Today we're back to sunshine + open windows. I hammered the finishing touches into my overalls this morning + threw them in the wash (since my hands ended up blue again). I am already dreaming about choosing fabric for a second pair. We're doing strength finders assessments, mailing off a couple of poshmark sales + eating a few sweets too this weekend. 

So much inspiration.
The lungs of North America open for logging.
The evolution of an activist.
​Where does local news come from?
​​It's not about the shirt.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend + a happy Halloween, friends!  :)

Love, 
Jane

I'm interested in finding + recognizing "enough", in part because I think that it is a crucial part of living more lightly on our planet. It's a crucial part of creating less waste. Caring for + maintaining less creates less stress + is therefore better for our health + wellbeing. Less is easier on our budgets + demands less of our paychecks. It demands less of our planet's resources. It clears a pathway toward generosity.

Less stuff might allow us to be a little more nimble during a move. We might be able to choose a smaller home that costs less to own + less to heat or cool. We might need less furniture to store stuff. We might have more time to take a walk or notice the light rather than cleaning or organizing. 

I love beautiful things, but I don't need to own all of the beautiful things. There is nothing like a little space to allow the beauty of simple things to shine. One lovely pair of pajamas to slip on each morning over the tank that I sleep in is luxurious. A couple of modestly sized, white pumpkins provide seasonal cheer. Beauty can be a most suitable companion of less.

So, how can we go about finding "enough"? It would be wonderful if there were some sort of list that would satisfy. As it stands, each of us will find that we come to different conclusions. Our circumstances differ. Our desires differ too. Our "enough" may change with time, age, family make-up, living situations, work requirements, weather, location, or any number of other factors. We must experiment.

What we do with our knowledge of "enough" will differ too. We may decide to scale back to our newly found basics in order to pay off debt or save toward a goal. We may live with layers of extra padding, but find rest in our knowledge. We may live with what we have knowing that it will last a long while. We may share our excess with unfettered joy. We may sheer ourselves away from life as we know it + realign ourselves toward a newfound freedom.

Less moves us toward freedom in any case. Come.

Find our experiments with less in the kitchen here: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06.
Re-evaluating the more-than-enough.
Moving forward with "enough" in mind.

Love,
Jane

The other day, it happened. I bumped right into "enough". I was opening the door for another morning walk...just like I'd been doing for months...when it hit me.

It was the day that the weather changed. We'd need something warmer to wear on our walk. I pulled on my leggings + a long-sleeved layer and off we went. As I opened the door, I realized that I had everything I needed...even when the circumstances changed...and that felt really good.

When summer arrived, I'd tried to add another pair of workout shorts to my collection of one. I ruled out the ones made out of plastic, even though it was recycled plastic. No more microfibers, if I can help it. There was a pair with a waist band that was sure to twist + annoy...another pair that was so hot that I felt relief as soon as I removed it. Others were never restocked in my size. But, you know what happened? I hung my single pair of workout shorts over the doorknob on the back of my bedroom door every morning after my walk + washed them each weekend. And it was enough.

I rotated the three tank tops + three pairs of socks I had. Enough.

Taking note of that moment of clarity is important, because all of my feelings of not having enough...wanting just one more...come not from need but from boredom with what I have or fear of something that hasn't happened. I'm not saying that having more than one pair of workout shorts or leggings is bad. I just think that it is very useful to recognize "enough". Because I would get bored with two as well. Because I am more likely to use up every bit of one. Because resources are finite. 

And so, I smiled at "enough" + promised to remember that feeling...even when I'm not feeling it.

Love,
​Jane

My overalls are in progress (actually they are just waiting for their hardware- yay!). The pattern that I used will be available as a printed pattern, but I just couldn't wait to make mine.  :) We don't have a printer (so printing already has a cost), and this is a large pattern to glue together...so I thought this might be a good time to try a pattern printer. 

I printed a sewing pattern at a local copy shop in the past + ended up paying over $30 for a pants pattern. (yikes!) This time I did a limited search for sewing pattern printing + came across these printers: 

• ​pdfplotting :: USA based, seem to be a little more complicated to upload to, have to print at least three patterns at a time, seems to only ship to USA
• patternsy :: UK based, have to print two sheets at a time (which my single pattern accomplished), ships worldwide
• sew yyc :: Canada based, seems to only ship to Canada

My choice was patternsy. I sure would have liked to use a service closer to home, but I didn't have three patterns to print. Patternsy seemed to be a simple service to use + ships to my location.

Once I decided to use patternsy, I was able to upload my pattern easily. Mark texted me as soon as I placed my order to let me know that my one pattern covered the required two pages + that my order was set to go. It took 13 days from order to arrival (in the USA) + cost $18. The paper that it is printed on is tissue weight, but I would say that it feels a bit more sturdy than the classic brown pattern paper. I like that it folds up compactly.

I really appreciate that patternsy understands sewists' needs + desires. They can even untangle overlapped pattern pieces that would normally require further pattern tracing. (fantastic!) 

Using a pattern printer was not cheap.
My PDF pattern cost $11.72 
Printing + shipping cost $18.23
Total cost :: $29.95 USD
 
If I waited for the paper pattern to be available:
The cost of the paper pattern + shipping from the UK would cost $48.18.
Merchant & Mills patterns in the USA cost $20 + shipping.

So...my conclusions:
Merchant & Mills patterns are pricey...but probably appropriately priced.
Maybe this solution doesn't seem too outlandish in context?  
I am going to use this pattern more than once...more than twice...so I'm happy.  :)

Love,
Jane

October, baptize me with leaves!
Swaddle me in corduroy + nurse me with split pea soup.
October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets + carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins.
O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!
​~Rainbow Rowell

I love overalls. When Merchant & Mills released their Harlene pattern, I immediately started imagining a pair of my own. I would wear any of the overalls pictured on the pattern page, but I think I will make a denim pair first. It's always hard to choose fabric online, when it can't be felt or seen in person. 

With a little investigation, I came across this jumpsuit in Merchant & Mills 8 ounce denim. I really like that the denim lightens + looks softer + a bit worn in after repeated washing + wearing (as noted in the description). I took a leap of faith + ordered it from Oak Fabrics. (I've now washed it three times + am still left with blue hands after handling it...ugh.)

I'm not sure these types of posts are interesting for anyone else, but seeing all of these building blocks of a project together in one place is really useful for me. I like having a visual record of the slow + thoughtful process of collecting inspiration for a single garment. I want each of my pieces of clothing to be thoughtfully + intentionally made...especially the ones that I make. I hope that the entire making process deepens my love for + connection with the resulting piece.  

All lovely images via links.

Love,
Jane

Each of us can come to this exercise with a different goal in mind when answering this last question. Around here, we talk a bunch about "less", but that may not be everyone's goal. Maybe you want to be able to fit everything you own into your closet. One person might like to have quite a lot of variety to choose from. Another may want to embrace a specific uniform. Each of our ideas of "enough" is different. Great! Let's just get intentional with defining it a bit.  :)

With those questions answered:

1. Pull everything out onto the bed.                                                                                        It's always a good thing to see just how much clothing we own (perspective).   
2. Select the number of pieces you decided on for each category.                                      (Focus on work/school clothes first. Lounge/pajamas/athletic wear may be able to be selected from what's left over.)
3. Take stock.                                                                                                                            -Don't have as many pieces as you thought you needed?                                                     Maybe live with what you have for a while to learn if more is necessary.                    -Have lots left on your bed?  (We're talking in-season pieces now.)                                     Let them go or box some up + live with what's in your closet in order to see if you        need any of those hard-to-let-go-of pieces. Do set a date to decide, though. 
4. Address out-of-season clothing.                                                                                           -Let go of any pieces that didn't serve you this season or that are worn out.                 -Store the rest away (in your suitcase?).
5. Make a "shopping" list...but only address the major holes right away.                        (You'll refashion/swap/thrift/make/buy better after experiencing the season           a bit first.)

This post will be linked at the bottom of the fairdare page.

​Love,
​Jane

My love for the USA-grown organic cotton + close to home sewing of Pansy has been well documented here. Similarly...I was super excited to read through the description on Wol Hide's cotton pieces + to find that they are made of USA-grown organic cotton + sewn close to their Philadelphia, Pennsylvania home. Yeeeeeeeeess! Ladies, you are my heroes.

I realize that I have posted a lot of loungewear here lately. It's not by design, but it is evident that brands have embraced loungewear as a marketable concept these days. I'm not complaining...though I do find myself trying to be thoughtful about how I'd wear these pieces outside the house. Of course they'd look good with trainers, but I might prefer to wear them with something like Boston or Arizona Birkenstocks or a soft loafer like these for a little less sporty vibe.

All lovely images from Wol Hide.

Love,
Jane

Day 7 :: Wow! Today's high is going to reach only 49°F. I might still venture out to crunch through the leaves + soak up some sunshine. Afterward, this outfit has just the cozy feel I want on a stay-at-home Sunday. 

I feel like I've only scratched the surface when it comes to the ways I could wear these two pieces. I could have styled them up a whole lot more, but these looks are a pretty good representation of how I dress. I like to keep things simple + feel like I can switch things up easily with the switch of a pair of shoes. 

This bonus look is a good example of that. Wearing flats rather than trainers or Birks elevates this look just a bit. I imagine wearing this for a morning of work in a coffee shop...post Covid.

These vintage army pants are just another example of how one item can be super casual when worn with a white muscle tank + sandals...and then about as dressy as I need to be when worn with a white button down (or cashmere pullover) + flats. Our clothing can often serve us in so many more ways than those for which we give them credit. When I talk about wearing my clothing over + over...I mean it.  :)

I can wear this "pajama" top with every one of my fitted pants: jeans, white pants + army pants (not to mention shorts). I can wear it as a layer over a tank, tee or slip dress...or under a cardigan or jacket. Again, the shoes I chose would change the resulting looks as well. The pants are a dreamy summer weight that will get lots of use with tanks, tees + sandals. They will also serve me well as a cozy partner to sweatshirts, sweaters + socks in the cooler months. I might not wear them to work, but I'd wear them to most any other casual setting. It's all in the mindset. I think of these pieces not simply as pajamas, but as a perfectly legitimate top + pants.