I like to keep actual breakfast at our house pretty simple, so hearty breakfast foods make a special appearance at dinner time. I like this meal, not only because it is tasty, but also because it is relatively inexpensive. A frittata (or quiche) can make use of the end of week vegetables + cheese. Greens mixed with a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt + pepper dressing is a nice partner. A big omelet stuffed with vegetables and maybe a side of potatoes...all topped with salsa is always welcomed. 

Pre-gluten-free days, we liked eggy bread made from a fluffy loaf of french bread (which can be frozen to save an extra trip to the store + cut while still frozen) or sourdough. My favorite topping is a bit of jam...or make it a croque madame or monsieur. Pancakes are a meal that can often be made from what is on hand. When it comes to zero-waste toppings, we can put maple syrup from the bulk section into our own container from home...or...my favorite option is to make a syrup out of seasonal fruit like strawberries, mangos or apples. Add some sliced fruit to a bit of butter in a pot or skillet along with a little sugar, cinnamon + corn or potato starch to thicken. (The strawberries above were from our garden.)  :)

Breakfast for dinner...it's a good thing.  

Love,
Jane

This is the week we celebrate both Earth Day + the anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster. These events may prompt us to bring a little focus onto how we can care for our planet + garment workers. One of the foundational issues that we have all the power to address is finding + recognizing "enough" in our own wardrobes. Here are a few of the ways that I've found to engage in this practice of awareness over the past few years.  :)

--I loved the experience of traveling with only what fit in my modest backpack. It helped that our destination was warm + lightweight fabrics packed small...but I loved the few things I had to wear + the lack of decision making involved in getting ready each day. I took only my favorite things + wore them instead of trying to keep them from harm. Both of my girls came home surprised that they hadn't worn lots of what they brought. They chose to wear the same few, favorite things over + over. I did too. I repeatedly wore the same short jumpsuit I'd worn most days at home, but layered it in different ways. A trip can be a great time to see how just a few pieces can be enough.

--My journey towards "enough" started in earnest with my monthly wardrobes. I was able to see how 15 pieces or so could be enough...how to choose well...what I liked to wear...and what I was happy to wear over + over. The monthly format allowed me to switch out one or two pieces at a time for variety + climate. These modest, yet adequate, stacks helped me know that I would be ok (+ could be happy) with less. I realized what pieces I only wore a couple of times per year. I learned what only worked during certain weather that almost never showed up...and that when it did, I'd probably rather wear something else. The practice let me see what pieces were most + least versatile for my preferences, circumstances + climate.

--At the end of each season, and before I move on to the next...I take notes on what was worn the most, favorite outfit formulas, what I like to wear at home, at work/school, special occasions (+ what ones happened). I make a list of all of the pieces in that seasonal wardrobe...let the pieces that did not earn their places go (responsibly)...and make a maybe-for-next-year list (with reasons). This process of reflection helps me get to know what I really need + wear. I find these notes very helpful in providing direction for my shopping + helping me not to overconsume the following year. I've realized that otherwise I overestimate how many items I will need...still.

--A list of clothing categories (sweaters, tees, pants...) along with each + every one of my pieces listed accordingly helps me to see how much I have. Looking at this list, there is no denying just how many things I have...and it's easy to see where I may have not only enough...but excess. From here, I think about how many pieces in each category might be enough...and I can take appropriate action. This may involve testing out my guesses by packing a few things away for a period of time before letting them go responsibly.

--One good way to think through what we need is to write down all of the circumstances we find ourselves in...work/school, after work/school, weekends, parties, formal events, snow shovelling, exercising, etc. This can help us to keep what we really do need (one multifunctional pair of gloves...not three pairs)...and not to get rid of things that we wish we didn't need + don't really bring us joy (snow boots).

--I find it useful to consider "enough" in terms of bare necessity...like what if we lost everything + we had to start over. What would I absolutely need to be appropriate + warm? This list doesn't mean I can't have more than that, but does help me to accept that I have everything I need. When I can make + look at this list, it is even easier to see that I do have "enough"...and I will most likely be able to have enough in the future. I can let the scarcity mindset go.

--After learning from the monthly wardrobes for a year, I stepped back to take a look at my wardrobe as a whole. I could tackle concepts like: maybe I don't need the perfect dress for a summer wedding + the perfect ensemble for a winter holiday party...maybe the same thing could work for both (+ more). 

I can't overstate the fact that none of these practices focuses on shopping. Finding "enough" is about taming our consumption...the demand for resources to be grown, sprayed, extracted, dyed, manufactured, transported...purely for our consumption. Finding "enough" is about decreasing our disposal of partially used goods, goods that may be transported across the globe to clog other country's economies...goods that demand more + more landfill space...goods that will exist on our planet far longer than their usefulness merited. 

It is possible that through these exercises a need might be revealed, but in most cases we will find that we already have more than enough. When our goal is to rightly value farmers, garment workers + the environment, we endeavor to step away from consuming and to fully embrace + use what we already have. When we assemble monthly or seasonal wardrobes, we are shopping from our own closets. When we make our list of necessities, we can pull these items from what we already have. We are looking to expose "enough" + internalize it. We are looking to find + confidently walk forward in the enlightened, exuberant, liberating joy of enough!

Love,
Jane

I was telling him that my simplicity journey has taught me things in ways that I never expected. My thinking has been transformed, but I still have to push myself sometimes. It was about shoes + how I finally took the plunge to only having one pair of trainers. That's when he said it with a tiny, smug smile, "Guys have it so much easier. We only need three pairs of shoes: a nicer pair, a sporty pair, and a..." I still don't know what the third pair was going to be, because I just had to laugh at this point. "You think you only have three pairs of shoes?" I asked.

Later that evening, while he was out...I put his shoes together in a line...his thirteen pairs of shoes...with a little note above that read, "Guys have it so much easier." He gasped when he saw them + laughed. I just said that I knew I wouldn't have the chance to make this point again.  :) No pressure...just awareness.

He is the one who suggested writing a post about it. "Sometimes you just don't even know that you have so much," he said. 

To me, the interesting part is that he could easily say how many pairs of shoes would be enough + what functions he would need them to fulfill. When it came time to look at the shoes that were actually already in his possession, however, "enough" was not part of the equation. At that point, it was more about the items themselves...not "necessity".

I can identify with this too. But I'm trying to work things from the opposite direction...and little by little...I'm learning. We're learning.

Love,
Jane 

One of the main hindrances to recycling shoes is that the various parts of a shoe are made of different materials + the glue used to hold it all together contaminates much of the otherwise recyclable parts. This new Futurecraft Loop shoe is made entirely of the same material + uses no glue...which means the entire shoe can be recycled into new shoes! The shoes won't be sold until 2021 + at the moment the recycled material can only constitute 10% of a new Futurecraft Loop shoe...but closed loop technology for shoes is almost here!! Adidas vows to only use recycled plastic in their shoes by 2024.  

Econyl (the stuff of ocean plastic-cum-swimsuits) is working toward closing the loop as well. Hopefully someday soon our swimsuits + trainers will be returned rather than discarded ...and made into new swimsuits + trainers. Progress feels slow...but is happening. I think that using recycled plastic for trainers + swimsuits is a positive use of closed loop technology at this point, since our use of nylon for swimsuits + cushioned soles for athletic shoes are currently ubiquitous....though further engineering of natural materials toward these specialized uses would be far superior. 

What Operation National Sword means for us.
​Because it's warming up.
We got our day.
In the air.
​Are you saying that just to make me feel better?
The game board is shrinking.
Hope. Vision. Imagination.

Hope you are enjoying life + our planet this weekend!

Love, 
​Jane

Though he works and worries, the farmer
never reaches down to where the seed turns
into summer. The earth grants.
~Rainer Maria Rilke

I have a love/hate relationship with jeans. I change out of jeans as soon as I get home, because I find them restricting to my lounging.  :) But...there is nothing quite as cool as a great pair of jeans. My favorites are (+ have always been) soft, pale, worn-in jeans. One of the best pair I ever wore belonged to my then-boyfriend (now Mr. Tribe). They were the softest jeans I'd ever felt, were covered with patches + had just the right bit of over-sized fit...true boyfriend jeans. Someone else had done the job of wearing them in + somehow he didn't seem to mind letting me wear them too. I'm guessing they were so well worn, because he didn't have very many clothes + probably wore them every day for years. 

Similarly, I've found worn-in jeans from the sixties made of 100% cotton that have years of wear still in them. Heck, jeans labeled as the oldest in the world (dating from the 1870s) look ready for plenty more adventures. 

We all know that denim is durable, so it's not surprising that the industry needed to find a way to get us to buy more than a couple of pairs in a lifetime. Planned obsolescence in denim didn't really kick in until lately (with all of the manufactured distressing + added plastic fibers hastening their breakdown). Trends have done the effective work of psychological obsolescence instead (bell-bottoms, pleats, acid-wash, ultra-low-rise...). This gets us looking for a new pair of jeans when there are perfectly functioning jeans still in our closets.

Denim uses a lot of water in its production. Cotton growing/manufacturing, dying + stone-washing all are water intensive processes. Jeans are intricate, labor intensive garments that require specialized equipment to sew + trim. Denim fabric production + sewing have been largely moved overseas to less costly markets. Now instead of the industry built to create the most durable, long-lasting workwear, we have a wasteful, polluting industry that exploits people + fills landfills. The average American has seven pairs of jeans, and there's no telling how many pairs of jeans the average American has discarded.

One of the great things about the current state of trends coming + going so quickly is that there is little that looks too out of style anymore. When chosen carefully, it's possible to find jeans (new or secondhand) that will probably be both durable enough + appropriate enough to last for decades. 

So here's the challenge:
-No new jeans.
-How long is up to you, but if there are seven pairs of jeans in one's closet...  ;)
-Wear + repair.
-Become attached to the jeans already in the closet.
  
A few variations that could be employed:
-Only secondhand jeans, if a new pair is necessary.
-A new pair of jeans is added only if it can be committed to for 10 years.
-Put thought into figuring out a personal forever jean style.

A little motivation:
-cherishing + finding inspiration in the old
-articles of interest
-patches to love 

Fairdare mini-challenges one + two.  :)
Photos via links. Non-linked photos, mine. 

Love,
Jane

I'm not sure what sparked it, but suddenly so many independent pattern brands are expanding their size charts. It's exciting to see the inclusivity + buzz around it all. Pattern grading involves grading up + down from a particular size. As the grading gets further + further away from the original size, it can become increasingly distorted. This process along with the fact that certain proportions + measurements (like bust, thigh + bicep circumferences) need to be taken into account...not to mention that every body is built differently...makes increasing the sizing of patterns a time consuming process. It's exciting that the independent sewing community is recognizing the value of enabling more + more people to exercise their creativity + to wear clothing that fits!

For our purposes here today, I'm going to set the parameters for standard/expected sizing at around 32-44 inch bust measurements. Many of us know that we cannot always expect even this much inclusivity, but what I'm looking for is an extended level of inclusivity. It's about time!

Anna Allen :: patterns sizes up to 22
Blueprints :: busts up to 50 inches
Cashmerette :: sizes 12-28
Closet Case :: sizes up to 20 + extending (take the survey)
Colette + Seamwork :: up to size 26
Deer & Doe :: French sizes up to 52
Elbe Textiles :: currently working to extend size range up to a 52 inch bust
Fancy Tiger :: sizes up to 20
Grainline :: currently working to extend up to size 30 (participate in their survey)
​Leisl + Co :: up to size 20
Helen's Closet :: currently includes sizes up to 22 :: working to extend up to size 30
​Made by Rae :: bust sizes up to 51 inches
Marilla Walker :: bust sizes up to 49 inches
Megan Nielsen :: newly updated patterns up to size 30
Muse :: up to 50 inch bust + D cup
Named :: up to size 18
Paper Theory :: up to size 20
P4P :: up to 54 inch bust
Sew House Seven :: up to size 20
Sew Liberated :: up to size 24
Schnittchen :: up to 53 1/2 inch bust
100 Acts of Sewing :: up to 50 inch bust
Sew DIY :: up to 51 inch bust
Wiksten :: the newest pattern includes sizing up to size 22

For lots more wonderful independent pattern designers (not exhaustive by any means)...many more of which may join these ranks in the future...this list. Also more plus sized mentions here.

Love, 
​Jane

Next up on the zero-waste meal plan list: root vegetables. Basing a meal around sweet potatoes or potatoes offers an anchor, but still leaves a lot of room for creativity. A big pan of roast vegetables is one of my favorite meals to eat. Chop up in-season vegetables like carrots, turnips, onions, leeks, radishes, asparagus, tomatoes, peppers...and the list goes on...along with the potatoes. Toss them with some olive oil + sprinkle on some salt. Once they are in the oven (425F), there are about 45 minutes to do something else. Add a hard boiled or sunny-side-up egg, and it's a meal. 

I often add a bunch of chopped kale to the pan during the last 15-20 minutes of roasting time as well. A sprinkling of salt + pepper flakes + nutritional yeast is all the extra flavor we need. 

As with all of these categories, there is a lot of room for variation. A breakfast burrito bowl (or regular burrito bowl) could use roasted peppers, onions + potatoes (or sweet potatoes) along with scrambled eggs (+/or beans), salsa, cheese +/or avocado. Baked potatoes offer a different canvas to work with. Mashed potatoes or fries (just either type of potato cut into strips + roasted) are good bases as well. Top fries or a baked potato with some leftover chili + a dollop of yogurt. Yum.

Some extra roasted vegetables can be kept in the fridge + added to salads or rice for quick meals later in the week. Bake an extra potato to toss in with some scrambled eggs. I always thank my past self for the foresight.  :) 

Numbers one + two on the zero-waste meal plan.

Love,
Jane