We did a little sun printing this week. The collection of bits for printing was a great way to add a little more observation + awareness to our regular walk around the neighborhood. (I came across this paper at our local plant store, but have used this type as well.)

Empathy rooted in action.
​Sacred economics.
​A favorite summer treat.
​Wearing the same thing every day.
Fashion + sustainable development goals (free online course).
A different approach.
Windows = solar panels.
Two years until no more single use plastic.

Have a spectacular, simple, summer weekend, friends!

Love,
Jane

It came to me while picking beans, the secret of happiness.
Something essential happens in the vegetable garden.
It's a place where if you can't say "I love you" out loud,
you can say it in seeds.
And the land will reciprocate, in beans.
~Robin Wall Kimmerer :: Braiding Sweetgrass

Sometimes I wonder if the styles we keep coming back to have to do with the styles we came of age to. This seems to be the case for me. I felt such an incredibly deep connection to mid-80s Esprit + Benetton catalogs. Happy, real people modeling happy, comfy clothing. The colors, the fabrics, the love, the vibrancy...I loved it all. It felt so invigorating + exciting + fun.

Do certain styles imprint on us + establish a long term connection? Or are some of these styles just the enduring ones? Do certain proportions seem right to us because of early exposure + connection or are they truly the most universally pleasing to the eye? 

Sometimes I just wonder about my own preferences + how I came to them. The 80s have been having a resurgent fashion "moment", so I'm aware of that connection, but some of the fundamentals seem to carry through time for me. I've always been drawn to a slightly cropped pant. I like slouchy sweaters with a slim leg. ​A slightly oversized button down appeals more than a fitted one. Would I feel differently if I'd been a teenager in the 70s?

It's crazy to realize that some of the sewing patterns I connected so deeply with when I was a teenager have become some of my most sewn patterns today. I've sewn a bunch of shorts + pants + even a dress from one vintage Esprit pattern. Wearing these pants today just prompted some thought...and these Esprit images still make me happy, so...  :)

All images came from various sources around the web, but ultimately the photo credit goes to Susie + Doug Tompkins' Esprit.

Love,
Jane

P.S. Sew House Seven's newly released Free Range Slacks seem to be almost identical to my favorite vintage pants pattern...simple + comfy...+ pockets!

Summer is the season to sew for...crisp tops + breezy dresses make good use of easy-to-sew cottons. I've been gathering a few ideas of what I might like to wear in the months ahead...and one of those ideas is a little shorts jumpsuit like I've drawn here. A trip to JoAnn (because I wanted to get sewing right away) offered up some tencel/linen + thread for less than $17.

Next comes some heavily hacked pattern prep. I haven't made too many patterns without changes...and I started sewing my own clothing when I was in seventh grade. There were no internet tutorials or pattern making books in our library in those olden days.  :) I say this only to encourage going for it. Most pattern hacks just make sense.

I don't often find a pattern exactly the way I want it. I do like to use patterns, however, because most of the work is done. Want a round collar instead of a pointy one...round out the points. Wider legs...cut them wider from the hip. Once a collar or pants or sleeves have been sewn...a good deal of knowledge is there. Add a collar to a shirt without one. Raise the rise of a pair of pants. Think it through. The easiest method usually works.  :)

I've made this particular pattern a couple of times before (thank you Marilla Walker! It's a good one!), so some of the adaptations are already proven...raised rounded neckline, straight seam across the back, back cut on fold, removed pleats, lengthened pockets. A few alterations were added...one size smaller, shorten the bodice, increase the rise of the bottoms + pockets to accommodate, lengthen the button opening, widen the legs, shorten the legs to shorts.

All but the buttons, button holes + hems are finished now. And...I already have my next project planned.  :)

What are you working on? I'd love to hear!  :)

Love,
Jane

A warming planet along with increasing populations in some parts of the world + decreasing populations in other parts are influences having an impact on the future of food. We've heard about American farmland being bought by foreign entities, other American farms being too flooded to plant at all this year, record temperatures in India along with dwindling water supply, famine in war-torn Yemen, and innovations like 3D printed food + large scale indoor hydroponics operations. The future of food feels a bit uncertain to say the least.

The world's food systems (including growing, raising livestock, transport, processing + packaging) are responsible for one-fourth of greenhouse gas emissions. What we choose to eat matters in the fight against climate change right now. Here are some ways to eat against climate change right now:

-eat local + seasonal :: grow something, farmer's market, CSA, local produce at the grocery store :: this decreases emissions from transport + supports small, organic, crop-diverse, independent farms + farmers

-less meat (+ cheese) :: the less the better :: 14.5% of global emissions come from livestock production :: 80% of current rainforest deforestation is driven by cattle ranching for beef export

​-choose organic :: pesticides threaten the health of farmers, deplete soil health, contaminate water supplies + aren't good for us or our children to eat

-choose unpackaged food :: fresh fruits + vegetables, bulk, returnable/reusable packaging :: plastic stays with us for at least 200 years + breaks down into pieces that end up in the ocean + air :: recycling produces more emissions + requires new plastic to be mixed with the recycled plastic

-bring your own bags :: shopping bags, produce bags, bulk bags :: paper + plastic bags require resources + emissions to create, transport + recycle...and are just unnecessary  :)

-buy only what's necessary :: shop with a list + eat it all :: throwing out food wastes not only the food itself, but all the emissions that went into making it + getting it into your hands 

-compost :: dumping food in the trash creates methane + doesn't decompose, because it's wrapped up in plastic + buried in the landfill :: compost turns into fertile soil

A few notes for myself:
-make getting to the farmer's market a priority again (ours doesn't operate during the cold months)
-vegetarian + fish on occasion. I don't think about it much at all anymore. I think that's because it's easy now...but I just want to turn up my awareness again. (I'm not worried about things like a little beef broth or eating meat at a friend's house...but don't want to get too lax.)
-decrease cheese

None of this information is new, but I find it good to check in with my actual habits (rather than intentions) periodically. Eating against climate change feels powerful at least in some small, doable way. The small oddities we present are the ones that spark conversation, so I'm not afraid to be a little strange now + then.  :) (For me, however, having friends make entirely custom meals for my family is too much to ask.) Even if one argues that eating for the planet isn't all that powerful or influential...it is a healthier way to eat. It is necessary...and not really that hard.  :)

Love,
Jane

There is beauty to be found in the most unassuming moment...
just after dinner is eaten + before the dishes need to be done,
waiting in the pick-up line,
walking the dog, 
bedtime with a child, 
just before the knob is turned,
just after the knob is turned,
before eyes are opened onto a whole new day,
in a familiar hug,
a familiar number on caller ID,
just outside the door,
just by looking up,
just by slowing down.
Beauty. It's waiting.

May was a beautiful month full of weather extremes + one big event for us...a wedding. In May, we bared our arms + legs to the sun...watched the rain fall for days + days...and camped out in the basement tracking a giant tornado. Clothing-wise, I wore a lot of varied pieces + combinations to keep warm + cool...often in the same day. These soft pants I purchased at the end of April were definitely my most worn piece. They are the perfect weight, so comfortable + go with everything from tanks to sweaters. 

I had the chance to test out this organic cotton/hemp tank quite a bit too. It's the perfect length, layers well, washes well + the arm scythe is just right. Note to self: a good purchase is quite easy to confirm (just not always so easy to find).  :)

The wedding had me a little more flustered about what to wear than I'd like to admit. My wardrobe is quite casual...just the way I like it. This wedding had me hearing all these little shoulds + shouldn'ts in my mind about lengths + colors of dresses, as well as what-ifs regarding temperatures for this outdoor affair in the upper midwest. I ended up collecting a few options, choosing the one that felt most "me" + confirming that absolutely no one cared what I wore.  :) So...there was a bit more returning of pieces this month than I'd like to admit or do again. 

For accountability's sake (May):
no wardrobe additions kept

Love,
​Jane

Ikea is a great place to get some exercise on a really cold or hot day. It's a great place to go for a lamp that uses energy efficient bulbs, a natural fiber rug or an all wood chair. Ikea is also good for a few other things...like an ice-cream cone or a crazy, loaded veggie hotdog served without any plastic.

It's where we take our spent batteries (the ones we were using before we started using rechargeable batteries) + compact lightbulbs. (SO glad to find a place to take these!)

If Julia is along, it is a place to buy bulk candy (+ to look for free unpackaged samples). We bring our own cloth bag, of course.  ;)

Ikea is the place I found my new favorite plant for $2. Oh, + I also found the solid wood shelf brackets that I went for.  ;) Thanks, Ikea.

Not sponsored :: I just appreciate so much of what this big brand does.  :)

Love,
Jane

Last week I mentioned growing, eating + wearing plants. Today I thought I'd add making with plants...linen specifically. Again, linen is a natural fiber that is breezy + cool in the summer. It is sturdy + long-lasting...gets better with age, time + wear...resists odors, so can go a little bit longer between washes ...and looks best a little rumpled. 

Of course, linen can be used for a wide variety of garments + in conjunction with any number of sewing patterns. The patterns collected here were chosen to mirror the readymade, fair pieces in the previous post + to inspire a few linen basics that could constitute a lovely, simple, summer wardrobe. A few breezy tops, a pair or two of versatile pants, a pair of shorts + a lovely dress could be all that's needed to make it through the hot months to come when used in combination with a few existing pieces in a wardrobe (or not).

I'm never advocating making or buying a whole new wardrobe...just showing a few pieces that could inspire seeing what might be "enough". If I like the idea of the pieces here, I might take out all of the warm weather pieces in my own wardrobe...see that I have all that I need to complete this formula...all but one or two tops...now I have a shopping/making list.  :) I might then feel much better about letting a worn out piece or two go (or sewing it into a produce bag, sachets to fill with lavender from the garden, or a new top...scraps saved for patching).

Here are a few of the linen basics I've made and worn over + over in the past few years.
-bantam tank
-fen top
-roberts overalls

All lovely photos via links. Lots more linen-compatible, indie sewing patterns to be found here a post that can be accessed at any time from the bottom of the ethical brands page.

Love,
Jane

For me, scaling down implies a kind of trust that it is OK to do
just this, right here, right now.
Letting go of controlling the macroscopic outcome,
action becomes a kind of prayer,
​a kind of aligning oneself with the world one wants to see.
~Charles Eisenstein