Skein 3

70%merino/30%silk, cutch, pomegranate, quebracho green, wattle, chestnut, logwood gray

The last skein I dyed in blocks of color. This one I dyed by pulling out sections and dyeing them. I spent about 2 hours on this and I left part of the yarn blank. It is a very tedious process. I am not entirely happy with the results. i might re-wet it and add some pop of purple or some other color to it. Though a nice subtle mix was what I was going for. it was inspired by this colorway by Three Irish Sisters.

Skein 2

70%merino/30%silk yarn, Indigo overdyed with madder, chestnut, cutch and fustic



And here are some pics of the finishing process:

The yarn is wrapped in plastic wrap or put in a plastic bag and steamed for 45 minutes. My extra rice cooker worked perfectly for this as it fits one 100g skein very nicely.


Then you hang it up to dry for a few days and then you wash it and let it dry again. We dyed on Wednesday nights and I steamed on Thursdays and washed on Monday so it would be dry again for Wednesday. I just washed in the sink with my usual sink soap.

Slow Fashion Meet High Fashion

I have been wanting to knit this turban as my new winter hat. (I left my elf hat on the train accidentally while trying to meet up with a friend) I love vintage clothes and here I am thinking I am being semi-original and slightly demode and I find these on the Sartorialist:

I think a burgundy, marooon, wine-y color would be fab for my turban but my coat is that color and that i think would be a bit much. Maybe for wear with my brown down coat so I don't feel so dowdy...(the contrast of the turquoise snakeskin clutch leaves me completely done in by this look. Simple with some pop of color. I love it)

As elegant as I think white can be, as it is here, I think it would just get too dirty. And I think it would fail to make me happy in the dead of winter.

Skein 1

So here it is folks, my first hand dyed skein of yarn!


It is a 70% Merino 30% Silk blend hand dipped in Indigo. The whole skein was dipped to give it a light blue base and then I pulled out individual sections randomly several times and re dipped them for scattered darker hues throughout. It dried down a lot so it is overall quite light.

i am currently obsessed with this colorway from Three Irish Girls. I feel like i need a matching tam/beret, scarflette, and mitts set out of it. In something textured like moss stitch. it is my inspiration for the hand painting we will be doing this week in class.

DROOL...

Cat: The Ultimate Fashion Critic

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Clothes Swap

I went to my first clothes swap. A friend of a friend was hosting at her apartment. I had 2 bags of clothes and a bag of shoes. It was hard picking out things to give a way. I kept saying "no i can refashion it somehow," but that pile is big enough already and I haven't done any of it yet. I was kinda worried that I would come home with as much stuff as I brought over but I tried to be really picky and only took things i really liked.
I highly recommend a clothes swap. I have tried to get some friends to do one for a while and no one seems to want to because i am too small. Unfortunately for them i gave away some awesome pieces that were too big for me. I also gave away some stuff that I didn't really think anyone would take so your trash may very well be someone else's treasure. There were also several pieces that had been swapped before. Start one of your own with a group of friends and some snacks or do a google search for one in your area (Chicagoans find some links below).


I really liked the colors on this scarf/wrap and thought i could make something out of it. I am thinking a simple sheath dress. and there should be enough fabric, it is wide and folded in half it is much longer than i would want the dress to be.

and its from the Women's Foundation of Nepal.

This dress was my friend Erin's. Erin has awesome clothes. She suggested and I might take the sleeves off to make it more versatile. I wish you could see the texture. it is kinda crochet-y

I took this sweater because I kinda liked the color but more than that it is the style of sweater that i want more of. It hits around my waist instead of around my hips which is way better for dresses. The hip length ones get overwhelming and I think look kinda frumpy with a dress. The only thing i don't like about it is that it is kinda thin and the button band is a little too heavy for the rest of the sweater so it gaps. But i can easily use it as a pattern to make my own sweater(a theme for my taking home items). A concept that I have been thinking about heavily lately. i will post my ideas on this later.

more on a theme. This skirt is way too big for me but it is the exact style of skirt that i want to make for myself for the summer. A-line with a kinda 70's feel.

It also has this great pocket detail. That's why I took it. Just so I can copy the pockets.

later that evening when I went to yoga my teacher gave me this shirt. its a cirque du soleil shirt nad i think the pattern is really fun. I also don't have a lot of long sleeve shirts.

The whole thing made me kinda laugh because i went to the swap and then my yoga teacher had more clothes for me. It was kinda funny.

Chicago Clothes Swap Links:
Clothes Swap Meetup(other cities might have meet ups too)
Chicago Clothes Swap(Seems to be very organized and has multiple drop off locations. Drop off your stuff pre-swap in exchange for chips that you can "purchase" items from the swap with)

Handpaints by ME!

In just a couple of weeks I am taking a class on painting yarn with natural dyes. Handpaints are some of my favorite yarn. I am a sucker for anything that changes color. I don't always know what to do with them but i love them. achkoiguchoo. Need I say more? So I am super excited about this. Maybe I will start selling my very own handpainted yarn on Etsy and become one of those... I have also started being really interested in spinning. I spun once in college with a drop spindle and found it incredible annoying but i feel like picking it up again and trying. I found this kit on the MVFF blog. Its not expensive and the spindle is hand made on the farm where the alpaca are raised. Sounds right up my alley.

Swatches!

These are from NearSea Naturals, a company that specializes in organic and sustainable fabrics. I haven't ordered yardage from them but I have ordered 2 sets of swatches and they are sent out promptly and there is a handwritten thank you on the invoice.
I am planning some summer skirts and dresses and I think that it would be fun to do some dyeing (hence all the white and natural colored fabrics). I really would like to make all my own clothes. Even jeans. Am I crazy?
The curly looking rich brown chambray on the middle left is the swatch I ordered for handkerchiefs. It was mentioned on the website as being good for handkerchiefs but is has a sort rough texture and a slightly loose weave. I think that the poplin will be better but I need to test wash it first. The lace was for trim on handkerchiefs. So I can be all fancy.
The jerseys and knits are beautiful. I think that they will make nice t-shirts and maybe some skirts. The melton I swatched with this pattern in mind. I have been thinking about what I want to do with it for a while now. I also just found this one. i love all the vintage patterns especially the dresses.

For HH...

My knitting and sewing has been sort of lax recently. I have been concentrating on my gardening in between yoga classes and whatever other classes I happen to be taking. I am still working on my green sweater and am starting some socks next week for a Wodehouse knit-a-long. We are reading Uncle Fred in the Springtime.

I designed this dress awhile ago and I have mentioned it before. It is the HH dress. I keep telling her that I will post the sketch for her but I keep not doing it. Here it is:

The collar isn't snug around the neck. it is a little wider and stands a bit away from the neck but not quite a cowl neck. it will be somewhere around knee length and the skirt is a-lined but i am not sure if i will cut it on the grain or on the bias. On the bias will be drapier but the plaid will be on an angle (like the pockets on my school tote)
Here is a better shot of the plaid:

It is similar to a Gordon plaid with an added red stripe.

The fabric actually has a very nice drape because of its rayon content. i haven't started on it yet but i am trying to be better with my time and schedule myself more time to work on sewing and knitting projects. So hopefully more soon and more regularly in the future!

the tartans and plaids discussion continues...

I actually finished this bag before christmas but I put it to use right away and the holidays were kind of busy... I am incredible pleased with it even though it looks exactly like my high school uniform! I picked up the fabric when I bought the fabric for the Homely Heroine dress. I will post about that shortly and it is next on my sewing list. The fabric is a poly/rayon blend. Not my first choice but it does have nice drape which is good for a dress. The bag is pilling a bit where it rubs against my coat but it is holding up well otherwise and I put my bags through lots of abuse. It is lined in a forest green and I added a big divider type pocket and some organizer pockets on the inside. I like the design so much i want to make another one. I am thinking a snakeskin print interior design fabric so it is a little more sturdy and more season neutral. I really like snakeskin bags. i need to make a few adjustments to the pattern and construction so it is a little simpler to finish but other than that it came out perfect on the first try (though my plaid matching is a little off).

Please click the title of this post for more information on tartans and plaids. The plaid here is Black Watch.

the tree dress, finally, and a bit of disappointment...

I started this dress back in April and I just finished it last week. It has been a long and harrowing experience. I finally got the muslin to a place that i liked and altered the pattern and then finally got around to cutting out the fabric maybe 3 weeks ago and started going and realized that i hadn't referenced my little sketch before i cut and had to recut a few pieces. Then i had some guests and it got put on hold again. Then I finally finished it.

And I don't like it. The top part is still too big and it looks funny on. Bryson thinks it is because the feel of the dress is more feminine and the fabric is more stark and sort of structured. And on me the proportions are off. The black makes the top half heavy and while i like the length on me it is almost too short to compete with the top. I have some ideas on how to make it look better and i want to take in the top half but not right now. It is going to sit in my closet while i work on some other things before i come back to it.
I had such high hopes for this dress. sigh. oh well...at least i have a new black sash.

I have another dress idea that I want to work out the pattern for and I would like to make myself some handkerchiefs. Right now I am taking a sewing break and working on some knitting that has been hibernating awhile.

the Gap window says it is 20 colors of spring. my thermometer says it is -10 F...and that's the high for the week...

I recently read this post by needled. It was so inspiring on so many levels. As someone who has studied Fashion and worked as a seamstress I am aware of how much waste there is in the fashion and textile industries. The textile industry is also very hazardous to its workers health. I have always been one to enjoy quality vs. quantity but as I became a college student and then a person who had a very difficult time finding a job-or a direction for that matter- my "fashion" budget has been... lets say very low for the past several years. Not being in school anymore has lead me to want to look nicer. I am not spending all of my time in a Darkroom where I can spill chemicals all over myself and ruin "nice" clothes so now i actually want "nice" clothes. I had recently decided that since I have more time to spend on myself that the best way to get clothes that I love and will fit and I will wear out is to make them myself. Then I read the above mentioned article. I don't feel like I can make a commitment to not buying anything-there are too many things in my closet that need severe repairs or alterations along with too many things i simply do not like- but already having decided to make a good number of things for myself i do feel comfortable trying to push it a little further. If i do make a purchase I will buy the best that i can afford and only buy something I love and not settle for mediocrity. I am also inspired to try to organize a sort of regular knitting/sewing meet up. A way to share what I know about making, altering and mending clothing as well as a chance to be social. I think that the current economy is pushing more people to return to a simpler way of life where you have to use it up, wear it out or make it do.

While I have stepped out of the world of high fashion in the past several years and have recently made a few attempts to get reacquainted I think I could never be a slave to fashion. My morals and ideals for this life have just been set too high to live by the standards that industry has set. I wish for a return of the smaller dressmaking houses like Martha, like what Charles Worth was in his day. Expert people who created not just fashion but a wearable work of art based solely on the level of technique and construction involved in each piece. A wish for a mass understanding of what it takes to create something, anything, from an idea and image in your head to a material object that sits in front of you. All done by someone's hand. The problem with this wish in today's world is that object now created becomes very difficult to throw away. One must create with a purpose to make something special.

The dart and the hem are the first and the last steps respectively when putting together a garment and so encompass every other step taken when making a garment. So here we are at the beginning...