rules way of creating something out of nothing more than an idea. Characterized by loosely knit webs of fine mohair capturing bold areas of color and heavily textured, they have captured my spirit, which has always been a voice in the background begging me to give it a try.

The yarns seemed to just fall into my hands. Even though I had planned for another use of a wild diva that looks like bits of wool tied to hologram metallic thread and nylon cord scraps, it called to be a companion to the more sedate natural tan silk fingering weight that I have been hoarding from Artfibers for years now. Artfibers has the most gorgeous stuff I have ever seen in one place. All their yarns are spun to order. Amazing, yarn heaven, and it is worth a visit if you are ever in the San Francisco area. Then, a painted pastel nylon ribbon that had insisted on coming home with the diva (for some reason), entered the mix. And that was it. Just three yarns, ...quite a change of habit for me since I am usually working with anywhere from six to ten in any one project.

After trying several large needle sizes on the fingering weight yarn, I settled on a #13. At that point, I just began by casting on three stitches. The only thoughts for an end result were perhaps to make a cropped vest to go over summer tops for a little cover. From then on, all I kept in mind were basic rectangular shapes that roughly met my measurements. Free of regard for any sort of edge consistency, I simply knit until the pieces were relatively the same length. Individual stitches were another form of abandon. I threw in short rows, drop stitches, and varied knits and pearls to add more irregularity, and jigged and jogged the hems and edges. The yarns were picked up and dropped at will, creating shapes that drift like clouds of diva yarn and held by patches of ribbon that look like the sky. Yarn tails fly free like the tails of kites.

Once the pieces were of a relatively matched length, I cast off the back and fronts, and joined the shoulders as well as at the sides. To give a bit more shape and weight for a nice drape, I crocheted a single row of chain stitches to the edges with the ribbon yarn, and added a tie of the combined yarns braided together at the front.

I have written up a downloadable pattern/guide for those of you special spider types, who want to give this a try with more guidance than I have given here. You can find it on Ravelry as the Cobweb Vest, or my Etsy store, or by simply emailing me a message.

I Used to Hate My Serger....

Years ago, in another lifetime, I spent 14 years working as head dressmaker for the North American office of the Burda Pattern Company, sewing model garments for trade shows. I loved the job, working from home while I raised my three sons. I got to assist at fashion shows, as well as getting all the Burda patterns and magazines I wanted. Working with the best of fabrics was really a plus too, though I had to force myself to get over the fear of cutting into some of the really precious ones that came my way. Anyway, when sergers came out for home sewing, Burda sent me one to use, and frankly, I was horrified. I was such a purist back then, thoroughly schooled in the Bishop Method as I majored in Textiles and Design back in college. ...Ya gotta know there were proper ways to finish seams for crying out loud!

Since then, so many fashion rules have been broken, and as there is an evolution for all things, so has my approach to sewing changed. I am discovering that the forlorn little serger that was banned to the recesses of the closet for some 20 odd years (but I can never toss things out...) is now one of my simple pleasures. I really enjoy the time I spend now, serging odd shapes of fabric together and designing garments as I go. Its like the old Crazy Quilts I used to adore, and I have found a lot of artistry in the freedom it allows me. This past week, I have been eyeballing a piece of gray jersey, and making sketches, and Saturday, I had cut pieces ready to sew. By the end of the day, I had a new tunic to wear with a little Zen-like topper I had created a few weeks ago. Then, as another idea hit me, I made myself a ragged necklace out of the piece of fabric that was left-over.

Views On Being An Artisan

Taking another look at this clothing phenomenon of up-cycling, deconstructing, reconstructing clothing in ways that seems like the designer is on acid…

It appears that this is also dubbed the “Indie” style of design, which refers to the DIY culture of crafter/creators that are independent of bigger business, often selling from street fairs or etsy. Usually they are eco-smart and using recycled clothing with an unusual flair for combining patterns and fabrics that is reminiscent of my grandmother’s house, and it’s almost droll combination of unrelated patterns and colors.

Some are saying that this is a resurgence of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 1900’s. Yes, we have moved away from the handcrafting things that we use, as well as growing and preparing he foods that we eat. I think that the more we are in touch with nature and the creation of what we require is a good philosophy to live by. I deplore mass-consumerism, and the mediocrity it results in. I am truly disgusted with what I see in the stores now, …sleazy and poorly made clothing and shoes, and tasteless packaged prepared meals that we kill the nutrition of even further by throwing them into the microwave. Although the American Arts and Crafts Movement advocated truth to materials and traditional craftsmanship, as well as using simple shapes, it was also paired with a political viewpoint of Progressivism. Well, here we are, we hear it every day. ...What I can’t see is how Socialist political views are attached to artistry and craftsmanship, when they clearly ignore the individual artisan in favor of large labor forces, ergo mass-production and mediocrity, which means accepting surrounding ourselves with clutter that gives us no real satisfaction.

I like the idea of being an "Indie" designer and craftswoman. I get enormous satisfaction from creating from scratch, whether it is the meal I prepare for my family, or the clothes on our backs, and the decor of my home, I know I can feel proud of what I have accomplished.