I will tend to my inner world + create space for beauty, love + peace.
​

We took a trip to coastal Maine this summer, and I borrowed Remodelista in Maine to look at in one of the places we stayed. Revisiting this book in the place it celebrates felt completely aligned. When I got home, I checked the book out from the library, and this morning I paged through to the end where there is a list of distinctive, Maine-made basics for the home. Exquisitely utilitarian, handmade goods like a Wabanaki basket, a Shaker chair, beeswax candles + locally raised yarn form a collection of tradition-rich treasures.

Utility + simplicity are hallmarks of quintessential Maine style, and these items are perfect examples of the kind of pieces I want in my home. Instead of prompting me to make a list of things to buy, this list inspired me to think of the simple, beautiful, utilitarian objects already in my home. 

With September within reach, fall collections rolling into my inbox + ritual resets are on my mind, I figured it's a good time to lean into autumn goodness. Here's my simple list:

• the inviting dark + moody couch that holds us all...together
• a sturdy, linen, black checked tea towel that does its job with style
• fragrant palo santo that invites presence
• the cozy, golden quilt that just needs a few more stitches
• beeswax candles that glow as evenings darken
• a collection of textural, handmade beauties that make me smile

This is a little practice in tending to my inner world, seeing beauty in what I've already collected, creating peace in the midst of a world that is desperately trying to make me desperate for...something...anything that I don't already have.

What's already beautiful in your world?

Love,
​Jane

I've avoided writing about the current tariff situation for a number of reasons, but mainly because I haven't really wanted to. Who wants to read anything more about them? The more I read, however, the less I see my point of view expressed, so I'd like to see where this goes.

Who pays the tariffs?

These tariffs are taxes paid by importers (small brands, shop owners, Apple, Walmart, etc.) to the American government. (Both sides' refrains have been misleading: one side repeats that they are paid by the exporting country + the other side repeats that they are paid by consumers.) The importer can then decide whether to subtract that cost from their profit, recoup it by charging more for the product, or a bit of both. 

Many larger importers have thus far been absorbing the cost of the tariffs in order to stay competitive. This points out the vast profits they make. Other importers have raised prices on goods already in country in order to pay for the next round of imports. (People I know are doing the markups.) 

Couldn't a positive affect of the tariffs be that they get people to decrease their consumption?

An argument could be made that tariffs will lead people to put the brakes on their consumerism. I would argue that only those already at the bottom will really be forced to buy less. I also believe that simplicity offers its most sparkling effects when it is not coerced. Furthermore, the expressed goal of this chaotic agenda is most definitely not to decrease consumption. 

As a community already attuned to supply chains + sustainability, we are ready to wear what we have, mend, refashion + thrift. We will turn to our stashes of fabric + yarn for crafting. We can craft toys + jams + hats + books for gift giving. We will continue to compost + grow vegetables. And we can freely share our skills + knowledge with others.

I love simplicity. I love making. I love secondhand things + homegrown food. AND I love human sized enterprises. I love fairly traded African baskets, Japanese fabrics + British yarn. I love small brands + local shops.

Couldn't we use this to promote made-in-the-USA brands + encourage other brands to make their products in the USA?

I love brands that source materials + labor close to where they design their products. I'm elated that these brands have made the effort to make this a reality, and I do hope that more will make the switch. And...I don't think that every brand who has not already done this work deserves to die. American made brands will likely find it more difficult to source their materials + labor, if there is suddenly more competition for what is currently available. 

Whether a company is big or small, it is difficult to pivot production + supply chain midstream. Concessions may be made in other ways to stay afloat. Sustainability is challenging whichever way you slice it, but never as difficult as when it was not part of how the brand was built from the start. 

Isn't it good for unnecessary businesses to be weeded out?

Capitalism makes an argument for weeding out the unnecessary businesses in time, but who wants to live in a world where we can only shop at Amazon + Walmart? Cuz that's where that game ends up.

What can I do?

I always look for actionable conclusions, and I think mine here are these:

• do the work of contentment :: see the beauty in what I already have
• continue the fairdare :: mend, refashion, thrift, prioritize people + the planet
• joyfully + gently converse about making + creativity + makers + sustainability 
• buy + use a special piece or two from a maker or shop I love, if it makes sense 
• participate in the political process :: fill out surveys, write emails, get out the vote
• vote in every primary + election

...because I value people more than profit...the planet more than GDP...collaboration more than competition...peace more than domination...conversation more than evisceration...and contentment more than greed. 

Love,
Jane

I like having a small wardrobe, and I put a lot of pressure on the pieces that I wear to be just right. Ideally, I'd have just three pairs of shorts with exactly the right fit + feel that would serve all the warm weather situations. The same three pairs of linen shorts I've been wearing for years are still my favorites, but I wanted an additional pair or two of supremely comfy, loungy shorts to throw on in the mornings or after work.

I've been looking for a pair of shorts featuring a not-too-short inseam, a not-too-tight, nonrolling waist band + a breezy fabric...for years. After deciding that I really wanted a shorts version of the Domi pants I love, I decided to see how a made-by-me version would turn out.

I've sewn shorts from Anna Allen's Pomona pattern in the past + did not like the way they turned out. The linen I used grew tremendously with wear + the lengthened inseam was unflattering. Sewing has its risks. But, I've seen a lot of cute Pomona shorts out there, so I decided to try the pattern again with Liberty fabric + the recommended inseam.

​One yard of Liberty fabric makes one pair of shorts. I removed 1 inch from the rise at the waist edge + made a drawstring waist just like my Domi pants. I think I've actually sewn my unicorn!  :)

Love,
Jane

This cutie customization option from Noble (love, love, love) is also inspiring some zero-waste thinking! It could be the perfect fix to taking the sting out a of little stain or hole in a garment (which is on my mind after scrubbing at some washing machine residue on my white overalls- boo!). Noble's dots are stitched, but I can imagine using paint or appliqué as a foil to these little imperfections in order to keep a garment in use. The size + sparseness of the dots just works. Magic!

All beautiful photos via Noble.

I have to admit that I've felt a little lost about how to maintain + grow hope in myself + those closest to me lately. The consuming tidal wave of disregard for humanity feels so hopeless, and despair offers nothing to counter that devouring force. Small actions seem almost irrelevant, but even as I think that...I know they have value to the ones who receive them + to me too. 

It is true that we, the ones with access to food + clean water + bombless sleep, have a responsibility to hope. In the spirit of Meg McElwee's hope-making bucket list (in her latest email newsletter), I began creating my own. I felt like I owed it to all of us.

Very quickly, I began to think of recent experiences that could be viewed through that same hope stirring lens...ways that I've experienced (known!) hope recently! I mean- exciting! I'm sharing both lists in hopes that the practice can spark more + more lists + imagining + hope.

Things that have stirred hope recently:

• Going to a Mumford + Sons concert in the pouring rain - a communal experience
• Standing by the glassy Atlantic, listening to the water lap the shore softly - gentle grandeur
• Conversations with people I don't know very well - finding common ground
• Eating Julia's delicious cooking experiments - tasting a blooming interest
• Spotting humming birds in the garden - shifting lawn to a thriving ecosystem
• Attending a sprawling event Jo took part in organizing - witnessing embodied vision
• Cheering for a friend's dream coming true - borrowing joy
• Participating in the heaviness of aging + decline - knowing love
• Dreaming about bringing a new purpose to life - imagining possibility

My hope stirring to-do list:

• Knowing that there is room for love in every situation + proving it
• Eating at our local, Palestinian restaurant
• Leaving stretches of unscheduled, spacious time 
• Showing up for my mom + dad in ways that are meaningful to them
• Making a piece of clothing that I'd normally purchase readymade
• Experimenting with ways to decrease my "needs"
• Painting + painting + painting
• Stretching + moving in ways that feel good
• Leading with acceptance in some current circumstances 
• Riding my bike with a smile on my face

I've come away from this exercise realizing that hope can be sparked in so many ways: collective experience, tuning in to nature, eye contact, unscheduled time, imagining new ways + putting these new ways into practice to name a few. I vow to put myself in these situations as much as I possibly can. See you there!

Love,
Jane

Despite our perceived powerlessness,
we are the ones with full bellies 
who can shoulder 
the weight of hope.
~Meg McElwee