A Year of Making

Documenting my journey to a handmade (or occasionally thrifted) life.

[ayearofmaking]

Everyday Dress

Pattern: everyday dress by Peppermint Magazine

Fabric: cotton double gauze from Joann fabrics

This was a fun, easy make, and this squishy, breezy fabric will make this a perfect dress for spring and summer. Joann recommended this fabric for making baby nappies and blankets, and really, if you're not wrapping yourself in baby blanket material during a pandemic, what are you even doing with your life?

[ayearofmaking]

Wide Leg Pants

I finally finished my first pair of pants! They’re far from perfect and I wanted to throw them out the window multiple times, but I’m soo glad they’re done. They’re comfortable, in the end amazingly ended up fitting just right, and I love this fabric. I have some wide leg pants from Madewell in a similar style that are made from a much heavier canvas fabric, and I like this quite a lot better.

(Also, this is my pet bunny Bowie who always has to be involved in everything).

Pattern:  Wide leg pants - Peppermint Mag/ In the Folds

Size: B

Fiber: Cotton twill

Fabric: Kaufman Jetsetter Stretch Twill 7.5 Oz Herb

I had a pretty easy time of making these pants aside from the fly and the waistband. The instructions for the fly just weren’t very clear and I did it wrong, and then for the waistband, I did it alright the first time around, but then I RIPPED THROUGH THE TOP OF IT WHEN OPENING THE BUTTONHOLE!!

Despair. I had to rip off the whole waistband, and since I was doing that, I decided to go back and fix the fly anyway. I also decided to do the inner waistband out of some lighter cotton I got for a dress, thinking it would be easier to do the buttonhole with than two layers of this heavier green fabric. Wrong. I pretty much had to sew it three separate times before I finally got it right - I pressed the fold where it was supposed to be sewn down inside the pants, but it wouldn’t stay creased, and the fabric just kept moving and it was so irritating.

As for the sizing, I debated between doing size B and one size up, and I’m so glad I didn’t go a size up. Some people have hips or a butt or long legs to consider, but my dimensions seem to simply be small all over. I ended up probably taking about another inch out of the waist (I just added to the existing darts already in place).

I ordered some brown and black print linen/cotton, so I’m sure I’ll be making another pair of these and hopefully doing a slightly better job the second time around. These will be delightful to wear most of the year, and if we ever get to go back to work in the real world, depending on the fabric you choose and what you wear with them, I think these pants can look perfectly nice for an office setting too.

[ayearofmaking]

Robe Jacket

Pattern: robe jacket from Peppermint Magazine by Common Stitch

Size: B

Fabric: spring reverie by Cloud 9 Fabrics

Fiber: rayon

This was a fun, quick make. In fact, I'm almost a little mad at how quickly I made this. Sewing really does feel like instant gratification compared to crochet. As much as I've loathed making the face masks, I think the repitition of it has made me faster and technically a little better at sewing.

This fabric, though. I'm obsessed. I saw it and had to have it. I don't go in for floral that much, but it has these earth tones that I like to wear, and I love that it looks modern and graphic at the same time with the floral element. And it's so soft and drapes just right for this pattern. The jacket has belt loops and a belt, but I imagine I'll be wearing it open most of the time - over tank tops, jumpsuits and dresses.

I had started wearing these kimono inspired jackets when I lived in the middle east A) because lots of women wore stuff like this and B) because I needed to stay covered even in the summer, but needed something more breathable than a sweater for when it was 95 F outside. But all the stuff I owned there was fast fashion from cheap outlet shops, and was often straight up the wrong size for me, so I'm very happy to have made this.

I love the inverted pleat in the back, and I opted to do French seams throughout since I don't have a serger, this isn't the tightest weave fabric, and I like clean looking guts. I also hemmed up the bottom a little more than the pattern called for.

[ayearofmaking]

Getting down with the lockdown

Here in Connecticut, we’ve been in a semi-lockdown for about a month now, and like many people, I’ve vacillated between panic attacks and depression and trying to see the silver lining/it-could-be-worse side of things. For example:

I’m so lucky I still have a job and can work at home!

Oh my god, now that my mom lives with me and my husband, I’m the only one with an income!

At least my husband is still getting job interviews in a time like this!

Holy shit, he’s an immigrant and just moved to the US at the worst time possible and I feel so guilty!

Believe it or not, the panic even carried over into crafting - like many sewists, I did order a few yards of fabric and elastic to make masks for others. Compared to the relative ease with which I’ve made garments and bags though, masks have become the bane of my existence. Everyone’s face is different! I have no idea how you’re supposed to mass produce these. I’ve made 3 for my husband and have yet to make one that fits him right - I may have yelled at him for having the wrong sized head. Since I work at a medical school, I was going to donate these to our healthcare providers, but since we’re still getting conflicting information on what’s considered acceptable PPE, I decided to donate them to a women’s/family homeless shelter - someplace that is ostensibly lower risk than an ICU ward, where people will actually use them and will hopefully help to slow asymptomatic spread of COVID-19. Anyway, this fed into my anxiety because with every mask that I felt I messed up, I was angry at myself because it meant wasted material and one less person who would get a mask.

And then I’ve also been grappling with feeling like, okay - I got out of working in news because covering humanitarian crises was not great for my mental health, and then a pandemic followed me to a medical school, and now I have to read about COVID-19 research and case numbers all day and make videos about this stuff. Cool. But yaaaay I’m so lucky to be employed and have health insurance, even if I was barely making it to the end of the month before, everything is fine!

Anyhow. I’m doing a little better now that I’ve set an alarm to make myself take my anxiety and migraine meds at the same time every day. Duh. 

If there is a silver lining amidst the endless human suffering, the 20% unemployment rate, the miles long lines for food banks, the disproportionately high death rates for POC, the poor - folks who can’t afford to socially distance - I guess it might be this.

We’re all being forced to cut a lot of conveniences out of our lives right now. It means different things to different people, but it boils down to less consumption. Fewer trips in the car, fewer frivolous trips to the store, fewer mindless purchases. With places like Chewy and Petsmart out of stock of my usual pet supplies, my locally owned pet stores are coming to the rescue with curbside pickup. Same for craft supplies. The tiny vegetarian, organic, family owned supermarket by my house is usually better stocked and has better behaved customers than people at Stop and Shop or Target. If you can afford to do takeout, you can pick up meals from local restaurants that are still open, rather than ordering through Grubhub that takes a large commission from these places that are already suffering.

On the flip side, the things that have been added into my life these past few weeks are having my mom and my husband get more time to bond, since we’ve always lived far away in the Middle East, being grateful for both of their compassion, going on lots of hikes and walks and bike rides together, cooking together, playing card games, reading books and watching movies. 

The things that seemed important a few weeks ago - maybe trying to get a job with a fancier title at a fancier institution, deadlines set for myself (including finishing my master’s this year), what people think of me, what my house looks like - all that has gone out the window very rapidly. On the other hand, even with all the uncertainty, it’s easy to contemplate long-term plans with my family, because that is solid.

In other words, now is the time to contemplate what we want to let back into our lives when things eventually go back to “normal.” Do we even want a return to “normal,” considering “normal” is what got us in this situation? “Normal” means our jobs are our whole lives in the US - without a job, we have no health insurance and no safety net. “Normal” has resulted in world-class healthcare systems collapsing and manufacturing supply chains being broken globally. And this crisis has revealed that scientific research and innovation can happen rapidly - we just haven’t been prioritizing it with funding before now. Now is the time to Marie Kondo all that shit and think about the kind of lives we want to lead.

[ayearofmaking]

Scrappy Potholders

This is a bonus mini project - the other day my pet bunny decided my oven mitts would make a good snack (he's obsessed with chewing on anything silicone), so I drafted and whipped up these potholders with leftover fabric from previous projects.

This was my first time doing anything quilted - I found a similar design somewhere on the internet and drafted it in photoshop to just see how it would all fit together and decide on seam allowances. I still suck at basting layers together as well as binding edges. But these are going to get covered in food stains anyway, so do I care? At least I have potholders again.

[ayearofmaking]

Wrap Top

Pattern: Wrap Top from In the Folds/ Peppermint Mag Fiber: Sandwashed Rayon Challis - Terracotta - from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics Size: C

My non-photographer husband took these of me, and he neglected to tell me how crazy my hair was.

Well, like many folks around the world right now, I’m working from home in isolation, for the most part. And between being more productive without office distractions, and frankly realizing I’m going to have to pace myself with work to have enough to do for the next couple weeks, I’ve had more time to be working on crafty things. 

Anyway. I liked the way this pattern looked in linen and all, but I’ve had a similar top to this in linen before and didn’t love that it sort of felt like a straightjacket, and also felt like I should branch out and try working with more challenging fabrics, so I chose this terracotta rayon. It’s sooo soft and will be delightfully breezy in the summer, and I like all the subtle color variations in the fabric as a result of the dye process.

And yup, working with rayon was indeed a challenge compared to cotton or linen. I did an absolute rubbish job of cutting things in a straight line.

I also learned how to do French seams and I learned what staystitching is all about. I maybe did a slightly better job with the darts on this shirt compared to my last shirt.

I’m digging the wrap part of this, but I don't think I want another deep v-neck again. Maybe just a simple t-shirt with the wrap added to the sides somehow. We’ll see.

[ayearofmaking]

Burda Style Cotton Top A 116 | 04/17

Pattern: Burda Style Cotton Top A, B 116 | 04/17 Size: 38 Fiber: Kaleidoscope in Charcoal, Yarn Balls in Bluestone (both cotton from Hawthorne Supply Co.)

Woof. This is one of those patterns that looked deceptively simple on paper, but turned out to be really confusing to my sewing novice brain. “I just sewed a jacket, I can handle a little tank top,” I thought. Wrong. The instructions for this pattern were pretty bare bones, and I guess so far I’ve been spoiled by patterns that have ample instructions and illustrations showing each little step of the process. It took me ages to figure out how to put this thing together, but I guess I got it in the end? I mean, it’s a shirt and it is cute. I had originally bought the grey fabric intending it to be the main exterior fabric of a tote bag that I made, but decided I wanted to go with black instead. And I was going to make a little drawstring bag out of the blue fabric, but it worked nicely as a trim for this shirt and I had just enough of each to pull it off.

Maybe now that I sort of get how it comes together, I’d be willing to try it again, but not for a little while!

[ayearofmaking]

Blazer Planning

I’m donating two blazers I never wear - one black, one burgundy, both in the same style from the Loft. I liked the burgundy one slightly more - I feel like black blazers just never look good on me - but both were made of a jersey knit material that just never looked great, and I finally realized I didn’t like the cut of them: they were too short.

I get served a lot of ads for places like MM La Fleur and Everlane, and I do like the look of their more boxy, straight-line blazers that fall below the hip.

Blazers are one of those things that aren’t required for my job, so I usually just end up wearing sweaters or other jackets, but I still feel like I should have in my wardrobe for meetings or interviews. I have one grey wool blazer, but it’s definitely a winter jacket. So I’ve been thinking about sewing this Zea Blazer using a pattern from Mood Fabrics.

Photo from Mood Sewciety

This has the look of outerwear to me, so I’d probably take another 4 inches off it or so. And I’m thinking of doing a dark olive green one to start, and if that goes well, maybe I’ll do a plaid one similar to the example above?

I’m the kind of person who regularly buys shoes, purses or jackets because of the lining fabric, even though no one can see it, so that’s definitely what I’ve been agonizing over.

Option 1: dark olive green viscose and orchid viscose lining

Option 2: this fun, peachy, modern, geometric viscose from Cloud 9 fabrics. But I like this fabric so much I don’t know if I want to hide it away in a lining.

Option 3: this modern, geometric viscose print. But this one isn’t 100% opaque, so I can’t decide if that’s the best choice for a lining or not.

Option 1: Beige and orange windowpane with burnt orange spice rayon lining

Option 2: windowpane fabric with the same peachy fabric as above.

Option 3: Windowpane with teal viscose lining.

[ayearofmaking]

Wiksten Haori

Pattern: Haori by Wiksten (Medium length, XS size) Fabrics: Balboa Nautical Short Strokes (Robert Kaufman), Essex Yarn Dyed Flax Linen (both purchased from Fat Quarter Shop) Fiber: Linen/Cotton blend

This jacket came together incredibly quickly. I was bracing myself for it to be tough - the thought of making a lined jacket was daunting - but this was the easiest thing I’ve sewn so far, with the exception of attaching the collar, which gave me some problems. There’s one little corner that got kind of bunched up and I can’t decide if I should try to fix it or not. Whether I wear it with the blue or beige side facing, you won’t see that mistake since the collar folds over it... but I know it’s there.

I also finally found a good home for this little patch of Palestinian embroidery that I had. It came attached as a pocket on a t-shirt that I bought a few years ago in Jordan... but the shirt was too small and shrunk even more in the wash. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it, so I finally used a seam ripper and took the embroidery off the shirt, ditched the t-shirt, and rehomed it here. I’m not from the Middle East, but my husband’s heritage is Palestinian and it felt important to honor that part of our lives, even if we don’t live there anymore.

I would totally make this again - now that I’ve done it once, I could probably whip this up in an afternoon, especially if I didn’t do the extra quilting on the collar. I could see making the long version in wool or flannel for fall - that sounds like the coziest thing ever. 

[ayearofmaking]

A few thoughts on crafting

I’m honestly not sure what I did before I had crafting in my life. 

Last year, when I started feeling exhausted after work, coming home after either being in front of a computer or behind a camera all day, I felt like I needed to do something physically different. Yoga helped (and I need to get back into a regular practice again), and then I eventually landed on crochet and hardly put my yarn down for 8 months. There’s ample evidence for crafts like knitting, crochet, or sewing being beneficial as a mindfulness practice, and it was true for me - simultaneously calming and energizing me.

Now that I’ve started sewing, I wish I had started ages ago. Of course, I grew up occasionally using a sewing machine - I knew how they worked - but always had lackluster results. I was intimidated and just thought I would be rubbish at it.

And now, sewing a jacket or shirt feels like instant gratification compared to crocheting something! They say it only takes two weeks to build a new habit, and telling myself (and others) “I’m not buying clothes this year - I’m making my own,” already makes it feel more real and squashes any remaining desire I might’ve had to go shop.

And why would I go out and buy something that feels generic, when I can take the time to think about: what fabrics feel good on my skin? what cuts and silhouettes make me feel confident? Why buy a blazer that makes me feel frumpy, or a jacket that’s too tight in the shoulders, or too long in the arms?

Maybe it’s turning 30 and wanting to reinvent a little bit, or maybe it’s me regrouping after 4 years in the Middle East, trying to integrate and make sense of all those feelings and experiences and put them into a garment. I’ve never cared much about fashion - in DC, I fell prey to buying floral blouses at the Loft like every other young professional; in Jordan and Turkey, I was drawn to the breezy, drapey fabrics in modern modestwear (mostly I tried to draw as little attention to myself as possible), and lately I’m diggingd anything from blend-in-anywhere Scandinavian looks, to bright, graphic prints, to the boxy, simple lines of Japanese patterns.

It feels dramatic, but not untrue to say that crafting has sort of brought me back to life. And this feels like a good a time as any to do a little soul-searching and reinvention along the way.

[ayearofmaking]

Cora Tote

Pattern: Cora Tote by Sotak Handmade Fabrics: Main exterior - heavy cotton upholstery remnant I got from Joann; Exterior contrast - cognac vegan leather; Lining - Wildwood Garden Party from Rifle Paper Company

Notes on this project: Woof, this vegan leather was hard to sew, especially when you add in that heavy cotton fabric PLUS the foam stabilizer! Don’t look too closely at the stitching on the leather! I need to go back and add a fabric tab to the other end of the zipper - I didn’t quite understand what she was saying to do with the top zipper, and I think the pattern assumed you have a pre-sized zipper, and I was working with zipper by the yard. As a result, without an end tab, my zipper pull flies off any time I pull on it. Overall, I do like how this turned out - the black and white with the leather gave it a more polished, professional look than I was expecting from a tote bag, and I think this is a purse I’d happily take to work with me. If I made it again though, I’d definitely choose easier fabrics to work with.

[ayearofmaking]

Pinnacle Top

Today I finished my first garment ever, the Pinnacle Top by Papercut Patterns.

Size: XS (variation 2) Fabric: Balboa Taupe Dots by Erin Dollar for Robert Kaufman Fabrics Fiber: Linen & Cotton

Problems I ran into while making this: 

I didn’t have another empty bobbin so I couldn’t wind the matching thread I had bought, and ended up using a brown thread that was already on a bobbin (eye roll). 

I didn’t understand the very basic thing that you’re supposed to cut the fabric with the wrong side up when you lay out the pattern. Amazingly, it worked out.

I didn’t understand that the bottom triangle piece was supposed to be one triangle piece doubled, and not cut into two triangles (not sure why they didn’t just provide a bigger triangle?) It was already a tight cut to get all the pieces to fit onto the two yards of fabric recommended by the pattern, but luckily I made it work.

Getting the seams to line up perfectly in the front (so the triangle peaks were stacked on top of each other) was tricky, but I got it in the end.

I’d 100% make this shirt again - I’d like to try it in one of the other variations - short sleeves, v-neck, different fabric, etc.

[ayearofmaking]

The Plan and The Rules

I’m a planner. I geek out over spreadsheets for everything from budgeting to trip planning. When I travel, I like to know where I’m going to sleep that night and exactly how I’m going to get there (I’ve even used Google maps street view to make sure rolling luggage wouldn’t be an obstacle on the sidewalks in an unfamiliar country/city). And I might have planned my 30th birthday shindig 4 months in advance.

I also don’t necessarily stick to those plans. My beautiful budgeting spreadsheet with financial outlays for the next two years went straight to hell in 2019. I’ve also been the one relaxed, balancing my backpack on my legs in the back of a tuk-tuk in Sri Lanka, with no hotel reserved, while my exhausted husband fretted about whether we were going the right way.

But anyway, at the start of a new project, it seems appropriate to have some sort of plan in mind, and here’s what I’m loosely sticking to:

The Plan is simple: make (sew or crochet) at least one new garment a month. I finished two sewing projects this weekend, so I’ll probably end up with much more than this.

The Rules:

1. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Much as I’m excited about the prospect of having a me-made wardrobe, I’m not going to get rid of things that fit well and that I wear a lot currently. And for things that get worn out, I’ll try to repurpose the material in some way, mend it, or use it as a pattern to create a new garment. 2. Done is better than perfect. Without fail, each new crafting project has taught me something new and challenged my brain in unexpected ways. Embrace the learning process. 3. Measure twice, cut once. This goes for reading directions and actual cutting of fabric, as well as doing things like getting swatches in advance so I can match fabrics, rather than ordering 3 yards of something, only to be disappointed that it looks different than online. 4. No drunk sewing, and take breaks for snacks when you start to get confused or frustrated or tired. I mean, this should be obvious, but... 5. Shop locally, source ethically/environmentally responsible materials when possible. The main reason I want to minimize my wardrobe and ditch fast fashion is because of its environmental impact and poor labor practices. But I won’t be doing a whole lot better if I don’t choose my materials carefully. 6. 1 in, 1 (fast fashion item) out. I’m already cramped for storage space, so I have to donate older items as I make new items.

[ayearofmaking]

A handmade life in 2020

In typical Lindsey fashion, it’s taken me until the end of February to figure out what my 2020 goals should be. And the goal that I’ve decided is worthy of having its own Tumblr is making 2020 a year of making and crafting.

I guess you’re supposed to choose goals that are sustainable, and this one is, seeing as I’ve already been doing it for some time. It started last spring when I told my coworker one day, “I feel like I need to be doing something creative in my life.” Which is a bit rich because I film and edit videos for a living. And I work at a university that has a wealth of creative and intellectual activities to take advantage of. Anyway, I bought a loom and started weaving little wall hangings. Eventually I got bored with that and decided to try crocheting again - I had learned the basic stitches before, but never gotten very good at it.

I churned out a few shawls that I gave as Christmas presents (and kept one for myself) and in December, I got a couple of vintage chairs to reupholster.

Around the same time, I got irritated about none of my pants fitting me in the waist and decided to just buy a sewing machine and learn how to alter them myself. And then a couple weeks ago I took the plunge with my first real sewing project and made this tote purse:

And unsurprisingly, now it seems like a totally good idea for me to donate 90% of my wardrobe and start from scratch making my own clothes.

When I sent my mom a picture of the finished bag, she said, “I never thought you’d sew.” She sews, and my grandmother was a multitalented crafty person - I still have a baby blanket she crocheted for me, I grew up wearing her hand-sewn Halloween costumes, and being treated to her elaborate birthday cakes. When she died 19 years ago, she left behind her own fully handmade wardrobe. My mom turned the clothes into a quilt. I would like to say I learned these skills from these women, but it’s taken me 30 years in life to start learning them in a roundabout way.

My grandfather on my dad’s side was a jazz musician, and as I grew up playing the violin, I somewhat arrogantly assumed that’s where my creativity came from. But as I get older, I start to understand the care my grandmother showed in all of her handmade gifts to us, as well as the talent they required. And as someone who regularly uses crocheting as a way to stave off panic attacks, or sewing as a way to keep me feeling productive when a depressive episode wants to keep me on the couch all day, I understand these crafts as emotional work.

I ordered some fabric and purchased a few different PDF patterns online, and have plans for trying my hand at sewing a blouse and a spring jacket next. I’ve made attempts at having a capsule wardrobe in the past, but always ended up with things that didn’t work for one reason or another: the cut was wrong, the material made me sweaty, or it would suit a lifestyle/job that I don’t actually have. And then there are the myriad items in my closet that people have given me that I feel guilty about giving away, but don’t have the space for. So, as far as clothing (and hopefully home goods too) I’ve decided to make this a year of making, and if I can’t make it, I’ll thrift it.

Someone recently described me as “a good homemaker,” and though I know what they meant - these skills aren’t really in style anymore - I barfed in my mouth a little bit. I prefer to think of them as post-apocalyptic survival skills. Between my husband’s mechanical/electrical engineering skills and ability to use power tools, and my ability to cook, sew, crochet, and the medical/health knowledge I’ve gleaned from years of working as a journalist in conflict areas, and now as a science communicator at a medical school, I think we’d stand a good chance of surviving for a while in the apocalypse.