But I've had two things on my mind lately. The first is the irony of wanting to have a sustainable, quality wardrobe (promoted by things like Me-Made-March and my personal Fashion on the Ration challenge) and being an avid sewist who loves to create new things. They sometimes seem like the antithesis of the other. While one focuses on having less, the other is about creating more. Where do you stand on this?
Some like to think they're updating their wardrobe, piece by piece. A new beautiful piece displaces an old not-so-fabulous one, or perhaps new pieces are created to fill in the gaps of a current wardrobe. Others simply feel that there is always room in their closets for me-mades and still others that derive the most pleasure in the process of sewing (rather than the wearing of the garment) and that the accruing wardrobe is a manifestation of a crafty life.
I'm not sure where I stand on this, and perhaps it will shift with the season. But I began sewing seriously a year ago, when my life was very different, and I've now arrived at a place where I feel my wardrobe is more than sufficient. It could be more beautiful, but it does adequately equip me for my everyday life. Though I'll always fantasize about new things, I find myself now wondering how I can improve the things I already have.
Put another way: Perhaps the biggest benefit sewing has given me is not new items in my closet but a better sense of my own body and the skills and confidence to adapt existing items (garments and patterns). So I've become better at making choices about what cuts and colors flatter me and I've pared my closet accordingly. Rarely do I wear something anymore that I just hate and makes me feel self-conscious.
Another life change is that I've just bought my first bike in about a decade. When I lived in the capital, I bought a cheap roadbike with drop handlebars and zipped 1.5 miles to work through bumper-to-bumper traffic. But I'm so easily dissuaded. Mid-Atlantic humidity, the weight of my pack, the clumsiness of carrying the bike up and down stairs and locking it up. By the end, I left it on a pole to be picked for parts.I'd sort of sworn off bike commuting after that. But this whole sewing-thing has delved me into a more Yes-I-Can mentality. Case in point, I've also discovered some staying power with the things I've always recognized as worthwhile pursuits but never had the tenacity for: Supporting local businesses, eating seasonally and locally, and composting. So why not bike commuting? I live in an awfully bike-friendly community and the commute to work is all flat with nearly no cars for 3 miles each way.
I'm posting this here partly because I believe in the power of public intention (and accountability). A year ago I wanted to be the kind of girl who could take ownership of her style through sewing. Today I want to take ownership of my body and my days this way.
And also true to my sewing tendencies, I thought about what is really going to make me comfortable? And is it quality and stylish to boot? So I bought a Public Bike J7, a locally designed, lightweight steel bike with European flair. And of course I needed a basket like I need pockets on everything.
But if I can stay on the road, this marks a life change and every change seems to find its way to my wardrobe, too. When I returned to working in an office, my wardrobe became much more formal. In fact, it was liberating: I could sew pretty things and actually wear them. And though I bought a bike that's meant to be ridden in skirts and dresses and heels, I'm guessing pencil skirts are off the table. Perhaps it's time to revisit my knit stash: clothes that are meant for movement.
What about you? Does your transportation method and/0r daily environment affect your wardrobe?
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Hey, I just bought a bike too -- not for commuting to work, which is not feasible for me, but because I want to bike for enjoyment, and for short errands that don't really require a car.
ReplyDeleteOne of my criteria was that I wanted to be able to wear skirts while riding, since I wear them all summer instead of shorts. I found this article (and the whole blog, really) quite interesting: http://letsgorideabike.com/blog/2009/06/the-best-skirts-for-cycling/
Hope that helps!
My perspective is a little different because I've been sewing since I was little. I just enjoy the process of planning and making new things, I do go through my wardrobe every once in a while and get rid of things I don't like or wear anymore (I don't just throw them away of course). But I've found that my needs and tastes change over years so even if I was satisfied last year this time, now I might be missing something.
ReplyDeleteI think once you have gone past the need of creating a wardrobe, if you're concerned about sustainability etc, the focus needs to shift to projects that take more time - learning to improve the quality of what you make. Or of course, making things as gifts rather than just for yourself.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tricky line that's for sure.
I think it's worth thinking about it as a hobby, and unlike a lot of hobbies you end up with something at the end of it.
I have an entire family, potentially, to sew for, so I'm pretty sure I can justify as much sewing as I care to... At least while the kids are still willing (and demanding) to wear things I make them. Of course that's not nearly as fun as sewing for myself ;).
ReplyDeleteMy commute affects mostly my outerwear (and footwear) choices, as it tends to be by train and foot. I really value a non-car route to work, though, especially as I try to resist the pull of becoming a two-car family. That being said, I haven't biked since high-school; over a moderate distance, I'd rather walk.
Maybe I'm a bit nuts (YES), but I think you should be able to bike in a pencil skirt as long as its got a slit in the back. Just hike it up a bit and you should be good to go. It only veers into flashing territory if somebody is in a pothole and looking up as you ride by ;-). I've had worse potential flashing nightmares in floaty skirts when there's a sudden gust of wind.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your dilemma; I've been considering just what I hope to accomplish as I resume my sewing hobby. I'd like to approach it cautiously and as minimally impacting as possible. I don't want to encourage or bring about heavy consumption or buying things I won't use/don't need/could have used the money on something more meaningful to my community. But I love the creative process. And I think the creative process is essentially making things from what one has access to. Not an excuse to get more supplies. So, I think you're well on your way to finding that balance you're talking about. I look forward to tracking your progress (and having it there to inform my own).
ReplyDeleteYou are so amazing! Well done, you, I'm glad things are going so well. I feel life is always more rewarding when you are in pursuit of improving yourself, and I definitely agree that blogging for accountability certainly helps! Happy bicycling!
ReplyDeleteHi! I've been enjoying your blog for a few months now. This post was so great that I just had to comment; I've also been sewing for about a year and finally feel that through sewing and careful thrifting, I have a wardrobe that suits me (even as I dream of beautiful things to make). I often find it difficult not to get into a sewing frenzy, and I'm trying to find a balance that incorporates purposefulness, fun and sustainability. Nice to hear from someone on the same path! And congratulations on the bike :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the bike! I have tried to learn to ride one several times over the years but came to the conclusion I have very bad balance. I even managed to tip up a tandem! Because I live in the middle of nowhere I depend on a car to get around. Even the nearest bus route is 7 miles away!
ReplyDeleteI have occasional panics about making piles of stuff being just as bad as buying piles of stuff, but when I actually counted the garments I made last year it came out at only one a month on average, and that's not too much at all, and allowed me to replace worn-out shop bought thigs. I would like to end up with a wholly me-made wardrobe but at this rate of production it is going to take a while!
Well, bike riding is definitely cramping my style, but it's worth it! I commute to work by car 2 times a week, but I try to use my bike locally as much as possible, especially when going places with my children. So, pencil skirts are out, some bags and accessories are unpractical, and heels are mostly out as well. Which still leaves a lot of styles to wear, so that's okay! Re: how many clothes to sew, I get quite attached to my clothes and neither my style nor my size change a lot, so it's just as well that I'm a slow sewer. I love looking at all the pretty clothes ohers sew, but I really wouldn't have the space to store it all nor the heart to throw or give it away. Oh, and I love your bike!
ReplyDeleteI envy your ability to cycle to work, I'd literally have to cycle over several Welsh mountains (very very large hills) and with a 13 mile distance between myself and my workplace I don't think it's going to be happening any time soon! I hope it works out for you, I'm sure you'll end up loving it ... right up until it starts raining ;) Good luck with it
ReplyDeleteAh, Mid-Atlantic summers. I know them well.
ReplyDeleteThe first question is one I've been pondering for awhile. I'm admittedly kind of a clotheshorse, and since I've been sewing since I was a kid, a good portion of what I have is me-made. I'm trying to make an effort to include more pieces that are basics so I can mix and match more. But I've also been trying to slow down my sewing and put more quality into what I make. And yet, at the same time, I'm trying to sew mostly from my stash of fabric so I can get it down to a manageable amount, which means I still sew a lot of prints. It's a hard balance to strike, and one I haven't quite perfected yet. At the same time, though I do get rid of things (or reconstruct them) when they no longer suit me, I think I'm likely to always end up with a pretty large wardrobe. Between my sewing and my thrifting, it's kind of inevitable.
I love the bike - I live somewhere with lots of cars and few cycle paths. so cycling is more a leisure thing and hard to pursue in everyday life. I am not confident enough to cycle with my little girl on the back of my bike but you are inspiring me to get cycling again.
ReplyDeleteWardrobe wise, I am thinking I need to make more plain trousers and I think I need to buy decent fabric if I am going to make trousers that will fit and last. So I am having a rethink about how and when I buy fabric.
Hi Ali, How often do I find my recent thoughts appearing in your words? It's uncanny! I too have recently been thinking "where does it end"? am I just on a sewing binge? Like Roobeedoo, I want to replace shop bought with handmade, and this is becoming much more of a reality. I was thinking about maybe (when I allow myself to buy) that I should spend as much as I can possibly afford on quality fabric which is well thought out as opposed to buying because it's great value. I notice with my shop bought clothes, my most worn and most loved are those that were at the top end (or even slightly over) my affordability scale- I bought them because it was love. So if I take that approach with fabric I will be making items that hopefully last & match that I adore! My ideas are still forming on that though as it is more risky and not necessarily as simple as that! And bikes! Lucky lucky you. I love cycling but live on top of a long relentless hill, so going to work is a breeze, possibly beating anyone driving, but the cycle/ push home isn't worth the state I arrive home in (been thinking about one of those motorised bikes though to give me a bit of help!) If I walk then I have the shoe dilemma & skirts that sometimes swizzel around, or worse still end up bunching around my thighs showing far more than I had planned!
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to be able to bike commute. I want to try it because my part-time job isn't too far away, only 5 miles (my other one is 75 miles...that's a bit much!). The big issue is that I'm not physically fit, New England weather is not always bike-friendly and neither are our roads, in any way. It is all downhill getting there, which is a big plus, but then I have to go all the way uphill to get home. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteAh dang, my comment went to La-la-land...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, congrats on getting a new bike! I started cycling to Uni last summer as a way to balance getting some fresh air and exercise with not having to spend too much time on it or having to get up even earlier. I really love it (at least in good weather), I get to cycle along the river most of the way and it even takes a couple minutes less than getting there by public transport. I did find out that some of my skirts are more bike-appropriate than others, though... I've planned on making a little shorts/underskirt-hybrid thingy to wear under the short&flouncy ones soon. I still have to think about whether I want to bike in rainy weather, too, since I don't have the appropriate weather gear yet...
Concerning my sewing productivity, I've had similar thoughts in the past months. There are a lot of RTW garments in my closet that I still love and wear, and it would be wasteful to just replace them with handmades. It would also be wasteful to produce more garments than I actually wear, just for the sake of sewing. But I think my sewing frequency is very similar to my shopping frequency - my wardrobe has always had a slow but steady turnover. Some things wear out or don't fit as well or I come to not like the style anymore, so they get swapped or donated or go on my scrap/refashion pile. At the same time, I find/buy/thrift/sew new garments to replace the old ones. There is usually a balance between the two, although I need a more thorough wardrobe cull every couple of years... I'm glad I usually turn to things like having a coffee with a friend or buying strawberries or reading a good book when I'm feeling low, instead of "retail therapy"... ;)
Yays!!!!!!!!! Lovely to read this super-positive post, Ali. I'm so proud of you and all you have achieved this past year, you are a total inspiration. Congrats on biting the bullet and getting a bike. I'd like to ride to and from work, but to be honest I'm scared of getting knocked off it by cars, so I walk 35 mins each way instead. Using my body to power me to and from work does feel like a victory though. If I'm late, it's my own fault. I'm not stuck on a train or bus or behind the wheel of a car, at the mercy of the mornings traffic. A very negative way to start the day IMO. I guess we are lucky to work in relavtive proximity to our homes.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I agree with you about the dicholomy (sp?) of sewing up a storm and not wanting to own too many clothes. Personally, I try and alternate projects between things for me and things for friends and loved ones. But making lovely garments that make me feel good is pretty much my only passitme and expressive output, and I enjoy it sooo much, that I don't put a cap on it, I just try to use second-hand materials for the majority of them.
Zoe xxx