Weekend Reading: Fashion revolution, me made may, and inside a couture collection
We had an amazing anniversary this week. Not only did we get so many thoughtful, kind comments from all of you here on the blog, facebook, twitter, and instagram, but we got a surprise cake sent over from the lovely Lisa over at Sweetpea Baking! So incredibly sweet (both the gesture and, of course, the delicious cake).
I’m hoping to do some sewing this weekend while the sun is hiding. Here’s some reading for your weekend pleasure:
- Are you doing Me Made May this year? Elena wrote a great article about it for the Guardian. I’m participating, and you can follow along with my semi-consistent updates all month on Instagram.
- Inside Armani’s couture: “Armani Privé embroideries have thousands of inserts – stones, Swarovski crystals, sequins, baguettes – that augment the light effect. If the stones need to be of a precise colour, they are hand-painted, one by one, before being applied.”
- I will admit that I never really understood the point of zero waste patternmaking. So the fabric is not thrown out, but if it doesn’t add to the design, isn’t it still waste? And doesn’t it end up in a landfill regardless anyway? But this article at This Kind Choice presents a different angle, showing how zero waste patterns change the very structure of fashion production.
- I was on my retreat during Fashion Revolution Day, so I wasn’t able to write much about it. But I’m glad attention is being paid to the horrible Rana Plaza disaster on its anniversary. Cheap fashion costs real human lives.
- Long time readers may remember Rachel, who wrote many lingerie detail inspired tutorials for our blog way back when. She’s now off in New York pursuing her dream of designing american-made beautiful lingerie. Her guest post at the Lille Boutique blog has some great snaps from her visit to the factory. Go Rachel!
- Can talking to strangers improve your mood?
Comments
Kat
May 2, 2014 #
Thank you for that link to Armani’s article “Couture has a role to play; it’s a dream, it’s the utmost expression of the best craftsmanship, of that heritage of savoir faire linked with pure creativity – things we can’t imagine giving up.” – Amen to that :)
Alison
May 2, 2014 #
Did I see a Macaron and a Zinnia in that Guardian article?
Alyson Clair
May 2, 2014 #
I do so love the concept of 0 waste patternmaking. The sad thing is it doesn’t work for anything graded. :(
Claire
May 2, 2014 #
I love that last article you posted! When strangers ignore each other, it’s like pretending that as human beings we have nothing in common. It’s ridiculous and erroneous, and life is so much more pleasant (for both parties) when you say hello. I’ve worked many years as a barista, and I really can’t stand the “business only” approach.
Valerie
May 3, 2014 #
I hear you about zero waste patterns. I’d rather cut sew and make what I need but make a tailored garment..unless it’s a kimono, the perfect no waste garment.
Robin
May 4, 2014 #
My cheap gene expresses itself when I make clothing, for good and not-so-good. I buy ends or less fabric than I may need for, say, a blouse with long sleeves and a collar. The patterns I go to again and again have variations such that I usually end up with a short sleeved, collarless version! On the other hand, if I have a lot of shirt fabric to start with, I will make the version that has not only a collar and long sleeves, but also long tails. The highest ideal is to use all of the fabric piece I am working with. As related to the Wardrobe Architect, this approach affects what I have in my clothes closet at the end of the day, if you can imagine where this approach naturally leads…
I use the same approach with pants, though not so much. Pant and shorts styles and their uses are much less flexible in this regard. I usually start with fabric that inspires me in some way, and then I buy as much (or as little) as I imagine my budget allows. Then I find a pattern (or patterns, if it’s a large piece) that will yield useful pieces of clothing. I know it’s backward, but it keeps sewing a fun hobby.
This strategy wouldn’t work well if I had greater need for specific clothing, but I do office work from home and live in the country, so the need is small, while the desire for applying creativity is huge in comparison. There are times I wish at the end of a make that I had more of the fabric to work with, but that is rare. Oh, and I rarely follow suggested layouts, other than as a general guide, which usually save lots of fabrics, up to as much as a half yard over the published required amount.
Robin
May 4, 2014 #
I should have added that I lean toward heavily tailored too, and that adds to the challenge of using every scrap. I recently bought a straw hat that has a brim which has holders, such that I can make matching scarves for it to go with different outfits. I also save scraps for making eye shades, which I have to use every night to sleep with, to help deal with dry eyes. This is a great use of luxury fabric scraps!