After a wear test this past weekend I realized my Jack Sparrow-inspired coat needed a few more touches to truly pop. Including accessories which will be coming soon. As for the coat, it was missing that polish, you know? So I took the belt and chopped it into five rectangles to make the button tabs and the pocket flaps. I also added more buttons! Two more styles, actually. I added leather-inspired buttons for the chest tabs and a tortoiseshell set to the lapels and the pockets. The pockets have closing buttons for security which was desperately needed because I was close to losing my phone on Saturday due to those gaping pockets. For only having the yardage from the belt to work with this turned out well. Is it a complete project? Time will tell. 🙂
I alluded to my love of pirate-inspired looks in Piratecore, Lorelai Gilmore & Sportswear Influences but to be honest, I’ve been chasing after the pirate fashion feels since watching The Pirates of the Caribbean as a kid. The movies came out at a formative time for me, I was a tween and then a teen as the first three movies premiered ( I don’t count the fourth or fifth movies as part of the franchise for many reasons, quality being one, anyway) which is a time when you begin to discover inspirations and your individual style. I remember having a Pirates of the Caribbean locket charm bracelet from Claire’s that I wore often with boots for that pirate mood. It had a skull and crossbones and a cringe picture of Will Turner, my middle school fave inside. That was the beginning of this pirate journey.
In high school, I dabbled with the skulls and skeletons, including a Flogging Molly pirate graphic tee, but I had yet to find anything that truly captured the costuming of the movie. In college, I got a bit closer with a pair of over-the-knee Vince Camuto boots that had pirate cuffs and studs down the back. Now that I know how to sew, it’s time to get serious about this, right?
As an adult, I admire the costuming of Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann more than Will Turner. Particularly the costumes from the third movie, At World’s End. This poster I’ve had this since middle school and it still inspires me today, I actually used it for the basis of my coat and plan to recreate a coat dress like Elizabeth Swann wears along with an accurate Jack Sparrow cosplay at some point in the future.
At this point in time, I knew that would require in-depth research of both the historical garment and the costumes created for the movie. I would also be taking on a greater cost by sourcing specific materials like linen or duck canvas for this project along with historical patterns and additional fastenings, stiffeners, and not a lot of expertise to fall back on if something went wrong. So I decided to do a modern interpretation. Something that would have a pirate essence but would not look costume-like.
I settled on this chocolate-brown corduroy that acquired from Joann’s clearance over a year ago. With four yards to work with, I knew I could make a long and oversized coat that would be lighter in weight but could accommodate a bulky sweater or hoodie underneath. I knew I also wanted a simple fastening and toyed with the idea of a belt, which I made, and a zipper, which I prefer as the primary closure.
To figure out what silhouette I wanted, I referenced the outerwear of several Ateez music videos, including Don’t Stop which puts a modern spin on the pirate aesthetic. Kim Hongjoong was my modern inspiration for the cut of this coat, down to the epaulette details on the shoulder. I wanted the coat to be boxy and cape-like, like a modern-day pirate captain. A future goal is to acquire an Ateez compass patch to sew on the arm and complete the Hongjoong reference.
Last night, I decided to be productive. I gathered my scissors and descended on my fabric stash. To the cuts of fabric, I’d left for the first hint of 30 degrees, to make a tweed coat and plaid trousers. Oh how excited I was to have a tweed fabric that was free from wool, and on clearance no less. What a thrill!
For months, I browsed Pinterest through the forest of street-style pins to the flowing river of coat inspiration. I studied the silhouette, the collar, and the button placement. Oh yes, I was going to do this right. I referenced pattern against pattern, for the right feel. The right lapel.
For moral support, I played a fellow chaos sewist in the background, Stephanie Canada, and laid my fabric on the floor. I determined my cut lines and set them to work, as Stephanie set to work on her #grimgrinninggarb I set my scissors to work carving out the back coat panel.
With a smile, I draped it against my frame to see that the arm holes were placed correctly. The opening for the neck, cut as a slim yoke, compared to the wandering necklines of my past attempts.
Next the sleeves were ready to take shape, a careful gusset planned for the armpit. “What mobility I will have,” I thought, “sweaters, hoodies, flannels – none will be too bulky for this!”
But then the summit appeared in the distance. The jacket front and collar! It was time for the big hurrah, the moment I studied and planned for. I smoothed the yardage to the floor with care to ensure the edges were plumb. With a careful swoop, the arm holes were placed. I steadied myself for the neck opening and lapel.
I stood, I pondered, I cut. A neckline sloping down, reaching outward towards the heart. A lapel. Large enough to fold over and sit regal down the coat. With satisfaction brimming, I carried on to the collar. Easy peasy right? After such a feat! I referenced my pattern one more time and cut it. I placed. I saw what I have wanted to see for years now. A coat with collar, notch, and lapel to follow.
Alright! This is going to work. This is my dream coat. A piece of outerwear ready for Friday Night Dinner. It was sharp. It was, just one. But two? Where’s the second piece?
With horror, I realized my mistake. I laid the second piece to see that I once again forgot to mirror the pattern. It was perfectly cut, backward. The lovely lapel was inside out. I had two lefts and no right.
And I had no more yardage left, on a clearance find remnant. Game over.
No tweed coat. No coat project at all. It was over. Fin.
Sewing humbles me every time. I know one of these days all my practice and failures are going to produce something made with care and wisdom. But dang, I feel so dumb!
If you are feeling discouraged today, remember, that we’re all in this together. 🫶 Hopefully we can all find a way to laugh through our mistakes and keep looking toward what the future holds. We got this! 😁
One of my favorite memories from childhood is carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns with my Papa. Together we would plan out our pumpkin design, and like the pals we were, we would set to work! Papa would carefully place the gourd on newspaper and we would ponder the sides, choosing the perfect canvas upon which to carve. Then with Mom and Grandma in toe, we would gather around the kitchen table to begin our masterpiece. The very same table I sit at now as I write this.
The kitchen table with my sewing assistant, Bones.
Papa would handle the knife and I with a spoon in hand was in charge of scooping out the seeds and pumpkin flesh. Like an assembly line, Papa would cut a small piece from the top, which was attached to the stem making a lid. With my mind-filled young curiosity, my hands would dig into the pumpkin, into the cold cavern of seeds and orange squishy goodness, wondering if would it be as fun as last year? Would it be as squishy? I still love squishing my hands between the seeds and the pulp. My Mom and Grandma sorted the seeds from the mess, rinsing and soaking the seeds to later roast in the oven. The memory of this process still lingers in my mind at the taste of salted pumpkin seeds. It was something I looked forward to, a hallmark of October.
Each year the pumpkin face was different, spooky and goofy, the way we liked our Halloween festivities which consisted of carving this pumpkin and the neighborhood trick-or-treat. The pumpkin carving happened a few days before trick or treat. I remember getting excited when the night came because I knew that meant I could dress up and wander the neighborhood with my friend a few days later, collecting candy as we went. When I saw this fabric at Joann’s it tugged at my heartstrings of those memories of childhood. The faces of these pumpkins look just like the way we would craft our jack-o-lantern. It was nothing too fancy, we were far from experts, but the expression carved from a kitchen knife had a certain charisma that I loved.
Not only did the pattern call to me, but the fabric was incredibly cozy, being made from a heavier flannel. I had to buy it. In true me fashion, I cut one side of the pants upside down, so my trademark pattern-matching mishap carries on into my fall-winter sewing escapades. I think at this point I should just embrace it. I’m not sure if we will carve a jack-o-lantern this year but here is our proud pumpkin friend from 2019. Happy Halloween!
I love finding a good deal on fabric, and this one was a remnant – score! I got 2 yards of this heavy-weight knit jersey in pinstripe for either 6 USD or 8 USD. My original plan in the store was to try my hand at making a hoodie. Then I pivoted to a flowy jersey dress for winter. I cut the pieces out and began to drape on a form to see what this idea was going to turn into. I liked the drape but I was concerned it was too boxy for my frame, hitting mid-thigh.
In shaping the sleeve, I noticed this fabric although a jersey more kin to athleisure portrayed the weight and image of a suiting pinstripe of the classic menswear blazer. Especially if I straightened out the curve in the shoulder. And that got me thinking, should I go for a jacket?
I drafted some lapels for a collar and cut open the front of the dress. It was going well, looked like an interesting coat silhouette. But the fabric’s drape from the knit jersey began to betray the design. It was droopy instead of structured, like a cardigan? So I went back to the drawing board.
Today I decided to trim the bottom off, and then I trimmed a bit more because I cut it wrong. With the lapel collar pinned and one sleeve sewn in, I tried it on and reflected on the length. The long cardigan shape now a cropped hip-skimming garment, stopped and pondered. It needed something.
I looked through the pieces, discarded on the table from my cuts, and began to play with options.
If I was going to make a blazer I would need a button placket on either side for the buttons and button holes to be anchored securely. The lapels needed mitigation from the awkward state of their current appearance. I began to place the collar in different postures along the neckline opening and down the front.
I hemmed the bottom and sewed in a possible placket onto the opening of the jacket. As I re-situated the collar, I realized I could make this a blouse with the placket and drape the collar to change the posture of the garment from a structured piece to a more flowy and relaxed garment more in line with the fabric’s character without losing menswear blazer inspired look.
With this in mind, I attached the second sleeve and sewed up the front, connecting left to right with the bridge of that placket piece. By using the stripes in a contrasting way, the centerpiece and collar flow together like a false scarf sewn into the top. It retained the elevated chic attitude I was looking for in a blazer but with the comfort of the cardigan. I think I will get a lot of wear out of this piece. I tend to gravitate towards dark and cool-toned colors in the fall and winter.
As Chanel declared the little black dress as a wardrobe staple of any woman’s closet, I believe a little black top that you can dress up and dress down is just as important because 100 years later, sportswear separates are the gold standard building blocks for our wardrobe. What is one of your favorite colors to wear? Do you have a staple piece in your wardrobe? I tend to gravitate towards dark and cool colors in the fall and winter.
I’ve been sewing for three years as a full-time apprentice after being laid off. I’ve mentioned this before in #1 – Welcome and #3 – First Sewing Project and it’s been a quick learning curve from hand-sewing, paper patterns, pattern drafting, and machine sewing, but one skill has eluded me for three years. That is the working buttonhole with professional-looking buttonholes! Not my crappy buttonholes that look like an animal chewed a hole through the fabric and I hastily sewed some thread around it, no I’m talking about secure, there for the long haul, even button holes. Well-anchored and secure fasteners of fashion! Well, I figured it out thanks to YouTube and I am incredibly happy!
This shirt has a working placket of buttons and buttonholes, with a self-drafted shirt front and back panels, collar, and sleeves with a gusset for a more fitted sleeve shape. I finished the sleeves with a cuff for added pizazz. This shirt is made from buffalo plaid flannel from Mood Fabrics that sat in my fabric stash for 11 months waiting for the right project. At first, I bought it to make a two-piece pj set, which then was revised into matching pj pants for Kyle and me, and was further revised into pj pants for Kyle and a flannel shirt for me.
I love this print because it has Canadian Geese, Caribou, and Elk. Elk hold a special place in my heart because of where my husband is from, Caribou makes me think of the song Long Time Running by The Tragically Hip, the red plaid makes me think of my Canadian heritage, and Canadian Geese are my comfort animals.
I’m sure that sounds weird but I will elaborate. When I was 10, my mom had this amazing opportunity to go to Ireland through her work. Although it was only for 10 days, it really scared me because I had never been away from her that long. I was used to not seeing my dad for months, but my mom was always there for me. On the day her trip began, my grandparents took me mini-golfing and while we were there this little baby Canadian Goose, gosling I guess, followed me around through our entire game. It was my little buddy. I named it Popcorn. The owners of the course said they had never seen this happen before. If it hadn’t been a wild animal, I would have asked to adopt it.
Fast forward fifteen years later and I’m living in Savannah, Georgia. I moved closer to get to know my dad who lived in Savannah and I had a falling out with my mom in the process. My grandparents are now sick and I’m feeling lost. Each time I went to prayer meeting at Compassion Christian there was a flock of Canadian Geese in the parking lot. It was July and August, not prime migration time. It was odd, and I felt like they were there for me. A reminder that God was with me even when I was feeling lost and homesick.
Two years later, my grandpa passed away, the world was shut down and I felt lonely and lost in Meadville, unsure of how to feel home again. My grandma was now a widow and grieving, we didn’t know it yet but she was starting to move towards heaven, as she would in December of that year. I began to notice something each day at 4 pm, a lone goose or a flying V of Canadian Geese will fly directly over our house. Every day. This continues for a year. I even moved to a new place within that year and it still happened. When that goose or group of geese approached my house, I would hear the honk and I would run outside to watch it fly. In that moment I felt a feeling of comfort, like I could feel God’s presence with me so intensely. Just like a parent’s presence can make you feel safe, I felt that.
I’d say this is probably my favorite item in my wardrobe right now. Thank you, dear reader, for hanging out with me today. I hope you feel safe and loved today.
It should have been a compliment or even a point of affectionate doting that instead of buying shorts from the outlets or the myriad of options online, my husband wanted me to make him a pair of shorts to replace an old pair. Instead, the mere thought filled me with dread. Shorts? Menswear shorts? I can barely make my own shorts! (Not true, I’ve made eleven attempts at this point and only a few tries did not pan out.) I don’t have the right pattern! (Also not true, I do, a very good one that is classic and versatile in silhouette for pants and shorts.)
Both of us could see through my excuses and my lame attempt at avoiding a task that would make me grow and apply the skills I have learned this year. A good thing to do. Economical and customizable. A win-win scenario. I was feeling confident. His encouragement and confidence in me was brimming. The fabric selected a quality, not too heavy cut of canvas material. And yet, my overachieving penchant to be the best pushed me forward, to the pages of Mood’s online store. Another two cuts of fabric were ordered in a sturdy striped shirting of gray and another of green.
Yet they sat in my stash as I pondered. I hemmed and I hawed, until one day the pattern called to me from my sewing stash. Afraid I would deny the voice for another month, on that June day I cleared my table and grabbed my scissors ready for a fabric fight. I carefully spread the fabric across the horizontal expanse and with purpose, I dug out the first pattern piece. The front, cut two, mind the seat curve. Again with the back, the waistband, and then I remembered I promised him pockets. Pockets and a zip fly. Oh dear, how could I forget such a crucial step? In a flurry of tissue paper patterns and fabric scraps, I dug through the bigger offcuts until a pocket was procured. I rinsed and repeated twice until a stack of short building materials and a dusting of scraps fell beneath my feet.
I’m not sure why pockets intimidate me so, I think it could be how they are inserted. You must make them even, strong, and seated on the hips just right so that they tuck into the pants without creating wonky bulk or disturbing the line of the garment. They’re not hard to do with my sewing machine, yet I avoid them like a wasp flying at my head. Zippers too create such a fine finish, compared to the chore that is buttons and buttonhole creation, yet I’ve stayed away from those two in 2023. I think we get into comfort zones and become afraid of stepping out, even though we have the skills and are fully prepared for the next step, we just forget to move. It’s a shame because, without those friendly pushes from people who love us, we may never venture into a new great thing.
I’m glad Kyle believed in me and didn’t let me avoid this project because these shorts gave me such a sense of accomplishment! I now want to insert pockets into the garments chose not to, mostly my own clothes. I want to sew with more care moving forward so that the items I make have more polish. My skillset is leveled up to do this, I don’t have to hide in simple projects anymore. Pockets are friends, and zippers are a fun challenge. Buttonholes are still foes though, at least for now.
What is an escape map you ask? Beginning in World War I, the Australians developed an escape map in July 1918 for Allied soldiers to escape from the German Holzminden prisoner-of-war camp. To do this, the creators needed a material that would be durable, unlike paper which could be destroyed by water, and so sections of the map were sewn into the clothing of prisoners who escaped through an Allied tunnel.
Moving forward into World War II, the British Royal Air Force, and the United States military used maps printed on a silky material called rayon. This is where the concept of silk escape maps comes from. If shot down in enemy territory the servicemen could use these maps to get back to safety or evade capture. Thousands of these maps were created during the war and during the post-war era these maps remained but for a different purpose. The destruction of the war was evident across Europe, during this period of rebuilding there was a lack of everything, including fabric and so these escape maps and parachutes were repurposed into clothing. For more examples of what these items looked like I highly recommend checking out this BBC article and this piece by Hannah Steinkopf-Frank for their wonderful images and research.
Just a Girl with Aviation in Her Blood and a Passion for Dress History
I’ve always been fascinated with unique garments from history and the story behind them. That is what makes dress history one of a kind because the garments were not just objects of history, people lived their lives in them. It tells us about what they looked like, what their life consisted of, their status, and their creative ability. The parachute and escape map garments truly speak to the resilience within the makers to find the normal and reclaim their humanness during one of the darkest times in human history. With that being said, what makes these dresses truly special to me is the connection to aviation. My dad is a pilot, aviation nerd, and history fan. From our conversations I have a well of random airplane knowledge I’m never going to apply to my life, but it truly fascinates me. It is his passion for it that I understand because I am so much like him. Although I have gone through bouts of hating aviation because it feels like the thing that comes between me and my dad having a close relationship, anything airplane related reminds me of him.
When I saw this fabric on sale at Hobby Lobby, I knew I had to get it. It is a canvas material, so a far stretch from the silken rayon of the WWII Escape maps, it is covered in what looks to be aviation charts crisis-crossing the world. It immediately made me think of the escape map garments and although the fabric cutter thought I has lost my mind when I said I was going to sew a garment out of it, I’m glad I didn’t listen. This dress is constructed from one of the comfiest and most flattering self-drafted patterns I have made. I wear it often and it makes me feel special because it is closely tied to my own story. Although I can’t share this dress with my dad I know he would be proud and that feels good.
I’ve found there is something serene about mending your own clothes. I find it almost a joy to launder the items and collect them in a pile for a day of slow, methodical stitches and problem solving. It makes the chaos of holes and rips into the calm of rejoined fabric and orderly hems. There is a satisfaction in fixing an item that was broken, making it as good as new. It reminds me that in life when the problems come, and there will be problems big and small, that it’s not over when trouble comes.
Like last night, when a scratching and rustling sound echoed from our chimney to the fireplace below. All I could picture was that scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation when the squirrel terrorizes the living room, scurrying from table to chair, knocking things over and crawling on Clark.
Of course this happened after dark, naturally as it does, when the stores are closed and the exterminator or animal control would be closed. In a frenzy we grabbed a sheet of plywood from the wood shop and covered the hearth opening. I called my neighbor, who has become like framily (friend-family) to me. They shared advice from their own experience with critters in their house, wrapped me in a hug and calmed me down with some good laughs. When I came back home, although the bat or squirrel or whatever it is, may still be on the other side that plywood I felt okay.
Having caring and friends who love and support you is the mending thread of our lives when things get weird.
Seams and a New Gadget
Today’s mending agenda consisted of re-attaching a missed seam on a pair of underwear I bought from a big brand, the pieces of fabric were connected across the seat seam with a serger aka overlocking machine and it either ripped the fabric which dislodged it from the seam or the pieces did not get sewn together in the first place. I have a love-hate relationship with the practice of serging ends and seams. I know it saves time and uses less fabric to finish seams but dang, they tend to unravel like nothing else. So, is it really better? I’m not sure. But that’s my opinion.
I’m doing a repair on a tank that I made from a burnt orange knit fabric. I made an unwise decision to take it in at the armhole which made the fit around the bust odd. It’s pulling and the stitches are placing too much stress on the knit fabric, which I saw the aftermath of while unpicking the stitches that made the armhole smaller. There were some big rips! Now the underside of each armhole looks like it was chewed up. Which to honest made me feel a bit stressed out because I enjoy wearing this piece and I don’t have any more fabric to patch the whole with. Thankfully my new gadget made this process of closing each rip easier – the palm thimble!
As I mentioned before in #21 – Sewing When I Lost the Love For It I have developed tendinitis in the knuckle of my middle finger of my sewing hand. This is what drove me to stop hand sewing in general and get used to using my Heavy Duty Singer machine. But alas, there are still times when you need to sew by hand like when inserting a zipper, mending rips and holes in fabric, and button and buttonhole insertion. I ran into this problem whilst completing this vest for my father-in-law. Just a few hours of hand sewing these buttons and button holes, awaken my injury and my knuckle was not happy. It’s made hand sewing a bit tense for me because what if it keeps getting worse? I love doing this, I don’t want to stop making things or knitting.
But, I was browsing my Instagram feed a few days later and behold a creator I follow named Geri In Stitches was sporting an intriguing accessory – the Sashiko thimble by which she pushed the needles through the fabric with her palm instead of putting stress on her finger. I used mine today for mending and it was a completely difference experience! My finger is not in pain, the knuckle is not inflamed or swollen. It worked! I’m over the moon excited about it.
Taking in Garments
Along with mending today, I also took in three pairs of shorts that were just draped to the point of looking silly. It’s an interesting feeling when I have to take items in because there is that feeling of, dang, now I have to fix something that wasn’t even broken just for the right fit. And there is also a feeling of accomplishment because I have been getting healthier.
I’m tackling my inflammation from food allergy and stress, toning up through interval training sessions, and making healthier choices that is helping me slim down a bit. I went through a decade of gaining weight and not understanding why I couldn’t lose it. It was frustrating and discouraging to feel so out of control. If only I had the wisdom to see how much the mind and the body are connected. The food allergy was giving my body anxiety and inflammation, making it difficult to maintain let alone get in better shape. Mind was so foggy from the stress and emotions of that time period that I didn’t want to take care of myself because I thought – what is the point?
When I have the opportunity to do these alterations, it’s this little moment of progress without having to weigh myself on a scale which is my ultimate trigger into a unhealthy spiral, but also to feel this moment of this will be an easy sewing project today. The item is already completed, and well loved. It’s relaxing compared to garment construction when I can still screw things up.
Later on today, I have another round of alterations, replacing a waistband tie on a pair of shorts and adjusting the fit on another pair of shorts. And then it will be time to put my thimble away and leave process for the next time. But with each wear I will remember the time and love put into these clothes to keep them in good order. A well loved closet.
Do you mend your own clothes? Have you ever taken a garment to be altered or do you just make it work? Before learning to sew, I would just accept my fate if items broke or stopped fitting. It’s a freeing feeling to not be stuck in letting the clothes decide for you. I’d recommend giving it a try or finding someone who can help you with their own sewing skills. It truly makes a difference.
One Rabbit Riot 