Doing the Thing

A couple of my sewing friends commented yesterday—not unkindly—about the number of clothes I make. They wondered about the size of my closet or where I wear these items. Here’s the conundrum in a nutshell:

I can’t teach effectively, or wax poetic about a sewing topic for 30 minutes on a podcast episode, unless I have a thorough understanding of that topic. (Zippers, I am looking at you.) And in order to get that level of mastery, I have to do the thing. YouTube is full of content produced by people who don’t really understand what they are doing. The number of people posting tutorials using fabric that has never made the acquaintance of an iron is proof of that.

Consider, too, that most clothing patterns require the creation of at least one muslin to assess and correct any fit issues. If you’re lucky—or adept at making alterations to the pattern from the beginning—your muslin might be wearable. If you’re really lucky, it will become a favorite piece of clothing.

From that standpoint, sewing clothing is rather a wasteful process. I try to minimize that waste by finishing my muslins even if I don’t plan to keep them. I might pass along the garment to someone else or I might donate it to a thrift store.

I don’t know how to get around this. Theoretical knowledge is just that—theoretical. Issues become apparent when a pattern goes from two-dimensional paper to three-dimensional fabric on a body.

I will admit to a certain fondness for clothing (and fabric in general). I may not be a fashion plate, but I like colorful, well-fitting garments. And I enjoy the challenge of sewing those garments myself. Believe me, I understand the relationship between fast fashion—which, by extension, can become fast sewing—and the amount of junk ending up in our landfills. I’m attempting to bypass fast fashion by making quality clothing for myself that will last for years, but there are parts of that journey I cannot avoid.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. 🙂

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My birthday is on Sunday. I’ve been serenaded by some church friends at a meeting, received several lovely cards, and when I got home from town yesterday, there was a bag of goodies waiting for me from Robin, including a yard of this wonderful chicken fabric:

I am going to make something special with this. Robin is a good gifter. She knows what her friends like.

I am making some good headway on one of my English paper piecing projects. This was a kit from a class that Tera and I took at Garden of Quilts three (!) years ago.

I have a few more columns of big hexies to sew together before this becomes a wallhanging quilt, but it’s getting there.

I picked up this Simplicity pattern on sale at Joanns yesterday:

I have three lengths of stretch velour in the stash (hot pink, black, and a deep lavender) that want to become something cozy. Also, this dress/top has a zipper, and I am on a quest to master zippers. Stay tuned.