The Return of the Summer Dress Code

I received notice today that my employer is doing the annual implementation of the summer dress code on Monday. This isn't a bad thing--panty hose are optional until fall--except that this year's notice included photos of specifically what was and wasn't acceptable. I'm not blaming my employer for this. We're going on the 3rd year with this program, and let me just say that there are a lot of women out there that don't seem to know the difference between a workplace and a nightclub.

The fact they even have to mention that belly shirts aren't acceptable work wear tells me that it's been a big issue in the past. Ladies, you can dress for summer and still look professional. Let's not ruin a good program, go get some "work" clothes (what a concept!). It'll be nice and hot here through October, so it's not like you won't get any wear out of them. And stop complaining you have no money for clothes--I've seen what you wear at the office, and you do so. Besides, there are plenty of places that sell appropriate inexpensive attire, even if they aren't the most trendy. You know where they are, now go.

Springtime

Just a quick post this morning, but I did want to share a bit of spring color from the high desert. This little barrel cactus is in my front yard and can always be counted on for pretty blooms in the spring.

I'm hoping to post pictures of other xeriscape plants when they bloom, but this one is the first.

Inspiration to Garment: The Trailing Vines Skirt Part 1

J. Jill has had the Trailing Vines Skirt in its catalog for a little while now, and I like it. The second price reduction (from $89 to $49.99) appeared in the latest catalog last evening, and I decided that I should order it at that price. I decided to visit my local J. Jill store at lunch today to see if they had one in stock, and if not, to take advantage of ordering through the store. J. Jill offers discounted shipping on store catalog orders, $5.95 flat rate.

No such luck. There were only a couple of Smalls still in stock, and that won't work for me. The skirt was on backorder online, but by the time the salesperson and I finished ordering, it was completely unavailable.

Oh, well. I went to JoAnn's and bought 3 of their embroidered linen blends at 40% off. That's my assistant Ghost examining the purchase. Each fabric is a slightly different shade, but they harmonize well together.

The fabrics are currently in the washing machine undergoing prep. I usually wash and dry my linen blends once before cutting out the pattern pieces. I used hot water and let the fabric soak. Once the cycle finishes, I'll run it through a hot dryer cycle. My rule of thumb is to always pretreat the yardage a little rougher than I plan to handle the finished garment. A little bit of insurance, if you will.

And lucky me! I even have a similar pattern stashed: New Look 6177. The piecing is slightly different, with the piecing of the seams all running the same direction instead of at opposite angles. But I think it's actually more flattering while still giving a similar look as the J. Jill version.

DBF has a shift at the hospital this weekend, so I'm hoping to get all the pieces cut out and a good bit of sewing done before Sunday evening. It'll be a cute spring and summer garment to wear.

Guilt!

I don't know if it's a trend or timing or what, but I've recently noticed several posts on boards regarding self-inflicted guilt. It concerns me when people do this to themselves. I'm not saying that you shouldn't have a conscience. However, to devote a lot of one's energy feeling guilty seems like such a waste, especially when the object of your guilt isn't something that's your problem or it's relatively minor. Save the guilt--you're holding yourself back with misplaced feelings of guilt or shame.

For example, you've been holding on to a special occasion dress for years and you know you'll never wear it again, nor will your children. You don't even think it's that well made. Yet there is guilt over disposing of it. Why? Pass it on--to someone else it could be perfect for their special event. It would be a blessing for them to find it at the thrift shop.

Or you sell things on eBay. IMO, it's not your problem if the price is bid up beyond the value you would place on it. Now, an important caveat is that you presented the item clearly and truthfully with no deception (if so, shame on you, you should feel guilty). But otherwise, no. You are not responsible for the bidder's decision making process. Perhaps they have a special reason that they have to have your item, or maybe they have more money than sense. These are their issues, not yours. Don't presume you know better than they do.

Then there's the case of having a degree and not "using" it. Personally, I won't sew for other people. But if that's what you want to do right now and are fortunate enough to be able to afford to build a business, then go for it. Perhaps a break from your career is what you need. Maybe you'll go back to it someday, maybe not. It's a business decision; don't feel guilty. Channel those emotions into a plan for the sewing business, so you can make it work for you and your lifestyle. And be sure to charge enough--don't let people "guilt" you into giving your skills away.

Or guilt at being able to sew but taking items to a tailor to be altered. Look, if you were inclined to do it yourself, that blazer would have been altered already. Instead, it's been sitting in the closet (yet another occasion for self-inflicted guilt). Why not have someone fix it up for you? There's no reason to feel bad about it. You don't have to sew everything you wear, nor do you need to do all your own alterations. I outsource most of my alterations because it's just not how I want to spend my limited sewing time. Also, I've actually learned a lot by watching my alterationist pin up my garments and seeing how she made the adjustments.

Build yourself up instead of tearing yourself down. Let go of misplaced guilt. I say this not as a putdown, but because I think it's important to feel good about yourself and your decisions. Guilt directed to you from others is another topic, but first things first--be kind to yourself.

Tim Gunn, This Just In...

The New York Times Fashion section has a profile of Tim Gunn in today's issue. You'll need to register to access the article, but it's free! Hey, it's a quality publication, so you should be reading it anyway.

Miscellaneous Responses, Comments, Observations, and Blather

It's been a while since I responded to comments, so here goes. One of the things I love about Cathy Horyn's blog for the New York Times are her replies to her readers. So she is an inspiration for my periodic reply posts.

carolyndh, thanks for your email on the Easter photos, we truly have a great team at St. Michael's! Each of us has our particular strengths--one is great at the general vision and pitching our concepts to church leaders, another is a master at design and layout, even those who claim to be mere "grunts" (their term, not mine) provide a lot. I guess my role is primarily tech support on fabric and sewing in the planning stages ("...um, great idea but consider that fabric will behave a certain way once you scale this design to a full size church..."), followed by construction during implementation. We also have a lot of talent in flower arranging, which adds so much to our altar each week.

As for the skirt, it was a success! One of my church style mentors, an older lady who always looks well turned out, took the time to compliment my outfit. I hope I can look as nice as she always does when I'm her age--I'm guessing 70's. Apologies to this dear woman if I guessed wrong. We can get a little weathered out here in the desert.

To Anonymous who wrote on 4/8, I can't imagine living in Gainesville after the Gators' latest accomplishment. It must be an exciting time! They have earned their bragging rights, and I love reminding DBIL of it. He is an alum of the University of Miami.

MéLisa, don't feel like a "sewing hillbilly" (love that term, by the way). I have seen beautiful garments made from WalMart $1 finds and dreck made out of Britex purchases. Sometimes people make such comments to build themselves up at the expense of others, and it has more to do with them than you. If you're ever in Albuquerque on the 2nd Thursday evening of the month, do come visit our ASG chapter. We have a program for the entire chapter each month. Actually, that invitation is for all of y'all.

I'm sure I've neglected to respond to some of your inquiries. Excuse me for skipping over you; it was not my intention.

I also wanted to mention some new goodies that came from Amazon today: Rare Bird of Fashion--The Irreverent Iris Apfel and Tim Gunn's new book. Both are winners!

Iris Apfel's wardrobe was the subject of an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art some months ago; I believe the show is now in West Palm Beach. Iris has an amazing sense of style. She could best be described as a Fashion Magpie, combining anything and everything into fabulously unique ensembles. True, her style is not for everyone, but that was never her intent anyway. In her words:

"Style is quite impossible to define, but I'll give it a go. Like charisma, you know it when you see it. Not too many possess it: unlike fashion, it cannot be bought. Imaginative, one of a kind, it differs from individual to individual. It's an offshoot of personality, not a cover-all, and it's concerned with real life, not just high fashion...Most importantly, it must be real--yours--not a slavish copy of someone else's. Studying yourself to learn who you really are can be painful but it's crucial to be curious, as style can become a creative solution for personal shortcomings. It's wonderful to do your own thing--that is, if you have a thing to do...It's always best to be yourself. For me it's a tough balancing act. You have to care deeply and at the same time not give a damn..."

I've read almost half of Tim's book since opening the box this afternoon. What can I say? It's Tim's voice, especially his footnotes. I'm glad the publisher let Tim himself write (along with his Parsons' associate Kate Maloney), instead of insisting on a typical celebrity piece. I'll report more on this one later, but so far it's a great read, right up there with "Simple Isn't Easy".

Easter Photos

I mentioned in a previous post that I was a member of the Aesthetics Guild of my church, St. Michael and All Angels. Our job is to decorate the church for Sunday services and feast days. Here are some photos of our Easter installation.






We used yards and yards of lining and prom fabrics from JoAnn's to make the fabric panels. Thankfully, the layout and cutting was done by other members of our guild! My job, in addition to shopping, was to serge the edge of each panel and to sew the ends together. No small job there, but it really was a team effort. Thanks to everyone who participated in planning and labor!

The installation will be up through Pentecost. With a project this ambitious, you just can't have it up for one Sunday. We'll be adding some red as the liturgical season changes, so more shopping is in store.

Getting Ready for Spring

I went to JoAnn's after work today and had luck in locating linen blends from which to make some casual pants. I had previously mentioned at Sewer's Guild that JoAnn's didn't seem to have any rayon/linen this spring, at least judging by the the San Mateo location. But it was a different story at the Coors store. I found 3 plain colors (slate blue, olive, and lavender) that would work well, then for fun I also got some camo cotton sheeting with floral tone-on-tone embroidery. I know it sounds ghastly but really, I like it! I think it'll be fine for some kind of cropped pants or capris.


I also found this pattern, Simplicity 3796. I have a TNT pattern for drawstring-style pants, but I'm not totally happy with the in-seam pockets. This looked like a nice alterative, especially at $1.99 sale price.

This has some nice features, including a little yoke in back that could be used for fitting. I'm planning on raising the waistline if needed--my years of low rise were over sometime in the mid '70s and the pattern says that the waistband falls 1" below the waist (and looks like more on the envelope). I'll also probably lengthen the white shorts a bit so they're more of a true capri length. Although I reserve the right to change my mind, I'm not loving the bermuda cargo shorts look.


As for Easter sewing, there isn't any--at least for me. Since I'm a member of the Aesthetics Guild (aka decor committee) at St. Michael's, I figured my time might be limited and I was right. Good for me I bought this skirt from Coldwater Creek. I'll be wearing it with a cream sweater or twin set vs. the coral in the catalog photo.


I'm actually planning on using this skirt as a starting point for a sewing project. What you can't really see in the photo is that the dot fabric shows through the floral, a nice effect. As it happens, I have several light weight sheer florals and geometrics in various scales and colors, so I'm thinking it might be fun to play around with how the shadowing works on them.

It's Great. To Be. A Florida Gator!!

Yeah, I know it's obnoxious. But it's the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!