Santa, puh-lease? Victory Patterns Love

Dear Santa,

I've been good this year. Pinky-promise. I've been buying too many clothes at thrift shops donating to charity and making things for myself, and on rare occasion, others.

As you're making your list and checking it twice, I hope that you'll discover my name there next to three new patterns from a brand-new independent pattern line, Canada-based Victory Patterns. (Who doesn't love the Canadians?)

I discovered Victory Patterns through my blog-pal, Toria. (She kindly requests the Madeleine.  You might want to bring something for her dog, too.)

See, while I'm staying home—out of trouble—I could really use a comfy, stylish number like the Lola:

Lola, Victory Patterns

And once Spring comes and it's time to get a little leggy (modestly, of course), what fits the bill better than the Chloe? (Note the pockets on both of these, Santa: A cure for chilly fingers.)

Chloe, Victory  Patterns

Most importantly, I want you to know that I'm the kind of gal who believes in the capacity for human beings to do great things, realize their potential. Because of that, I'm always aiming higher than my ability, seeing what I'm made of. And this pattern, dear Santa, could be my Mount Everest in the Spring. 

The Anouk features front and back pintucks, fitted yoke, and button detailing leading into a decorative front placket.  

Anouk, Victory Patterns

I realize this is a last-minute request, so if the elves are swamped and you're forced to stoop to using cash, I just wanted you to know that Victory Patterns is offering 3 patterns for $25 in their Etsy store.

Thank you, Santa, for considering my plea. And, it's not a bribe, but I want you to know there are homemade cookies that I didn't make but am happy to share with you and some almond milk (I'm lactose intolerant, my bad).

Merry, merry Christmas to you and the Mrs.

Love, a very, very, very nice girl,
Ali

Snoody

I've been knitting! In the past month, I've made two cowls/snoods and I love them both. In fact, I may just pack away the rest of my scarves for the season.

These are both very popular patterns on Ravelry at the moment. The first is the Gaptastic Cowl, but I only cast on 107 stitches and it's 7 or so inches wide. I used two skeins of Malabrigo Gruesa in Polygala and I can't tell you how much this color excites me. I've been wearing this a lot and have received so many compliments.  It's really inspired me to be impulsive: if I have sweaty-hand love for it in the store, I may love wearing it regularly, and I do!

The second is more typical Ali: neutral color, made for usefulness. I took an old cotton GAP sweater and unraveled it, which, to me, is sort of a magical thing. A whole sleeve in a single piece of yarn!

I wasn't going to go through the mind-numbing seed stitch again, so I opted for the Honey Cowl with Gap-tastic dimensions. I held two strands together, cast on 130 stitches, and knit for about 11 inches. I love how soft and drapey this is and, since it's cotton, there's the possibility that I may wear it thoughout the year.

So there you have it: One colorful snood to punch up the plain, neutral outfits I live in, and one neutral to pair with everything else. They're far from perfect—still working on not twisting stitches. The Gaptastic Cowl has two twists and the Honey Cowl one twist, but I'm gonna chalk it up to my learning curve.  

There are so many things I want to knit. A beret, wool socks, fingerless gloves, and (eek) a sweater? Oh, I heart being a beginner: Everything seems possible.

Hope you're all well. There's a dress on the cutting table -- more on that soon!

Bad Beignet

Hello, hello! The countdown to the holidays has arrived and everything feels like it's accelerating before it slows down.

Earlier this week, I had the great pleasure to attend the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook launch in San Francisco. I've got some funny photos to share with you, but read Amy of Sew Well's great post about it here.  I'm smitten with the book, I love patterns that just keep giving and that's the focus: pattern alteration. Watch out for the skirt in the spring!

Speaking of skirts, I noticed some great wrap-ups of the Fall Essentials Sew-Along and the Colette Patterns Fall Palette Challenge. I never whipped up an official list, but now that we're on the verge of winter, I should share with you my most recent garment which is, unfortunately, a fail.

Rewind two years. The Colette Beignet pattern was one of the first I bought.  Being a newbie, I cut up a vintage skirt and made this sorta-Beignet below.

2010

It wasn't awful given my skill set at the time. The buttonholes were a major accomplishment. But I recall tweaking it A LOT (this is just one incarnation) and the inside was just awful. Plus, I don't really like pink. So I stashed the pattern away.

But you, crafty ladies, kept tormenting me with lovely Beignets. Solvi and Scruffbadger come to mind. Curvy, vintage-esque awesomeness. And I've got a soft spot for any skirt made by Tasia, that Sewaholic whose style I can't quite emulate but love love.

I liked this Beignet because it seemed like it could easily go from day-to-night. A go-to Fall Skirt that would shepherd me warmly into Spring. I picked up some gray-ish loosely woven wool from the thrift store and spent way too much on pretty buttons. Mustard lining. I chopped off 1-3/4 off the top because of my obsessiveness with not-too-high waists.

And here it is:

So the lining, fit at the waist and pockets are great, but really MEH otherwise. That's actually the best photo.  Here's what it looks like most of the time:

Baggy and pulling and just overall unflattering.  I've been messing with the buttons to no avail. I've concluded 1) the Beignet is probably not for me. All that curviness, I ain't got it. And 2) Fit issues aside, this is really a fabric problem. The loosely woven wool is too light for the weight of the buttons.

I could try to whip this skirt into submission, taking in the panels (perhaps sacrificing the pockets) for a more flattering fit at the hip area. I could remove the button panel and replace it with a plain one, similar to my Sunday Morning Skirt. 

But I'm feeling today that life is short, so back in the back, back closet it goes. Perhaps I'll find the motivation after the holidays.

In the meantime I've been daydreaming, using my croqui.

This has inspired me to finally buy a pattern I've been longing for, Jalie 3024: Knit Dresses. Perhaps I can move on from the Bad Beignet and whip up one more garment before the first day on winter, end on a success.

Here's to you, in all the sewing successes and failures this fall, and to slowing down over the holidays.  I've been enjoying things line by line—curled up reading novels and knitting—and dreaming of stretchy things and woolen things and food and laughter.

xoxo A

Possibly My Favorite Skirt Pattern: McCalls 3511, 1973

Thank you all for your comments on my last post, "Jerks and Skirts"! You all are amazing, amazing. I took all of your comments to heart. I've certainly internalized what's been happening around me, and you all were able to give me some important perspective.

So you don't think it's all gloom-and-doom and pants-wearing around these parts, I have been thinking a lot about skirts. I was convinced that my skirt-wearing could finally come front-and-center with the season change. I could layer up with tights and leggings (and feel comfortable on my daily commute, baby steps!) and I got my first pair of riding boots that'll pair beautifully with skirts once the rain begins.

In particular, since examining my wardrobe and considering my body type, I've been thinking about what types of skirts I'd be most likely to wear regularly. I've come to these conclusions:

Fabric/color: With wovens, dark denim is my neutral. Dark gray for more formal situations. With knits, it's black and gray.
Waist: My waist is too dang high for me not to feel overwhelmed in high-waist or natural waist skirts. It's a high-hip skirt for me. This also means I need tops that hit there, untucked.
Length: Mid-knee for formal, just above the knee for day-to-night, 3-4 inches above the knee for casual.
Fit/Silhouette: Fitted through the hip, slight A-line.

Sometimes I think it's good to give ourselves parameters, what to you think? It allows me to focus and increases my chances of success. So one Sunday morning in early November, I was lying in bed, thinking about going to the thrift store to find a denim skirt with the above characteristics, but instead I got up and pulled out this 1973 pattern instead and cut up some leftover denim from my Rooibos. 

Carefree Pattern? You bet it is. Four pattern pieces, a zipper and a piece of ribbon. It whipped up so fast I wore it to lunch that day.

And to work that week.

I originally sewed it as instructed but the high waist was bothering me so I let out the front and back darts and it now falls at high-hip. I wore it to the marina on the weekend.

And again to work yesterday!

And several other times. Seriously, my Sunday Morning Skirt has received more consistent love in the last month than any skirt in the history of my wardrobe. And I think it's because I thought hard about what works for me.

Now that I have a foundation skirt I love, I can expand. As a six-gore skirt, think of the options. I could add patch pockets or pockets a la Rooibos on the front side panels. A waistband or a waistband with pockets a la Clover. I've got an equally stiff red corduroy I'd love to try it with and a drapey black crepe that would totally change the shape. I could add godets! I could make it a mini! Oh, bless you, McCalls 3511.

One lesson I've learned in hindsight is that sewing can be a really frustrating way to discover flattering silhouettes (so says all my unworn FOs). I've seen so many items on others that I just love love but on me just look blah (you make it look so easy, curvy ladies!). I've got a meh skirt in the blog queue to prove it.

I'm beginning to think it's much easier to find a basic silhouette that suits you and build from there, as I did with my favorite jeans and hopefully with my Sunday Morning Skirt.

What do you think? How do you go about finding silhouettes that work for you?

Jerks and Skirts

Source

With the recent daylight savings time change, it was dark when I left the office and I bundled up in a long coat and stuffed all my hair in my hat. I had been looking forward to coming home and blogging about one of the three new wardrobe items I have yet to share with you.

But a group of men got to me first.

First they called me names, fake intimacies, referring to my gender, my body. They lured me to engage, acting as if I’d dropped something. I could have; it was that kind of day and I didn’t have my glasses nor anything on me I could afford to lose. They wanted me to linger and they laughed and watched me twirl around myself: a show for themselves, a game they played. I was the prop.

When I realized what was happening, I called them names. They laughed. I boarded my train.

I felt frazzled but mostly angry. What gave those men the right to screw with me, a random woman? And how was that fair, with five of them and one of me? And why, because I’m a woman, should I be susceptible to such things? And though they struck me as harmless, young men with not enough to do (no, I don't want no scrubs), a teeny part of me was screaming alarm. I was scared because I was vulnerable: Alone, on a dark street, surrounded.

Looking back on it, calmer, I was likely over-reacting. I was in no immediate danger: There was a crowd around the corner and the boy was on the line in the phone in my hand. And I’m no stranger to these stupid cat-calls and heckling that is the sad reality of being a woman. Whistles and inappropriate comments from moving cars are easy to brush off.

But in this new city of mine, for whatever reason, these men want to engage, want me to talk back, and sometimes they get too physically close for comfort and I have to tell them to back off. One of my friends long had to endure a man, yelling at the top of his lungs as she walked by, “I want me some of that p&^%$y!” Over and over. Every. Single. Day.

Source

Don’t get me wrong: I love my city. I’ve just had it with a particular variety of men within it. They heckle me when I’m on my bike—either laughing at me or evaluating me. The first is annoying and the second uncomfortable. And perhaps I was so rattled by the group of men around me tonight because I didn’t have my two-wheeled getaway.

But this is my larger point and embarrassing confession: It has changed the way I dress. With riff-raff hanging out on street corners, I’m not going to wear a skirt or dress that shimmies up to my hips as I’m biking, so that they can mess with me when I stop at intersections. I wore pants nearly all summer.

Yes, I live in a city, but I’ve never felt more vulnerable than when walking in the wintery New England woods. So city or country, I’ve just chalked this up to stupid behavior sparked by my gender. And it’s damned unfair.

I know there’s a big emphasis in the blogosphere about dressing for yourself, owning your style, and having the confidence no matter the environment. And I know changing the way you dress because of this sort of discomfort can be seen as negotiating with terrorists, especially since I’m likely not in any real danger. I mean, who gave them the power to dictate what I put on in the morning? But the truth is, I simply don’t want to deal with it. 

I’m admitting this now because I’m of two minds about it. Part of me feels I should dress in the way that makes me feel comfortable throughout my day, including dealing with these bozos during my commute. Sewing is clearly important to me, but feeling safe is paramount. Another part of me feels I should dress solely for myself and harden myself to any comments that flashes of femininity inspires.

Many of us embrace our femininity through the clothes we make and wear. I’d love your thoughts on this. Do you have to deal with this where you live? Does your environment change the way you dress?