i've been focusing on my autumn/winter wardrobe lately and as usual, i'm struggling a bit with how i really want to approach it. i know that i have two main focuses:
- small and simple wardrobe
-fair trade clothing
i feel like the summer wardrobe is easiest, because:
-we need less items
-vintage is easier to find
-handmade is simpler
-the season is shorter where i live
now i come to planning the colder weather side of my wardrobe and it becomes a bit muddier for me. sewing and knitting my own clothing is a pretty good way to meet my fair-trade goals (there can still be issues with materials). i like to look around sewing blogland, and i see many crafters who mention the goal of having a fully handmade wardrobe. this goal sounds like a fun one to have, so i'm wondering if i want to make it my goal.
i love to sew and knit, and i have such fun with the creative process…designing, dreaming, drawing, planning. i think these are my favorite parts. i also love the sense of accomplishment and pride that come with a finished handmade piece.
however, what i don't always so much love is the actual finished piece. i expect…well, perfection, i guess. not so much perfection in execution…i savor a bit of imperfection as charm and uniqueness…a sign of a handmade work of one-of-a-kind art. but having a small simple wardrobe, to me, requires a lot from each piece. i want each piece to be adored and to serve its purpose with utter perfection. i know this sounds silly and unattainable! i'm just being honest. expectations are the root of discontent (i am fully aware)! :)
- small and simple wardrobe
-fair trade clothing
i feel like the summer wardrobe is easiest, because:
-we need less items
-vintage is easier to find
-handmade is simpler
-the season is shorter where i live
now i come to planning the colder weather side of my wardrobe and it becomes a bit muddier for me. sewing and knitting my own clothing is a pretty good way to meet my fair-trade goals (there can still be issues with materials). i like to look around sewing blogland, and i see many crafters who mention the goal of having a fully handmade wardrobe. this goal sounds like a fun one to have, so i'm wondering if i want to make it my goal.
i love to sew and knit, and i have such fun with the creative process…designing, dreaming, drawing, planning. i think these are my favorite parts. i also love the sense of accomplishment and pride that come with a finished handmade piece.
however, what i don't always so much love is the actual finished piece. i expect…well, perfection, i guess. not so much perfection in execution…i savor a bit of imperfection as charm and uniqueness…a sign of a handmade work of one-of-a-kind art. but having a small simple wardrobe, to me, requires a lot from each piece. i want each piece to be adored and to serve its purpose with utter perfection. i know this sounds silly and unattainable! i'm just being honest. expectations are the root of discontent (i am fully aware)! :)
the main problem is that my handmade objects do not always fit or flatter my shape like i pictured. i don't have the luxury of taking items into a fitting room and realizing that i need a different size or that that style is not for me! i am not usually inclined to start the project over, so sometimes…lots of times… the work is not adopted into my carefully curated collection.
i would love to have a beautiful wardrobe full of handmade-by-me pieces (like this or this), but i'm not totally sure i can or want to do it. :( i am not nearly as good a crafter as either of those talented ladies!
i guess my advice to myself :) at this point is to stick with patterns that i love and maybe to just try one new thing at a time (like i always have). i may surprise myself. maybe i will just not set myself up for frustration by having the goal of a handmade-by-me wardrobe. because here's the thing: my wardrobe is already full of handmade pieces! they may not have all been made by me, but they were all made by someone's hands, and i want to respect whoever's hands made each piece. that respect is going to be my goal!!
thanks for working through that with me! :) sometimes it takes a muddy, meandering trail of uncertainty to lead you right back to where you started! :)
love-
jane
i would love to have a beautiful wardrobe full of handmade-by-me pieces (like this or this), but i'm not totally sure i can or want to do it. :( i am not nearly as good a crafter as either of those talented ladies!
i guess my advice to myself :) at this point is to stick with patterns that i love and maybe to just try one new thing at a time (like i always have). i may surprise myself. maybe i will just not set myself up for frustration by having the goal of a handmade-by-me wardrobe. because here's the thing: my wardrobe is already full of handmade pieces! they may not have all been made by me, but they were all made by someone's hands, and i want to respect whoever's hands made each piece. that respect is going to be my goal!!
thanks for working through that with me! :) sometimes it takes a muddy, meandering trail of uncertainty to lead you right back to where you started! :)
love-
jane
