Tuesday, May 1, 2012

It's Here, It's Here, That Shocking Time of Year

Shocking as in, I can't believe that it's already May! It's May, it's May, the month of yes-you-may! The time for every frivolous whim, proper or "im!" Does anyone else like that musical? My dad introduced me to it when I was young, and while it's not my favorite musical, it does make me feel awfully nostalgic to remember my dad trying to inspire us with the ideals of Camelot.

Anyway, here is my list of interesting reading from last month, not all of it sewing-related:
  • I'm sure everyone has already seen Tilly's analysis of the real cost of sewing, but here it is again anyway. I don't think it's very true of me, mostly because I cut a lot of corners when it comes to fabric choice. I mostly sew with thrifted sheets, and even when I make clothes from "real" fabric, it's from the discounted bin and is less than $3/yd more often than not. I also use the really thin, worn down sheets as my lining fabric, so that also saves money. Lastly, my patterns are always bought on sale at Joann's or thrifted; rarely do I use a pattern that costs more than a dollar. That said, I think my spendthrift ways do limit me in terms of what I can sew; I have yet to find a gorgeous silk or sturdy denim in thrift stores or the sale section of a fabric store. 
  • Sue at Sewin' Steady posted about the odd embarrassment that comes with talking about one's me-made clothing. Personally, I get weirded out (but in the best way possible!) when people I am only good acquaintances with talk about how they read my blog. Sometimes I forget that my audience isn't just other sewists (who presumably have something to gain by reading my prattlings about fit and sewing techniques) and my closest friends (who don't sew, but read my blog out of pity because they don't live in TCOCC and want to hear about my life). I also get concerned when people find out I sew and then they ask if everything I'm wearing is made by me. If that's you, and you're reading this, I don't make screenprinted tees and jeans.
  • Trena the Slapdash Sewist posted about the pricing on wedding (and RTW) dresses and concluded that non-sewists don't understand how much work it is to sew clothing. Having looked at the prices of lace and silk myself, I agree with her analysis. And I'm embarrassed by the fact that a mere two years ago (right before I started sewing seriously), I was outraged at having to pay $400 for alterations to my wedding dress. Now, I look at the lace appliques and the several layers of skirt (and with some experience sewing with chiffon and silk, and knowing how freaking annoying it is to take apart and alter a well-made garment) and think that my alterations lady really gave me a very fair price. It's akin to random solicitors who see my Star Wars dress and ask if I can make one for them for $30.
  • In a similar vein, this older article on Etsy about the history of the cheap dress was also fascinating, especially as I toy with the idea of opening an Etsy shop. And even as a sewist who values (and makes) well-made, custom-fitted articles that will stand the test of time, I'm still tempted to go crazy at the sale racks at Forever 21 and H&M. When my sister and mom come home with adorable nautical-striped acrylic sweaters, my resolve to buy only five items of RTW clothing this year is severely tested. 
  • Not sewing-related, but still close to my heart: a blogger for Tor posted about the lack of diversity in D&D characters. I myself play a purple-eyed, silver-haired eladrin, but I definitely noticed his points when I flipped through my manuals. If there were Asian-ish characters, I don't know that I would play them (for fear of dragon lady/geisha association baggage), but it would be nice to have the option to reject them, you know?
  • Dressed in Time posted a brief catalog of odd-but-beautiful implements of yesteryear. I am totally going to be on the lookout for asparagus spoons now when I go thrifting!
  • In case you need some cute in your life: this video of a kitten drinking milk has the best noises ever recorded in the history of the world. If I didn't have a vocal cat myself, I wouldn't have believed it possible. And then there's this book of art depicting life for Darth Vader and Luke had the former not been an absentee parent. I love the references to lines from the movies!
  • Lier of Ikatbag had the chance to meet a legendary weaver, and graciously shared her experience with teh interwebs. I am always so impressed by people who are absolute masters (mistresses?) of their craft; I know I don't have that kind of dedication at all! I am more the type to try dabbling in everything (jack of all trades, master of none is totally me) and end up with half-assed attempts at all sorts of crafts. I did actually try tapestry weaving for a quarter when I was in college, and managed to produce this sad sampler:
At one time I entertained the idea of wearing this as a bizarre sort of scarf; now I just keep it in a drawer.

I don't remember what any of the terms are anymore, but I do remember that it was really tricky to keep the tension?
width? looseness of the weave? more or less even. The bit at the right was my very first section,
where I obviously had no idea what I was doing and made everything way too tight. 

    Eventually I lost interest and returned my rented table loom, but I have so much respect for people who do this for a living! I also can't even imagine cutting into fabric you wove. Have any of you ever tried weaving? Are you multi-craft dabblers, like I am, or do you just have one or two crafts that you strive to perfect?

    34 comments:

    1. I don't think your tapestry sampler looks bad—it looks great, actually! I'm also a "jack-of-all-trades" I guess, as I keep picking up new crafts. I started with sewing, then picked up knitting; now I also spin and weave! But I'm nowhere near as amazing as the weaver you linked, she's incredible!

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      1. Haha, thanks for being so kind about my sampler. Oooh, spinning sounds like it would be very interesting! Sadly, I remember almost nothing about the process of weaving; I look back at my sampler and am like, "Huh. I used to know how to do this once."

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      2. The best part about spinning is weird looks when I'm out and about. That and comments about Sleeping Beauty.

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      3. That is so cool that you just up and do it! I would be so curious (but also probably too shy to say so) if I saw someone do that in public.

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    2. I'm such a multi-craft dabbler! Well, I was a chef for 5 years (from when I was 15 to when I was 20), so I think my most confident skill is cooking, but still, I have worlds to learn in the kitchen, as well as everywhere else. But I prefer variety, really I do.

      strugglesewsastraightseam.wordpress.com

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      1. I had no idea you cooked! Sometimes the world of sewing blogging is so limited, I forget people have real lives outside of sewing :) That's such a great skill to have under your belt, though. Yay for dabblers!

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    3. My mother was a weaver back in the '70s-'80s, and she used an antique wooden floor loom that took up almost all of our spare room. When I turned 12 and INSISTED upon getting my own bedroom, my mother had to give up her weaving / sewing room.

      I used to spend many evenings helping my mother thread the warp and pulling with all my might to get the tension right, as she slowly cranked the rods. I honestly can't remember when she used to weave, because using those huge old wooden treadles must have been incredibly noisy....

      I have a kiddie loom (lap loom?) that she gave me way back when, but I haven't used it in decades. Maybe someday when I have lots of free time I'll use it again (cue maniacle, sarcastic laughter)

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      1. The loom I rented was a table-top loom, but even then it was a pain to cart around. I can't imagine a room-loom! How cool that you got to help your mom out with that, though! Maybe one day your kids will be interested in learning on the kiddie loom and you can use it again?

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    4. I know what you mean about the wrong audience! I just posted my blog on facebook as my friend wanted a link and it's had a mega boost on hits (because only my family ready it before!) but I can't help thinking that some of them would judge me in a negative way from the information I put on there and the craft things I write about. It's hard to get the right balance but I figure, if it's not for them, they just won't read it again! Also, every time I wear something even vaguely unusual everyone thinks I made it, so I feel you pain about the jeans and t-shirts!

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      1. Thanks for understanding, Pippi! Yeah, I don't advertise my blog on my FB specifically for that reason, but sometimes my husband gets overly enthusiastic and tries to tell people they should read it, and I'm all like, "noooo please don't!!"

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      2. Ditto! Aren't we sewing bloggers a funny breed?

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      3. You bet! Anyone would think we were dying for the traffic!

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    5. I found that article about the history of the cheap dress to be really interesting. Maybe I'm just a bit nerdy, but it made me wonder, if things were so expensive that I could really only afford 9ish outfits, what items would I spend my precious money on? This is probably something I'll literally spend the next week thinking about, possibly even diagramming what such a wardrobe would look like for me. :) Thanks for the link!

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      1. Ooh, I hope you'll post about that and let me know! That is indeed an interesting question, and now I might have to think about that too...

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    6. I remember when I first read Tilly's article it made me think I should just shop the sales racks at Macy's considering I think only 25% of what I make ends up being wearable so I hate to break down the expenses that way...
      I just wanted to say I love that Star Wars dress! Super awesome. And my husband works at Wizards of the Coast so although he isn't in the D&D department, I always pass any feedback I hear about it to him. I was just telling him about your kirtle yesterday too. I don't think he cares about kirtles, but he used to go to Ren faires so I made him listen, since I've thought it was pretty cool to find a blogger who combines sewing and gaming and cats all in one place!

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      1. Sewing and gaming and cats is a pretty rare combination, if I do say so myself :) How awesome that your husband works for WoC!

        I think if I look at my me-made wardrobe, I only end up wearing 25% of the dresses regularly, as I'm mostly good at making frosting and not cake...

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    7. I just saw this and thought you might enjoy it! Sketches of clothing from 1930-1940 :)

      http://andrestudios.nypl.org/

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      1. Oh my. I see lots of pinning in my future...thank you for the link, Amie!

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    8. I can't believe it's May already either! Crazy, right? The year is almost half over! I can't agree with you more than non sewers do not know how much time it takes to make sew. Every time I meet someone and I tell them my story - that I'm a seamstress by hobby - they always ask me if I made what I'm wearing. When I try to explain to them that making clothing requires muslins and usually pattern alterations, which thus, takes time, they look at me like I'm crazy!

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      1. Thanks for understanding both my panic at the progression of the year and the time it takes to sew! It drives me craziest when people look at a me-made dress and say "Oh, I would totally pay $30 for that!" Usually I don't even bother trying to explain about mass-produced fashion and the time-cost of making one-of-a-kind dresses to fit me.

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    9. I never learned to weave but I was able to watch the weaving class in college because I was taking stained glass at the same time in the same room. It was really interesting, but man, you need SPACE for a loom!

      It drives me crazy how people think alterations are expensive! I used to do all kinds of alterations (including wedding dresses) but no one wanted to pay me what it was worth (and it's easier to start building a dress from scratch). I refuse to do them anymore for anyone but my two closest friends and sister. Tailors are amazingly inexpensive.

      And if I actually charge my hourly rate of $20 when I sew something custom, I can rarely charge less than $150. Everyone wants off-the-rack pricing and free alterations. grr.

      And I always have to laugh when people are more impressed when they find out I made a purse than a dress. A purse doesn't have to "fit".

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      1. So jealous that you get to take stained glass! It's on my list of things I'd like to dabble in, but the closest I've come is lampworking and glass fusing :)

        It is indeed so much easier to make from scratch than to make alterations! I have a couple of me-made items that I want to switch the skirts of, but I know I will never get around to it. And yes, when I tell people who want work done that I would charge more than minimum wage, they get oddly offended!

        I have had the same experience with purses!!!

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    10. I love your thrifty sewing style! Your sewing is creative and u think outside the square. Before I read your blog, I didn't know that you could make clothes out of sheets.

      Haha, $30 to make a dress??? U kid me?????? How do u respond when they ask you that??

      I have learnt a lot since buying my first pattern. Can't believe I paid $20 for a Vogue pattern! And my 2nd dress cost me $50 to make!!!! Now I am thrifty and look for sale patterns and sale fabrics :)

      Whats the point of sewing if it will cost me more money and time :) but I do enjoy the process and satisfaction :)

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      1. Honestly, I didn't think you could make clothes out of sheets, either, but I'm learning that unfortunately, not every pattern is sheet-suitable.

        Usually, I figure that they're trying to pay me a compliment so I just say thanks for asking, but I don't do that. If they sound serious, then I'll try to explain (usually number of hours + more than minimum wage is enough to scare them off!), as nicely but firmly as possible.

        I think for me, I try to save as much as possible when sewing, but if it ends up being more expensive than RTW I just suck it up and decide it's okay because at least my garment is unique.

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    11. Wow that tapestry looks amazing! Thanks for the new blogs to read, you do seem to get some amazing deals fabric wise! XxxX http://thesecondhandrose.blogspot.co.uk/

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      1. Thanks! I don't think I'm particularly good at finding deals; I just happen to live near lots of thrift stores :)

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    12. I have definite jack-of-all trades tendencies. I try to fight them. I refuse to take up gardening. I leave music to others. So far I'm successfully resisting knitting.

      I have a feeling if I could just settle on one thing, I might actually be able to become awesome at it. More usually, though, I cycle through my hobbies, never quite pushing myself to real excellence in anything...

      I confess, I bought a book on weaving at the thrift store a few weeks back...

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      1. Congratulations on successfully resisting knitting! I, too, am trying to hold off on anymore needlecrafts. My dad actually keeps saying that I should just pick one thing and make it into a passionate career, but I don't think I can do that. If you pick up weaving, do let us all know how it goes!

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    13. I enjoy knitting, crochet, sewing, embroidery, tapstry, spinning but not weaving (yet). I class them all as needlecraft.
      I make silver jewellery too but that's hot as well as sharp!

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      1. Oooh, silver jewelery! My sister does metal-smithing and I have nothing but admiration for people who work with hot things. I think classifying them all as "needlecraft" certainly helps it sound less scatterbrained!

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    14. Camelot was the first professional play I saw as a kid, at the Pantages in L.A. Love it! (Last month, I went back to the Pantages to see William Shatner's one man show. Beyond awesome.)
      -Sandra

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      1. Wow, the Pantages for your first real show! How perfectly grand! I think my first was Les Mis, at the Orpheum in SF.

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    15. I'm definitely an all-over-the-place girl too...and I have not one but two Etsy shops cluttering up my past crafty life! Variety is the spice, no?

      I don't think I sew to be economical about everything, since 'thrift shop' sheets aren't really cheap here, and you can forget about thrifting sewing patterns. And I have yet to see a $1/yard bargain bin! I am so deprived... I 'have to' buy relatively 'nice' fabric (though still on sale) and I do love myself a beautiful pattern envelope. I sew because I think it's fun, and because I want to make exactly what I want, and no money will buy that!

      Though because of that I sadly end up as the resident tailor/clothes alterer for my family, and have to work with icky polyester chiffons, flimsy satins, and other yucky fabrics. Yuk!

      Happy May!

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      1. Variety is indeed the spice! When I'm sick of sewing, I can work on printmaking, or bring embroidery with me to my parents' house. I'm sorry thrift store sheets are so expensive where you are! I guess that's a downside of being on a tiny island? If I ever go out there, I'll totally stuff some into a suitcase for you :)

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