Zen and the Art of Garment Making

Can you take the Seamless Pledge? I, Cassandra M, take the Seamless pledge until December 25th 2012. "I will abstain from buying any new clothes until the end of my pledge. I will find ways to be fashionable without breaking the bank and without contributing to the cycle of fast fashion consuming the high street. I will trawl through charity shops, I will attend clothes swaps, I will look for second-hand items on eBay and I will craft my own clothes with my own two hands." The pledge was written by Elena Cresci, blogger for Seamless. Follow along at http://seamlessblog.wordpress.com/ A growing concern and awareness of the garment and textile industry has settled into my thoughts lately. There have been rumors of dangerous chemicals being used to treat and create inexpensive, mass produced fabrics in not only distant continents, but also here in North America. This is but one rumor, and only builds on the sadness that comes from the knowledge that most of our garments, inexpensive or expensive, are manufactured entirely by the very young to the very old. The work environments are unfair and unsafe for any person no matter what age, gender, creed, nationality or other variation. Low pay and lack of basic human amenities plague this industry. We perpetuate it by forgetting the hard work, dedication, and years of practice, that only the human hand can perfect in garment making. We perpetuate it by forgetting quality, supporting those giant chain stores who choose to go with the the lowest bidder and blind themselves to the real cost to others, just to make the most money by spending the least possible. We forget the old saying, "You get what you pay for." As we all know, not only in the textile/garment industry, but throughout the whole global economic crisis, those chickens have come home to roost. We need to think ahead, let go of the desire to "have more." We need to strive to be content with what we can create and accomplish ourselves. We can be happy with using that which has already been created. Personally, I struggle with wants and desires every day. I can spend hours pouring through online stores, wishing, wanting, convincing myself that I need these things to make my life better, more normal, and happier. What I really need to do, is to purge my home and heart of unnecessary desires, focus on what I do have and can make and be satisfied with quality over quantity. It doesn't matter how many band-aids you buy to cover that wound, you need a skilled professional to sew it up.

I can't get enough patterns

In fact, I love them so much, I'm afraid to share my secret sources! I know that isn't fair to the sellers, and I do care about their success. Sometimes, I use the obvious sources, such as Etsy and Ebay. Here's a list of vintage pattern sources: I've (well, my grandmother got them for me, she's the best!) also scored some great patterns from an antique store in rural Maine, near Sugarloaf. Hattie's Gifts and Antique Shop I also recommend So Vintage Patterns as well as The Rusty Zipper I'm going to kick myself for posting this, but the owner deserves the plug: Mom's Patterns Mom's is my favorite source for great sewing patterns. You have to dig a bit, but some amazing finds are there, and the prices are amazing. From basic twiggy dresses to glamorous designer patterns from the 1930s to present, the selection is outstanding and diverse for all shapes, tastes, styles and eras. Actually, I learned most of my sewing skills from buying patterns from Mom's, reading the pattern instructions over and over again, making mistakes and finally successes. The owner, Jennifer, is amazing and even gave me a discount when I forgot to put in the coupon code. She ships really fast as well! I have always gotten my patterns within 48 hours of ordering them. (Obviously there's a shipping hold for the holidays, but lets be fair here, we all deserve a vacation!) For modern patterns, I use Burda, which I can buy at the local Joann's, or online at BurdaStyle I also LOVE Colette Patterns, and follow the blog regularly. I've recently bought my first Sewaholic pattern, the Minoru Jacket. I'm looking forward to the Sew-Along scheduled for next month! I just traced the pattern for my 1st muslin today! There was this wonderful idea that I could fit all my patterns into a folder and neatly fold them into clear plastic sleeves with dividers. It really was a great idea, until I actually put the patterns in the folder. Unfortunately, with so many patterns, the folder barely closes! My BF and I have to sort through the filing cabinet and get rid of half of it so one of the drawers will be free for my patterns. Its actually only a matter of time before that gets filled, too, I'm sure. What a mess, right? My cat just decided to push the folder off the table and now i have to iron out the pattern pieces again.

Tiny Filing Cabinet - Obviously being used as another flat surface for pattern alterations projects

Yes, I meant to get the amazing French movie poster for Dark Crystal in this shot. Jealous? You should be.

Have a great holiday!

Patterns!!

Check it! Gonna go nuts with these lovely patterns!

We've all experienced this:

"Help me with a project?"

Join the Minoru Sew Along!

Its been too long...

Hey! I know, its been since BEFORE HALLOWEEN since i last wrote! During that time, I've had some great breakthroughs, both in sewing skills and in my personal goals! It took a lot of effort and a mixture of brute force and letting go, all at the same time.

Here's a mantra for many who are having a hard time "leveling up" (Obviously my partner has been playing a lot of Skyrim, these days...)  Here it is: Get the baby out of the driver's seat.
You heard if from me, yes! No more avoiding student loan phone calls because you're SURE its just a telemarketer.  Get out of those footie pajamas and just schedule your payments. Change because you can, even if you can still go on for a little while longer withing necessarily having to. You don't know what you might lose if you let it get that far. 
That goes for sewing, too.  Slow down, be patient. Follow the instructions, read them at least 3 times before continuing. Remember when i ruined my Rooibos bodice because i didn't use the point of my shears? Didn't read that part! Why? Because I thought I had it all figured out. No, not because I'm intentionally defiant, but because there's a rushed and neglected "child" inside who, as with any child, can't see that there is another way. Take care of the child inside you, and you will learn patience, understanding, and precision. Do the extra steps to make something the best it can be, not just "good enough, for now." You'll be so proud of your work in the long run.  Also, be honest with yourself. So what if your waist measurement is 5 inches larger than it was when you were 23? At least you can tailor your garments to be smaller,  when you lose 3 of those inches and are a normal size woman, instead of a waif. Set your goals realistically. No one else cares as much as ourselves. 

So, look what I've constructed while I was away:

Not much, but they look amazing! I changed the Burda Young dress so much, its basically my own. And it fits (almost) perfectly. More details about the dress to come!!