Driving home at the end of a long day with questions about dinner hanging in the air = stress for me. Zero-waste means there is no frozen pizza in the freezer. Thinking ahead is truly the best defense. I am not one who loves to spend a day cooking for the week ahead (though it would be really nice to have those meals ready). I have, however, found a few ways to be nice to myself ahead of time + without much (if any) extra work.

After a few shriveled spinach leaves found themselves left in the bottom of the fridge, I knew that I needed a way to eat our greens without the added chore of daily washing + drying. In the past I've washed the leaves of kale or lettuce ahead + wrapped them in a towel. That works great...when I do it. I'm now on week two of putting washed snipped spinach leaves into this lidded glass dish (still a bit damp) ensuring that we have readily available greens all week long. They are easily torn + plopped onto just about every meal we eat. (And not a plastic bag in sight.)

Another simple way to have some pre-prepped food for each meal is to make a double batch of some element of whatever we are having for dinner...rice or lentil stew...saving the rest for another meal. ​With each meal that I make lately, I just consider if there is anything that I can make a larger batch of...to save time later. Not having to cook rice (or scrub the pot) is a nice little gift on busy nights.

Last evening we topped some baked potatoes with pre-made (sounds better than left over, right?) lentil stew + yogurt...yum! This was the third meal we got out of one batch of lentil stew. If I had really thought ahead + shopped for them, I could have made a couple extra baked potatoes for later. Luxury fast food!  :)

I know this is just plain common sense, but for some reason I wasn't doing it. Now I'm so happy that I am.  :)

Love,
​Jane

This week I sewed the button back on one of Mr. Tribe's pants five pairs of pants (smiling at the thought of him standing in front of church...pants held together with the help of a scavenged binder clip). In looking these over, I was happy to find that they still have a lot of life left in them even though they are years old + have sustained a ton of wear.

I read Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki in two days this week. I'm also browsing the library's collection of Japanese sewing books in search of some inspiration for Julia's cold weather wardrobe.

​Restoring ecosystem health with regional fashion. 
First there were smocks + now there are frocks!
A handmade uniform. (Those pants in the very top photo are the ultimate!)
Culture. Joy. Movement. Pride. I want some. (thanks Jo!)
Sweetness to knit.

Hope you have a lovely October weekend, friends!
Love,
​Jane

I am always doing that which I cannot do,
​in order that I may learn how to do it.
~Pablo Picasso

I think we all know the difference between making excuses + truly trying our best. Maybe that's the statement I needed to believe as I tried to write this post over + over for the past few months.

This spring I continued my search for fair flats. It's a search that is a holdover from my pre-fairdare days. Ever since a pair of leopard print flats from Target, found on clearance for less than $10, that I had worn happily for at least a decade + went with everything...died...I just could not find the right replacement.

Sometimes the fairdare makes my mind feel like it is contorting + weighing + flipping + balancing in rapid succession. It can be exhausting + frustrating. There is just so much to consider:
1. Garment workers, farmers, + the environment. Responsibility + compassion.
2. Clothing needs. A warm coat. Pants that fit. Shoes. Necessity.
3. Budget. Responsibility + limits.
4. Self-expression + style.
5. Choosing pieces that will last in quality + in my allegiance. Longevity.

For the most part there are enough choices to meet all of these considerations. There are pieces of clothing already in my closet. I can mend + repair. There are thrift stores. I can sew + knit. There are brands offering fair + sustainable choices. And yet, sometimes the intersection of all the above considerations just feels endlessly elusive.

Years ago, I bought a pair of natural leather flats that were made in Spain. They were stiff, but I thought that they would soften up over time. Over the next few years, they did not soften and were only worn to church...gingerly. I could bear them no longer, so they were sold. Next I found a cute pair of vintage, leather flats on Etsy that seemed to be my size. I had the little heel plates replaced + the cobbler reglued them together nice + tight. I wore them for a few years, but they were always just a bit too tight + didn't stretch...so they too were worn only for short, mostly seated trips to church. I found a pair of fair beauties a couple years ago, but their $300 price tag kept me from taking the plunge. I couldn't take the plunge this spring either, so...

This spring, after lots of consideration, I bought a pair of shoes that I could not confirm as fair. I delved as far as the internet would take me into the production of this brand...no transparency. The shape was just what I wanted. The leather looked soft + sturdy...and the heels were made of wood...natural materials. The style would elevate jeans + a t-shirt...but would also be nice enough for dressier occasions. The price seemed appropriate for both my wallet + production (but I couldn't confirm that).

I shared a picture of the flats here, but not the post that I first wrote to go along with it. This purchase felt like failure. I didn't want the explanation to seem like a list of excuses. I didn't want to write a post about simply doing our best. That just didn't seem good enough. It didn't seem inspiring enough.

And then, a friend told me about how she'd made a similar decision and seemed to feel some guilt over it. She'd made a commitment to the fairdare + felt like this purchase had failed it. My immediate feeling was that I wanted to throw a heavy blanket of grace over the whole story. Making a commitment to the fairdare involves knowing...and trying...and lots of success...and then sometimes...doing the best we can. The fashion industry is not designed to be transparent or entirely fair, so sometimes we have to make the best choice we can with what is available. I could extend myself the same grace that I desperately wanted her to feel + that I knew she deserved.

The fairdare, zero-waste, and any other endeavor we undertake to live our values...they are all about the successes...small as they may be! A list of five purchases that involves one not quite perfect purchase...that list is more about the four...four successful attempts to buy fair! Bravo! Happy dance! Amazing! I'm not a perfectionist, so I've never quite understood those who abandon a habit (new year's resolutions) once they've failed once. Of course we are going to fail! This is all about the learning + observing + trying again. My lesson learned from the flats is that I probably should have waited. I found a handmade brand that I love just a few months after my purchase. I'm learning.

Doing our best is not about making excuses. It is about truly making informed efforts + then choosing the best option. We are learning, + learning is not failure. (Oh how often I say this to my perfectionist daughter over her schoolwork!) Often, choosing to do without is the best option...but when it is not...there is grace.

Love,
Jane

October is one of my favorite months where we currently live. We still have leaves on the trees, but some are turning yellow + red. We can walk + work outside a little more comfortably. There are lots of warmly lit, sunny days...a few moody, rainy days...and a couple of days that give us a taste of what's to come. The temperatures this week have swung from the 80s F to the 40s F! I could feasibly have worn any + all of the clothes from my wardrobe just this week. As shown above, I guess that I didn't.  :) I like to save back some clothes just for the coldest days...and put away some clothes that served me well during the hottest days. Right now, though, these are the best of days.  :)

In celebration of Slow Fashion October, I thought I'd keep track of the outfits I wear in order to highlight the enoughness of the clothes already in my closet. I want to focus on contentedness + appreciating what I already own...this month + every day.

This week's stand-out :: my vintage army pants. They are taking the place of jeans in my closet (at least until I find some jeans that are this comfortable). I've been loving high waisted pants again for a while + these are super high. :) They make belts obsolete + ensure that everything is always securely covered. They are soft + have comfortable straight legs. I think they look cooly casual with everything from tees to cashmere. I hemmed mine at the ankle baring length that I think looks best on me.

Dressing with less, learned :: Having thought through each piece + having just what I love makes getting dressed satisfying + pleasurable. I truly love having just what I need + not too much extra. Enough is so good.

Disclaimer :: Again, these are not style posts (maybe that's obvious).  :) I'm not making any special effort to wear every piece that I own or have made (for Slow Fashion October). This is just what I'd be wearing anyway. :) This is not a boast about how fair my wardrobe is...I just added those notes because that's what we're talking about this month. I want to share (with myself too) that a simple, mostly fair/slow fashion wardrobe slowly put together over time (+ with a budget) is possible. And that less is enough.

To find more + to participate, check out #slowfashionoctober on Instagram.

Love, 
​Jane

This hearty meal combines the bounty + flavors of autumn in a healthful + delicious way. I love that making meals zero-waste has the tendency to let unadulterated ingredients shine! Eating with the seasons is incredibly satisfying + grounding. We recognize + express gratitude for the farmers' hard work + notice the role of the weather in filling our plates + stomachs. Food can be a source of stress, but also of such joy + connection in so many ways.

Autumn on a plate
sweet potato, sliced into medallions, peeled
olive oil
black beans, cooked from bulk
brown rice
spinach
basil
milk, your choice 
cinnamon
salt
cayenne
coconut

Prepare sweet potatoes, rub with olive oil and bake at 425F until edges begin to brown (somewhere around 25 minutes, depending on oven). Cook rice. Blend sweet potatoes, desired spices + milk (add a little at a time for desired consistency) in a blender. Assemble + enjoy.

Love,
​Jane

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~Margaret Mead

Slow fashion October is here + this year I'm going to focus on contentedness. Slow fashion (or fair fashion as I like to call it) focuses first + foremost on wearing what we already have. Beyond that we can maintain a fair wardrobe by mending, thrifting, making, + buying fairly made garments (in that order).

The great thing is that at any point in time, we can decide that we have a fair wardrobe right now! We just have to wear + take care of what we already own and replace with fair items only as needed. Yay!  :)

In celebration of Slow Fashion October, I thought it might be fun to do a little round up each week (in October) of what I've worn since the last update. I don't need anything new this season (though I do have one sewing project planned)...so I really want to focus on appreciating what is already in my closet in order to reduce the wanties. So here is October 1-4 + a couple highlights.  :)

This week's all-star :: the red block printed pants. The fabric for these pants was hand block printed in India. There are a bunch of mistakes in the consistency of the printing, but I think that lends to its handmade charm. I used a vintage Esprit sewing pattern that reminds me of all that was so right about the 80s. These pants are super comfy + I like the pockets that allow me to carry podcasts around. I love how the vegetable dye fades with repeated washing + shows that I love wearing these pants.

Dressing with less, learned :: I'm not afraid of wearing things over + over. Maybe it helped to read about people who wore the same outfit every day for a year...people who wear "uniforms"...and people who live with fewer pieces of clothing than me. 

Disclaimer :: These are not style posts (maybe that's obvious).  :) I'm not making any special effort to wear every piece that I own or have made. This is just what I'd be wearing anyway. :) This is not a boast about how fair my wardrobe is...I just added those notes because that's what we're talking about this month. I want to share (with myself too) that a simple, mostly fair/slow fashion wardrobe slowly put together over time (+ with a budget) is possible. And that less is enough.

To find more + to participate, check out #slowfashionoctober on Instagram.

Love, 
Jane

As we leave the dentist's office, an interview plays on the radio about the devastating earthquake in Mexico City. The woman speaks of the grocery store where she shopped being destroyed, newly homeless people whom she knows, and the panicked search for her loved ones following those unexpected moments of terror. 

We stop at our grocery store for a couple of bottles of milk + a bulk treat. At home, I warm up some milk for yogurt + set about recording my expenses with the help of my online bank account. When I try to log off the page, it says that I am not connected to the internet. I like to know that the bank page has logged off, so I try a few more times...no luck. I help Julia with her geometry assignment.

After washing my lunch plate, I notice that the clock numbers are not lit on the stove. I try the light switches + realize that our power is out. I text Mr. Tribe, noting that my phone battery is almost dead. Since I have no internet, I decide to pick up a book. I start reading Empathy by Roman Krznaric. I write down a beautiful quote. I realize that I won't be able to get the car out of the garage later without the power door, so decide to go see if I can open the door manually. 

As I drive the car out of the garage and park it in the driveway, the radio relays the voice of a man in Puerto Rico describing what his family has been eating since the hurricane...some root vegetables + bananas from their backyard. When they are gone, he doesn't know what they will eat. The interviewer asks if he thinks he will leave Puerto Rico, + he says that everyone in the whole country can't leave.

Back inside, I realize that the timer I set on the stove for the cooling milk isn't working. The milk hasn't cooled too far past the desired temperature, so I grab the yogurt to stir in + it dawns on me that the fridge isn't working. I start thinking about the few jars of frozen tomato sauce I have been able to eek out of my failing garden + how they will be ruined (along with the milk I just bought + the rest of the week's food) if the power stays off for too long. I wash the dishes + wonder how long we'll have hot water.

It's warm + I want to turn on the ceiling fan. At least it's not as hot today as it was yesterday. And then it hits me. I don't know how it took so long for the pieces to come together.

"Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?" ~Henry David Thoreau (the beautiful quote from Empathy)

This was written before the horrific events of this weekend. There is just so much sadness.

Love,
​Jane

Somewhere along the line, it was decided that really great denim had to be really expensive. These companies are proving that notion wrong. All of these jeans cost around $100 (not cheap, but probably appropriately priced) and not only are they sewn fairly, they are each offering a little bit more in the way of fair fabric! 

Industry Standard :: fabric milled + sewn in USA
​Patagonia :: fair-trade certified sewing, 98% organic cotton
Taylor Stitch :: cone mills denim sourced in the USA, made in California

As always, the fairest denim of them all is already in our closets or maybe at a thrift store nearby. I have been lucky enough to find my last two pairs of jeans at thrift stores. But these are good choices too! (That last Taylor Stitch pair even has an elastic waist.)  ;)

Update :: 3-29-18 Taylor Stitch is no longer making women's clothing, but look for a used pair.

All beautiful photos via links.

Love,
​Jane

​P.S. More fair jeans here.