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September 10, 2021
So I'm reading along in Instagram which is mostly filled with great sewing things and mostly things I enjoy and run across a series of posts that were really thought provoking and thought I would respond here.
As we grow more knowledgeable and have more experiences in life, the more life turns from the black and white to light and dark grey. There is no 100% black and there is no 100% white. We learn that states such as perfection, vacuum, absolute zero and infinity are all conditions that are unattainable in this human world. We also learn that's OK. We don't have to be perfect to be accepted, worthy, effective and valued.
Strict and unyielding definitions of words change. In 1920, if you would have said, "Man, you're really bad!" it would have been an insult. In 2020, if you would have said, "Man, you're really bad!" that would be a complement. Words and their meanings change, and in this case they are the total opposites. And when you combine words, they can have totally different connotations to what the individual words mean.
Like sustainable -
And fashion -
But put both of these words together and they mean -
I would even go so far as to include in "sustainable fashion" a more humane and respectable treatment of the clothing manufacturing labor force. In the 1950s and 1960s it was not unusual to see a clothing manufacturing laborer earn enough money to put their children through college or at the least vocation school.
The Instagram posts postulates that our sewing is not sustainable because it is not capable of being maintained or in the same state. Technically the author is right, however combining sustainable and fashion together makes a completely different term than using those words separately. The black and white is removed and now enter the world of grey.
The real truth is that sewing is eminently sustainable because of so many reasons:
We only purchase the fabric, thread, zipper(s), buttons, and other notions we need, therefore not wasting the resources that we don't need or can use.
We assemble our garments using only the electricity and/or other energy resources needed, and not using or putting a demand on resources we don't use.
We keep and wear our garments over and over which is one of the main advantages of sewing as well as a huge ecological benefit.
We do not use slave labor in the manufacturing of our garments, another thereby not enabling a huge source of inhumanity.
We often think and plan well ahead what we will be designing, creating and making with our garments, filling a need in our wardrobe, not wasting our time or resources on over-stuffing our wardrobe with overly-repeated items (too many of one thing), or items that we have no use for, or items that do not fit in our life style, or other illogical, useless articles of clothing. Talk about sustainable fashion, this is the epitome right here.
So we reduce waste, reduce inhumane working conditions, reduce over-stuffing closets, all under the bullet points for sustainable fashion. That sounds like sewing is major factor in sustainable fashion.
The poster's second grievance is that "challenges" are guilt-ridden, psychosis-making, plethoric posts that serve no purpose badly about not completing artificial deadlines. And I supposed if you allow them to monopolize your life, this would be a problem. But since it's hard to be graded on them and it's not going on our permanent records, if I enter one or two days of a whole month's worth of posts, that's OK too.
The latest one of these is #mymakesforthemonth and these look like more of posts of what you've made rather than making something specifically for the post, which doesn't strike me as a deadline. Even though some can have deadlines, if you miss it, it's not the end of the world, and sometimes it's a deadline that will get you started on a project, even if you don't finish it on time it's gotten you started.
Although deadlines can sound like they can be an excuse for a guilt-trip, the truth is that sometimes it's deadlines that get you to thinking about a project, starting a project or even finishing one that might not otherwise have happened without the impetus of the "challenge."
And if you don't want to participate, on Instagram, you can do a search for #mymakesforthemonth and follow hastags. These are great for collecting ideas about how to make up those edgy, quirky fabrics you have, or simply ideas on anything.
Life isn't a contest, unless you make it one. And life isn't meant to be lived under the thumb of anyone including yourself. At the same time life isn't fa-la-la with everything falling into place perfectly, every time! Besides, no matter what you think, perfection is so boring - nothing to strive for, nothing to accomplish, no need to pat yourself on the back for a job well done because perfection is just an every day thing.
As we age, we seem to learn how to be so much more tolerant of ourselves and our accomplishments and our mistakes. Life also seems to transform the black/white into light gray/dark gray. The wiser we get the more we realize we can operate on our own, and the more aware we become of life's inequities, happy accidents, and purpose of living. As that happens we don't necessarily have to have the house perfectly clean; we don't have to have every
relationship in equal accord; and we don't have to have every seam perfectly executed. A majority of our life in order is fine.
So this is me giving you permission to:
Make a mistake
Give yourself a deadline or two or a challenge
Leave room for the irregular
Enjoy the happy accidents
and above all
Be gentle with yourself!
This is the quintessential toolbox for the wannabe designer, and you don't even have to draw to use them. All you have to do is trace. That may sound just a little too far-fetched, but believe me, not all designers can draw, and most of them do not sew. So you are one up on most designers.
This package includes a lot:
Elements & Principles of Design w/Color
Proportion (Divine and Rule of Thirds) and Apex Point Fitting
and something new:
 Sketching - taking the idea to sketch, to pattern to garment and yes, you can do that. It's not that hard. There are a lot of steps, but this is the final part of the whole package of creating something especially for yourself.
You know all those pictures on Pinterest or pinned in your studio or on your bathroom mirror?...those ones you know you would look smashing in if...1.) you could find the right pattern, 2.) you might be able to find it in RTW, but to fit you would be a problem or 3.) you've always wanted to create a look or certain collar or fabulous sleeve or some other detail and never knew how. Here's how to do that.
This does require that you have your core pattern up and running. That's what the whole pattern will be based on and it is what makes all this work so well. Whereas commercial pattern makers and designers have to go through 5 to 8 iterations to get it right, with your core pattern, we already know it works, and what we're doing is copying that to make the style you want.
If you already have only one of the above, then you have the opportunity here to bring your toolbox up to date by acquiring the only what you need at a discounted price. The Sketching Resource is the only one that's new that no one has before this month.
At the same time if you want the whole kit and caboodle, it's at an even greater discount than normal. Here's everything with the whole kit and caboodle at the bottom!
Enjoy!
Elements & Principles of Design with Color Primer - This is what art and design students learn in art school. The only difference between them and you is that they have the time to play around with them. But we can do the same, albeit a little less time.
Fitting with Proportion and Figure-Flattering Tools
(This one comes in two parts)
Sketching - From Idea to Garment
The Design Toolbox - All Three Resources above in one download at a terrific price.
Once this special is over, the Sketching will go into both the Proportion and Elements & Principles (it's already in the Toolbox), at regular pricing.
On the Blog
From the time I started my design company, I was sketching designs for clients. It was the only way that ...
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It's fascinating to listen to this discussion of How Much Clothing Do I Really Need? for me because I don't ...
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What has happened to fashion? There was a day when well-dressed and even not-so-wealthy women looked to the latest in ...
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A student asked a very interesting question, which I love to hear. This question is one that I've discussed here ...
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