Saturday night, I had the strangest dream. I was frustrated with my clothes, tired of my black, bland - white rice and mashed potatoes - no gravy wardrobe. There was this intense craving for "spice", for colour, texture, pattern, and print, for something radically different. I remember thinking I need Dean - LOL
Dean is the manager at the Starbucks where I journal. He's an amazing cook and we've been talking about some cooking classes he's thinking of teaching and about me being one of the students. With Dean spicing up my cooking, Diane encouraging my creativity, and working on my assignment, it's not too much of a stretch to know what this dream had to say especially after spending a considerable amount of time going through my image files to find illustrations for my coaching assignment.
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It was like watching my return to fashion sewing on fast forward and - OH MY GOSH - some of it - a lot of it - is pretty awful. I guess that's what happens when you restart an old skill and begin moving on from a black t-shirt and jeans uniform. I can definitely see the learning curve AND celebrate the improvement in my fitting skills, the strengthening of my sewing skills, and the growth of my goal to utilize my textile art skills in creative fashions. I am definitely not there yet but I'm certainly walking along the path which had me wondering....
.... what would happen if I scooped up my entire wardrobe and tossed it out? Would I make a radical - and yet still comfortable - shift to a different way of dressing or would I panic? Would I grab the nearest pair of jeans and a black t-shirt and quickly get back to my comfort zone or would I take the opportunity to move my wardrobe in a "spicier" direction? Interesting questions and somewhat impossible to answer since sewing - or even buying - a wardrobe takes time. It's not feasible to shake it all up at once but some of the conclusions I came to are that...
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1 - I look and feel much better about myself with short perky hair especially when I use product to make it stay perky.
2 - I often don't look as good in an outfit as I remember feeling in it. This is something to pay attention to while exploring the balance between physically and emotionally flattering fit and how to combine them successfully.
3 - If I did scoop up my entire wardrobe and throw it out, I wouldn't miss much. It no longer matches how I feel and my growing confidence. It's too safe.
4 - Life is too short to play it safe.
5 - I know the "rules". Now seems like the time to start breaking them.
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6 - I am far more playful and outgoing personality-wise than the majority of my clothes (or photos) illustrate.
7 - I want more texture, colour, print, and pattern.
8 - Darker on the bottom is relative; it does not mean black.
9 - Lighter on the top is relative; it does not mean black or even grey.
10 - A choice to be brighter and bolder with colour, texture, pattern and print will open up a huge playground for exploration.
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11 - I need to follow up the blog's suggestions around open shoes and look at more flattering footwear.
12 - I want to explore tights made from less visible knits that would allow me to feel more confident in shorter garments in the summer when I can't wear dark tights.
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13 - I have an attraction for simple. Simple is hard to do and worth the work.
14 - I look and feel better in garments with less fabric.
15 - Hands-on is my most productive path of growth. I don't like drawing and drawing assignments seem to stop me cold whereas sewing challenges push me forward. I prefer to explore ideas by working directly with the fabric.
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16 - I can wear shapes that flatter and still have far more fun with fabric choices than I've been having without ending up looking like a clown.
17 - Monochromatic works and it's not always necessary.
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Not all of these are new thoughts but they are certainly ones to consider especially as I start getting ready for Sew Expo. Before I get there, I want to start planning my cruise collection including a sewing plan, swatches, patterns, and a list of what I need. Sewing these garments is about as close to a major overhaul all-in-one-go as I've ever gotten and I want to maximize the opportunity and have a LOT of fun while keeping in mind that there is a fine line between radicalism and paying attention to the message. I do want to feel good wearing those new clothes and I do want to take the opportunity to spice things up. I'm open to suggestions and feedback. What do you think I should pay attention to? What should I make sure to have on my list?
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - learning from image files
Dean is the manager at the Starbucks where I journal. He's an amazing cook and we've been talking about some cooking classes he's thinking of teaching and about me being one of the students. With Dean spicing up my cooking, Diane encouraging my creativity, and working on my assignment, it's not too much of a stretch to know what this dream had to say especially after spending a considerable amount of time going through my image files to find illustrations for my coaching assignment.
It was like watching my return to fashion sewing on fast forward and - OH MY GOSH - some of it - a lot of it - is pretty awful. I guess that's what happens when you restart an old skill and begin moving on from a black t-shirt and jeans uniform. I can definitely see the learning curve AND celebrate the improvement in my fitting skills, the strengthening of my sewing skills, and the growth of my goal to utilize my textile art skills in creative fashions. I am definitely not there yet but I'm certainly walking along the path which had me wondering....
.... what would happen if I scooped up my entire wardrobe and tossed it out? Would I make a radical - and yet still comfortable - shift to a different way of dressing or would I panic? Would I grab the nearest pair of jeans and a black t-shirt and quickly get back to my comfort zone or would I take the opportunity to move my wardrobe in a "spicier" direction? Interesting questions and somewhat impossible to answer since sewing - or even buying - a wardrobe takes time. It's not feasible to shake it all up at once but some of the conclusions I came to are that...
1 - I look and feel much better about myself with short perky hair especially when I use product to make it stay perky.
2 - I often don't look as good in an outfit as I remember feeling in it. This is something to pay attention to while exploring the balance between physically and emotionally flattering fit and how to combine them successfully.
3 - If I did scoop up my entire wardrobe and throw it out, I wouldn't miss much. It no longer matches how I feel and my growing confidence. It's too safe.
4 - Life is too short to play it safe.
5 - I know the "rules". Now seems like the time to start breaking them.
6 - I am far more playful and outgoing personality-wise than the majority of my clothes (or photos) illustrate.
7 - I want more texture, colour, print, and pattern.
8 - Darker on the bottom is relative; it does not mean black.
9 - Lighter on the top is relative; it does not mean black or even grey.
10 - A choice to be brighter and bolder with colour, texture, pattern and print will open up a huge playground for exploration.
11 - I need to follow up the blog's suggestions around open shoes and look at more flattering footwear.
12 - I want to explore tights made from less visible knits that would allow me to feel more confident in shorter garments in the summer when I can't wear dark tights.
13 - I have an attraction for simple. Simple is hard to do and worth the work.
14 - I look and feel better in garments with less fabric.
15 - Hands-on is my most productive path of growth. I don't like drawing and drawing assignments seem to stop me cold whereas sewing challenges push me forward. I prefer to explore ideas by working directly with the fabric.
16 - I can wear shapes that flatter and still have far more fun with fabric choices than I've been having without ending up looking like a clown.
17 - Monochromatic works and it's not always necessary.
Not all of these are new thoughts but they are certainly ones to consider especially as I start getting ready for Sew Expo. Before I get there, I want to start planning my cruise collection including a sewing plan, swatches, patterns, and a list of what I need. Sewing these garments is about as close to a major overhaul all-in-one-go as I've ever gotten and I want to maximize the opportunity and have a LOT of fun while keeping in mind that there is a fine line between radicalism and paying attention to the message. I do want to feel good wearing those new clothes and I do want to take the opportunity to spice things up. I'm open to suggestions and feedback. What do you think I should pay attention to? What should I make sure to have on my list?
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - learning from image files
Life is like a camera... focus on what's important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don't work out, take another shot.
- Unknow