notes and tidbits: skirts, dresses, body positivity, FOMO, sustainability, etc.
Post Me-Made May, I feel that my making mind is spinning in overdrive and I have a lot of ideas, inspiration, and motivation - but the surge of energy also feels a bit manic and overwhelming.
Two makers have helped me to temper this "make all the things yesterday" feeling. First, the creator of the Make Nine challenge, Rochelle of Lucky Lucille. Her Makers' Guilt blog during MMM18 really helped calm and slow down that buzzing, over-stimulated creative urgency that can arise from seeing so much content & inspiration all at once.
I've gotten really good about being very methodical in my pattern and fabric purchases so as to be more sustainable and avoid buying new things, but in May I got a little swept away. I bought more than I needed in a short period of time. I bought three new PDF patterns and printed out two more free ones (a lot of paper and a lot of ink!). I accidentally bought some black cotton brand new from Joann Fabrics that I thought was needed for a commission, but the plan changed and I ended up with it in my stash. It's a good basic fabric, but I didn't need it at all and if I had been calmer in checking in with my patron and figuring things out ahead of time, I would have saved that unnecessary purchase.
I also bought some new hand dyed silk noil on ebay to go with some thrifted silk noil for the reversible Metamorphic dress.
I'm not going to beat myself up for buying this silk, though. It's really pretty and I am glad I was supporting an individual dye artist... but I didn't need really need it, the way that I felt I did in the moment of purchasing it - and that was the feeling that concerned me in this process.
When I bought it, I could feel this FOMO anxiety welling up when I realized there would be a sew along for this dress starting June 1st. Suddenly I felt my Make Nine aspirations pushed into high gear with this sense of urgency to be a part of this thing at the same time as all the other makers on Instagram. Rather than wait for the right match to my fabric to come along through thrifting or repurposing & making this on my own organic schedule, I had to get matching fabric right away to participate in #summerdressalong that is happening *right now*. So, in addition to all the deadlines I have at work with the end of the academic year... I also need to sew a dress on a deadline?! And what about #summerofbasics too? Plans and purchases and creative gears spinning out of control were leading me to stress out a bit and that is not what I want from my making.
Whew, Kate. Pause. Take a deep breath. S-L-O-W down...
Ironically, the pattern designer of this very dress is also the author who is most helping me mitigate these feelings. Meg of Sew Liberated patterns has a sewing philosophy that really puts things in perspective.
She talks about slowing down with sewing - finding the joy in the process, thinking carefully about how/if you want to grow your wardrobe, and how to create heirloom garments that will make you feel comfortable and beautiful for years to come. Many of her more recent designs are focused on comfort, flexibility, and creative combinations to get more with fewer pieces. I really love her personal style and philosophy. I'm not going to do her beautiful dress design a disservice by stressing over it and rushing the making - I'm going to savor the process and enjoy it in my own time. Maybe I finish with the sewalong folks, maybe not.
I've really become a fan of the slow-and-steady construction method, with periodic immersive creative days. The makers' guide you can get from signing up for the Sew Liberated newsletter talks through this process in great detail and it really is a nourishing and mindful way to work.
I made myself a new skirt this way - with an immersive session mid-May to get it designed and cut out, then stitched on it bit by bit for a couple weeks, until I had time last weekend to spend a an immersive session on the fitting and 12 buttons running down the front placket.
I love slowing down and enjoying even the tough parts of the process. Fitting and finishing things just so sometimes requires a lot of seam ripping and reworking. I'm okay with that. I used to be impatient for the final result, but the biggest reason that I sew is because I love to sew - the garments are a satisfying result of that work... but the work is what I long for - that process is what nourishes me... so stretching it out is like savoring a delicious dessert. Make the process last, make the most out of the experience, stay relaxed, notice the little details along the way... these are my sewing "goals" to counter that busy-mind that can crop up with too many ideas or desire for finished objects.
Also, taking time in the fitting process is a healing and reconciling with my body. It is a new size and so I don't feel like I know it as well as I did. I feel like each new project, I get to know my new body better. I dramatically over-estimated my waist size on this skirt and ended up recutting the waistband and accidentally ending up with 6" of ease... so I had to re-work it a lot to get the fit to a happy place. This kind of work would have frustrated me in the past, but I don't mind undoing and redoing any more. I sit with a cup of tea or a glass of wine in the kitchen with my family and do the unraveling in a social setting, before ducking back into the solitude of my sewing room to put it back together, better the next time around.
Figuring out my actual measurements and fitting patterns to work for me now, just as I am, not how I will be (bigger or smaller) in the future. I tried with this skirt to do a method of construction that would make altering easier in the future, but I decided I didn't like the finished product as well as more traditional waistband construction and there is no sense making for the future, whatever it is, best to just make something that fits how I would like it to fit right now in this present moment.
I used to have this all worked out for several Megan Neilsen skirts that I loved. I made Brumby 5 times, Kelly 4 times, and Veronika 3 times. I wore them a lot - so much that I had to replace the zippers on a couple of my Brumbys. I could make them without thinking about measurements after a while and that was nice - just pull out the pieces, cut, and sew. But now, my TNT patterns don't work any more because my size has changed. I have to create new ones & the size, fitting needs, and style are all different that 2 years ago or 4 years ago when I previously went through periods of high-productivity.
Those periods were like production mode, I kind of maxed out what I needed and then lost steam... but now that I have a sewing room and I can work slow and steady, I don't want to be so on/off about it... I love sewing and I love methodically building my wardrobe to work together, be comfy, and reflect my own personal style ethically and sustainably... and also make peace with myself, where ever I may be, physically, mentally, or emotionally, in a given moment.
Two makers have helped me to temper this "make all the things yesterday" feeling. First, the creator of the Make Nine challenge, Rochelle of Lucky Lucille. Her Makers' Guilt blog during MMM18 really helped calm and slow down that buzzing, over-stimulated creative urgency that can arise from seeing so much content & inspiration all at once.
I've gotten really good about being very methodical in my pattern and fabric purchases so as to be more sustainable and avoid buying new things, but in May I got a little swept away. I bought more than I needed in a short period of time. I bought three new PDF patterns and printed out two more free ones (a lot of paper and a lot of ink!). I accidentally bought some black cotton brand new from Joann Fabrics that I thought was needed for a commission, but the plan changed and I ended up with it in my stash. It's a good basic fabric, but I didn't need it at all and if I had been calmer in checking in with my patron and figuring things out ahead of time, I would have saved that unnecessary purchase.
I also bought some new hand dyed silk noil on ebay to go with some thrifted silk noil for the reversible Metamorphic dress.
I'm not going to beat myself up for buying this silk, though. It's really pretty and I am glad I was supporting an individual dye artist... but I didn't need really need it, the way that I felt I did in the moment of purchasing it - and that was the feeling that concerned me in this process.
When I bought it, I could feel this FOMO anxiety welling up when I realized there would be a sew along for this dress starting June 1st. Suddenly I felt my Make Nine aspirations pushed into high gear with this sense of urgency to be a part of this thing at the same time as all the other makers on Instagram. Rather than wait for the right match to my fabric to come along through thrifting or repurposing & making this on my own organic schedule, I had to get matching fabric right away to participate in #summerdressalong that is happening *right now*. So, in addition to all the deadlines I have at work with the end of the academic year... I also need to sew a dress on a deadline?! And what about #summerofbasics too? Plans and purchases and creative gears spinning out of control were leading me to stress out a bit and that is not what I want from my making.
Whew, Kate. Pause. Take a deep breath. S-L-O-W down...
Ironically, the pattern designer of this very dress is also the author who is most helping me mitigate these feelings. Meg of Sew Liberated patterns has a sewing philosophy that really puts things in perspective.
She talks about slowing down with sewing - finding the joy in the process, thinking carefully about how/if you want to grow your wardrobe, and how to create heirloom garments that will make you feel comfortable and beautiful for years to come. Many of her more recent designs are focused on comfort, flexibility, and creative combinations to get more with fewer pieces. I really love her personal style and philosophy. I'm not going to do her beautiful dress design a disservice by stressing over it and rushing the making - I'm going to savor the process and enjoy it in my own time. Maybe I finish with the sewalong folks, maybe not.
I've really become a fan of the slow-and-steady construction method, with periodic immersive creative days. The makers' guide you can get from signing up for the Sew Liberated newsletter talks through this process in great detail and it really is a nourishing and mindful way to work.
I made myself a new skirt this way - with an immersive session mid-May to get it designed and cut out, then stitched on it bit by bit for a couple weeks, until I had time last weekend to spend a an immersive session on the fitting and 12 buttons running down the front placket.
Also, taking time in the fitting process is a healing and reconciling with my body. It is a new size and so I don't feel like I know it as well as I did. I feel like each new project, I get to know my new body better. I dramatically over-estimated my waist size on this skirt and ended up recutting the waistband and accidentally ending up with 6" of ease... so I had to re-work it a lot to get the fit to a happy place. This kind of work would have frustrated me in the past, but I don't mind undoing and redoing any more. I sit with a cup of tea or a glass of wine in the kitchen with my family and do the unraveling in a social setting, before ducking back into the solitude of my sewing room to put it back together, better the next time around.
Figuring out my actual measurements and fitting patterns to work for me now, just as I am, not how I will be (bigger or smaller) in the future. I tried with this skirt to do a method of construction that would make altering easier in the future, but I decided I didn't like the finished product as well as more traditional waistband construction and there is no sense making for the future, whatever it is, best to just make something that fits how I would like it to fit right now in this present moment.
I used to have this all worked out for several Megan Neilsen skirts that I loved. I made Brumby 5 times, Kelly 4 times, and Veronika 3 times. I wore them a lot - so much that I had to replace the zippers on a couple of my Brumbys. I could make them without thinking about measurements after a while and that was nice - just pull out the pieces, cut, and sew. But now, my TNT patterns don't work any more because my size has changed. I have to create new ones & the size, fitting needs, and style are all different that 2 years ago or 4 years ago when I previously went through periods of high-productivity.
Those periods were like production mode, I kind of maxed out what I needed and then lost steam... but now that I have a sewing room and I can work slow and steady, I don't want to be so on/off about it... I love sewing and I love methodically building my wardrobe to work together, be comfy, and reflect my own personal style ethically and sustainably... and also make peace with myself, where ever I may be, physically, mentally, or emotionally, in a given moment.
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