Non-Sewers

Peace,

I went fabric shopping on Saturday. I know I said I wasn’t going to make anymore clothes for a while, but…. Whatever! A non-sewing friend of mine went with me. She kind of made the comment about much cheaper it is to sew than to shop at the malls. It just so happened that McCalls was on sale for 99 cents and most of the fabric at this spot was 30% off. Myself, the cutter and a colored woman standing behind us looked at her like she just pooped herself. Sewing is NOT cheaper than buying. IT IS NOT!!!!

And non sewers need to Know and Understand this. Maybe they will chill with the ‘homemade’ insults and all the insinuations that sewing is so damned easy. It’s not. It’s a skill and like with any acquired skill, one must ‘learn’ how to accomplish it.

It is not cheaper to make a dress vs. buying one. You have to purchase the fabric, patterns and notions. Then sit down and give your labor. I have yet to make something that took less than an hour from start to finish. I need some blouses, and I have the patterns, but by the time I cut out the patterns and then cut the fabric that usually does it for me for the evening. I have to find another day to sew it all up. I work a job that is not sewing related, so my sewing occurs in the evenings and on weekends.

Sewing is a hobby people. And just because I love to do it doesn’t mean I want to do your sewing for you. I am in the “Teach a man to fish” camp. I will teach you how to sew and do your own repairs, but I am annoyed when you ask me to make something for you and are unwilling to compensate me for my time, energy and supplies. Don’t just drop off your fabric and pattern with no bobbin, thread, buttons/zipper etc.

These non-sewers need to keep their mouths shut, because whenever they open them, they insert their foot right in the middle!


Peace

I'm done for a while....

Peace,

Yeah, I'm so done for a while in the sewing room. Kind of. I made a V1250 but haven't written it up because I'm just not ready to deal with the photo. I know.

I don't really have any pressing summer clothes needs so I'm not going to sew anything for a while. My eye has been on the fall and the plans I'm developing for the transitional weather clothes. If you can call what we get in GA transitional.

I need some blouses. I already knew this but this morning, again, I was faced with the reality. So I'm going to focus on making more blouses. Blouses and not the stretch tops. Those stretchy tops are usually made of polyester and itch and stink. So that is what I will focus on these days. A good selection of blouses can take me though the summer-fall sense. BUT.... Blouse patterns just don't inspire me!

Any blouse pattern suggestions?


Peace

Is my Refinement like your Refinement?

Peace Y’all,

I feels like blogging even though it’s a Sunday. I’m back obsessing over my 3/4ths again. I am uber curious about how other women do their modesty. I’m not necessarily trying to bite but every now and then I see something that makes me ponder. Earths in Allah’s 5% Nation of Gods and Earths don’t have such prescribed laws regarding our dress; just mind 3/4ths. Something tells me the 60’s and 70’s adherents were more concerned about drawing up Gods than how the women dressed. But 3/4ths does exist, and we can rock it however we cee it. And as long as we can show and prove, we should be fine. Still, I have to look…..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzniut This article describes how Jewish women do. Elbow to knee covered. No pants. Married women cover their heads. That’s how you know their married. Sometimes they accomplish this with wigs. There are some interesting points. Like kick pleats instead of slits and no bright colors.

http://jamaicanrastafarianlove.com/ Rastafarian women are essentially natural Afro centric Jewish women. They follow all the rules of the Old Testament so whatever the Levitical rules are, they follow them. But they do not adhere to the non color rule. Nope. They actually prefer African print. The women cover their heads as well. It’s not so easy to find a lot of good internet info regarding Rastas. Better to build with them in the physical.

http://mormon.lds.net/mormon-beliefs/mormons-and-modesty These are the Mormon rules for women. They have no special rules that would catch your eye. You probably wouldn’t be able to pick them out of a crowd of mid western white people. They really do blend in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijab Our Muslim sisters cover everything but the face and hands. Some say no colors and only black, others rock all kinds of color combinations.

http://larp.com/jahavra/clothing.html Lately, I have been into Gypsies. Maybe it has something to do with the TLC program that has caught my attention… My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. According to that program these new Traveler women will wear damn near anything to catch a man. ANYTHING. And they are extremely suggestive in their activities. But the claim that they don’t act on all the suggestiveness. Okay. If they say so. But they do marry young. Some around 16 (28:40). So maybe they are telling the truth. It looks like a duck and walks like a duck, but it’s actually a gorilla. Anywho…. This link describes the more traditional what you think of when you think of a Gypsy woman kind of style.

Did I miss anybody?

And I’m back thinking about us Earths. We just have to cover ourselves with clothes as the planet does with water. It’s not so restrictive when you do the Knowledge. Other folks get dead or excommunicated if they don’t follow their rules. Us…. Not so much. So why do folks have such a problem with 3/4ths?

Insight y’all?


Peace

Teach me how to Dougie, Teach me, Teach me how to Dougie...

Peace Y’all!!!!

I’m exuberant and excited. I gotta tell y’all about this blouse and why I’m so over the top about it and possibilities. It feels good to get excited about and look forward to something again.

I have never been big on copy catting someone else’s style. I will look at what it is I admire about someone and then bring those elements into my own personal style. I’m Serenity! Not a carbon copy of anyone else. Well… Michelle Obama changed that for me for awhile. I love her flavor and plan to bootleg her style. And… I ain’t shamed.

Before I get started, I just want to share with you why ‘Shelly O’ is my shero… (1) She is educated. I am educated, but it has always been hard for me to find Black female mentors because of the inherent distrust that comes along with achievement in the Black community. I don’t know why it is like this and at this stage of my life I don’t even care. I’m just making Knowledge Born that it exists. But our 1st Lady is Ivy leagued educated and returned to her home to aid her community. Even if only for a minute. Most folks get the degree, the position, the money (and for men, the white woman) and totally forget where they came from. And I’m not saying that that is a bad thing. No. You work hard for a degree. It ought to afford you the life you want. But it’s really cool to encourage and show folks how you did it. Some people won’t be exposed to the process any other way.

(2) She is dark skinned and married to the 1st Black president of the United States of America! Yeah Baby! I’m of a certain age, and I have always had the expectation of a Black president in my lifetime. When folks my age say else wise, I look at them like really? But I would have bet a paycheck that that said man (no I didn’t think the 1st Black President was going to be a Black woman. The world ain’t ready for that yet.) would have a white or at least a high yella wife. Be honest. You know what I mean…. There is a lot to like about President Obama, but I like his choice in spouses and them chocolately brown girl babies.

(3) This one is really stupid but it holds so much water with me…. FLOTUS doesn’t always wear pantyhose! Yay!!!!!!!! I hate panty hose. I don’t get why folks deem them so professional. Is it professional to have your legs be some other color, itch and run all over the place? It is professional to have to listen to the panty hose switch, have them twist and puddle around your ankles and have to smell them burning? Really? My mother used to give me the business about arriving bare legged to church on a hot summer day. Another thing is she would clown me about wearing a color that was a direct match to my legs. Mommie said that people would not know that I had them on. My mother also said I should ere on the light side. I’m French coffee, but she says I need to be wearing nude. WTF! I know. My mama has issues. But now that Mrs. Obama doesn’t wear stockings everywhere… She even wears shorts! My mother has changed her position on the hose torture.

(4) She is a soror. Yes she took it honorary, but she took it. She didn’t have to. I’m quite sure every Black sorority offered it to her. SkeeWee!

(5) Michelle Obama did the Dougie! ‘Nuff said!

Speaking of the Dougie, she was wearing a yellow top that had me hot and bothered. I tried to locate the manufacturer of said top but was unsuccessful. So… I got skills…. I made my OWN version of the coveted top. Here is the inspiration…..

Here is my version……

I used McCalls 6277. That’s a dress pattern but I shortened it to a blouse. I cut a 22 because the 22 was already cut. It was too big when I posted about this pattern on 4/12/11, and it’s even bigger now. I have been dieting. But it’s okay. I wanted it blousey. But I will cut the pattern smaller before I use it again. The neck is very loose and shows my bra a bit. The top has these fin type sleeves. I only used 1 because that is how the M.O.’s top looked. Mrs. Obama had hers on the right arm but I put mine on the left. I am experiencing a bad eczema flare up on my left arm and don’t want to show it off. The right arm is a little less affected. I used cotton with flower relief and glittery stitching. I’m a be honest. That’s what they had in Joanns. I went a few places and could find the exact fabric- yellow almost fluorescent yellow-green. It’s fine. I don’t feel like I settled. Since M6277 is a dress, it called for a zipper on the sides. It doesn’t really allow you to put anything on the back. So I added 5 buttons for closure on the finned side. But the blouse is so big I didn’t them. In the future if I need 5 yellow buttons I will take them off this garment. It’s so loose I can pull it over my head. All and all, I like and am satisfied with my new top.

Now that I have boolegged one of her outfits, I feel completely free to bootleg all of them. And I’m thinking my sewing will reflect that in the future.

Thank you Mrs. Obama!!!!!



Peace

Toss or Save?

Peace Y’all!

I’m just checking in. I have been sewing but I’m not ready to share just yet. I thought I’d pop in and stand on my soapbox for a little while. On my new favorite obsession….. Patterns……

I be reading folks blogs and I have come across a phenomenon that quite frankly stumps me. Folks throw away their patterns after they finish 1 garment. Really? When I was 1st starting out, like in 1984, my mother used to insist that I don’t take scissor to paper and cut out fabric. She gave me some tracing paper and a wheel. She said to keep the patterns as is because then I could sew the same for others. But if I cut them, I would ruin the patterns and they would be useless. Okay, Mommie can be crazy, and I’m over her foolishness… I mean she doesn’t even sew!..... I now cut patterns, but I save everything. You just never know when you will need a pattern for something.

I’m going to sneak and share with you my probable next post….. I love Shelly O… FLOTUS…. Michelle Obama. I adore her style. I have adopted lots from her already. And yes she and I have drastic body differences… she’s tall, thin, and boobless – I’m short, thick and boobilicious…. There are some things I can imitate. The cardigans, sheaths, etc. She has a blouse that I instantly fell in love with and decided to make. But since a lot of her clothes are 1-of-a-kind designer, it’s not like I’m a find them in Macy’s or Ashley Stewart. So what do I do? Bootleg it! I found a pattern very similar to the garment in question and made said outfit.

Now could I have done it sans a pattern? You know I can, but there could have been a plethora of mistakes which would strip me of my gold o correct. Why not make a garment that has shown and proven to fit? And that is exactly what I did. And I am excited about the result.

Now I couldn’t have done this if I was in the throwing patterns away camp. I have a fellow sewist friend who has patterns from the early 70’s. She bought them new back then and sewed them up. If I show her a picture of something in a magazine, she can sort through her boxes and find a pattern that matches. Then all she has to do is update it in some way and she’s good. Yes she has boxes and boxes of patterns; but she doesn’t buy them the way I do. She might acquire 2 new ones in a year, where I am stalking every sale at Hancocks. But I will get to the place where I will be like her and have a cool stash waiting on me too. If I want a new dress I can take the bodice from one dress and match it with the sleeves of something else and the bottom of a third garment. It’s wonderful to have that ability.

So the moral of this story is…. Don’t throw away your patterns!!!!!



Peace