This quilt has been a long time in the making. I found it as a quilt top, and I'm not sure why it was never completed by its original creator. It's possible that they weren't happy with the puckery edging, and finally gave up on fixing it.

I knew I'd like the look of the larger modern shapes alone, if I just removed the wonky edging. But as someone who has made a number of quilts + wants to be a good caretaker of this one, it was hard to decide to cut into this topper that clearly took a LOT of time to create.

Another issue was that I didn't know how I wanted to use it. As it was, it was too small to cover our bed + too big to be a couch quilt. I also considered gifting it. Today was the day to make a decision. I want this thing to get used. I want to use it. I could imagine sitting under it on the couch + having it lend some golden light to the room too.

So, I cut the edging + two rows off. Sitting in the sun under its weight hand stitching the binding this afternoon felt good. I listened to A Simpler Life from The School of Life while I stitched, and though I don't agree with everything in it, this quote seemed like an affirmation:​

It's only a sense of purpose that allows us to see how much of anything is enough.

I find this helpful in finding peace in so many situations:

• When I decide that, yes, I want my shoes to work with my outfits + my style...but also to be comfortable enough to be on my feet for 7-9 hours in a day...with my particular feet...then I can choose the right shoes rather than buying lots of shoes + still wondering why none of them work.
• When I decide that I want my home to provide a comfortable place to rest + nourish my closest ones, then I know how much space is useful + what is beyond my scope of actual desire.
• When I decide that I want to warm up under this quilt on the couch + have enough left over to share with my parter, I know that it's ok to customize it for that purpose.

Sometimes the more-than-enough is what's holding us back.

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

About six months ago, the handle of the basket I've been carrying to work gave up its resistance to the metal hook it hangs on there. I love the way my basket holds its shape + keeps jars (full of soup or coffee) upright. It's small + shallow enough to keep everything organized + accessible. 

At first, I tried wrapping things around the handle to hold it together. They would end up in a mangled mess by the time I got back home. I tried using other bags I already have. My overturned lunches tested the seals on jars, and digging for my keys left me frequently frustrated. So I searched for a replacement that could satisfy like my basket + stand up to the metal hook.

Bags are simple enough to make + customize. It's the materials that can be elusive, especially when I can't handle them before purchase. If the end product doesn't meet my expectations, it feels like a waste of resources (since it can't be returned). After a fruitless search for a readymade bag, however, I decided to try the Town Bag Sewing Pattern. I've always admired Karen Templer's bags, but didn't really have a need for one before.

I'm pretty happy with the way this bag came together. Its numerous pockets, ability to stand on its own and good looks are making me smile. I appreciated having the pattern's recommendations for the weight of the canvas and the width of the webbing, since I needed to purchase them online. Grommets might still be in its future. The construction felt like a little magic trick at the end, and I've just realized that one could insert a stiff piece of cardboard or plastic for extra structure before closing up the bottom. 

I'm hoping this little gem will become my new, go-to work bag. I like having a dedicated work bag that can keep work things ready to go. I can just move a pouch with my necessities from bag to bag as needed. Systems enhance simplicity. Replacements only(ish). Less is enough. :)

Love,
Jane

There's something interesting about listening to podcasts about creativity + AI while making intentionally imperfect, human stitches one after another.

If the conventional (capitalistic) concept of creativity is primarily to serve novelty + commodification, does this change our view of the threat to creativity in the age of AI?

What if we could untangle the demand for novelty from our concept of creativity?

Would we use our creativity to "say" more? Would we create more beauty? Would we solve more of our real problems?

Would things made with our hands take on a different sort of value? Would our view of material things change? Would we consume differently? Would we be more discerning about what does not need to be made?

It might just be about the questions + what we do with them.

​Love,
Jane

As a lover of less, I'm pretty picky about which pieces of clothing come home with me. As the person that I've always been, I'm pretty picky about silhouettes + proportions.  :) Since I sew, I often view clothing with an eye toward what I can adjust to make it a little bit more what I'd like to wear. Today, I took the time to address a couple of pieces that have been awaiting their adjustments.  

The piece with the cream sleeves :: This piece seems to be a big + tall shirt that I thrifted + intend to wear as a dress with or without jeans underneath. Rather than rolling the sleeves again + again to an overly bunchy extent, I pictured cropping the sleeves to a bracelet length. I wanted to preserve the cuff, so I cut the sleeve off and then reapplied the cuff to replicate the same detail on my "new" sleeve.

As usual, this type of endeavor renews my respect for the time + skill that goes into garment making! While I know that I can make these adjustments, I also know that it takes dedicated time, effort + attention.

The golden, floral piece :: This Doen piece is one of my favorites. I've had it for years, and it was quite large on me. I thought about selling it + purchasing a smaller size on a resale site, but that seemed like a hassle too. It can be pretty intimidating cutting into such a beautiful piece, but I finally worked up the nerve to take in the sides. Rather than reworking the sleeves as I did on the previously mentioned piece, I decided to add a couple of tucks to shorten the sleeves. The very lightweight fabric means that the sleeves stay flowy even with the tucks. I'm so happy with the way it turned out + love wearing it so much more now.

The white gown :: This gown came to me with fluttery, lace-edged sleeves that I knew I wanted to remove. Once the sleeves were removed, I realized I could edge the sleeve opening with the lace. I used the sleeve fabric to bind the edge. The result is better than I imagined + feels less wasteful too.

I very much enjoy finding garments that feel just right from the moment I lay eyes on them, but I also get excited to find these gems that I can make my own. Spending this kind of time + attention on a garment usually increases my feelings of connection with it. Taking the time to get the length of a sleeve how I prefer it or the room in the hips just right makes me more likely to want to wear it over + over...and less likely to trade it for a newer model. And that's what the fairdare is all about!  :)

Love, 
Jane

A little creativity check-in today...a handmade pillow for a charcoal couch. My thought has been that I would cover our couches with white denim slipcovers...and maybe I will one day. Right now, it's feeling right to embrace the dark of our charcoal couch...which sits in our north facing living room...and to double down with some dark pillows. 

I love any opportunity to dip into my little stash of denim + indigo dyed scraps...zero-waste...meditative stitching...wabi-sabi...boro inspired goodness. One down...one to go.

Love,
Jane

It has felt really good to put this project together! From dreams + plans to process + completion...these pants have been a joy to create. 

I decided to purchase Anna Allen's Pomona pants pattern even though I've have made many elastic waisted pants patterns over the years. I was attracted to this pattern's (very) high waistline + the minimal volume around the torso. Both of the leg width variations looked just about right to me as well.

Like I mentioned before, I was interested in white pants. I decided to try both of the pants variations of this pattern in white linen. I like the selection of linens at Ewe Fibers + spent a little time looking at various patterns made up in various fabrics on their website. I would have chosen white Cairo linen (which I used for this project) had it been in stock, but decided to try the (lighter weight) Sahara linen. Ewe Fibers offers volume discounts on fabric + also prints PDF patterns! Woohoo! The pattern was printed on one large sheet of paper which cost $8.10. We don't have a printer (so printing PDF patterns costs anyway) + this way there was no time spent tiling all the papers together. Thrilling!

I really like how these pants turned out! The shapes are perfection, and they are so comfortable. The wide leg is not too wide, and the narrower leg is not so narrow that it catches on the calf. I think the Sahara linen would be a really nice weight for warm weather pants that are not white. These white pants will most likely be at-home pants, since they are a bit sheer. The Cairo linen in white might have been a bit less sheer, and I would love to try that at some point. This project has given me a lot of insight into this pattern, the fabric + my preferences! 

Pattern :: Anna Allen's Pomona Pants 
Versions made :: view A + view B
Fabric :: white Sahara linen from Ewe Fabrics
Modifications :: 1 1/2 inch wide elastic (+ corresponding adjustment with the elastic casing) 

Love,
Jane

This morning I wrote in my journal, "Creativity always feels good. It feels apart from judgement. It feels like freedom. I think it would be good for me to prioritize that."

One of my favorite parts of the creative process is dreaming, and I've been dreaming in the direction of white linen pants. Maybe it's the urge to wipe everything clean after the holidays + with the dawn of the new year. Maybe it's the way the light struggles through the thick January clouds...is quick to succumb to the dark of night...glints off freshly fallen snow. I'm feeling a pull toward white linen...no matter how practicality cautions. White plays with candle light, dreary days + warm glow with faith + generosity...all beauty.

A few other creative thoughts:

• Elastic accommodates dancing wild to Odesza on a rainy Wednesday morning + a double cakey indulgence on a just-for-the-heck of it Tuesday too.
• Anna Allen's Pomona pants have wide + less wide leg options, a high waist and not too much width at the hip.
• Ewe Fibers can print PDF patterns + include them in the same package as your fabric.

All lovely photos via links (click photo).

Love,
Jane

I try to keep the amount of furniture in our home minimal. I like simplicity + we've moved enough to know the benefits of "less" intimately.  :) A lot of consideration goes into adding anything to our collection of things. Is it necessary? Will it be useful? Is it lovely? Is it multi-functional?

My partner + I felt that it would be useful + lovely for each of us to have a spot to set a drink in the morning or evening next to our bed. We had an idea of what I might like our bedside tables to look like, but was having a hard time finding something similar. 

Last weekend we decided to try making our own bedside tables. Tackling a project together sounded like a really nice way to spend part of our day off...and it was. These dark, winter, pandemic days can seem monotonous + uneventful. The motivation for this project was not only to create useful furniture, but also to create a memory together.

We had the home improvement store cut the boards for us and then sanded, glued + nailed the pieces together in the living room. It was a simple project that was so much less expensive than any other option we considered...and...we actually really like the way our tables turned out! It feels pretty luxurious to have our drinks within reach.  :)

These bedside tables are lovely + functional + have a story built in too. 

Love,
Jane

I took this well-loved quilt out of the laundry today + just felt so much appreciation for it. The reigning custom on the internet is to show just made projects...but what if we instead shared some of our projects after they've stood the test of time? Projects that actually got the love they deserved...served the purpose we dreamed they'd fulfill...proved durable + worth maintaining. This is one of mine.  :)

I made this quilt for my partner years ago. It was a Christmas gift that I knew he'd find a bit odd in the moment...but would get so much use from over time. It is made up of two soft Kaffe Fassett shot cottons that have contrasting warp + weft. The binding is made from some block printed cotton left over from a top I made for myself. The quilting was done free hand on the machine using up all the ends of my thread spools (super satisfying). There are lots of different colors overlapping from one side to the other, and it didn't even matter if the top thread matched the bottom. 

This squishy quilt has kept us both warm (+ our gas usage a bit lower) through many chilly evenings on the couch. It's a good make.  

Love,
​Jane