aprons then and now

I've been sewing for longer than a lot of you have been alive. I started seriously sewing at ten and never looked back. I never tire of it there is always something new to learn.
For years now I've been interested in aprons and what they called ,when I was growing up, house dresses.I liked the idea of an article of apparel that defined a role or function. When my grandmother put on her bib apron that meant she was headed to the kitchen. A half apron with pockets meant hanging out clothes time. Many housewives had these wrap around house dresses that were worn to clean in. I couldn't wait till I was grown-up and could wear one of those wrap dresses. The closest I came was a wrap around skirt, that was in style ,when I was in high school.
Now once again aprons are popular ,there is even a magazine devoted to just aprons . The aprons I have made are new but some are made in a vintage style with with vintage fabric, some are more modern with likewise fabric.

Two Pounds of Love

My cousin is having a baby.  And she's been considerate enough to do so when I have the time and inclination to work up a handmade gift for her.  Few babies are so thoughtful.  Of course, my response was to go to Joann to look at baby yarn.  Next thing I know, I'm trying to figure out what to do with two pounds of love!

You see, I'm lazy.  I know you're laughing but anyone who knows me well would never, ever disagree with that statement.

Not only am I lazy, in general, but I am a lazy crocheter.  If I don't remember or understand part of a pattern, I'll wing it.  If I lose a stitch in one row, I'm not ripping that shit out!  I just add an extra one in the next row and keep going.  In 10+ years of hooking, I think I've make exactly one gauge swatch.  And that was just a couple of months ago.

Anywhoo, so I'm standing in the aisle at Joann with my cousin's baby registry pulled up on my smart phone cursing at the baby yarn because it doesn't come in a perfect tan/taupe to match the adorable wall art and lamp on the registry.

I kept browsing the registry and noticed a stroller, high chair and seat that all had a bright blue similar to one of the yarns on the shelf.  There it was, saying, "Hey, look, I'm blue and might match those things. But I'm also kind of gender neutral, which is handy since the baby's sex is still unknown."

It also agreed with me that the cell signal in Joann leaves a lot to be desired, which is inconvenient when trying to browse online registries in the yarn aisle.

I had a pattern picked out but only vaguely remembered how much yarn I might need.  I figured one skein of yarn would be enough because this particular yarn comes in really big skeins.  Skeins that weigh a whole pound, in fact.

She's not creepy AT ALL.  Nope.  Not even a little bit.

But - again - lazy.  If one skein is good, then two is better because what if I need just a little bit more than one skein and don't have a second one?  Then I'd have to go all the way back to the store and that would require things like pants and walking and talking to people.  Better just to get two pounds of yarn in the first place.

I'm pretty happy with the way the "planned" blanket turned out:

The thing is - it only took about half a skein. 

Oops.

That's ok, though!  If one blankie is good, then two is better.  I set out to make another:

I'm pretty happy with that one, too.  The thing is - I still hadn't touched the second skein!  

Since the DOMEstic artistry show is coming up, I used the second skein to make a couple of items to include in the sale.  There's another baby blanket and a cowl that I'm tempted to keep for myself.  

For the record, this is what two pounds of love looks like, all worked up:

It was very keen to do some basking in the sunlight.

The first two blankies have now gone off to their new home with my cousin, whose shower is the same day as the show.  The second pound is looking forward to seeing YOU at the DOME.  

IS IT COLD ENOUGH FOR COATS YET?

"Rosas y Polillas" - the top view of the 10 inch decoupaged cake stand for sale on Saturday!

Oh time is getting short! Just three days until we have our Domestic Artistry show on Saturday, March 9th and we have been busy sewing, crocheting, crafting and everything else so that we can have a wonderful array of beautiful things to show our shoppers!

Since my last entry I have managed to finish two new coats. Here are a few pictures of one of them.

This one is my favorite so far. It is a retro design from Burda.

Notice how the fabric's pattern matches on the pockets and front? That ain’t no coincidence! (That's OCD...)

The beauty of fashion and of the art of sewing are for me in the details, and details take - patience. Sewing encourages patience for me though often tests it as well. Sewing can be like meditation, or is at least a good opportunity to practice calm abiding and breaking the hold of samsara*.

The back reminds me of something reptilian from some outer space multi-colored dessert.

I had a karmic realization recently while doing the buttonholes of this particular coat.

Welted box buttonholes and more vintage buttons. These buttons are from the 40's.

First let me say, I don’t like machine made buttonholes. I think of them almost as cheating. I like to do them by hand, which means either a double welted box buttonhole or working with buttonhole twist. I kind of suck at using twist so I opt for the box most of the time. This means making twice as many “boxes” as there are finished holes. For example this coat has three finished buttonholes so I had to make six boxes – three on the front piece and then three again on the inside facing. They sandwich in the welts (folded flanges is the best I can do to explain a welt) and make for a really stylish high class look. Hardly anyone does these anymore because they are time consuming and are a very exacting process of measuring and measuring (and measuring!). 

During the making of the buttonholes for this coat I became aware of how much time it was gobbling up. The buttonhole treatment was likely the most time consuming part of the entire creation.

Paired perfectly with the finished 80's inspired big urban carry all!

While ironing open the boxes on the front side of the coat, I had a moment where I could have gotten frustrated or overwhelmed by how much time and precision these were going to require and could have left them aside to work on something more immediately satisfying, but instead I heard myself say, “Just take your time. Just finish them.”  Then a broader connection clicked in my thoughts between keeping a forward momentum on this labor intensive creation and doing the same with other aspects of my life.

I get frustrated and exasperated sometimes - don't we all?! - and it is easy to lose patience and walk away or drop the entire issue, activity, or challenge to look for other things that give instant gratification while asking little of our focus or dedication in return. This habit of giving up easily robs us of multiple opportunities to develop longer lasting tolerance, patience, and calmer, more peaceful states of mind where we are less prone to becoming agitated and antsy. Remembering to, “Just take your time. Just finish it.” was good advice.

This kind of larger connection making happens often when I am at my machine or doing meticulous handwork on a garment. Not getting overwhelmed by the intricacies or labor intensity on a single aspect of a piece is good practice. Much like yoga practice (which has greatly suffered since leaving the mountains!!). Yoga helps you stay in the moment mentally and physically without falling back over on what has already transpired and cannot be changed (past), and worrying about what’s coming up that hasn't happened yet (future). Just staying in the here and now focused on the task at hand where you actually have the most influence and the greater opportunity to affect positivity. 

Focusing on the here and now is also where you can manifest the most joy by breaking the cycle of aversion (to the tedium) and craving (to be free from it) and giving your energies and attention to what is right in front of you. Learn to enjoy the slower pace.

So, I have learned to love the tedium. I look forward to making more coats and finding more joy in the details. Of course, I am not a Buddha and in the interest of time closing in for the Domestic Artistry show I admit that I did machine stitched the buttonholes on the coat not pictured! However, I did use ribbon instead of thread to attach the vintage wide-holed buttons :)

"Lokah Samastah Sukino Bavantu"
(May All Beings Everywhere Be Happy And Free)

Anyway, I cannot wait to share the results of my sewing meditations with you all on Saturday!!!

* the habit of conditioned craving and aversion in any given scenario

Sigue adelante en paz!