Sewing

"Lizzie's bunting"... a large wall bunting sewn from two different fabrics -- Kaffe Fassett's Starflower Red  and Alexander Henry's Kaori Floral Bright.  The bias tape-made string is a grape purple.

And an understated "Union Jack" medium-sized double-sided bunting, with cream bias-tape for the triangles of cotton fabric, purchased from a local haberdashery.

"A new cushion for my room!" she says, pointing.  Yes, finally.  I've only had the fabric for about five months!  This is a heavy-weight Ikea cotton fabric, with an opening along one side for pushing in the soft feather inner cushion.  I used two beautiful shell buttons to close the opening.  

As usual, these completions only slightly diminish my stack of sewing projects, mainly because I add them faster than I sew them!  However, it's lovely to see three finished. Next up is completing a dress for Coo, sewing another string of bunting, and more cotton gift bags.  

More Sewing

First, we made these hats together, one for each of them.  They're French Revolutionary hats: citizen caps, which were worn as a mark of revolutionary status.  We've just finished studying the French Revolution in Story of the World, vol 3.

Next, I made yet another string of bunting.

And then another. 

Which is actually two, because it's reversible!

I sewed up more drawstring bags using fabric from my scrap pile.  These are great for gift bags, or as treasure bags.  The kids love storing little figures in theirs.

 

Now for the tee-shirt skirt.  I've been saving old tee-shirts for a while, and this first attempt at an upcycled tee-shirt skirt came together nicely.

I did have to put a short length of elastic in the back because I just couldn't get the waistband quite right; the ancient tee-shirt I used for it had lost most of its stretch.  Fortunately, there are plenty of t-shirt scraps left for another try.  I'd like to perfect a tee-shirt skirt pattern that could be made again and again.  Already, I have plans for the next one, which includes embellishments like embroidery and applique.

It's so easy to keep making things for Coo; her appreciation is instant and joyous.  She loves this purple velveteen cloak.  The boys call her Arwen when she wears it.

Finally, I gathered up the scraps of a slightly felted purply-brown woollen jumper and made myself and Coo some cosy upcycled leg warmers! Here she is, shall we say, modelling them.  She was blissfully excited when they were slipped on over her tights this morning.  "They're so soft and lovely," she said happily.

To Dye or Not to Dye?

You might be led astray by this title, thinking I am going to debate the environmental (un)ethics of dyeing.  Nope.  This is just a little chit-chat about all the colour-changing I've been up to!

A few Sundays ago, I took advantage of our partially sunny, very windy weather and did three dye washes, hanging them out in the fresh breeze to dry.

This is always a community thing.  I text a few friends, telling them which colours I'm doing, and they'll bring bits and pieces round to add to the loads.  Then I open the wardrobe, a small one that Dan and I both share, and from my collection of clothing I pull out whatever I can find that hasn't been worn in a while.  The prevailing question is: can it be dyed? If not, it's thrown straight into a charity shop bag.  If so, onto the dye pile it goes.

I don't seem to remember to take before pictures.  Ever.  But here are a few recent pieces after their colour rejuvenation.

People Tree cotton recycled sari dress from last year, purchased in the sales for £12... now my favourite shade of green! Dyeing this once buttery yellow dress green muted the contrasts, previously light brown and cream, to dark brown and grass green. (worn with a t-shirt that was originally red, now plum after going through a blue wash)

Same dress, worn as a skirt

Miss Selfridge dress, purchased new four years ago, originally cream/brown/yellow combination; went through a blue wash.  Now blue/brown/green.  

This is one of my favourites.  When I found this cardigan on a sale rack at Old Navy while on a trip to the States three years ago, I could not pass it up.  Why?  It was only FIVE DOLLARS!  I loved it.  The style and fit were perfect.  However, the colour, identical to the green buttons, never quite did it for me.  I found this particular shade of green a difficult one to match -and I use 'match' lightly because most of my clothes don't 'match'- but the colour tones have to go together.  I've needed a brown cardigan for a long time, so this went into a red dye wash.  The white lines around the neckline turned red, and the green cardigan with the tiny front pockets turned a lovely rich shade of brown.  The colour tone is perfect; it goes with almost everything!  The only work remaining on this cardigan is to replace the green plastic buttons with wooden ones.

Mr J decided to steal a hug in the middle of all the photo-taking!

This is a floaty, cotton, Indian-made top that has virtually no shape but is still flattering, with some lovely embroidery.  I've had it for fourteen years, but have gone through long phases of not wearing it because the colour -sullen green with splotches of yellow and pink- never really complimented my colouring.  I like it a million times better after a purple wash.

A few things to remember about dyeing:

• Start with clean clothing, stains removed if possible
• Check the fabric content: 100% cotton is best, but any cotton mix will generally produce some colour change.  Wool and most artificial fabrics will not dye.  
• Machine dye if possible.  I find this produces the best results: even and long-lasting.
• Follow the instructions on the dye packet carefully; don't forget the salt!
• The less items in a dye wash, the darker it will be; and vice-versa
• If you're unsure about the colour you will end up with, do some coloured pencil scribbles to mix the 'before' colour with the colour of the dye wash.  This usually gives a fairly accurate idea of the finished colour.

When I began dyeing more often using conventional dyes [such as Rit and Dylon], I also spent time researching natural dyeing methods.  After an extensive amount of reading and trying to understand natural dyeing processes, I realised that even if I were to embark on the huge amount of work that natural dyeing methods would entail, it would still be necessary to use chemicals and unnatural substances to set the natural dyes.  If I ever have the space needed and the necessary hours available someday, I'd love to try this out.  And grow all the amazing plants used for natural dyes, and spend time cultivating old-fashioned dye pots, etc.

Right now, my life is just a little bit too crazy.  I have stacks of soap-making supplies in my cupboard, waiting to be used.  I've just begun a photo-organising project which includes making a few scrapbooks.  These are just two of many creative ventures scattered half-started all over my house.  

So for now, I'm going to leave natural dyeing to the experts and use these little boxes of Dylon to achieve colour magic.

  

Texture

I was reading a blog late last year and came across a deal for readers: 20% off texture clothing.  I was psyched! I'd been wanting to try something from this eco-friendly company for a while.

What can I say?  I've been a sucker for ethical consumerism for a long time, and texture's description -"clothing with a conscience"- immediately caught my attention! This discount provided a perfect opportunity to sample their clothes, so I e-mailed Teresa, texture's "naturally-caffeinated instigator", and asked if she'd be willing to ship to the UK.  She was, and I ordered a few items.  They arrived, thanks to our usual Christmas Posting Shambles [compliments of Royal Mail], about five weeks later.  The wait was well worth it, though!  I opened the package and was instantly thrilled by the earthy colour and natural feel of the fabric.  Right away, I tried on the "posh pants".

Now, pants here in the UK means literally underpants.  The word trousers is used instead of pants.  But posh trousers just doesn't have the same ring!  So, for the purposes of this post, we'll call them posh legwear.  Anyway, I put them on, expecting to throw them in the wash that evening as I normally wash new clothing before wearing it.  However, I ended up wearing them for the entire week, washing once after a few days and air-drying overnight before putting them back on again.  Texture clothing really is that comfortable.

I've recently been on a weekend away in London and I took a few texture items with me.  The first day, I wore jeans and the berry-coloured comfy mini skirt.  [One of the fun things about texture's comfy skirts is that they have a subtly hidden pocket at the front that's perfect for cash, debit cards, or mobile phones. Inside mine was a surprise: a patch of fabric imprinted with the words, "Love is a verb"!]

The second and third day, I changed to my posh legwear, as we were sitting for an almost constant eight hours and jeans were just too unforgiving.  These indigo trousers also look great with skirts layered over them.

The material for texture clothing is a soft yet substantial mix of hemp, organic cotton, and a bit of lycra.  No tiny holes here and there after a few washes, like cheap [or not so] jersey clothing found in high street shops.  This texture stuff is made to last.

I e-mailed Teresa again and asked her a few questions about how her "clothing with a conscience" came into being.

Mama Coffeebeings: What initiated your creation of texture?
Teresa: "I started hand sewing when I was young and I got my first sewing machine when I was 12.  I went to design school, thinking that I was going to make costumes for the theatre.  Because I had worked summer festivals for so long (doing 'hair wraps') I decided to sew a crazy mix of clothing and sell it out of my booth. After a few attempts, I decided to put a formal line together. "


MC: Where and how did you find such beautiful fabric?
Teresa: "I enjoy working with natural fabrics and the first roll of fabric I bought was a hemp/cotton muslin.  There were not many options for hemp fabrics, and there were no organic cotton fabrics available.  Over the years, I meet people who make fabric and I request swatches.  I keep a file box full of swatches and I open it up when I start designing a new line."


MC: As texture's instigator, what is the most important thing to you about it's future?
Teresa: "The most important things about texture's future are:
a. to keep it as local as possible, creating jobs in my community.
b. to keep making clothing that fits 'curvy women'. [pregnant mamas too!]
c. to create clothing in the most sustainable way possible for this (harsh) industry."


When I mentioned to Teresa how much I loved the "patch" I discovered in the secret pocket of my comfy mini, she said;  "I feel like we have a platform to spread 'good news' from and I am trying my best to stand up and do that."

Well, I'm quite happy to be using my blog as a platform to spread the good news about texture clothing!  And... guess what?  Teresa is offering my readers 20% off your texture orders for the next month, until the 4th of May.  Just use the voucher [coupon] code "coffee20" when ordering.

Go here to visit texture's website and blog.  This is my favourite story so far.  I love reading about how this woman totally revamped and simplified her wardrobe! 

January Reflections: Fashion

When it comes to fashion, I do my own thing. 

Some of you will already know I'm not a fashion or trend follower.  I remember struggling into a pair of jeans as a young child; they were awkwardly heavy and unmoving.  I stared into a mirror, feeling my self-esteem plummet as low as the shag-carpeted floor while my eyes told me how unflattering that high-waisted, wide-hipped, tight-ankled look was.  Especially with a pair of white socks. So there you have it. I cannot stand the '80s-style fashion for trousers and jeans which has rocketed through time from 1987 and is with us once again.  I hated them in the '80s, and I hate them now.

Oh, those childhood fashion disasters. There was a teal and purple sweater shaped pretty much like a pillowcase, which could be combined with two different pairs of leggings: teal, and purple... surprise!  When I first wore this amalgamation of clothing, it felt like a nice change from the homemade dresses, skirts, and used clothing that made up my usual wardrobe.  My friend with blond, permed hair (circa 1988-ish) had a closet full of these leggings and sweaters.  However, a slow hatred of this trendy little combo began to creep up on me.  First of all, wearing these in the middle of an upstate New York winter,  I froze to death.  Secondly, after some time spent gazing in the mirror at this billowy sweater, out of which my spindly legging-ed legs poked and from which rose my rather small preemie head with long dark hair pulled into a tight ponytail, an innate fashion instinct told my nine-year-old self rather bluntly that this wholly questionable mess was just not a good look for me.


Nowadays, I do wear leggings and jeans sometimes, just in my own way.  And when I'm tired of wearing certain clothes?  I dye them, rip them apart for various uses, or pass them on.

Below is a photo from November 2004.  I am wearing a hooded wool top with a few buttons halfway down the front and three-quarter length sleeves.  It was a $12 sale item when I bought it.

Recently, I discovered this top while sorting through some long unworn clothes, and just as it was about to go into the charity shop pile, I wondered how small it would end up if I threw it into the washing machine on a warm wash.  And, here it is again, post-washing, just the right size for Coo.  It's beautifully felted now, soft and warm as she wears it in our chilly January 2011.

My hope for my little girl is that she too will do her own thing with regards to fashion, and that she won't feel she has to wear what she's told to wear by a fashion industry that is obsessed with perfection, consumption, and the latest trends.

Red Dye

They were in a bag of second-hand clothes that recently came my way and I almost threw them straight into the charity shop box.

Then I remembered dyeing.  I imagined them a different colour and they ended up in the keeping pile.

There's a bright red curtain across the door to the garden that has been drastically lightened by the summer sun on the side facing the door.

So guess what colour of dye I bought today at the haberdashery?

Bright red! One of my favourite colours.

The curtain is back to its cheery red self.

Now I have a lovely red dress and a floaty red top.

The only downside of the happy red onslaught is this...

Before dyeing, I threw the faded curtain into a regular dark wash so it would be damp for the dye bath.

Lefty and Righty's football kits were in that wash.

Righty's came out it's usual definitely English self.  However, Lefty's lovely green Eire kit now has a pink (instead of white) badge on the shirt and on the shorts.  Honestly, this is the first time I've coloured any laundry through a washing error.  That's quite good for nearly nine years of domesticity!

Autumn has slipped up on me this year.  The entire angle of the sun has shifted.  Was there some sort of major earth tilt that I missed?  Suddenly the sunshine abandons all but half of our back garden in the afternoons, and even then is only seen in a hazy way that speaks nothing of summer, but shouts autumn.

Slow down, Coffee Mama.  You're too busy to see what's going on right under your nose!

Once upon a time you noticed every detail in the changing of the seasons.  Pause while chopping those onions and wiping the fingerprints off that window. Stop. You can pull the baby out of the crayons she's been devouring in a moment.

Slow down and watch sky, trees, leaves change. Otherwise winter will be here and you'll have missed your favourite season.

At least I didn't miss out on the inherent possibility in a packet of tulip red Dylon!