Thoughts on youth hosteling

I am writing this on our iPad using the Okehampton youth hostel's free wifi. Every time we stay at a youth hostel I have the same thoughts.
Pros
-all four of us can stay in the same room (very important with small children, and not common in British B&Bs which are set up two in a room)
-drying rooms! Can you imagine four people's wet bike gear spread all over a travelodge?
-locked bike sheds
-use of a communal kitchen, so nice for preparing a generous picnic
-location: they are always near good walking or biking
-tv/games room, perfect for exhausted little ones who have been urged a mile beyond endurance

Cons
-the smell! Like a boys locker room, yuck!
-the general shabbiness is a bit depressing
-sharing a kitchen is fine if everyone is clean and disciplined. When they are not is like a freshman dorm experience all over again (and not the good parts!)
-we always take an en-suite room because of the kids, and the showers are always terrible, hardly any water and none of it hot. A tepid trickle anyone?

My final thought is that youth hostels I stayed at in Germany 20 years ago where much cleaner. Probably a cultural thing. This is no put down of the Brits. I've never stayed in a US youth hostel but I would expect it to be much the same.

Odd bits:
-Ute, I packed trainers (also known as tennis shoes), cute ankle boots, and hiking boots
-over the past two days, I have biked 18 miles, and hiked the moors up to a bronze age hill fort and then over to a natural tor. I don't feel tired or sore! I think this exercise lark I've been on for the last five weeks has really paid off!

Finished: Butterick 5676

Butterick 5676

I finished B5676.  It's just what I needed: a little black dress.  This one is made out of inexpensive ponte double knit from Tissufabrics.  I know there is lycra in it, but beyond that I am not sure.  It's clearly man made fibres.  It's not cheap and awful double knit though.  It feels soft and comfortable, doesn't wrinkle and can be slung in the washing machine and tumble drier.   These are all big pluses for me and my lifestyle.

This pattern was rated as "easy" by the pattern company, and it was not difficult.  It was time consuming, though.  All those seams and topstitching take time.  Especially on my machine, when I am sewing with the knit stitches.  Then I wish I had an industrial machine!  

I cut the bodice pieces in size 12.  The final triangular wedge in a size 14 and the bottom front and back pieces in a size 16.  This worked out fine.  It was simple to just ease in the extra fabric since this was a knit.  In retrospect, the third wedge down could also have been a 12, but I definitely needed the 16 at the bottom.

The seaming across the bodice is nice and clean.  I used my quilter's quarter inch foot as a guide.

This is the only picture where I didn't play with the colour to bring out the seams.  This is a good indication of the fabrics actual appearance.

The neck wasn't so tidy.  I really did try.  I used the quarter inch guide and tried to go slow.  Some how I messed up the concentric lines on the neck band, none the less.  Because the dress is black and fits well over all, I am not going to worry about it.   But so much for my earlier snippy comments about RTW doing a shoddy job!  I bet they would do much better in this case.

OK, the seams are a disgrace, but at least the neckband is set in nicely and lays perfectly flat!

After recognising my short comings with the neck band, I tried using a double needle on the sleeve bands.  I am not sure that this was any better.

At least some of the lines are parallel here!  But not all.

Even taking into account the numerous imperfections here, I am happy.  I have an easy to care for, easy to wear dress that fits both my shoulders and hips simultaneously.  We are heading out for a biking holiday and I will toss this one into my duffel bag with pleasure!

I'd like to make this one again in the Spring in a tangerine colour.  I do hope a more technically skilled seamstress makes this and shares how to get all these parallel seams looking good.

Some thoughts on Quality, Style, the Mass Market and Home-sewing

Over the past week, I've had some interesting conversations with other Mums from my daughters' school. One mum had worked in the rag trade for 27 years, heading design teams for some of the high street's biggest stores. We chatted about rising commodity prices and the rising cost of fabric. She sighed and then said that, while she would always prefer natural fibres, if customers prize embellishment, then they'll embellish polyester to bring the garment in at the right price point. We also chatted about the despicable, in my opinion, practice of tilting pattern pieces a few degrees off the straight grain in order to more efficiently use the fabric. I detest buying clothes that seem lovely, and then twist out of shape after the first washing.

Lachasse Suit 1948-49, taken from V&A museum website

Later in the week, I attended a PTA fashion show. That's right, a PTA fashion show! (This is Essex mate!) I sat towards the back with another home sewer. We were a little bit snarky about all the polyester. But what really struck me was the styling. When you are selling to a mass Market, you have to fit as many body types as possible. So most of the clothes were extremely flow-y, or made with spandex. So basically lots of roomy tops and spandex laden trousers.  If you can't custom sew garments, it means a mass revival of any style pre-1960's won't happen.  Lots of people adore the madmen look or the 1940s look, but these rely on fitting woven fabrics to the body.  Something that is just not possible in mass RTW.

Image of garment worker taken BBC News website

Since starting to sew, I've noticed that my tastes have changed a little.  Any style that I like and I think might suit me, I can try.  I am not limited in dresses because my proportions aren't average.  I think this is true across the sewing community as a whole.  I notice that the patterns in Vogue or Burda tend to be more fitted and more detailed than mass market RTW.  When they are flow-y they tend to include more fabric, no point sewing yourself a cheap, skimpy cut.

Also, since starting to sew, I now value clothes for the quality of materials and the quality of construction more than just the design statement.  I notice the fit and construction so much more than just the trendiness of a garment now.  I realise that more than 99% of the other women I know would never notice or care about these details.  Clothes are now pretty cheap.  You can buy several pieces that you will only wear for one season anyway, so quality is not a big issue.  Almost no one's clothes fit correctly, so no one notices or cares.  In some ways I feel like I am in a secret little club.  I'm picky about details that most people aren't even aware of!

What about you?  Have you noticed style differences between sewers and "the rest of the world?"  Do you value clothes differently because you sew?  Are there any little details that irk you that I haven't noticed yet?

Next in the queue: Butterick 5676

B5676

Looking at my closet, I could really use and all-round, easy to wear, easy to care for, black dress.  I have high hopes for Butterick B5676.  I plan to make the long-sleeved version in black double knit.  Normally, I like my dresses to end a little closer to the top of the knee, this looks like it could be a little short.  Some how that extra inch makes me feel taller, thinner, and more elegant.  I think this will be OK though because this is a winter dress that I will always wear with tights.

This pattern caught my eye because there are so many fitting opportunities.  All those seams are a chance to adjust the balance in sizing between my top half and my lower half.  It's being cut out on my dining room table today.  Hopefully, I can let  you know how it all goes next week.

Today's Yoga; and I am ready!

Sorry for the somewhat blurry pic!

I followed through and made the Burda outfit from my last post.  I used a viscose/cotton jersey that I bought from Tissue Fabrics over the internet.  I had made the skirt before with some very soft, very thin mystery jersey from Goldhawk Road.  I wore that skirt all summer and felt very slinky in it.  Still rather big below the waist, but a good big, a curvy, attractive sort of big.  I don't feel the same about this skirt, and I am not sure why.  Small differences in knits seem to make big differences in results.  The top is fine, but I need to remember that I don't like myself in surplice tops.  They minimise my already humble bust.

Anyway, I now have a go to outfit for Wednesday which is perfectly suited to my day.  I won't make this again, because I don't feel fabulous in it.  But I do feel pulled together, comfortable and presentable.  So we'll count this one as a success.

Up next: Burda 07/2011-115/114

Now that both of my daughters are in full time primary school, I am virtuously using my new found free time to "get fit."  Monday, I Zumba.  Wednesday, I go to Yoga at the community centre.  Friday, I do plates at a power plate studio.  I've chosen these actives because I can walk to them from my house.  I am very lazy.  I hate to drive and even more so, I hate to park.

The yoga and the power plates both require bare feet and stretchy clothes.  Sadly they don't start straight after dropping the girls at school.  Which means multiple changes of clothes.  Not great for a lazy person.

I do have some warm boots lined with faux fur with rubber soles.  These are perfect for "bare feet days."  Now I just need some stretchy clothes to wear with them.  Enter Burda 7/2011!

Burda 7/2011-115

Burda 7/2011-114

This ensemble would look great with my boots and leggings.  All I would have to do is slide off the boots and the skirt, and I am good to go.  This outfit would look reasonable for dropping the kids off at school; heading the grocery store; running errands, etc.  Sure, I'd still have to shower and change after exercising. (You didn't think I would just keeping wearing this did you?  I am lazy not gross! lol)  But I could then skip the change before exercising.

I'll let you know how it turns out next week.

Meanwhile, I tried Walthamstow market today and was pretty underwhelmed.  The 4 fabric shops I entered were all filled with horrible, cheap polyester.  There were a few stall holders with interesting trimmings, but I don't need any of those at the moment.  My heart still belongs to Goldhawk Road!

Finally, after whinging about closet space I felt really rotten.  I thought about the global audience that the internet has, and how most people in the world don't have enough of the basics.  I did feel a bit ashamed of myself.

A look inside my drawers!

People here often ask me where I am from.  When I answer Florida, they smile and quickly ask if I miss home.  Of course they think of Florida as a sunny holiday destination.  They assume that I must miss the sunshine.  In January/February this is true.  But of course, in January/February they miss the sun too!  The UK is a very, friendly, easy place for an American to come. Even if the particular American is not of British descent, there is so much cultural commonality beyond just language that it is easy to "fit in" and make friends.  The only thing that I really miss is space! Most of America is spacious.  Houses are big.  Gardens are big.  Car parking spaces are big.  Road layouts are generous.  Basically, there is plenty of "elbow room."  England, taken alone, is now the most crowded country in Europe.  If you look at the UK as a whole then, the Netherlands is the most crowded.

So, I can't reasonably expect to have much closet space.  And I don't.  Check it out.

Frankly, I had more hanging space in my last university dorm room!  I don't help myself either, the top shelf is fabric, and the next shelf down is empty shoe boxes!

The small white chest of drawers is mine.  The big pine one is my husband's. Mine was left in our house by the previous owners.  We keep looking for one big piece of furniture to replace these two.  After 4 years, we haven't found one.

I do have a little over-flow space in a big drawer under the bed.

I don't poke around other people's bedrooms, but I believe this is a skimpy amount of clothes storage space, even by English standards.  It's not a problem though.  I don't really have a lot of clothes to store anyway.  And, I actually only wear a tiny percentage of these clothes!  Many are over 10 years old and I keep them because they are too "good" to throw away even though they don't fit or are out of style and far from being "vintage."  Perhaps my daughters someday will appreciate those torn up jeans covered in Kuna Indian Molas, or the slinky cotton sheath dress custom made in Abidjan out of West African cotton?  And how about all those beautiful silk charmeuse scarves from 10 years ago when I was a corporate middle manager?  Still pretty.  Or, the workout gear from 15 years ago that never got worn out.  Could I wear it out in a lifetime?  Do I look silly at Zumba classes in it?  Don't I look silly doing Zumba in any case?  

I think I am justified in saying that I actually do need a few more clothes.  I'd like to focus my sewing now on what I need, rather than sewing whatever looks new and fun.  I could just go out and buy a bunch of basics, but it would eat into my sewing budget, gasp!  And none of it would fit very well. Tiny adjustments, like flaring out tshirts at the hips, etc. make a world of difference for me.  So, while it's not my intention to sew everything for myself for the sake of it, I could help myself a lot if I got moving with a disciplined sewing plan.  

What about you?  Do you sew to fill needs?  Or do you sew because it's just so much fun, and don't care whether you will actually wear the results much?  Or, perhaps you have even less clothes storage space, and wonder what I am fussing about!

The Hottest October Days since Queen Victoria was on the throne!

For those of you from North America, or Australia, or anywhere else with long hot summers, let me explain that British summers can sometimes be a little cool and rainy.  Highs of 60-something fahrenheit in July don't really surprise anyone.  If temperatures reach above 80, everyone gets very excited and sometimes utilities don't work, if it goes on for several days (infrastructure supporting rail travel, or the electric supply, just sort of melt!)  So, highs above 80 are a big deal.  Highs above 80 in October, after the equinox, are a once in a lifetime situation.  

All of us here were hunkered down for a long, dark, cool and wet Autumn.  And then, the jet stream veered off and this is what happened:

October 2nd, Sunday afternoon.  Warm enough to run in the sprinkler!

The site of Sunday's big wiffle-ball blow-out.

We are getting a second crop of strawberries!?!

The climbing rose on our North facing wall is looking gorgeous.

With Halloween and Christmas stock in all the grocery stores, the whole of England it seems decided to wheel the BBQs back out for one more extravaganza.  We grilled out all weekend.  Children took over our street and rode their bikes and scooters all over the close, normally it is too cold and wet to gain the critical mass needed to turf out the cars.  Also, when the weather is good, everyone makes big plans and isn't around, but this balmy shot of vitamin D caught out all the grownups and everyone was home with nothing to do.  My eldest daughter described it as the best weekend of her life.  She rode her bike constantly, ran in and out of neighbour's yards.  We capped off the weekend with an impromptu wiffle-ball game in our back garden. We just dragged in kids from the alley behind our house and the end of the close in front.  With six different families and three dads to help, we all had a ball.

Temperatures start to drop back towards normal levels tomorrow.  Highs in the high 50s are about normal. Sigh.  The best things in life really are free.  I'm off too bath the kids, and then sit out on my patio and enjoy being outside with soft, warm air on my skin rather than a jacket.

I hope you can find me!

Hello friends!  I hope I haven't lost you.  My old blog Making the Seam was infected with malwear.  I couldn't figure out how to fix it, so decided to just delete the whole thing.  I feel sad to lose the record of my sewing journey thus far, but I couldn't risk hurting your computers.  Sigh

That's the way it goes sometimes.

I think I'll take this new start to change my blog a little, perhaps expand the boundaries and improve the look of it.  Sewing is still the main attraction though.