What Inspires You

October 11, 2024

Being creative is a journey.  Allowing yourself to be creative is a journey.  It takes time, wisdom, and some patience to deal with problems and confusion and being comfortable with being uncomfortable!

But oh, the rewards.  For me, seeing the miracle of a bunch of electrical synapses creates something that is not only useful and essential (since it's best I not go out in the world nude - yikes!), it's comfortable and makes me feel special.  So electrical synapses =  really great feelings!  These synapses or talking between brain nerve cells bring about a wonderful feeling.

There is the getting lost in the process.  Thinking about what I'm doing now, cutting out a piece with a little different line so that the collar will lay just slightly differently, to working that collar thinking how to "draw" a seam to make it even better.  And I've gotten to the point where I'm drawing seams more than sewing them.  Even thinking about how I'm going to wear the top or the pants or jacket...what I can wear it with, how and where will I wear it.  Most of the time I have a clear function in mind.

That means I usually shop in my stash room for whatever I need next.  If it's not my stash room, it's the samples I get from Vogue Fabrics Store fabric subscription or wandering into Mood Fabrics online or perusing through Ann's Gorgeous Fabrics (most of her things are very different from what you normally see online) Mendel Goldberg's End Cuts.

Mostly, my inspiration comes from thinking about what would be dressier (just a bit) than what I have for the same occasion - church, lunch, easy-evening event, and, of course, just getting up every day and wearing something special.  How would a higher collar look on a pattern I've done before?  How would a gushy collar look?  How would a collar that frames me look?  I start with a feel and then work at how that feel would look.  So I want to be warm and comfy or I want to look tailored and business-like - it's the feel I start with.

Sometimes that starts with a movie or a TV show...

Now, obviously, I can't wear that look on the left, but it's a smashing look.  If you haven't seen The Night Manager, the lead actress's wardrobe is to die for.  Very creative, very classy in a new way, with many ideas.  It's also a great story.   Yellowstone has it's own incredible style, and every since I wore a beautiful, St. John-esque, Native American graphic dress with a gorgeous concho belt in a London restaurant, I realized how fashionable that Western look is/was.  Having been around it for all my life, I had no idea.  Western has its place in American fashion, and it will never leave.  It can be as classic as Ralph Lauren's other love - the preppy look.  

Lauren's style is still the preppy western look and it's just as good today as ever.  Lots of inspiration and ideas here.

Sometimes, the tool spurs me to another path of inspiration.  I just got Bernina's L890, which has the miraculous air-threader and easy switch from overlock to cover stitch. Talking about professional looking, it makes me want to sew knits just so I can use the machine.  

Don't get me wrong, my Bernina 790 is still outstanding and has become my main workhorse, but this new one is fun to experiment with to see just how versatile it is.  My latest fun is the tee-shirt conversions.  I have some fabulous tees that Walt and I collect whenever we travel, but now I can actually wear them and be fashionable.  

I have a whole collection of these I've saved from different places we've hiked and dived, and this conversion is something that I will wear

And then there's the patterns.  For years, I was inspired by Burdastyle patterns, particularly from the magazines. But they seem to become dry and repetitive in their designs. StyleArc has always had good design but seemed a little dry until the last five years or so. Now, they've gotten downright stylish. But they were so expensive to ship from Australia until suddenly downloading the PDF!  Oh my! The best  place to get StyleArc is Etsy.

There are these biker jackets.  The Ziggi on top is designed for real leather with smaller pieces.  I like the one on the bottom simply because the zipper comes to the top.  My old biker jacket was made of cheap pleather and flaked off after three years.  Clothes need to last longer than that in my closet!

I've been toying around with a wrap neckline like this and love this one—I like the Bijou (on top), but the wrap seems a little flakey and not very gushy. The wrap on the Wren (on bottom) is more my look, but it doesn't hang on the shoulders right. So I'll probably take my core, put that collar of the Wren on it, and button it upfront.   

This is where the pattern already drafted out can help a lot.  I'll match my shoulder, center front & back and trace one piece off onto the other.  I like a longer, more fitted look for this.  The wrap is enough bulk for me.  I'm short and I can't overpower myself even though I love that Cruella look. 

Another idea is this great-looking side zip coat/jacket, but it requires several modifications. First, the shoulders are excellent, and the line is right on—just a little bit of fiddling with the body shape, though.  This pattern is being redesigned, so I'm sure it can be downloaded in multiple sizes, which most of StyleArc is doing.  I love that.  This way, you can do the right size for your shoulders, the right size for your bust, the right size for your hips, and the right length for your size.  

Here's the problem, and it's not so easy to see in the technical drawing, but it's there.  There's not much shape in the body of this garment, and the top collar is bulky and full. You do NOT need any more bulk or fullness in the top, so I'd add an FBA to fit better around the under-shoulder area and to make the body of the jacket fit much slimmer - not tight, but be a more controlled line.  

It shows up better here.  See how the right version looks a little more controlled around the waist?  The silhouette complements the full collar, allowing the collar to make a show and preventing the body from looking baggy and out of control. This is probably my next project, but the pattern is under redesign for PDF download, so I have to wait!  I'll wait for this pattern because I want to overlay this body with my core knit to see how it looks and how much to take out.  (Yes, this will probably be another video here!)

Inspiration can come from many sources: fabric, media, tools, patterns, and even practicing a skill like my new machine. I still need to perfect the ability to match up my coverstitch dependably, but with practice, that will come.  Exercising and keeping those synapses going is not only a healthy way to live, but it's incredibly rewarding.

Whenever I hear of a person's mother, father, or parents still living at 95 or 99, it's because they have a passion that they live every day.  

We sewists are lucky that way - that we've found our passion and get to live it every day!

The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style.  Check it out. 

Look for future classes coming in 2024
The Core Pattern Shirt, (one of my favorites for woven core pattern that you can make into a myriad of different garments), 
Basic Knit Top (core pattern class for knit basic tops, shells, tees, dresses, and tunics)
 

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