In their new look book, Anthropolgie talks about (their) five signatures of style, one of which is the plain tee. Of course! Plain! Last year, when I was sewing and wearing plain t-shirts, I was out of style and this year, when I want to sew and wear more complicated t-shirts, I'll be out of style. LOL - out of style seems to be my style which makes it a darn good thing that that's perfectly okay with me. I'd prefer to be me.
I checked out the new this week page and here's what I found... and what I think....
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For me, a black v-neck t-shirt is about as basic as can be. Mine don't cost as much to sew as The Sadie V-Neck - $53.00 - costs to buy and that's a nice bonus of sewing. I prefer a three-quarter length sleeve and that's another nice bonus of sewing - doing it my way.
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Like the blue cardigan that never finished, the Sun Medallion Pullover - $88.00 - has a lace overlay, this time in a more casual, baseball, style. Lace overlays can add a feminine touch that's completely different from pleats, tucks, ruffles, or gathers - often more sophisticated. I'm intrigued by how it's showing up so often lately. It's - obviously - something to explore although - LOL - maybe next year when it's out of style.
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The Alva Lace Pencil - $88.00 - is another lace garment. According to the five signatures of style, high-low pairing - such as a dressier top with more casual bottoms or visa-versa - is in. Are you able to do that? I find it difficult. The look always seems out of balance to me. It requires exactly the right proportions and accessories to carry it off - and perhaps the right attitude - which perhaps I don't have if I'm feeling off balance. The skirt = gorgeous.
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At first glance, I thought the Bloomfall Peplum Tank - $78.00 - was a woven blouse but it's actually made with rayon polyester spandex which would make it quite comfortable. I've mentioned in the past that if I sew a woven blouse, I don't end up wearing it so I've been thinking about sewing a knit blouse. A guarantee that I'd wear it would be nice but I guess the only way to know for sure is to try it and see. Piping details like this would make sewing it even more fun. Quick and easy is quick and easy but it can also be boring. Details like these increase the fun factor.
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LOVE the sleeve details on the Speckle Sky Blouse - $118.00. It's silk. I doubt I'd ever sew or wear a silk blouse even though several people I know adore silk and wear it as often as they can. I prefer fabrics with a bit more substance as opposed to what I call floaty fabrics. I do like raw silk and dupioni silk. What surprised me with this garment was the price. Actually, all the prices have surprised me. Although most are way more than I'd pay to sew the garment, they're also a lot less than Anthropologie has charged in the past.
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Wide leg pants like the Level 99 Wide Legs - $98.00 - are REALLY flattering to my figure. These are sewn from linen, spandex, and lyocell. I had no idea what that last fabric was so I looked it up and it's made from bleached wood pulp. According to Wikipedia, the fabric first went on public sale as a type of rayon in 1991. It shares many properties with other cellulosic fibers such as cotton, linen, and rayon. Some main characteristics of lyocell fibers are that they are soft, absorbent, very strong when wet or dry, and resistant to wrinkles; lyocell fabric can be machine- or hand-washed or dry cleaned, it drapes well, and it can be dyed many colors, and can simulate a variety of textures such as suede, leather, and silk. That sounds interesting especially as linen is one of my favourite fabrics. I may need to research this one and I know for sure that I have a similar pant pattern.
I spent some time looking at Anthropologie yesterday because yet still once again I did not feel like sewing while at the same time I was feeling pressure to produce something so I'd have something to talk about. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Pressure can be good.
My guests on Monday were two art quilters. At the conclusion of our visit, we discussed getting together regularly, most likely monthly. When I asked why - as in why would we get together - the answer was to have a push to produce something and then to have a space in which to talk about it and other artists to talk about it with. YES YES! Those are both very positive and something I've been looking for for years which makes it...
... interesting that this opportunity has arrived at a time when I'm not creating art pieces any more and when I'm not feeling as energized and motivated in the studio as I'd like to be. A friend commented yesterday that I seem to be looking for a sense of direction. No. My direction is creative everyday wear and my focus is t-shirts and knit garments. What's missing is drive.
I've decided to take the next week off from blogging to think, regroup, and - hopefully - find my missing mojo. For someone who loves to sew as much as I do, it's scary when I don't feel like it for any extended period of time. This week has been a rough one with some not so fun stuff happening. Hopefully, once I sort things out, it'll be good. Right now, it's a bit overwhelming. I'm exceedingly grateful that I did everything I could to start the new year on a positive note. Can you image otherwise - VBG.
Talk soon - in a week - Myrna
Grateful - sunshine and supportive friends
I checked out the new this week page and here's what I found... and what I think....
For me, a black v-neck t-shirt is about as basic as can be. Mine don't cost as much to sew as The Sadie V-Neck - $53.00 - costs to buy and that's a nice bonus of sewing. I prefer a three-quarter length sleeve and that's another nice bonus of sewing - doing it my way.
Like the blue cardigan that never finished, the Sun Medallion Pullover - $88.00 - has a lace overlay, this time in a more casual, baseball, style. Lace overlays can add a feminine touch that's completely different from pleats, tucks, ruffles, or gathers - often more sophisticated. I'm intrigued by how it's showing up so often lately. It's - obviously - something to explore although - LOL - maybe next year when it's out of style.
The Alva Lace Pencil - $88.00 - is another lace garment. According to the five signatures of style, high-low pairing - such as a dressier top with more casual bottoms or visa-versa - is in. Are you able to do that? I find it difficult. The look always seems out of balance to me. It requires exactly the right proportions and accessories to carry it off - and perhaps the right attitude - which perhaps I don't have if I'm feeling off balance. The skirt = gorgeous.
At first glance, I thought the Bloomfall Peplum Tank - $78.00 - was a woven blouse but it's actually made with rayon polyester spandex which would make it quite comfortable. I've mentioned in the past that if I sew a woven blouse, I don't end up wearing it so I've been thinking about sewing a knit blouse. A guarantee that I'd wear it would be nice but I guess the only way to know for sure is to try it and see. Piping details like this would make sewing it even more fun. Quick and easy is quick and easy but it can also be boring. Details like these increase the fun factor.
LOVE the sleeve details on the Speckle Sky Blouse - $118.00. It's silk. I doubt I'd ever sew or wear a silk blouse even though several people I know adore silk and wear it as often as they can. I prefer fabrics with a bit more substance as opposed to what I call floaty fabrics. I do like raw silk and dupioni silk. What surprised me with this garment was the price. Actually, all the prices have surprised me. Although most are way more than I'd pay to sew the garment, they're also a lot less than Anthropologie has charged in the past.
Wide leg pants like the Level 99 Wide Legs - $98.00 - are REALLY flattering to my figure. These are sewn from linen, spandex, and lyocell. I had no idea what that last fabric was so I looked it up and it's made from bleached wood pulp. According to Wikipedia, the fabric first went on public sale as a type of rayon in 1991. It shares many properties with other cellulosic fibers such as cotton, linen, and rayon. Some main characteristics of lyocell fibers are that they are soft, absorbent, very strong when wet or dry, and resistant to wrinkles; lyocell fabric can be machine- or hand-washed or dry cleaned, it drapes well, and it can be dyed many colors, and can simulate a variety of textures such as suede, leather, and silk. That sounds interesting especially as linen is one of my favourite fabrics. I may need to research this one and I know for sure that I have a similar pant pattern.
I spent some time looking at Anthropologie yesterday because yet still once again I did not feel like sewing while at the same time I was feeling pressure to produce something so I'd have something to talk about. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Pressure can be good.
My guests on Monday were two art quilters. At the conclusion of our visit, we discussed getting together regularly, most likely monthly. When I asked why - as in why would we get together - the answer was to have a push to produce something and then to have a space in which to talk about it and other artists to talk about it with. YES YES! Those are both very positive and something I've been looking for for years which makes it...
... interesting that this opportunity has arrived at a time when I'm not creating art pieces any more and when I'm not feeling as energized and motivated in the studio as I'd like to be. A friend commented yesterday that I seem to be looking for a sense of direction. No. My direction is creative everyday wear and my focus is t-shirts and knit garments. What's missing is drive.
I've decided to take the next week off from blogging to think, regroup, and - hopefully - find my missing mojo. For someone who loves to sew as much as I do, it's scary when I don't feel like it for any extended period of time. This week has been a rough one with some not so fun stuff happening. Hopefully, once I sort things out, it'll be good. Right now, it's a bit overwhelming. I'm exceedingly grateful that I did everything I could to start the new year on a positive note. Can you image otherwise - VBG.
Talk soon - in a week - Myrna
Grateful - sunshine and supportive friends
