pattern testing: Lou Box Top

i love testing patterns. It makes me feel like I'm part of the in crowd and like somebody out there in sewing world sees me. All my friends and family know i tear up the sewing machine like nonstop
(and most of them have benefited from the obsession), but out there, in #sewcialists land, do you know me??***

So when Beth picked me as a tester for her super clean super simple "the modern simple top i've been looking for" Lou Box Top, i was hella stoked. I've made a bunch of Scout Tees, but they always needed after-the-fact adjustments, and just didn't feel very feminine. (Beth hasn't released the pattern yet, but hang tight! It's a goodie!)

I chose some silk i bought at Stonemountain a couple years ago one day i played sewing hooky (ahh the days before 85 kids counted on me every day). Silk is a PAIN IN THE ASS

Even with starch. So much starch. I use this stuff in the huge bottle. (omg that link! who knew Mary Ellen was so prolific in her efforts to make ironing less odious?)

The wovens version includes a button tab back, just to be pretty. (I think this button was harvested from one of my mom's awesome 80s dresses. HOT.)
 
very swingy. I used french seams everywhere, and navy silk crepe binding. I forgot to clip my curves (even though the directions said to do it) and so the neck sticks up a little! DAMN.

Anyway, isn't it cute? can be made knit or woven, and so simple either way. I bet a simpler fabric would take about an hour top to bottom.

Til I take that on, I'll keep it classy in my silks.

What are you wearing? Are you famous about it?

luv
bex

*** welllll, the ladies at the fabric store saw a stack of my in-process undies yesterday, that was fun. :)

Patience

I took an epic "get away" walk today. I lost one of my favorite fingerless cashmere gloves, and I found my theme for the upcoming year: patience. 

It's not my strong suit...but my "show up; get a better butt" motivation from 3 years ago is probably due for retirement. It has served its purpose, happily. 

Cue GnR! Night night my loves. 

did you hear about f3rguson?

I teach boys of color. They are 0scar Grant, M1chael Brown, Trayvon M4rtin, you get the idea. They all wear hoodies and have swagger and they are mostly brilliant (i think most 12 year olds are brilliant, which is why my job is great).

So today we had a walkout - or anyway we participated in the #handsup nationwide walkout in solidarity with boys who've been killed by police aggression. But as deeply as I care about these kids and the madness that's happening in my country, I am not the most articulate speaker on the issues.

I don't want to tell children of color about racism. I don't want to pretend I know what they live. I don't know what the kids know about the killings, and I don't know if they're oversaturated or hungry to discuss it. In Oakland it seems to go both ways.

But still. It was a national event and I wanted to let the kids know I live in their world too. And that I'm angry and scared too. So I asked B00ts Riley. He happened to be in my classroom this morning. Because Oakland.

The kids wrote private notes to themselves about the value of participating in an action like that, or they made signs to hold for the on-campus photographers (their friends and teachers with smartphones). And then they prepared for a lab using electrolysis. And then they went to math class.

I never really know what to do in this job. But caring a hell of a lot goes pretty far.

family fun- winter wardrobe for a kindergartener

The boy needed long sleeved t shirts! In our amazing climate, i got to put off the middle layers of his wardrobe until the last week of November. There are (many) good things about this place!!

I bought the new Rowan Tee pattern. He's outgrown the Flashback Tee and the Sewing for Boys book (mostly), or I was ready for something new. Probably a little of both. Long sleeved shirts (often) need hoods!

I took him to the fabric store, because I've been so awesome on my knit stash that all I have left is miles of swimwear lycra (want some? JUST ASK). HOLLA!

He picked out these:

$18/yard viscose, imported from France (AS IF. But ok we did get 1/4 yard...)

$? slinky slinky rayon knit

$5 I may have sold him on this super loose knit stuff but phew, it's practical
$5 blue remnant of super soft 100% stretch something that's wonderful
$6 green remnant he did not consider whyyyy did i buy it? or rather whyyyy did i sew it up for him and not use it for me? minor mistake.

The Rowan pattern is dope! It includes, and I used, cool features like chest pocket and sleeve stripes making the shirts look really high quality and giving us fun ways to play designer.

One change i made (shown in the space version below) is to widen the neck binding by 50%. You can see on the blue/triangles and green versions that the neck binding is Crazy Narrow. I like it a lil wider.

from left, hoodie with shoulder stripes and kangaroo pocket, just plain long sleeve with widened neck band, blue with sleeve stripes and chest pocket, green with kangaroo pocket and hem band. 

My mom asked if it's really cost-effective, and I told her (and I believe) it's maybe just more ethical. And the quality is way better than I could buy...so. Win, Win.

hood lining of SPACE

Now we need a go-to pants pattern. Ideas???
xox
R

Instant warmth- all wool Linden Sweatshirt

I got a merino wool sweater from the thrift store a few weeks ago. It wasn't super flattering.

I wore it one TERRIBLE MONDAY at school. It needed a redo.

I had this delicious wool blend knit (i bought it in 2012, sorry). I had made my mom a top but never thought of how to use it for myself....

TA DA!!!!

purchased, printed, sewed up Grainline's linden sweatshirt. i love it.

Improvised the triangle - love it.

changes: I doubled the width of the neckline binding piece because I think a bound neckline looks best on knit tops.

boom.
AND- a sweater by midnight (shown here the following day, a happier day at school).

yippee! where's your linden??
xo xox
r

perfect pattern parcel #6 and another solid staple for Maman

Every so often, there's a new Perfect Pattern Parcel. It's a group of patterns you buy as a set. you pick your price and the $$ goes to the designers, to the woman/mom/breadwinner who organizes it, and to my favorite organization this career, donors choose!

but often the patterns are kinda frumpy. or for kids. :( We can be real here. We're among friends.

my mom: neither frumpy nor a kid. She is one Classy Lady.

But #6 was for women, and it had the sweatpants. I raged (inside) about all of the internet hubbub when the pattern was released, thinking yich! sloppy! unflattering! with every new version.

And then I bought sweatpants at uniqlo and almost immediately wore them to a wine date in SF. SWEATPANTS. i wanted to off myself for the sake of streetstyle everywhere. I am a victim of a trend, and I like to wear comfy pants, and i teach yoga 2/week and i may as well cave and make some damn sweatpants.

So parcel #6 comes out, and it is: a tent dress with a romanian vibe (non merci), a maxi skirt (easy to do on my own but maybe there are interesting instructions?), a drapey cardigan (YES PLEASE), a cute tee shirt (eh) and the pants. I bought it. Let's say I did it for the children.

So far, I've made a long black skirt for myself (glamorous, gothy, flattering) and a spongy burgundy cardigan for my mom. fuck sweatpants!

(for now)

xoxo
bex

Workout top: Fehr trade XYT top

For a while there I was exercising a lot and didn't have enough tops to wear. 

at least it's not headless ok

So I bought and cut fabric for this pattern, and another one (papercut pneuma if you must know), in black, so that I could wear them with any old bottoms for any old sport.

so cute Y back

Then I got tired. And strep throat. But I am healthy again! So i wore it to play tennis and then to go for a run. I looove it. It's easy to wear! Looks like a cute tank, acts like a sports bra, and came together simply enough with Melissa's great instructions. Woo! 

can you see the gathering fabric/ridges? did i do that?

Notes on construction:  It's VERY supportive/compressive (I might go up a size in the bust next time). I already sized up in the waist and extended the length so it would be more swingy and less tight (as it's designed to be). I might also shorten the straps for yoga or a more modest-ok to bend over style. ;) One weird thing- I blame the tricky elastic adding step (which is a hard one for me, but i'm getting better) left this weird gathering that happened whyyuyy? Around the neck and armholes.

more of the weird gathering tunneling thing. 

Anyway, it's a good, versatile, unique pattern. Get one.

headless tree

And while you're here, do  you know a tennis skirt pattern? I wear the weirdest tennis outfits. Skirts would make them make sense.

xoox
bex