Long Time, No Sew

Well, not really -- I have been sewing, just slowly, for myself, and I haven't been documenting things. But all of that is changing now! Well, some of that is changing now. The documenting part.

A little personal back story on where I've been in my life: back in 2010, with the big 3-0 looming closer on the horizon than I would have liked, I decided to grab the reins on my life and pull it in line with my artist's spirit. So I quit a very cushy job just before there were no jobs to be had, with the intention of finding my creative niche and establishing myself in it. I settled on fashion design just after I ran out of savings, and thus began some very Hard Times.

But happily, through sheer will power and just the right lucky breaks, I actually found a job in my preferred industry, using the skills which I spent two intense years teaching myself! The reality is definitely quite different from the dream, but that's probably the nature of things when you actually get what you wish for. The best part is that I can finally ease up off myself, creatively speaking.

Doing so has been a hard decision for me; I definitely don't come from an environment which supports 'play' or 'recreation', much  less having hobbies for the sake of it. But I feel that it's best for me now to simply play at sewing and making, instead of forcing myself to build my fashion empire Right Now. In this case, there really is tomorrow. So I'm officially taking a break from being a fashion designer, in order to enjoy being a home sewer who makes her own clothes.

Stick around and talk sewing with me, or ogle my fancy new clothes -- whatever floats your train! I would love the company, and who knows what will come of our time together.

--Ebi P.

Giving Up On Catching Up

Confession time: I’m not a very trendy person. Or rather, I’m not trendy in a timely fashion. It takes me two to four years before I finally hop on the bandwagon, by which time the trends have begun to shift ever so slightly. The other day I realized that my mistimed wardrobe changes are part of the reason I am often unhappy with my appearance, and I decided that I need to more strongly develop my own personal style, so that I am less upset by fashion changes in the world around me. That, and I need to be more adventurous about jumping on things while they’re hot! Part of the fun of fashion is the play aspect of engaging fully with whatever the fashion gods deem ‘hot’. Right?

Pinky Pye

I’ve named this project after a book the childrens’ librarian at my local branch directed me to. The book, Pinky Pye, is by Eleanor Estes, author of Ginger Pye.

Ginger Pye is one of the most bizarre but unforgettable books of my childhood. I remember reading it and being boggled by the thoughts that went through the characters’ heads, as well as the complicity of the adults in the story. It may have been that I read that story at an older age than its intended audience, and so had a harder time suspending my disbelief; at any rate, I eventually bought the book and re-read it a few times.

I’m looking forward to cracking open Pinky Pye, and wearing the rather interesting-looking pink scarf I’ve named after it!

Back From Beyond

It’s been several weeks since I last posted on here, though I promise I have been sewing and thinking of content! However, I have burnt myself out on trying to make the best blog ever, and need some time to get perspective.

 

So for now, I will continue to sew and think about content. But I’ll be sewing for me, and I’ll be posting blogs that are less rigorously edited/hyperlinked than before (though I promise to be vigilant about typos!). And yes, I will post prior entries which are all in draft limbo. I hope you stick around for my selfish sewing, and I do hope you get something out of my projects that helps and enriches your own creativity.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays, because I love the idea of a day where people freely and openly share their love and affection for people in their lives. I hope you are sharing your feelings today with those you love, one way or the other. And I hope you’ll accept this photo of roses as my Valentine to you!

On Deck

Remember this?

Even though it’s the middle of winter, this is the perfect time to begin thinking about warm weather wardrobes. (Ooh, alliteration!) For sewers and non-sewers alike, it takes time to pull out and review last year’s summer clothes, and decide what needs to be added to the collection for this year.

And that’s where the similarity ends, because sewers can do something non-sewers cannot: make our own clothes! Once we decide what we need and want, we can make it happen.

I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have never owned summer clothes. I’ve had t-shirts, of course, but they are the kind you get from volunteering, or the merch table at concerts, or the men’s section of your local discount clothing store. I’ve never had shorts, skirts, tanks, or anything that said ‘summer’. Or ‘spring’. Or even ‘cute’. So this year, I’ve got a lot of sewing to do.

Me, every summer ... minus the hat.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a frilly tank top and a simple t-shirt in the works, as well as a maxi dress. I also whipped up a pair of shorts. But what I don’t have is a vision … yet. For that, I’m going to look both to high end designers and the world around me. In a series of posts, I’ll share my finds with you, and maybe we'll both find some inspiration for our wardrobes this year!

They’re All Going to Laugh At You

The last time I wore shorts, I was eleven years old.

I remember that last day, and the shorts I was wearing – in fact, the whole outfit I was wearing – like it was just yesterday.

My grade was on a whale watching cruise, and the weather was gorgeous. I’d picked out one of my favorite ensembles to celebrate both the fine weather and the special day. It was a white button-up shirt and lime green shorts held up with matching suspenders. The fabric for both was a mid-weight cotton that was always wrinkled, because I didn’t know you could iron play clothes. I thought I looked pretty fabulous.

In addition to always being wrinkled, the shirt-and-shorts combo was at least a year old, maybe even eighteen months old. Given the growth surge I was experiencing at the time, wearing something so old was definitely risky as far as a proper fit was concerned. In hindsight, I probably looked ridiculous, with my long, skinny legs cascading down from the too-short lime green-and-white get up, but I definitely didn’t have the gift of hindsight then.

I was fine until I had the misfortune of catching some of my classmates laughing at me: doubled over, can’t breathe, hysterical laughing. And these were boy classmates, at a time when I was beginning to vaguely understand the importance of male/female roles and relationships. I wasn’t sure what about me was so hilarious, and desperately hoped they weren’t actually laughing at me. Paralyzed by humiliation and confusion, I was uncharacteristically silent, unable to ask what was so funny. It was the last time I wore shorts.

In fact, for many years after that, I didn’t even expose my legs. I’d wear skirts here and there for special occasions, but always with tights. In my early-mid twenties, fueled solely by liquid courage, I recall wearing bare legs under a skirt precisely two times. And then the music stopped again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Now I am older, wiser, and less inclined to shoulder the yoke of social acceptability. I am also drowning in fabric, especially old pieces which I bought for all the wrong reasons. One such piece, a purple and white checkered seersucker, has been on my radar for at least a year, but every project I wanted to use it for fell through. Today, I finally found its calling: shorts! Unabashedly preppy bermuda shorts, to go with my purple-on-white Nikes (another ill advised purchase, but these things happen). Perhaps I’ll pull out my sleeveless white polo shirt, to complete the prep school look I’ve always secretly admired. Stay tuned for the making of shorts, the baring of legs, and the adoption of a new look.