What if optimism is actually what's punk rock?
~Ramtin Arablouei 
via this incredible listen

Seems like every time I dip into the sewing community, there are new independent pattern makers to be found! So exciting! Thought I'd share a few that have caught my eye lately.

How fun to see that the amazingly talented Daisy Braid has written a book! I have so many cheers for all of these talented makers living their dreams + sharing so much goodness with all of us! Lots more independent sewing pattern makers here.

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
​Jane

It has felt really good to put this project together! From dreams + plans to process + completion...these pants have been a joy to create. 

I decided to purchase Anna Allen's Pomona pants pattern even though I've have made many elastic waisted pants patterns over the years. I was attracted to this pattern's (very) high waistline + the minimal volume around the torso. Both of the leg width variations looked just about right to me as well.

Like I mentioned before, I was interested in white pants. I decided to try both of the pants variations of this pattern in white linen. I like the selection of linens at Ewe Fibers + spent a little time looking at various patterns made up in various fabrics on their website. I would have chosen white Cairo linen (which I used for this project) had it been in stock, but decided to try the (lighter weight) Sahara linen. Ewe Fibers offers volume discounts on fabric + also prints PDF patterns! Woohoo! The pattern was printed on one large sheet of paper which cost $8.10. We don't have a printer (so printing PDF patterns costs anyway) + this way there was no time spent tiling all the papers together. Thrilling!

I really like how these pants turned out! The shapes are perfection, and they are so comfortable. The wide leg is not too wide, and the narrower leg is not so narrow that it catches on the calf. I think the Sahara linen would be a really nice weight for warm weather pants that are not white. These white pants will most likely be at-home pants, since they are a bit sheer. The Cairo linen in white might have been a bit less sheer, and I would love to try that at some point. This project has given me a lot of insight into this pattern, the fabric + my preferences! 

Pattern :: Anna Allen's Pomona Pants 
Versions made :: view A + view B
Fabric :: white Sahara linen from Ewe Fabrics
Modifications :: 1 1/2 inch wide elastic (+ corresponding adjustment with the elastic casing) 

Love,
Jane

My spaces feel best when they are simple + functional. I like the idea of a studio with nothing but a big table + chair in it...a big empty space for my creativity to soar...for big ideas + imaginings to take shape. I like the idea of a bedroom with nothing but a big bed + a minimal light fixture in it...a quiet place for rest + restoration. 

I've been focusing on removing the excess + organizing the necessary in my spaces during these first few weeks of the year. In our bedroom, my partner + I have gone through our clothing considering what is + isn't getting worn, letting some things go, packing some things away + reorganizing what remains. Everything that doesn't belong in the bedroom has been removed, and I'm trying to keep it that way.  :)

I'm also focusing on optimizing function, so we've finally chosen two minimal lamps to make relaxing + reading in bed a bit more enjoyable. I want our spaces to give us a sense of calm + rest, to remind us of who we are and who we have the intention of becoming. A little spot inside of our closet is just such a reminder that is making me quietly happy these days. 

I'm currently loving our bedroom as a reflection of what I can truly love about myself: the simple quiet on the surface makes space for the riot of creativity + imagination vibrating inside.

Love,
Jane

This morning I wrote in my journal, "Creativity always feels good. It feels apart from judgement. It feels like freedom. I think it would be good for me to prioritize that."

One of my favorite parts of the creative process is dreaming, and I've been dreaming in the direction of white linen pants. Maybe it's the urge to wipe everything clean after the holidays + with the dawn of the new year. Maybe it's the way the light struggles through the thick January clouds...is quick to succumb to the dark of night...glints off freshly fallen snow. I'm feeling a pull toward white linen...no matter how practicality cautions. White plays with candle light, dreary days + warm glow with faith + generosity...all beauty.

A few other creative thoughts:

• Elastic accommodates dancing wild to Odesza on a rainy Wednesday morning + a double cakey indulgence on a just-for-the-heck of it Tuesday too.
• Anna Allen's Pomona pants have wide + less wide leg options, a high waist and not too much width at the hip.
• Ewe Fibers can print PDF patterns + include them in the same package as your fabric.

All lovely photos via links (click photo).

Love,
Jane

I love brands started by people who set out to do one thing well. Jessica's obsession with button-ups led to her begin making them with her partner Kyle in their apartment. Those first shirts took 18 hours to construct from cutting to buttoning up. Today their carefully designed shirts are made with natural fibers in a wide range of sizes twenty miles from where they are designed. A few made-to-order pieces are still made in their studio in New Westminster, Canada. Jessica + Kyle sum up Power of My People as "responsibly handcrafted shirts made for your capsule wardrobe." I love this subtle reminder to consume with care + intention.

All lovely photos via Power of My People.

The question isn't, "What difference does/will it make?"
The question is, "What kind of person do I want to be?"
via

noticing the good this week:

• sun streaming in windows...making shadows, warming my skin
• sitting in a greenhouse turned coffee shop space...heart racing after a bird flew right between our faces
• remembering that the taste of oat milk compliments matcha beautifully 
• the perspective that feeling exhausted even when we are getting enough sleep may suggest focusing on restoration in another realm (mind, soul, silence...)
• enjoying al fresco by Julie Pointer Adams little by little
• appreciated this article which included the quantification of the average French wardrobe in the 1960s...40 items...food for thought

Love,
​Jane

message from 1661 :: museum of london

wondering if noticing that two things can be true at the same time is an important part of healing...understanding ourselves + each other...

this situation can suck AND i can still experience beauty

i can feel totally beat up AND i can be gentle with myself

people are not always trustworthy AND i can accept love in this moment

there can be things that i really loved about that AND it isn't for me

my confusion + frustration often come from trying to figure out how to hold these two truths at the same time...feeling that one is winning + wanting to live more into the other

sometimes i think it's ok to FEEL the one...knowing i will move toward the other in time...being gentle with myself in the in between

and sometimes it is making the choice to live fully into the better side...even for a moment...or a sunny afternoon...like a tourist in my own hope

what two things are true in this moment?

love,
jane