On Ethical Fashion and Bra-Making

Fair warning, here there be (non-modeled) underwear. But first, a story. Well two stories.

One of the great things about maintaining a blog (fairly) consistently over nearly 8 years, is that you can conveniently provide a time stamp for when you said something you've totally just contradicted yourself on.

In this case, it was April 30, 2008. 

"You see, I have this *crazy* idea about slowly crafting an entire wardrobe - except t-shirts and underwear, because I'm not that crazy."
-Me in 2008

Clearly, I am that crazy now. Because I've started making my own underthings, and it's awesome and I'm kinda obsessing about it right now. 

But how did I get from 2008 to here?  A lot of it has to do with how the sewing blogosphere has really embraced lingerie-sewing and indie designers are coming out with great really make-able patterns. But for me it really comes down to story #2, which is something I've (perhaps surprisingly) not talked about on the blog as of yet.

You see, what it really boils down to is that in January 2014, I bought a pair of grey corduroy pants on clearance for $2.98. I know that there are lower costs of living, and loss leaders, and economies of scale. I also know that to sew a pair of pants, even assembly-line fashion, takes some time. And I knew that there was no way you could pay someone a fair wage and sell their product for $3. 

I'm sure the company sold those pants at a loss. They were on clearance and a online-only extra long size (which I hemmed in about 5 minutes). I bought the pants and I wear them a TON in the fall and winter. There's nothing wrong with the pants, I quite like them, but for some reason at that moment, I realized that thanks to my ability to sew and sufficient disposable income to make choices about my own clothing, I could do better.

And so, I decided that from there on out, I would make what I had time to (which is fairly limited) and was only going to purchase clothes from ethical sources.

Ethical to me means:

• Second Hand Purchases.
• Made under ethical working conditions, including Made in the USA (or other first-world country), Fair Trade, or other production method that provides a working wage and safe conditions to its workers. 
• Made to last. 
• As possible, Organic or Sustainable Materials.

In truth, the first  ten months or so of this experiment involved a lot of returns to teeny little companies trying to do the right thing. Some things just weren't my style. Some had odd or inconsistent sizing. Some didn't have quality to match to the price. Fortunately, I've found a few companies who I adore and fill in the gaps in mywardrobe when I need it. 

One thing I just haven't had much luck with was underthings. There are definitely companies out there making quality, ethical underwear and bras, but none of them seemed to fit my body just right and/or were at a price point I could handle to meet my growing need for replacements.

And that's why I finally figured I'd give sewing underthings a go. And I am sorry that I waited this long. 

The pattern below is the very popular Watson Bra and Bikini. I made a bunch of modifications to the bikini to be more full coverage (raised the rise by ~1 and lowered the leg line by about the same), the bra I sewed as is. 

The fabric/notions/etc. for the first set all came from a kit from Grey's Fabric. The kit made it easier to get started, because most of this stuff  isn't available at my local fabric stores. I made the briefs and bra over a weekend and then the next Monday morning found myself making orders from places called Spandex House and Sew Sassy, to get more stuff to make so many more sets. So far I'm up to three pairs of undies and am sewing my second bra. It's seriously addictive and I'm eyeballing other patterns to try out (Marlborough Bra, I'm looking at you!). I'm probably going to keep going until I have a drawer full. 

Sometimes, it's good to be a little crazy.

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Tried and True Review: A Big Bag of the Blues - Part II

A Tried & True Review, where I look back at old project and discuss how it's held up since I made it, both successes and closet rejects, in an attempt to show how my projects have stood the test of time and/or to learn from the mistakes of my yesterdays.

 I recently took a big bag of clothes, mostly handmade items, to a local consignment store and I thought, true to the spirit of the Tried and True Review, I'd take some time to share with you why I was ready to let them go. Also, if you're in the Portland (ME) area and want to grab something sewn or knitted by me, now's your chance!

There's a lot of items there, so I'm going to break it into two parts. Here is  Part II (Part I here). 

The Original: Cookie Monster Cardigan

Made/Age:  July 2012, 3 years old.

Update: Accepted for Consignment.

Fit:  It's just too big in the bust. I kept it around because I was pregnant at the time and though it would fit well later in the pregnancy, but it never did. Because it was that big. It looks okay in the photos, but I always felt like I was swimming in it. 

Style/Materials: Cookie Monster Blue Berrocco Vintage. Because it's a superwash wool/acrylic blend I couldn't even shrink it to fit. 

Construction: This sweater had it going wrong from the get go. I recalculated the yoke increases from the pattern, because as originally written it made the sleeve have weird "wings". It looked like a circular yoke construction, but all the increases were centered over the sleeves. I restarted the yoke again and finished the sweater, but I didn't have the heart to knit it again, when it was too big.

Final Verdict: When in doubt, rip it out. 

The Original: 4th of July Dress

Made/Age:  July 2010, 5 years old.

Update: Rejected from Consignment.

Fit:  The fit is fine (I think), the truth is I just didn't wear it all that much. I have another rather similar blue sundress (that I got at the consignment store oddly enough), that I preferred to wear. I can't really pin down why, but this one just never seemed as flattering.  I didn't need two, so off this one went.

Style/Materials: Quilting cotton. 

Construction: I added horsehair braid to the hem which was fun, but maybe made it a bit too costumey?

Final Verdict: This is another go with your gut one. There's no reason not to like it , but because I don't, there's no reason to hang onto it either.

The Original: Alexis Skirt

Made/Age:  December 2008, 7.5 years old.

Update: Accepted for Consignment

Fit:  This one always falls under my pencil skirt sewing deficiency. It sits too low on the waist to be flattering. 

Style/Materials: Some vintage brocade. Fabric was beautiful, but I find it harder to wear lighter colored items on bottom. Also it has a kangaroo pock on the  front, which makes it pooch out weirdly.

Construction: I seem to recall it being quite well made, but it was early in my sewing career, so it probably was less so. 

Final Verdict: I need to take a class on making a pencil skirt or something. it is my sewing waterloo. 

Bonus: The Walkaway Dress

Made: Sometime between 1998-2001

Update: Accepted for Consignment

Fit: To finish up, the bottom dress in that pile is actually one my mother made for me in high school. The photo on the left is from 2004 and may be one of the last times I wore it (for my original Ms. Cleaver portrait at that!) . The dress is actually pretty flattering on, but is generally impossible to wear due to the narrowness of the front skirt panel. One stiff breeze and you have an embarrassing situation on your hands. Also, the quilting cotton print made it look like it belonged on a preschool teacher. 

Final Verdict: If you can't wear something without fear of repeatedly exposing your underwear, you probably shouldn't wear it. 

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Tried and True Review: A Big Bag of the Blues - Part I

A Tried & True Review, where I look back at old project and discuss how it's held up since I made it, both successes and closet rejects, in an attempt to show how my projects have stood the test of time and/or to learn from the mistakes of my yesterdays.

 I recently took a big bag of clothes, mostly handmade items, to a local consignment store and I thought, true to the spirit of the Tried and True Review, I'd take some time to share with you why I was ready to let them go. Also, if you're in the Portland (ME) area and want to grab something sewn or knitted by me, now's your chance!

There's a lot of items there, so I'm going to break it into two parts. For now, let's take it from the top (of the pile)!

The Original: School House Tunic #3

Made/Age:  March 2012, 3 years old.

Update: Accepted for Consignment.

Fit: It's loose and tunic-y, which I think works better at a shirt length than a dress length for me. At least in this fabric, which was still a little stiff. 

Style/Materials: Beautiful chartreuse linen. I was short on fabric and cut the sleeves as long as I could, which ended being a weird length about 2 inches above my elbow. From pretty much the second wear, I planned on shortening the sleeves to a more flattering length, but I never did it and never did it and never did it. Don't get me wrong, I love my school house tunics (I have three more!), but between the sleeve length and a color that's not my best color, this one was always my least favorite. 

Construction: This is one of two School House Tunics to have pleats added and the only one without the addition of a front closure.

Final Verdict: If you don't fix something after several years of intending to, you probably don't like it that much.

The Original: Dr. Faye Lady Suit

Made/Age:  June 2012, 3 years old.

Update: Fabric salvaged from skirt. Jacket rejected from consignment and off to Goodwill. Those shoes are also at the consignment store.

Fit: The skirt was too big and ill-fitting from the get go. I've always had trouble getting "pencil skirts" to fit right. This was just a big square of terrible. The jacket fit better, but was still very boxy.

Style/Materials: Another beautiful linen. I love linen, but maybe I'm just not picking the right patterns for it. Separate or together, these pieces were just big, boxy and blah.  It's the boxy that did it in. If it was nicely tailored and fitted it would have worked, but probably not in linen. My lady suit dreams will have to wait. At least I loved the shirt pattern in the pattern envelope.

Construction: The jacket was fun to sew and I covered all the seams with bias tape. 

Final Verdict: Boxy just ain't my thang. Also, does anyone know of good patterns for linen?

The Original: Off to the Races

Made/Age:  June 2011, 4 years old. (Hey, I'm back to that hairstyle too!)

Update: Accepted for Consigment.

Fit:  It's my own fault, but I cut it with too little ease. I tried letting our the seams where I could, but it wasn't enough. It pulls terribly at the bust. 

Style/Materials: A fabulous checked stretch shirting material. A bow blouse. Fun buttons! It so perfect for me, except that it doesn't fit me. This is the one item that really broke my heart to give away, but it truly, honestly, just doesn't fit right.

Construction: Don't remember apart from the fact that I did the buttonholes horizontally, where I should have done them vertically along the button band.

Final Verdict: Button up items need bust ease! But I should remake this at some point.

That's it for this week. Next week I'll roundup the other 4 items.

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The Work of My Hands

I'm always astonished when I meet people who are one-craft only people, they only quilt, or crochet, or knit - and that's it. I'm constantly having to stop myself from picking up yet another creative pursuit. In some ways I'm jealous of their devotion to a single art - when it's just one you can really dive deep and get really good, really creative.

But I have always been a generalist, polymath, utility player - call it what you will. I love trying out new things, giving them a go and I think it's served me well. When I was deep into theatre, I did a lot of things within the theatrre, writing, directing, set design, etc., but it was mostly just theatre (and a little dance). When I reached a point where theatre didn't really work for my life anymore, I found fabric and yarn made a good outlet for my creative needs. In 5 years, painting may fit right. 

I made my Memorial Day weekend extra long by taking Friday off and filled it with multiple trips to the park, food, family, and a wide variety of creating. I prepped my raised beds and planted seedlings; I learned to use a racheting pipe cutter (!!) and made LMC a portable ballet barre; I sewed an old table runner into a throw pillow; I made peppermint ice cream for our BBQ; and wore a recently finished dirndl skirt that had been hanging around in my to fix pile for too long. Not to mention all the furious knitting I did on a deadline project while watching The Time Machine and Anne of Green Gables.

After a long weekend of creating, my hands are weary, but my heart is full.

Tried and True Review: The Comic Book Dress

A Tried & True Review, where I look back at old project and discuss how it's held up since I made it, both successes and closet rejects, in an attempt to show how my projects have stood the test of time and/or to learn from the mistakes of my yesterdays.

The Original:  POW! The Comic Book Dress

Made: May 2012, 3 years old

Update: This dress is still unreasonably awesome, with a new and improved fit!

Fit: When I originally made the dress, I think it fit fairly well, but since I originally made the dress there's been a pregnancy and breast feeding and stopping nursing and life, and it ended up just too big in the bust and waist to really be wearable. But my love for this garment knows no bounds, and too big is always easier to fix than too small. Enter... shirring!  A quick review of this tutorial and I made my first attempt at shirring. One spool of elastic thread later, I had a new and improved dress, just in time to wear it to the annual Maine Comic Arts Festival to match LMC's "H is for Hero" Wonder Woman tee. 

Style/Materials: A mash-up of Colette Pattern's Parfait and a full gathered skirt (with pockets!), this is the perfect sundress for me.  As for the fabric, I only wish I had bought more of it  (though if you search "Camelot Cottons Girl Power" you can still find a second design printing of similar prints). It's quilting cotton, and its undeniably girly with the pink and the female superheros and it just makes me happy.  

Construction: In 2014, I replaced the original buttons with some fabric covered ones and made the buttonholes functional for nursing purposes. The inside is well finished, with a bias bound waist stay and facings in the bodice. It's held up perfectly well. The shirring makes it even more comfortable and wearable.

Lesson(s) Learned: Shirring is super easy and too big is often easy, and worthwhile to fix!

Final Verdict: This dress is the best. 

Spring in Southern Maine

It finally feels like spring! The grass is getting greener by the day. the daffodils and tulips are in bloom and I'm cleaning up flower beds and laying down mulch. The blueberry bush is pruned, the veggie garden fence has gone up, and the sand pit has been raked out and is ready for play. Free Comic Book day happened and we've pulled out the sunscreen and the Seadogs hat. 

It'll still be a while before its warm enough for shorts, but that didn't stop me from sewing a pair for Little Miss Cleaver. The pattern is the KID Shorts from Dana at MADE. While I don't love that all the sewing instructions are on her site instead of included in the pattern (meaning I'm following instructions off my phone), the fit seems spot on (I made a 3T, lengthened the to the 4T hem), and the finished product is uber-cute, if I say so myself. I even got to sew in my first Ms. Cleaver label!

It took about 1.5 hours to make from taping together the pattern to finished shorts, and I imagine future pairs will be even quicker, especially if I do the more straightforward versions. It warmed the cockles of my sewist heart when LMC wanted to try them on as soon as she got up from her nap and wear them over her pants for at least an hour before the need to put a ballet skirt on trumped it.

I'm hoping to sew two more pairs before shorts weather is truly upon us, and then I'm delving into some serious me sewing. I have some grey gingham that I got on vacation last summer that is calling out to be an Archer button-up and I picked up a Watson bra kit and some denim for Ginger Jeans from Grey's Fabric as well as Cascade Duffle pattern that I'll be sewing into my new winter coat come September or so.

I've been super busy with knitting projects of late (look out for a lot of new stuff this fall!), and haven't had much time to sew and I forget how much sewing means to me. To be able to single-mindedly focus on seam finishes and fabric selection and to make something useful and beautiful.  

Tried and True Review: Flowers and Lace Skirt

A Tried & True Review, where I look back at old project and discuss how it's held up since I made it, both successes and closet rejects, in an attempt to show how my projects have stood the test of time and/or to learn from the mistakes of my yesterdays.

The Original: Floral and Lace Skirt

Made: March 2010, 5 years old

Update: This is my go-to skirt when I want to look ladylike, but be comfy. (see also: "No Pants" Lent 2011)

Fit: It was self-drafted, with a pretty forgiving fit. That said I did (upon originally making it) do an adjustment to the waistband. The waist line has moved up and down as my weight fluctuated over the years, but it's managed to hang in there.

Style/Materials: A super basic a-line skirt, in a  floral fabric and lace. This was a free piece of  quilting cotton given to me by my mother-in-law, along with some cotton lace trim from my stash. It was pink and had tiny flowers all over it, which is not very me. Nothing about it should work, but it just does. 

Construction: The waistband fix was some darts I put into the finished waistband, so a little wonky there. Also, since it was meant to be a muslin, I didn't interface the waistband, which means its always crinkly, but probably contributes to the comfy factor of this skirt.

Lesson(s) Learned: .Really small prints are quite versatile and never underestimate the power of simple and comfy!

Final Verdict: I never would have imagined that I would still be wearing this skirt five years after I first sewed it up. It was meant to be a wearable muslin for goodness sake! I still have the draft pieces somewhere, so I should make another version, no?

Little Miss Cleaver had a Farm

LMC's 2nd birthday is fast approaching on Sunday, but since she doesn't read this blog I can give you a sneak peak of one of the presents I made for her.

Do you make stuff from Pinterest? I know a lot of people that cook from it, but not a lot that actually do projects, per say. It's definitely been the inspiration behind a few things for me, like LMC's first Halloween Costume, and this past Christmas' Advent Calendar.

This gift is really a follow-on to that advent calendar - every since she got all the farm critters in the calendar, she's been playing with them constantly and I thought it would be nice to give them a little home (and if it means less searching for a missing tiny horse or chicken for me, well, that'd be nice too.).

The barn is based on the tutorial from here.

It's a tutorial and not a pattern, so there's a certain portion of the instructions that involve winging it, particularly in respect to cutting out pieces and seam allowances and even then I made a few changes.

• Pleated the roof portions
• I cut out and sewed the batting pieces together, rather than the wrap/and tape method - if I were to do it again, I'd just interline the fabric pieces with the batting and save myself a bunch of trouble.
• I didn't sew the fold lines. They folded fine on their own, I didn't want the thread lines showing and I'm not that worried about the plastic canvas sliding.
• I did all the applique (by machine) before I sewed the pieces together, and just marked the stitching lines on everything so I didn't put a door where it'd get half cut off.
• I'd also make the button loops tighter/smaller next time.

For materials I bought some deliciously soft red brushed flannel and the white twill tape for the doors/windows specifically for the project and everything else was leftovers from other garment projects (wool, linen, twill, and corduroy).

I'll note that this is a fairly time-consuming project. It probably took me 3 naptimes to complete. Though that was mostly the applique and getting the pieces cut and arranged, the actual structural assembly went fairly quickly.

My finished product isn't quite as sharp-looking as the tutorial mostly because I was a bit loosey-goosey with the seam allowances, but I think LMC will like it all the same - I certainly enjoyed playing with it to take these photos! And come-on, it's a tiny carry-along barn with a path and pond! It's pretty stinking adorable.

Works in Progress

Between the snow and the seemingly never-ending stream of sickness in the Cleaver household, there's been a lot of indoor days. Some with just enough energy to build a fort to "nap" in, others of a more productive sort. 

I finished piecing my quilt top, made my "sandwich" and have begun the actual quilting of my quilt. Huzzah!

I decided to hand-quilt it. I'm enjoying the ever-so handmade nature of my uneven stitches and since there's no deadline to be finished (I started it over 2 years ago after all), there's no need to rush. I haven't done much beyond those few test circles, as my hand-work time (read: evening tv time) has been filled, as it most usually is, with knitting.

I've finished one sample sock for a new pattern (and if you're interested in being a tester, let me know!) and have been working on a number of swatches for all kinds of different designs. I sat yesterday with a stack of stitch dictionaries and post-it notes and came up with at least one idea I really adore for a submission call. I had to tell myself to bind off the swatch because I wanted to keep knitting it.

On days I've been home with LMC, for illness or weekending reasons, she keeps me on my toes- sometimes literally, as she's become very interested in ballet, which to her means yelling BALLET! and doing something akin to an arabesque attitude. I have since taught her to plié as well.

I'm not sure where she picked it up, as the only ballet I can recall showing her prior to this was bits of the nutcracker at Christmas and the occasional SYTYCD clip.But perhaps it stuck as the other day she found and insisted on wearing mommy's "ballet shoes."  Then again it could be something from daycare, as it took me a while to figure out her "ski" impression from school - there's only so much those daily report sheets tell you.

In there anything you've been working on lately?

Snow!

We ended up with 20 inches of snow yesterday, somewhat shy of the 30+ inches in February 2013, but a whopper of a storm nonetheless.

But Mainers handle storms like no others I've known. We hunker down at home, wait it out, and then start cleaning up after the last flakes have fallen. I drove to work today a few hours late past some large snow mounds,to arrive at a full parking garage and office. Its amazing how quickly Mainers moves on. Of course it'll be a few days yet before the piles are moved, and we have more snow in the forecast for Friday and Monday, but that's winter in Maine for you. 

Granted, I don't have to do any shoveling (Mr. Cleaver does yeoman's work there), but the nice thing about a big snow (provide you keep your power) is how its forces you to slow down, take it easy for a day. Of course me being me, I made up some storm scones in the AM and took naptime to finish up a deadline project and sew on the sashing for my quilt top. 

As for the quilt, I've learned quite a few things already, like I would have saved myself a whole heap of seam ripping if I had just pinned my pieces together first, instead of thinking I could sew evenly in a straight line (which gets harder when the line is several feet long). Also I now know to not assume that the solid-colored pieces are dyed and not printed. But I'm very please with where it's at right now, and LMC has certainly claimed it (as with any piece of fabric or knitting I leave out) as the perfect place to "nap" or hide. 

I'm in a bit of an inbetweeny place right now. As of last night, I'm halfway through my first read of The Little Prince, and I've got nothing much in the queue to follow, I've got one knitting project finished and nothing new on the needles yet, and an embroidery piece that's stalled until I purchase some different fabric. But while my hands were empty while watching TV last night, the possibilities are open and I've got several new ideas I want to get started on, including a box of yarn that should be arrived on my doorstop soon.

I'm thinking I'm might share the process of my next knit design from start to end, would that be of interest to anyone?