Blog Archives

weekend reads

7/30/2016

slow fashion by safia minney.
sew adorable by vanessa mooncie. (because of monday's post... couldn't resist taking it home from the library.) :)

what her husband wore.
let us love, not with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
rip off.
a case for action.
more plastic perils.
another good use for them!
get outside and watch perseids! tips.
it's hot out there and cool in here.

this weekend live it well.

love,
jane

0 Comments

unnecessary

7/29/2016

0 Comments

civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities. ~mark twain

0 Comments

fairdare toolkit :: 02 :: less

7/28/2016

0 Comments

In my experience, "less" is the key to going fair in the closet.

"Less" is the key to accessing that elusive feeling of "enough".

Less allows us to know that we already have enough pairs of pants to make it through until laundry day... and enough to make it through the season too. This might seem backward, but sometimes we've got so much in the closet that we don't even know what we've got.

Less allows us to see shopping as an activity with a purpose rather than as everyday entertainment.

Less allows us to value the pieces that really work in our lives and to take the time to care for them well.

Less allows us to mindfully replace a worn out item and to dispose of it responsibly.

Less gives us the space to be able to live out our values. We can value people and the environment by choosing to consume a little bit more in line with our needs rather than our wantiness.

These thoughts are antithetical to all the messages that we are accustomed to hearing: More is better. Something new will make me happy. Something new will help me fit in. I still need to find that "perfect" [pair of jeans... t-shirt... sweater]. Shopping is what I do for fun.

But our closets are calling out for mercy. We would often rather brave the shops than spend time with our own closets. So let's get in there and get this sorted out. :) Here's what I've found to work for me in the quest for less in my closet:

1. Get out all of the current season clothing.

We'll focus on the current season, because we know what we like to wear and are actually wearing right now. We won't forget about frigid AC at work or needing pieces to wear in the sweltering heat.

2. Let things go that do not fit, don't get worn, or are uncomfortable to wear.

Remember: While it's probably a good idea to let some things go, our goal is to not buy anything new at this point...so don't go overboard with the purging. It is not our goal to end up with nothing but an empty closet and a shopping list.

3. List categories of clothing worn.

For example, mine for warm weather are tops, bottoms, dresses, footwear and layers.

4. Pick a reasonable number for each category and shop your closet for that number of those items.

Consider either a variety (for example, in winter I have a mid-weight, light-weight and heavy-weight jacket) or stick with the truly preferred style (for example, maybe you only really like to wear cardigans- not pullovers). Focus on pieces that can be worn as parts of a variety of outfits.

5. Let the rest go.

If this is too final at the moment, box them up and put them away. If you can't remember anything you want out of that box at the end of the season, donate it. Don't open it.

6. Make notes for next year.

(For example, I made note of the possibility of needing to replace a couple of my striped tees for next cold weather season. I can remember to keep an eye out for fair ones now.) This lets me feel like I've got a head start when I begin to look at my wardrobe the next time around. I often find that I don't really need what I thought I might when the time comes, however, so I'm careful to reevaluate before purchasing.

It may take several rounds of this process to finally find a comfortable resting place. It did for me. I kept feeling comfortable with less and less as time went on. I have to tell you that I feel so much better with less than I ever did with more. Enough feels great.

Love,
Jane

0 Comments

love the one you're with :: 2

7/27/2016

2 Comments

way back in february i wrote about my kitchen being a little less than my dream kitchen. it's ok, because there are a lot of things to like about the kitchen i have. it has running water that we can drink and a refrigerator that keeps things cold. there is a stove that cooks our food and quite a bit of shelf space too (especially for a minimalist). :)

one of the first projects on my list when we moved here, after painting walls, was to remove some of the top cabinet doors in the kitchen and to paint those cabinets white. removing cabinet doors easily opens up the space and allows sight lines all the way back to the walls. pretty things like jars of bulk ingredients and stacks of white plates become focal points. just leave some doors strategically in place in order to cover the things not wanted on display. (i've done this in rentals as well, just put the doors back on before moving out.)

over those months in-between february and now, i've tackled the other surfaces i mentioned previously. the popcorn ceiling got a fresh coat of paint... popcorn and all. i decided to embrace its noise reducing qualities in my mind (it's all perspective, right?). the lower cabinets lost their faux antique paint job in favor of a pale latte color. a color that puzzled all those who know me best, but one that complements the countertop i did not choose (but choose to live with). the simplest wooden knobs painted the same color make them my favorite part of the "makeover" (not sure this is worthy of that word, but oh well).

and then there is the monstrous cabinet surrounding the fridge. my true desire is to rip it all out... wall and all... and to have an open plan living space. that would probably involve some load bearing wall shoring and floor patching and electrical manipulation and cabinet reconfiguring... and a lot of money. so, i painted the thing. six coats of white primer + paint later and well, it's white.

i could envision a lovelier kitchen, but this one is lovely too. i am so blessed to have all that i do. we have so much more than we need. good food flows in and out of here. laughter and good conversation fill this space on a daily basis. it's a really good place to be.

love,
jane

2 Comments

growing

7/26/2016

2 Comments

gardening is the purest way i can think of to go zero-waste, eco-friendly, healthy, and fair in the kitchen. there is no packaging needed to transport vegetables from field to table... no fuel used to get produce to the farmer's market or shop... we'll always know how organic our meals are... and that the ones who harvested were well compensated (with full plates). :)

we don't grow most of what we eat, but i am grateful that we can grow some of it. the time and effort that goes into our garden opens up a whole new appreciation for rain and sun. rainy days are no longer mere inconveniences. i am extremely grateful for them. compost is an incredible process. peels and pits, leaves and sticks turn into the richest soil. nothing goes to waste, and the cycle of life and death is complete as death brings new life. it attests to the creativity of a generous Creator. witnessing growth, blossoms, and fruit ripening right in my backyard is mind blowing. tasting fresh from the vine tomatoes, cucumbers or strawberries... digging out dirt covered potatoes or carrots... well, it is enlightening. they taste different... better... less like an item purchased at a store... more like a miracle on your tongue.

the process takes time, and that is the beauty of it. because each avocado or cucumber or tomato or watermelon took time to grow from seed to appreciable nourishment. each zucchini or blueberry drank in the sun and rain. they are miracles each and every one.

growing herbs on the windowsill, growing sprouts from seed, or growing vegetables from vegetables... all enlightening and possible anywhere. growing tomatoes or zucchini instead of grass is a powerful act.

if each and every human fully appreciated exactly what they put into their mouths at each meal, it would be hard to let even one bite go to waste. it would be gut wrenching to think of the rain stopping or the sun becoming too scorchingly hot. it would make us angry to think of the pesticides that deplete our rich soil and endanger the harvesters of these precious jewels.

in my experience, gardening grows more than fruit and vegetables... it grows humans who notice and care... it grows grateful souls and activists.

love,
jane

2 Comments

fair brand :: ilana kohn

7/26/2016

0 Comments

"...but I do know that in my own little bubble, demand for our goods enables me to put a good deal of money back into the hands of our hard working vendors — our fabric mills, our factory, our dye house, our button guys and so on. At the end of the day I go home knowing a treated them all fairly, contributed to the success of their businesses and helped to contribute to their workers earning a living wage. I think that customers are becoming more aware of things like this and to some extent, prefer to purchase from brands like us with a high degree of transparency and ethics. Which ultimately means that they play a role in this domino effect as well, by encouraging the store to keep buying from us so the cycle continues." ~Ilana Kohn

Check out this interview with the fabulous Ilana Kohn... one of my favorites!

0 Comments

favorite patterns + designers :: 08 :: japanese pattern books

7/25/2016

2 Comments

i love to look at japanese sewing books. the simple lines and pared down aesthetic of these books just speak my language. i have owned a few of these books over the years... in japanese. it is not difficult to figure out the patterns, especially with a bit of sewing knowledge. i find it exciting to see that many of these books are now available in english, however!

it may not be quite fair to the individual pattern designers of japanese sewing books to lump them all together, and i do not mean to do that. i do, however, feel that they share an overall aesthetic. there is a simplicity about these patterns, but also a confidence in their statement making presence. some of the designers veer toward quite modern innovative ideas, while others skew more traditional. there is always room to interpret each style with fabric choice and embellishment, if preferred.

while many of these books focus on women's styles, they were one of my favorite resources for sewing julia's wardrobe when she was younger. (i didn't know about their existence when jo was small.) the books offer sweet silhouettes that can be reimagined in so many different ways. a succession of sizes is also provided in each book, so i was able to make garment styles over and over as she grew.

the dresses and top in the pictures here all come from a single pattern found in a japanese pattern book. each one started out as a dress and turned into a top as the years passed. clothes that grow with kids are like little miracles! :)

when sewing for children, i prefer simple silhouettes. my ideal style for younger julia was bonpoint, though it was mostly inspirational at their prices. i felt like i could create some looks for julia that were quite similar with these books. (i had this one, this one and this one as well.) this newer book is filled with pieces that look straight out of bonpoint. i love it. there are boys' styles to be found as well.

i decided to see if i could find any of these books at our library and found quite a few. i always enjoy knowing that a resource is available for free! it would be quite possible to assemble an entire wardrobe from these books. i found everything from dresses, skirts, and pants to button down shirts and wool jackets... and all of the ones from the library are completely in english. etsy has a large selection of japanese craft books as well.

parts 01, 02, 03, o4, 05, 06, and 07 of this series.

love,
jane

2 Comments

enough

7/25/2016

0 Comments

The world has enough for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed. ~Mahatma Gandhi

0 Comments

the work of overcoming

7/22/2016

0 Comments

"although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” ~helen keller

0 Comments

a case against fast fashion

7/21/2016

0 Comments

Fast fashion has become the only way to get dressed for many of us. Incredibly low prices and new stock each week have become a way of life. Shopping seems more fun when we can buy something new every time we go with little thought given to cost. Fast fashion is just too seductive and addictive to walk away from.

And yet, that is just what the Fairdare is daring us to do. So how do we walk away from it... or why would we even want to consider it?

Well, when we consider that those incredibly low prices and that relentless parade of new merchandise are the very factors that make the case against fast fashion, it might not actually be extremely difficult to walk away for good.

This button down shirt seems like a typical one in H&M. The price is $19.99 (US dollars) full price. It is a long sleeved, collared, cotton shirt. Consider all that goes into the making of this single button down shirt.

Cotton was grown by a farmer who planted, cared for, harvested and transported that fiber. The cotton was processed and made into thread that could be woven into fabric. That fabric was bleached and transported to the factory where it would be cut into the pieces that make up the shirt.

A single shirt involves sewing fronts to a placket and then sewing the back on. Button bands are sewn. Collar pieces are sewn together and turned inside out. Collar stand pieces get attached to the collar pieces which are then sewn to the shirt in progress. Sleeves are attached. This shoulder placket is lined, so that gets carefully assembled to cover all the raw edges. Cuffs and their sleeve plackets are assembled and sewn on...for each sleeve. The bottom is hemmed. Button holes and buttons are sewn onto the sleeve plackets, cuffs and front of the shirt. Any details that set this shirt apart from others are involved as well. This particular shirt has 4 darts sewn into the front and two more darts sewn into the back for shaping.

(I can tell you right now that I like to sew, but I would not make you a shirt for $20... and that is not even considering the pattern, fabric, buttons and thread costs. This is skilled work.)

More transportation is involved in getting the shirt to the warehouse from the factory, and then on to the store. Design and pattern making of the shirt has to be paid for, as does marketing, the storefront, and salespeople (not to mention all of the other employees of this company).

Does $19.99 sound like it would pay for the all that went into this shirt AND help H&M's owner to become the 22nd richest man in the world? Fast fashion retailers are able to provide such low price points, because someone else is paying the price. It is not difficult to figure out who is not paying the price in this case. It's not the person who will wear this shirt, and it is not H&M's owner.

Fast fashion retailers take advantage of farmers, textile workers, and garment workers all along their supply chains in order to offer their ridiculously low prices. Manufacturing jumps from shore to shore in search of the cheapest factories. Factories are in a race to the bottom pricing-wise in order to land orders. Fabric costs must be cheaper and cheaper as well. There is impossibly little cash flow to compensate farmers, textile workers, and garment workers fairly, let alone provide safe working conditions.

New items appear on the racks and shelves of fast fashion retailers weekly, if not daily. In order to provide this endless rotation of the latest trends, retailers must condense the time between design and product-in-hand to short timelines. Factories must guarantee delivery on very tight schedules in order to keep orders coming their way. Garment workers are pushed to work long hours six or seven days per week. There is usually no sick leave or maternity time off. The workers simply lose their jobs if they need to miss work. There is certainly no health insurance. Often the factory's only choice is to subcontract the work to even more unscrupulous factories in order to keep from losing all subsequent contracts. Slave labor and child labor are not uncommon.

We may not have audibly asked for these impossibly low prices or endless selections, but we've become accustomed to them... and we buy them. Each purchase is a vote telling fast fashion to keep doing what they are doing.

We want fair compensation and safe working environments for those involved in making our clothing. We want families to be able to depend on living wages and job security. Fast fashion needs to hear our message loud and clear. There's only one way to truly have our voices heard. We have to be willing to stop buying fast fashion. I challenge you to consider this choice to stop... not as sad or even as a sacrifice. I challenge you to consider this choice to stop buying fast fashion as powerful activism, because that's what it is!

Love,
Jane

0 Comments

<<Previous

categories

archives