Oh wait, is that not a thing, soulmate clothing? It should be, don’t you think?

Case study #1: The green leggings. Dark green, cotton and spandex, not too tight but taught enough not to be bunchy, they have been my go-to long underwear all winter long. They have also stood in for tights on those days when actual tights were just too thin for the cold blowing down the city streets. It’s the color, really, that makes me love them so. Such a unique legging color! But a subdued enough hue to work under a long skirt with a pair of boots–unlike my striped pink and yellow pair of actual long johns.

Case study #2: The polka-dot purple leggings. I fear the fate may someday befall my current verdant soulmate leggings that long ago befell these purple beauties. Oh, elementary school, when one could while away the day in purple leggings with small black polka dots and feel on top of the world. These puppies were not relegated to long underwear duty. These puppies were worn to be seen. Worn and worn and worn well past the point where they fit properly. Worn well past the point where they could still technically be considered fabric, they’d become so thin from so many washings. One day, they mysteriously disappeared. My mother had a guilty look in her eye when I asked her what happened to them. Sigh. Growing out of–and wearing out–beloved clothing and shoes was one of the harder parts of growing up.

Case study #3: The gray shirt. This was the first actually wearable item of clothing that I ever designed myself. I used computer software to draft the basic pattern for a long-sleeved t-shirt to fit a sloper with my exact measurements, then once it was printed, altered it by hand to give it a yoke. Cut it out from organic heather-gray jersey knit. To assemble the shirt, I was left entirely to my own devices–no pattern directions to aid me–and loved figuring out the puzzle as I went along. Midway through making it, before I’d sewn down the yoke lining to the inside, I tried it on…and hated the fit. The look in the shoulders wasn’t at all what I had in mind. I tossed it aside and moved on to greener pastures, then finally told myself a week later that I should do the finishing work on the shirt as a matter of principle, since it was my first self-design. It didn’t matter how it looked; I could wear it as a sleep shirt. So I added the cuffs, did the hem, hand-stitched the yoke lining, tried it on once more…and loved the fit. Without the lining curling all around inside, the shoulders fit great. The simple band cuffs added a subtle sophistication. I remember freaking out in front of the mirror, so happy I’d pushed through to finish it. I wore it ALL THE TIME for over a year, put it aside for a time when it was too small, and am now happy again to pull it out of my drawer and put it on when I need a bit of comfort.

I could go on. Soulmate clothing? I think yes. These examples–and all of the many more special garments in my life that I haven’t listed–have felt not unlike destined figures in my life. They make me feel like me, so happy to be in my skin. I think, in fact, that the reason I became so enamored with making clothes was because it upped the amount of soulmate clothing in my life. I was much more in control of the items hanging in my closet–of whether I loved them or of whether they were there to get me by, because I hadn’t had the kismet or energy or funds to find something I liked any better.

When you buy clothes, you are on a hunt through a dark forest that may or may not present to you the delicious berries you seek. When you make clothes, there’s a little bit of magic. You’re making the berries themselves. Of course, when you make clothes, there is still a great deal of chance. First, you have to find the right fabric. Find–or design, or alter–the right pattern. There’s no guarantee that once you make the garment, it will fit right or look the way you imagined. But the more you work at it, the better you get at taking an idea and turning it into the thing you imagined–or something better than the thing you imagined.

However my soulmate clothing comes to me, I am grateful for it. I don’t know many better tools for life than feeling comfortable in your own skin. When your clothing, your social skin feels meant-to-be, it’s a whole lot easier to move through the world, isn’t it?

Cross-posted here.

The photos may not make it clear, but those star/flower shapes made from the darker fabric are actually dimensional. The technique is from the book A Fresh Twist on Fabric Folding by Rebecca Wat. I’ve used it before, but never finished that project…batiks are not fun to hand-sew, and this technique requires hand-sewing once the shapes are made and seamed together with the alternate plain blocks. You sort of pop out the petal/star points and tack them down to the surrounding fabric. The book makes that much clearer than I just did, as it has photos of the process.

For the handles, I used some navy-blue, cotton webbing I had on hand. For the lining, a quilting cotton with a cream background. I am pretty excited about how this turned out, actually, and I’d love to make more with these shapes. Depending on the colors you choose, this could result in so many fun looks. The book suggests slipping in squares of contrasting fabric beneath the petals before seaming (again, the book photos make this so much clearer than my words do) but honestly I forgot that step until it was too late.

One of the things I love about making clothing is that you turn this flat, one-dimensional textile into something 3-D, an actual structure. My Vogue Sewing book calls seamstresses sculptors for this reason. Now, a bag is technically structural as well, but with a simple tote like this, you generally don’t get the thrill that you would, say, creating a jacket. That’s why I love fabric origami–it adds texture and shape and instantly makes something simple much more interesting.

What do you think? Have you tried fabric folding before? If you have other techniques, I’d love to know more.

I know it’s been slow around here, but there’s been good reason: I’ve been putting my creative energy into writing. In fact, check it out, I have a short story in the September/October issue of Cicada, a literary magazine for young adults. It’s called “Prudent Paisley Gives Her Troubles Away,” and while the main character isn’t a seamstress, she does have a particular obsession with clothes, so you may be interested.

I’ve also been building posts on my new, writerly blog over here, so you are welcome to come visit. The sewing days will return, but for now that’s the spot on the Internet where you’ll find me.

One thing I’m wondering about: Could it be that girls my age, who saw adults like Elaine sporting these looks when they were kids, are now working in the fashion industry, influencing what’s in style? (Sidenote: These sort of old-fashioned granny boots that are now back in style were also popular when I was a kid but not too practical for my age set. You know, high heels and all. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if there’s some young designer out there who, like me, never got a pair as a kid and so brought the look back for personal fulfillment. A silly thought, I know…) Or is it just the way styles recycle?

Anyway, the article is a fun read about yet another area of our culture that continues to be influenced by Seinfeld.

I really like Michael Miller’s line of Flower Fairies fabric based on the art of Cicely Mary Barker. I am also far past the age where a deep and abiding love for fairy fabric is appropriate. Maybe it’s because I never really went through a fairy phase (until now, apparently)–I don’t know. All I know is that Ms. Barker’s fairy illustrations get me, and seeing them on fabric even more so. (If you want to read more about her books, check out the Flower Fairies website, but be warned–there’s audio.)

Here are some of her illustrations:

And here are some of the fabrics in the Michael Miller line:

I think what I love so much about Ms. Barker’s artistic vision is the clothes she gives those little fairies. Don’t you want to wear a frothy white dress with petals ’round the neck and butterfly wings on your back, no matter your age?

You don’t?

Okay, that’s just me, then.

I hope there are some happy little children getting things sewn for them out of these fabrics, though.

This is the latest joint project between my mom and me. She made the bag itself, I did the cross-stitch and appliqued it on. This was for my grandmother’s birthday (a milestone one), and actually my mom made another bag from the same pattern out of a different fabric to give to her as well. I wish I had grabbed photos of the second one before she gave it away–it was a gorgeous home dec silk with floral embroidery.

But back to this bag. This is a McCall’s pattern (I think), though I’m not sure which number since I didn’t do the sewing. Its outer is linen, its lining is light blue cotton, and there’s 1/2″ cording in the handles. If you’d like to know about the cross-stitch, check out this post (though I decided to omit the pedestal-type thing on bottom). This was my first go at cross-stitch since I was in elementary school, and let me just tell you it is not without its mistakes. That flower on the left–I just could not get its placement right. I had to snip that out more than once. And I kind of didn’t look at any directions for how one actually goes about doing cross-stitch. So let’s just hope those stitches hold.

The bags were a hit, I think. We gave them to my grandmother in person, after we showed up on her doorstep completely unannounced as part of an elaborate surprise scheme that my grandfather had plotted. It was all pretty fun.

Something that you have to understand here is that in our family, bags are a thing (along with office supplies). My grandmother has given them to me, I’ve given them to my grandmother, my dad and brother and I have given them to my mom, my aunt just gave me one for my birthday within the last few months. We like bags. We just do. It doesn’t matter what kind–we are equally in awe of fancy clutches and canvas tote bags. So, hopefully the two bags (plus some other special accompaniments) hit the spot for my grandmother.

I kind of really wanted it for myself. Is that bad?

Vogue VO 2535B

Sometime back in the nineties, my mom, dad, and brother all had identical glasses frames. Wire rims–but with some sort of tortoiseshell finish on the wire. Gigantic nineties lenses. (Nothing like the ones above.)

Yeah, somehow I was spared glasses until college. Although, I admit, back in the day while my family was getting fitted for their frames in the optician’s shop, I would wander over to the kids’ section and kind of lust after the frames there, trying them on one by one. I was that child, the one who had a strange fascination with glasses, casts, and braces. Guess what? I ended up with all three. Not as fun as they sounded. (Who was I that I even thought they sounded fun in the first place?)

But of the three, I’ve minded glasses the least. Perhaps that’s partially because I don’t have to wear them all the time–though my days of 20/20 vision are gone, my specs are more for eye strain than anything else. I can get away without wearing them, it’s just that it’s better if I do.

Nicole Miller Passport

Prada PR 11MV (Men's)

The other advantage of glasses over braces and casts? Fashion statement. Though it sure is nice of the hospitals and orthodontists to offer color options for casts and braces bands, I’m not sure how chic I looked when I sported a mouth full black-and-orange Halloween-themed orthodonture. Or when I had that purple leg cast (that I got a pen cap stuck in the first night I had it, but that’s another story…).

I love my distance frames (Nicole Miller, brown, rectangular-shaped–not pictured) and in fact switched opticians just to have them salvaged after one place said they couldn’t put new lenses in them. Yes, I am attached, and for good reason. These puppies are just the right mix of statement (I get more compliments on them than I do my home-sewn duds) and understated, and to top it off, they don’t pinch my face.

Kate Spade Grace

Nine West 390

Gucci 2568

There may come a day when I look at photos of myself in my glasses and think how dated they are. At the time my three fellow family members got their frames that now look so ancient in photos, we were all pretty excited about how rad they looked. What looked slick in the nineties now looks…well, so nineties. But who cares if the same happens with my current beloved frames? They’ve lasted five years so far, and they’ve stood by me. Looking back at photos in the future, what I’ll remember is how comfortable they made me feel in my skin at the time.

I hope the same will go for my homemade clothes.

Lafont Borgia

ANYWAY, what about you guys? How do you feel about specs as a fashion/personal/can’t-see-without-them-so-who-cares-I-have-to-wear-them-anyway statement? I’ve pasted some photos throughout this post of frames I like. (Sense a pattern at all?) Any styles out there you’re into at the moment? I love how into her glasses Gertie is.

Well, they’re accepting submissions (though only through Aug. 1), so if you’re interested, here’s the link.

Now, about the wedding. It was a whirlwind two days. There was a rehearsal, a rehearsal dinner, a salon morning, a few hours of very mellow sitting around, and then–BOOM, they got hitched and then danced a lot.

During that very mellow sitting around, one of my aunts, who is a Mary Kay consultant, brought over her rad binder of samples. Have you ever seen one of these? It’s got pages of blush and eyeshadow samples on little tear-off sample cards. You just peel off the thin layer of plastic from the square-inch card and voila, you’ve got yourself your makeup for the day. As I rarely wear makeup on a day-to-day basis, I got a little thrill out of playing with these.

Tasia asked if I would show what I did end up wearing in place of the original bridesmaid dress I made, so here you go:

It ended up being way too busty for me, so I took in the bodice side seams. I didn’t get any shots of me actually wearing the dress–there were so many flash bulbs going off that it didn’t occur to me to add another camera to the mix.

The rest of the fashion report from the day? My mom wore a periwinkle shift dress I made for her from the Built By Wendy dress book with a Badgley Mischka/Vogue portrait collar jacket (no pics of these either–sorry), my dad wore a complementary lilac tie, and my grandfather wore an awesome multicolor (but tasteful, really! This man defines tasteful) seersucker tie.

Oh yeah, and the bride, she wore a dress, too! I even helped her pick it out almost a year ago–white (surprise!), with straps (actually a surprise in the of strapless wedding gowns out there), a v-neck, and asymetrical ruching at the waist. She wasn’t so into the search for the wedding dress, but she seemed happy with her choice that day at the bridal shop and again on the day of her wedding. It worked to let her pay attention to the rest of the day, and that was all she needed it to do.

The quilt went over pretty big with the attendees. (My mom and I spread it out in the bridal suite to show them.)

One of the most popular blocks was the turtles all the way down block. My brother and his fellow science aficionado friends took a real shine to it.

Plus I learned after putting the block in that whenever his (now) wife is sad, my brother takes her to the pet store to look at turtles because she likes them so much. Which means that #1 in my How to Make an Unconventional Wedding Quilt is true! I really had no idea why a turtle block belonged in a wedding quilt, I just knew that it had to be there. And I can’t tell you how many times someone walked up to the quilt and the first thing they said was, “Oh, a turtle!”  So. Turtles. Yeah.

Thanks, you guys, for being here along the way. It’s been fun to update you on all the handmade details that went into it (and didn’t end up going into it, but now I at least have in my closet, right?).

Oh, one more thing! To the wedding rehearsal I wore this dress with a cool, taupe, wide elastic belt. I’m very self-conscious about my middle, as there’s just not much of a waist to it at all. I am forever adjusting patterns so that they don’t cut in so much at the waistband and avoiding patterns with too much waist definition lest they hit me at the wrong point and make me look like someone cinched a rope around a sack of potatoes. But something about this belt, which I found a few days before we left, makes me very happy and makes me look like I have a real, live waist. Plus I thought it made the dress look a little more modern. One of my now sister-in-law’s relatives gushed over the fabric and I was like, “Yeah, I know, that’s how I reacted when I found it in the fabric store.” So that was fun.

Now, I think that’s the report. I’ve been having fun catching up on all of your blogs and sewing creations. Hope you’re all having a blast and staying cool (if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, that is. If you’re getting into winter, I hope you’re staying warm!)

]]> http://sewsterhood.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/the-dress/feed/ 1 sewbissy IMG_0306 IMG_0103 IMG_0264 http://sewsterhood.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/cross-stitch/ http://sewsterhood.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/cross-stitch/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:55:05 +0000 SewBissy http://sewsterhood.wordpress.com/?p=464 Continue reading →]]> So, cross-stitch. You know, I’ve gotta say, I know there’s a hip embroidery movement afoot. Which is cool. Jenny Hart and all that. It’s fun that the world is expanding, making crafts more accessible for people from different perspectives, generations…

But all that said, I’m a pretty big fan of the traditional stuff. Maybe it’s because I grew up with an elaborate cross-stitch sampler made by my great-grandmother hanging on the living room wall. Or because my grandmother later made me my very own little personalized sampler. I don’t know. I just know that, while I could probably get a kick out of just the right updated pattern, I’m mostly drawn to the old school stuff.

Which is why it was awesome to come across old cross-stitch pattern books from the ’80s at a local sewing shop. Here’s the one I chose as my first cross-stitch project (um, okay, technically my second cross-stitch project if you don’t count the horribly botched handtowel experiment of the early ’90s…which I’m not):

I switched up the colors a little. Here’s what I have so far:

The Pennsylvania Dutch in me likes that it’s got a little Distelfink thing going on, and the birdwatcher in me likes it, too.

Here’s what the pattern looks like:

I should say that I don’t actually know what I’m doing. I just began. In fact, it wasn’t until last night that I realized the booklet has basic instructions for cross-stitch on its inside cover, but they confused me. Possibly, because I am not actually following directions, this whole thing will fall apart, but I hope not. It’s too fun to see it go to waste.

I’m not sure what I’ll do with it when it’s finished, but I can’t wait to finish it up, soak it in some water, and give it a good blocking. Frame it? Make a pillow? A special bag? Hmm…

I’ll let you know.