"Is anybody
Out there please?
It's too quiet in here
And I'm beginning to freeze
I've got icicles hanging
From my knees"
Under fifteen feet of pure white snow"

(Nick Cave)

 

 

Well not quite! But I did go to work earlier this week with wet hair, and only noticed getting onto the train that my hair had icicles in it. My English work collegues were a little amazed anyone could be that stupid or that anyone could not have a functioning hair dryer, but I think you have to also add in supreme laziness, and 23 years of living in a sub-tropical climate...

 

One thing I did get right was persevering with making this woolen skirt.  I just knew it would still get wear, even though all the spring patterns are out (not too mention all the spring clothing window displays...BRRRR!), and I'm holidaying back in NZ very shortly . This is England afterall, and as far as I'm concerned you can never have too many woolens.

 

It's the good version of Simplicity 3357, which I made up last year in a polyster flannel as a wearable muslin, and which I do still wear regularly, depsite that fact that it's a bit small in the waist.

 

 

Anyway with this version, I properly graded the pattern up a size (or two in the waist) & also removed an additional 3 inches from the length. And yet rather strangely it's just as tight in the waist as the first version, which is just plain weird! (it's also causing the buckling where the waistband closure is)

 

I think this pattern may have a curse on it, that decrees the wearer will always feel a little like a stuffed turkey. Or perhaps that's the 50's silhouette for you?! 

 

Anyway, it is very snuggly & warm, and on the plus side it is very very uncomfortable to slouch in this skirt, which can only be a good thing. Those super wide, high waisted and tight waistbands really know how to jab a sloucher in the ribs. One day my back will thank me for this.

 

Hope if you in the Northern Hemisphere, especially those experiencing the weather craziness in Europe, that you're keeping warm. If you're currently lying on a beach in the Southern Hemisphere, nows not a good time for gloating :P

 

 

 

 

 Introducing Burda 103 from November 2010 BurdaStyle Magazine... (in real life wear with mannequins & bed posts)

 

The urban thrifter in its natural environment

 

It's a bit blingy, and my boyfried told me a looked a little "medieval", but this dress is done. And it only took me a year. This dress was intended to be my first ever Burda magazine make, because you see it comes with one of those illustrated picture courses, and I was completely terrified of anything over a Burda one-dot rating. Terrified.

 

I bought the cotton velvet some time in early January last year. And then sat on it. And sat on it. Finally late last year, I decided it was time - having moved on from my multiple-dot phobia, so I bought the mesh lace stuff from a sari shop in Tooting for the yoke & also some black chiffon to back it on. And then I sat on it. And then I bought some elastic when we went to Deptford markets and some lining. And then I sat on it. And then I realised I didn't have any gold thread (I have a lot of thread - its a normal assumption not to need to buy it).  And then I discovered that velvet is a serious hassle to sew. So um...I sat on it.

 

I then I took 4 weeks to sew it. No good excuse, I didn't even need to use the illustrated picture guide - this dress is easy! It would be perfect for a beginner project if it didn't use bloody velvet. (Topstitching the elastic had my heart in my mouth.)  The good news is that I'm completely fulfilling my new years resolution of taking it easy. Go me!

 

Post Art-Gallering in Dulwich. It's cold folks!

I am really chuffed though with the yoke - the mesh with the chiffon underneath works quite well, I think. However, if I was doing this again I would be reinforcing that yoke seam - you have a fairly fragile fabric taking quite a lot of the weight from the velvet. I have a feeling that seam is going to give out at some point and I'm going to have to re-stitch it. Ce la vie.

 

At least it's done!

 

 

 

 

Okay, so it might just be offiicial. I'm addicted to Pinterest. I've been pinning stuff I love all day today, instead of any of the other stuff I could be doing. I could have been making good use of the few and fleeting rays of sunshine. I could have been cleaning, or cooking, or sewing or anything else useful, handy, creative. Instead I've been going bug-eyed, getting all obsessive compulsive.

 

The coolest bit is when you find amazing things other people have been pinning, and it inspires you. And its just kind of exciting, right?

 

But as I whittled away my weekend, I realised there's a few stink things about Pinterest too. And that got me thinking. And then I realised I had a blog, and other people might be having the some feelings or might have a different perspective, and thats surely what blogs are for.

 

So here's the deal:  Here I am scrolling through all the other pins, like a pin-maniac, and it became depressingly obvious that the beauty standards, and sheer lack of diversity within the fashion industry was also being reproduced in the pages of Pinterest. Pages and pages of white, skinny women. Pages and pages. Now it doesn't take a genuis to work out that the lack of diversity in fashion spreads and runway shows actually means that even if you were cool with women who have different bodies (bigger, shorter, black, asian, whatever) also modelling clothes, you don't actually get any choice in that at all.

 

(In fact the problem with the whole "choice" or "consumer" society is that  choices are highly constrained by the dominant power relationships pre-existing within society)

 

Source

 

But of course there ARE people are there who have actually taken this whole thought process one step further, and are using the internet as platform to share when we do see different women, with different bodies in the fashion industry (film, music, and all of the cultural industries), as well as celebrating that.

 

(I'm just discovering where these sites are lurking but am already a fan of Beauty is Diverse and Brixpicks, sometimes Jezebel. Do you know any others?)

 

In the process, I think an important point gets made, that actually beauty standards are about status. As women we get judged by how we measure up to those beauty standards, and there are obvious benefits for each of us in society when we meet them. But they also operate to exclude and to marginalise.

 

However, these websites that are all about expanding beauty standards (even if they aren't blowing them out of the water), and that means I get to see that, AND I get my fashion fix, and I get to share that through Pinterest. And that's cool.

 

But, the truth is, we don't just  "get judged", we also do the judging when we perceive others not meeting or (especially) threatening the dominant ideals of what a woman should aspire too. We hold others (as well as ourselves) accountable, often through shame .

 

Here's two examples of that happening through Pinterest

 

1. The wonderful late Pina Bausch was a contemporary dancer & dance choreographer. If anyone's seen the film made on her, "Pina", you'll totally get me when I say its visually and emotionally heart-thumping. One of the coolest things about Pina Bausch's work is that her dances were constantly exploring different sides of what it means to be human ( male, female, young, old, sad, happy, strong, weak etc etc....), often with humour.

 

There's a particular scene in one of her dances where a very attractive & slim dancer in a red dress is standing flexing what appear to be enormous arm muscles. She's showing off. However, she soon breaks away revealing a male dancer standing behind. It's one of those moments which plays with your expectations. The dancer makes you laugh when you realise that actually those aren't really a woman's arms muscles & that you've been fooled, and maybe there's even some relief in there too. But Pina's toying with those emotions, she's making you think. Now I LOVE the red dress, and I LOVE the scene. So I pinned it, with the (in retrospect overly simple) commentary of "Pina!"

 

 

From the dance "For the Children of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow"

Source

 

Almost immediately it was re-pinned. I'm assuming the woman who re-pinned it, didn't know who "Pina" was. She didn't look close enough to see past the visual illusion and see the male body standing behind. She didn't bother to check the link. She went something like "EW GROSS" and pinned it to a board called "Things that freak me out". The dancer in the red dress now had pride of place alongside a collection of primarily "bizarre bodies" - obese naked men, exceptionally pregnant women, Barbie Dolls with removable foetuses. Kind of ironic right?

 

2. Later on I pinned a picture of Beth Ditto. I love Beth Ditto for challenging just about every "fat person" stereotype around, and being unapologetic about it. She's a serious breath of fresh air. She also has a uniqiue (and in my book awesome) style.

 

 

Source

 

Again, it got re-pinned immediately. With the simple commentary underneath of "YIKES!" Now, okay, that's probably quite tame, it probably could have been much worse. And everyone has different tastes in fashion and clothes. But if that dress had been on a woman with a size zero body, then I strongly suspect it would have floated by without a flicker. Different horses for different courses But put a dress that's a little outrageous/unusual on a fat woman, and you have a target for derision and judgement.

 

I think the answer is NOT to stop pinning. But I'm also interested as to what experiences others have had on Pinterest? (Especially since I'm such a newbie) How do you feel about the representation of women by the fashion industry? Do you worry about reproducing the same old norms for ideal femininity?

 

(NB: Just in case anyone mistakes this blogpost for being something it's not.... I really don't care if you are "naturally skinny".  I'm not trying to prejudice against anyone, or imply that there's a normal body that excludes skinny women. Or that white women don't have the right to model clothes, or blog for that matter.  I absolutely believe everyone has the right to express themselves, and their style. Without fear.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello! First of all Happy New Years! I hope everyone had/is having/will have a wonderful break and a breather. I know I have! Not to mention an enforced communication break! It all started with the internet being cut by Virgin Media, the blog server going down (only thing in this sorry story that isn't Virgin Media's fault), and phone also being cut by Virgin (over christmas would you believe? And it took some serious complaining to even get a simple sorry from their customer service staff).

 

It seemed like the perfect occasion to go into hibernation.

 

So I did. And I learnt how to knit in the process!  I'm not sure I should inflict the rest of the world with my beginning knitting, so they're probably won't be photos. Although I am proud to say, I made two "snoods", and one pair of fingerless gloves, and I'm currently mulling over hats. Knitting is actually more addictive than I gave it credit for!

 

I have also been doing some sewing, although taking it slowly & really rediscovering why I love it. So there is a whole lotta velvet and lace coming here soon!

 

I haven't been sewing very long, and I'm not the quickest sewer around, but I have loved the experimentation and playing around the sewing affords. Here's my top 3 projects for 2011:

 

The item I've worn the most: Vogue Very Easy V8724 Jersey dress. Easy to grab & go, comfy and flattering.

 

 

Most loved though, would have to be the first item I blogged about it:

 

 

Polyester, frills, a little bit country, hardly perfect. I don't wear it as often as I should, but everytime I do, I realise just how much I love it.

 

And in the office-wear category, for most worn at work, it has to be this snazzy little Burda number:

 

 

In my mind I have another version with stripes. Maybe in taffeta. Maybe.

 

As far as 2012 goes, I've got two big sewing related goals:

 

1. CHILL OUT! It's a hobby, not a job. I vow to take it easier in 2012, enjoy the journey and freak out less about unpicking, redoing and when it all goes horribly horribly wrong (which is will, lets be honest!)

2. STOP with the obsessive fabric purchasing. Enough woman! At the rate I sew, it will take me a decade to get through all the fabric I currently have. I'm taking inspiration from the blogger Cargo Cult Craft and am going on a rations diet.

 

 

In terms of short-term concrete sewing plans:

 

1. I'm conjuring up some inspiration for my enormous pile of chiffon (ah the naivity of the beginner sewer!)

 

 

(Pinterest)

 

2. Will definately tackle some form of project with a scalloped hem, or scallops of some kind (inspired by Juliets cute little number,  and the Sorbetto scalloped tuturial from Colette patterns)

 

3. Will find the motivation to finish the Clover trousers that mock me in their unfinished muslin stage

 

4. Will sew more for others. A silk blouse for my mum and a Negroni shirt for the boy are both on the cards (actually both are very very overdue)

 

I've got new non-sewing goals too...

1. Namely making sure I keep exploring London and save dosh to travel. It's highly unlikely I'll be here for good, so must make the most of it. Along with a much anticipated trip home this year, we're also planning a trip to Beirut, and I'll also be definately visting my good friend and intrepid anthropologist Tess in Rotterdam. This is her in a fabric shop in London. Look how happy she is, and she doesn't even sew. Good friends like this are hard to find!

 

 

2. And lastly to keep reading, and learning and questioning. I'm currently reading a Christmas present (thanks Mum!) "Other People's Wars" a New Zealand journalist's expose of the NZ military in Iraq and Afganistan. It's illuminating, depressing, but also inspiring. And if there was something that marked 2011 it was the brave and courage acts seen across the world, from people questioning everything. So here's to 2012.

 

So here's the close-up of Burda 112B. I know it took me forever, but in my defence it's really hard to take photo's at the moment, as the days are really short. It's sort of blink and you'll miss it kind of thing. 

 

 

 

I'm really chuffed about my invisible visible, except for the pucker at the bottom, which is due to the small gap between the seam and the zip (it was much larger several attempts earlier), but this fabric is a bit of a dog for showing every little mistake magnified by the tenth degree. Just looking at this photo makes my heart sink a little. Still just means there's more room to practice right?

 

 

 

And here's the line drawing. It's not visible in any of the photos but the back panels actually wrap around the side. I definately can see this skirt in a lovely wool crepe with it's lovely drape.

 

 

I've had very little time to do any sewing lately, and just have been feeling that end of year drag where work & life just takes it out of you. Seems to happen every year round this time. Does anyone else get that? I think maybe it's a sign I need a holiday. Anyway, here's to some relaxing and sewing over the next couple of weeks!

 

Truthfully, I must be honest, I continue to procrastinate on making another pair of pants, and on steam-shrinking the cotton velvet (which is meant to turn into a dress for my work Christmas party). My boyfriend has also asked me to alter a jacket for him, and no doubt I will also procrastinate on this.

 

I am actually pretty skilled in the procrastination department ( I once memorably spent two whole days NOT working on my Masters thesis and instead reading I Hate My Thesis. This was before I discovered Craftostrophe & Regretsy. I'm not even sure how much mental energy that should have been expended on say reading attempting to read Judith Butler got spent on Skants)

 

But I guess I should be thankful that this round of procrastination has at least been productive. No I didn't clean the house (that's last resort procrastination). Instead I busted out some indestructible polyster bought round this time last year from a second hand shop in Streatham.

 

Some notes on this fabric: This stuff doesn't fray. I tried to fry it on a top setting on the iron & it didn't burn (it also didn't press properly either). Mutiple un-picking didn't phase it. Yeah, this skirt's going to go with me to my grave. Future archeologists/grave robbers, will marvel. Future alien life-forms will wonder what kind of technology could produce such advanced materials.

 

 

And readers, I don't think it looks half bad. Pattern is 112B from Burda Magazine October 2006. I'm going to try and post some photos tomorrow of the line drawings & the skirt on a hanger, because it's got some interesting lines not visible in this photo, plus so I can show off my first successful invisible vip (woohoo!)

 

But the real star of the show has to be the jacket. Hand made, yup. But not by me alas, but my grandmother. I look at the construction on it & just feel very awed.

 

It's been a sewing  free zone round here for the last two week, so alas nothing much to show for myself. I blame work which briefly got really stressful for a while there & had me going into hibernation mode.

 

Anyway, we've been having a lazy weekend, after feeling a little blue about the New Zealand election. Apparently the lowest turnout since the 1800's, it's been a bit of a shocker. 

 

In the interests of focusing the mind on something else, we made a pilgrimage to the best little second hand bookshop in the world (and I don't say that lightly). It's in Balham and while I'm sure South Londoners already know about it,  if you don't - it's just opposite the railway station and is amazing. I don't recommend visiting immediately proceeding pay-day (speaking from experience here).

 

The results: I've just started reading Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel & Dimed: On (not) getting by in America" - which has lost none of it's salience....and have Edward Said on the Oslo Peace Process, and Robert Fisk on Lebanon lined up. Isn't it the best feeling in the world, having good books to look forward to?!

 

Source

 

I do have sewing plans today - steam-shrinking 3 metres of cotton velvet. Sounds like fun no?

 

But amazingly I keep finding other things to do - like watching every episode of Rap News on youtube...

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's been a funny old week, and I've been feeling very far away from home. The wonderful thing about sewing though, is that you can turn on the machine, and tutu (that's Maori for "play around" ) and do something with your hands. It helps.

I wasn't feeling like tackling another pair of pants, and so this dress was born with the help of Burda.

 

 

Photo was taken on London Bridge after coming back from Occupy London. It was a good day, and it was great to hear the legendary David Harvey speak, as well as a literary critic Nicky Marsh on the language used to describe the financial sector & the current economic crisis, and the economist Ha-Joon Chang.

It was kind of windy that night, hence the crazy hair. And London was looking a little Gotham City-esque....

 

 

Anyway back to the dress. For those interested, It's Burda 122B from the July 2011 issue. Really just a basic elasticated dress with a slit in the front and forward facing shoulders. I did make some changes however. You can see from the line drawing that it has a drop waist - now I know from bitter experience drop waists are not flattering on me, so I raised the waist and at the same time  shortened the slit considerably. I also ditched the pockets and arms bands and just used bias tape to finish (no other reason than pure laziness I'm afraid).

I did some lazy mirror photos today to try and get an image without something warm on. This is the best of the worst I'm afraid. And yes, that IS a Princess Diana pattern sitting in the corner!

 

Okay, so some day soon I'm a gonna have some really nice pants. I better have some nice pants. Otherwise someone's going to get hurt (probably me attempting something daft with scissors and a quick unpick)

 

I finally finished a third "wearable" muslin of the Colette patterns Clover pants today. Thats right: Third Muslin. I now own two new fitting books (Singer Perfect Fit & Pants for Any Body (the 1970s version) soley because of this project. And I still don't really understand pants.

 

 

Now, I have made some serious changes since the first muslin...waaay back when I was naive enough to think pants making would be a blast. 

 

1. I went down one size in the legs and two sizes in the hips.

 

2. I added length to the back center seam, which seems to have fixed the gaping issues at the back that I've had with all previous muslins, and took in extra in the center seams at front and back which removed excess material floating round down there.

 

However, I never intended for these pants to be wearable, so I passed on the whole pre-washing the material. After sewing up a really crappy version, I then decided the fit was okay & it might be nice to get some wearable (imperfect) pants out of it. So I re-did them, this time pressing as I went. Yup. I now have pants a size too small.

 

What can you do!

 

 

Now while there is a whole lot of wrinkles going on due to these pants being skin-tight+, there is also something still quite strange going in with the crotch. Even in the previous (non-skin-tight+) iteration, there was still a confluence of wrinkles forming right at the bottom of the crotch area at the front (you can see them in the photo above too). Actually wearing these pants has been great, because I'm pretty sure I know what it is now....crotch length. Turns out its not actually that pleasant wearing pants with a short crotch.

 

I said it right back at the first muslin, but didn't believe it. I mean, I'm 5"3 if I stretch - I'm usually complaining of patterns made for giants! Even stranger, I didn't make any petite alterations at all. There's a little extra room on the hem, but still, I can't quite believe it!

 

Next time, I think I probably will make better use of the extra cm or so on the hem for the real pair. When you're on the short side, I don't know if ankle length pants are really truly your friend.

 

 

The back is pretty good now...and no gaping whatsoever which I'm happy about. Some tightness wrinkles which appeared when the pants shrunk.

 

Now to maybe finally make the real pair. After pre-washing the fabric I have....maybe twice....

 

 

After a small time-out break from trouser-fitting frustations and attempting to diagnose wrinkles, I moved on to a much needed winter skirt. It's a test run for a 100% wool plaid I bought when I first started sewing, but I think its pretty wearable in its own right.

I stole some fabric meant to a shirt for the boy (it's polyster flannel ) on the basis they'll be nice 100% cotton or wool flannels coming his way. I have to say I am completely digging the flannel. It feels remarkably pyjama like, but in a good way you know?

 

       

 

The pattern is Simplicity 3357 - described as a "slim skirt" with "soft pleats at front waistline and back vent opening". I messed up the hemming a little so the vents are a smidgen off in length.However,  I am inordinately proud of all my slip-stitching on the hem (pretty much invisible) - so I refuse to go back and fix it.I have to say, not checking hem lengths properly is becoming a bit of a habit of mine, but I really do think I've learnt my lesson on this one.

 

 

I also had to do some serious adjustments to this pattern sizewise. This pattern is clearly a size 12 before the whole vanity- resize of patterns. Because holy-moly it was small! I added on a full 8cm on the waistband, and its still a tad too tight. I also took narrow seams and slightly smaller pleats, as well as my taking up 3cm on the petite line  & close to 9cm on the hem.

 

But how good is my matching?! The other side's not quite perfect, but I'm okay with that, because this skirt is a vast improvement- in terms of both accuracy & speed. The first time I tried to match plaid (wool A-line skirt) it took me about 5 hours, with hand tacking and everything. So glad I've moved past that!

 

 

Apologies for an extreme close-up of my tush, but after all the clover fitting dramas, the fitting on this skirt is perfection. Straight from the pattern. Love it!.

 

 

The pattern asks for a placket zip in a lapper seam. Well due to the very small seams I took, combined with a very ravelly fabric, this really didn't seam possible so I did my own thing. I'm not really fully up to the play on zips, as up to very recently I didn't own a zipper foot.( Despite stalking ebay for close to a year looking for a foot for my old elna, I was out of luck. But recently when while searching for one, I stumbled upon Sewingonline.co.uk. One normal zipper foot and one insivible zipper foot (designed to fit many older models) later, I'm a very happy lady.)

 

So its by no means a perfect zip. That being said, its miles better than my pre-zipper foot zips. Also, while a pain to cut out & match, the plaid is also very forgiving.

 

 

Next time round I'm thinking I'll shorten it a bit & be a bit more bold in petitifying it, especially as the wool I have is quite conservative, so it may look a little austere with the longer hemline. I also think this length can be a bit dowdy if you're not careful. I will also look to add some extra room before I cut it out. Hate to say it, but 8cm's just wasn't enough in the waist!