Righteous Remix

I bought this sweater fabric in the summer. It was cheaper then. I wasn't real sure what I was gonna do with it. Originally it was gonna be a long jacket, but..... I wasn't really feeling that. I saw a sweater dress a in Victoria's Secret catelog and was like that's it! That's what I want. So thats what I made. a righteous sweater dress unlike the one in the catelog but based on it all the same. I did use a bit of a pattern. McCalls 8523. It's an old pattern. I just used the top part for the top. The bottom I mentally made it more form fitting to imitate the sweater dress I saw in the VS catelog... BUT... It must be modest. And modesty in my mind is no boobies showing and below the knee. Here it is. Pay no attention to all the shit on my counter. And btw... I need all that shit!

Peace

Culture vs. Pattern

Y'all know I like to sew. I have been noticing that Original people through the diaspora rock colors and prints. Sometimes even that don't match. I have also learned that in countries where the colonialism is the strongest, the Original people, though still fly, adopt the boring-ness. Why?

Is it more natural and Cuturally significant to dispaly more pattern? Or do our people just work with what is at hand. I'm going to incorporate more patterns in my wardrobe and see if that makes me feel more connected. More resolution of 7:14. We aren't all different.


Peace

Sew On and Sew On....

I'm not sure when I started this blog if I posted my frustrations with patterns. If not I'll reiterate....

When I first started sewing around 25 years ago, my mother gave me some patterns to work with. She then put me in some sewing classes to learn how to use the patterns. I got really frustrated with patterns not really giving me what I wanted and even more frustrated when I would follow a pattern exactly and the garment turn out too big or too small. My father sewed (I didn't know this). His mother had been a seamstress and taught her children, girls and boys, how to sew and crochet. Daddy taught me that I didn't need patterns to create the clothes tht I wanted. Which was very freeing. and basically that's how I have sewed since then. Lately I have been reading a lot of sewing blogs and all these people used patterns. So after 25 years I decided to give patterns another try. Initially I found them jokers very expensive. So expensive in fact that if you account for the pattern, fabric, the notions and labor, garments are cheaper to purchase rather than make. The ability to sew now a days, is not something to be proud of. But that's another blog.

Anywho... Thanks to the goodness of a hood fabric shop, I have acquired several new patterns on the low low and have discovred for my self how to work and personalize patterns to my needs. Why didn't that class say that? Why didn't they tell me I could take the top from one and add it to the bottom of another? I used to feel like patterns stifled my creativity. I feel differently now. I see patterns as a template jumping off point. I will still sketch what is in my mind, but then I will look through my pattern stash to see if there is anything that I have there that will work with my vision. If so, I use it, if not I create my own patterns with newspaper. Now my sewing is still creative and authentically me, but it has also become incredibly prolific. I don't have to reinvent the wheel for every project. And I don't get as frustrated during production like I used to because I have no idea how to proceed.

I'm not a pattern hater anymore. That is until my hood connection dries up and I have to pay full price for them jokers.


Peace

The 14th Degree Don't Lie

I was doing some alterations for a dear friend of mine. They would have to be a dear friend in order for me to do alterations for people. I hate alterations. And since I never charge and folks you know are never satisfied AND they keep coming back with more and more shit... But I digress....

I was doing alterations on a velvet jacket and a blouse. My friend is a baller (though she doesn't admit it). I know she paid $$$$ for these clothes. The jacket, I actually was gonna buy, but it was hella expensive and velvet is one of those fabrics that you shouldn't wear after the holidays pass, so I passed on it. I was with her when she bought the jacket (does that make me a baller?) and I remember how much it cost.

Anywho..... This jacket was torn at the seam almost the entire length. It was also lined with a really cute fabric. But once I got inside, I found that the velvet was not the regular plush velvet, but a really cheap, fake nasty velvet that left nasty little traces on my sewing machine. I had to clean inside and outside of the machine. The lining wasn't any better. It was a thin, smelly, cheap piece of polyester. SMH. Having to take apart the jacket to get at the repair location. I saw that even the stitches were cheesy. This stitches I used were superior to what the garment came with. No reinforcing stitches either.

So the moral of this story is just because a garment is expensive and store bought does not mean that it is better than a 'homemade' garment.

Learn to sew people. It is not that hard and will save money in the long run!



Peace

Look for the Union Label

I recently watched a documentary on what has happened to the garment industry. It chronicled the decline of said industry. At one time, the garment industry was the largest employer in NYC. Now less than 5% of clothing worn in this country is made in this country. The reason why this latched on in my mental mind, (1) because I have been on a purchasing fast with regard to clothing and (2) my mother took me shopping for my bornday. She wanted to buy me something pretty.

I buy as much American as I can find. I have owned 5 cars, all of them American. I really wanted a Prius this last time, but I could not bring myself to buy one. And every time I see one pass me I tear up a little. But I think it’s important to support your own. And since I am a resident and citizen of this country, I feel it’s our duty to make supporting your own a priority.

In this society we have moved away from ‘we’ to ‘me’. That’s not cool. Me cannot support a whole country and our nonchalance for what happens to others will eventually slap us in the face. If our choices cause another family to starve, then our taxes will increase to support them on welfare or in prison. And there are more than just one person losing the ability to feed their families. Then it will become too expensive to own property. You got it like that?

You cannot have a society where all three classes are not represented. Low, middle and upper. It is real easy for people to turn their noses up at people who work jobs you think are beneath you. Blue color jobs in this country, support this country. But in the last few decades, it has become shameful in being a blue collar employee. Very few children now a days aspire to jobs like firemen, police officers, teachers, hairdressers, and so on. People usually fall into these jobs because what they were shooting for didn’t work out. But what happens when there is nothing to fall back on? Then what are you supposed to do? And don’t get it twisted, there are some jobs that grown folks just won’t get hired to do. Yeah, you got grown folks delivering papers, but how many grown folks you see flipping burgers. And you wonder why there are so many homeless, jobless folks out there. Being middle class has become shameful.

OK. I have said all of this to say, it is important for all of us to be mindful to support our own. Yes you may feel, and validly so, that big companies won’t miss your money. But for every cheap blouse you buy, you are supporting some Indian or Chinese family while starving your cousin in NY. For every foreign car you purchase, you support a German or Japanese family but causing widespread poverty in Detroit. You free to do what you want, after all this is America. But if we don’t look after our own, who will? You think people abroad are buying Chryslers and Fords? And do the Knowledge, the United States of America does not have a big export market unless you wanna count the military.


Peace

Last Minute....

Have you ever not had anything to wear to work/school/rally/whatever the next day and went to the store and bought something to wear? Well... I had that urge this morning. But instead of heading off to the mall, I went into my sweing room. I made a brown turtleneck with no pattern and a brown skirt with a kickpleat; also no pattern. It took 2 hours to make the turtleneck but only 20 minutes to make the skirt. The funny thing is the least expensive turtleneck I have seen of late was $20. Mine cost about $1.50 if you don't count the labor. The skirt was another $2. Oh! I'm a be big timing tomorrow!


Peace

You would think....

That since my shopping restriction has been lifted that I would have been to the malls by now. I haven't. Nor do I have plans to go. I'm really rather blah about the whole thing. Who knew?

Maybe the addiction to shopping has passed? I am VERY clear that I have far too many clothes. That's good information to have. And I like to make my own clothes. I get a weird satisfaction from making my own clothes. Like the feeling I get when I put in that last stitch or wear the garment for the 1st time or when I get complimented on what I'm wearing. Good feelings. That's reinforcement that has to just keep coming

I realize that since I live in GA, all the turtlenecks that I have planned for the fall/winter, though I'm still planning on making them, there is no rush for them since it gets cool later here. I also have new boots as well that are creenign to see daylight. They probably will stay on lock down until the end of October. I saw some tops with ruffles that would make some nice transitional pieces, but I really want cotton blouses. Since tops are my cryptonite, I'm thinking maybe I'll buy a few of those. Again, we'll see.


Peace