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

I've been feeling the need to shift gears after coming home from work lately. Today, I tried making as gear shifter.

Visualizing where I'd like to end up with a project requires a singular focus. Color offers visceral pleasure. Feeling the materials moves me into my body. Visual fingerprints, experimentation + imperfection are welcome in my making practice. Today, process was the goal.

Love, 
Jane

It's gotten hot + stayed hot this week. ​Breezy shorts that fit were on my mind. A thrifted rayon skirt found in Jo's donation bag seemed like it might be up for a transformation into a cute pair of shorts. Just enough fabric!  :)

I took the picture on the left to show the elastic I used...cut off the top of a pair of shorts that were beyond repair. When I unpicked the stitching to expose the elastic, I had to smile at the already pieced together elastic that it was. Just another layer of zero-waste.  :)

Sewing pattern :: Common Stitch Bellbird shorts 
Fabric :: thrifted rayon skirt, well worn + ready to be passed on by Jo  :)

Modifications :: Cut one size smaller than size chart recommendation. Added waist band to the top rather than folding the top down for the elastic casing. I wanted a higher waist + this also allows them to feel a bit longer too.

Notes for next time :: Size down two sizes instead of one + add an inch to the top of each pattern pieces (for one inch wide elastic).

Feels good to have so little waste at the end of a project. This will be added to our fabric scrap bag that goes to Goodwill to be made into things like rags, insulation + carpet padding. Thank you, Goodwill for getting materials where they can be reused!

Love,
​Jane

I made these overalls two + a half years ago. I wear them with tanks in the summer + all layered up in the winter. They are probably my most worn make at the moment, but they (like most things) were not perfect. 

I really liked the way these overalls looked...from the front. I like the ties + the Liberty lined pockets. The rise + the length are just how I like them. When I first made these, they were a struggle to get off + on...so I lowered the back (Beaton style). Since I admire those Beaton overalls so much, the back felt acceptable...but...it also felt a bit weird. I was always trying to make sure that the gap back there was folded over + secure. 

Today, I finally found a piece of leftover elastic + cinched up the back a bit. I like the loose-ish fit, so I left a little play in the waist. And it looks SO much better back there now!  :)

Elastic has been a helpful fitting friend of mine. I often use it to bring shape more than to provide functional stretch. I used it on this straight jumpsuit to bring a little waist definition...on this jacket to coax a cocoon shape...and here to close the back gap.  :)

These little tweaks are often total game changers in making my pieces just that much more enjoyable to wear! Make it better...get it worn!
​
Love,
​Jane

I actually enjoyed sewing jeans with this pattern. The sizing works for me without much alteration (lucky, I know). It is a totally manageable pattern taken one step at a time. A couple of things I purposely did in order to make my first experience with sewing jeans easier were:

1. choosing a lighter weight denim which is helpful in getting the layers through the sewing machine
2. purchasing the right sewing machine needle
3. choosing non-constrasting thread which makes topstitching less stressful

Notes + alterations: 

• cut one size smaller than the one my measurements put me in according to the pattern...the finished measurements listed on the pattern match my measurements exactly on the size I chose to cut
• left back pockets off until the jeans were finished so that I could choose the size + placement...enlarged the pockets
• did a flat felled seam on the inner leg seam + as far as I could up the outer side seams...in order to neaten the cuff fold ups
• side seam allowances sewn to 2 cm instead of the 1.5 recommended (baste outer seams first...try them on + sew seams to fit) (I love the wide seam allowances which offer both strength + room for fitting)

Pattern :: Merchant & Mills Harlene (<<well-priced for the USA)
Fabric :: Merchant & Mills 8 oz. dark denim 
​Needle :: chrome denim needles (worked a charm)
Thread :: regular all-purpose thread in navy (makes mistakes almost invisible)
Button :: Citron Jeans (came with the toolkit)

It's pretty cool to know how each + every seam on the jeans I'm wearing came together. And as always, sewing gives me such respect for garment workers! Make a pair of jeans + then consider how much a pair of jeans in the store should cost.  ;)

Love,
Jane

My big goal this month is to make jeans! Yikes! This is a piece of clothing I never really thought I could make. I made my wedding dress, but I've avoided zip flies. :) The sheer number of pairs of readymade jeans I need to try on in order to find one that fits is enough to deter me. It would take a miracle for me to make jeans that fit. (I might be talking myself out of this right now- ha!) 

I'd always thought that jeans were made, at least in part, with special equipment. A few years ago, however, the sewing community just sort of seemed to decide that jeans were the next thing to tackle. (Not that adventurous sewists hadn't been sewing them all along.) Patterns + denim started to appear more + more. So many talented sewists have made amazing pairs of jeans, but I didn't really feel the need to tackle them myself.

It was those Merchant & Mills overalls I made recently that got me thinking...as a successful project often does. That pattern, taken one step at a time, produced a pretty professional looking end product. The idea of having a pants pattern at the ready that fits + that I can make again + again is intriguing. And I'm feeling both inspired + emboldened by all the amazing handmade jeans out there.

So...I'm going to give jeans a try.​ My favorite patterns are:

• Merchant & Mills Heroine jeans pattern :: because I think their shape has a cool, vintage vibe...I like the high waist...and they look like they could be quite comfortable
• Megan Nielsen's Dawn jeans view B :: because I like the high waist, the more fitted thighs + straight legs 

I'm in the hope + dream stage at the moment, but I'm excited to get started.  :)

All photos via links.

Love,
​Jane