groove.stitch.flow

Tag: stitch

  • my punk rock summer pj’s

    In an earlier post, I mentioned my punk rock summer pj’s and how much I love them. In fact, they’re my favorite pajamas of all time. It’s not just that I love the classic style of this particular pattern, with the collared button-up top, the pockets, and the contrast piping. It’s also not just that I made them myself, to my exact measurements and specifications, with my own two hands. Not even that they look so fucking cool. It’s that they are so darn comfortable!

    It all started a little over a year ago. We were living in the San Francisco Bay Area and it was summertime. I had bought the fabric almost on a whim. I don’t normally go for animal prints but something about this fabric just looked so punk. I had also never worked with cotton double gauze and I was keen to give it a go. I knew immediately what I would make: a punk rock summer pajama set. Yeah!

    The pattern, as mentioned in the previous post, is the Carolyn pajamas by Closet Core Patterns. The punk rock pj’s were actually my third set of Carolyn pajamas. I love the classic look of this pattern. (I still dream of splurging and making myself a set out of a beautiful, luxurious silk charmeuse. One day…) The first set I made were summer pj’s (by which I mean short sleeve top and shorts, lightweight fabric) and the second set were winter pajamas (i.e., long sleeve top and pants, flannel). I used a cheerful lemon yellow cotton voile for that first summer set, and a warm and cozy aqua colored flannel with a snowflake print for the winter ones. My original plan was to make another summer set with the leopard print cotton double gauze and another winter set out out of plaid flannel. I didn’t have quite enough of the flannel to make it work, so I just made the summer pj’s.

    For the first two Carolyn pajama sets I made, I used the paper pattern in the original 0-20 size range. By the time I made my punk rock summer pj’s, Closet Core had released a pdf version in extended size range 14-32. My measurements fall in the overlap between the two ranges, and I probably could have stayed with the 0-20 range and it would have been fine. However, being somewhat voluptuous, I was curious what the difference in fit would be. I decided to go ahead and give the 14-32 range a try. According to the Closet Core website, this range caters to more of a pear shape. I’m hourglass rather than pear-shaped and I have found that curvy/plus size patterns seem to work best for me on top for my boobs, while straight size patterns work fine for me on the bottom. I went back and forth over whether to take in the top a bit at the waist and hips or whether to just leave it because they’re fucking pajamas and who cares if they’re a little bit oversized – they are supposed to be comfy!! 😂

    I made a muslin to assess the fit – problem solved. I was afraid that the top would be a bit tent-like, but you know what? It wasn’t. The fit is slightly oversized but that’s how I want it to fit. That being said, I did make a few adjustments:

    • The collar stood out farther from my neck than I like. I took it in by an inch. (I had thought about putting a small box pleat on the back piece at the collar seam but decided against it. It would have been such a tiny pleat; I think it would be better for it to be a big pleat if there was going to be a pleat.)
    • The bust dart was too high. My bust apex is lower when I’m not wearing a bra. I didn’t want to lower the dart though, I thought I’d rotate it instead. Then, when I researched it, I discovered that rotating a dart means rotating it from the apex point and not from the legs, as I had been thinking. Anyway, I moved the apex down by an inch or so. 
    • I raised the armscye just a smidge for a bit more mobility / ease of movement; I move around and my arms are all over the place when I sleep. A half inch did the trick.
    • I actually liked the length on this so I didn’t shorten it, like I did for the previous two sets.
    • There was bit of puffiness at the lower back area, and I thought about doing a swayback adjustment. However, the back is one piece cut on the fold, not two pieces, so a swayback adjustment would mess that up. I looked at it again and honestly? The slight puff at the back was fine. They’re pj’s; I don’t need them to be super fitted. I like the loose comfy fit; it feels cozy to me.

    All in all, this was a satisfying sew. I generally took my time but I did mess up the hem slightly at the center front where it joins the facing, which resulted in a hemline that is just a smidge too short at the center front and looks a just little bit too long just on either side of the center front – oops! I don’t think most people would notice unless I pointed it out to them, though (so I won’t 😜).

    This was my first make using cotton double gauze but it definitely won’t be my last. It was so easy to sew and is so comfortable to wear; these pajamas feel soft and nice against my skin. I was concerned that maybe I would feel too warm as the double gauze, while light, is thicker than the cotton voile I used for my first set of summer pj’s. I felt cool enough, did not overheat, and was comfortable all night. I’ve also worn these pj’s in the fall, and to my surprise they also keep me cozy when the weather is a bit cool. They’re just perfect.

    The basics in summary:

    • Pattern: Carolyn pajamas by Closet Core Patterns, View C (short sleeve top and shorts)
    • Size: Top, size 16 from the 14-32 range; bottoms, size 18 from the 0-20 range
    • Fabric: Leopard print double gauze from Stonemountain & Daughter
    • Notions: Berry pink piping and buttons from my button jar
    • Project Start/Finish Dates: Started on 3 July 2022 with assembling the pattern. Finished 13 August 2022 with the buttons.

  • finding purpose

    I sometimes see articles that talk about “finding your purpose”. I’ve always wondered: what does that actually mean? When I was younger, I had this idea that one’s purpose in life had to be this high and noble thing, like a quest or finding the cure for cancer or something like that. I can’t recall ever feeling like I had a purpose in life when I was coming up. I was just here and trying to find my way through, just like everyone else. But then, around 11 years ago when my partner and I fell in love, I had an epiphany. Can a purpose be as simple as loving someone? It may be mundane but that doesn’t make it any less worthy; it is a beautiful and joyful purpose. I think it counts. The simplicity of it also made me realize that having a purpose isn’t reserved for people who meet certain criteria. It’s for everyone! And it’s very personal. There are no rules around what one’s purpose, or purposes (because yes, you can have more than one) should be. 

    Fast forward several years. My partner and I are on vacation in Bali, staying with friends who were living there at the time. I had been feeling burnt out at work and was thoroughly enjoying our vacation. We are floating in the pool and looking up at the sky, talking and daydreaming. The cost of living in Bali is so low… what if we took a leave of absence from work and we rented a place in Bali and lived here for like six months? How awesome would that be? We could relax and recharge, I muse. You could work on your music, and I could write my book. Your book? says my partner, surprised. You’ve never said anything about writing a book before.

    It’s true, I’d never said anything about writing a book before. To the best of my recollection, I had never even had the conscious thought that I wanted to write a book. It just came bubbling up from my subconscious in that relaxed moment. But once I said it out loud, I realized that it was true – I would like to write a book. Only I have no idea (yet) what I want to write about.

    Spoiler: We did not, in fact, end up taking a leave of absence from our jobs and moving to Bali, although that would have been amazing. I did not write a book either, although I still might. We’ll see.

    Fast forward a few more years to early 2020. We are living in the San Francisco Bay Area and the COVID-19 pandemic has just started. We are a couple of weeks into lockdown and there’s no end in sight. I am able to work from home but my partner can’t and is on furlough. There are long lines at the grocery store and shortages of all kinds of products, including, weirdly, toilet paper, as well as N95 masks. Some places are selling cloth masks, but I decide to make my own. We’ve got some old t-shirts, scissors, and a couple of little travel sewing kits with needle and thread. My partner decides to help, so we spend one Saturday afternoon making masks with our bare hands. Like, literally – we don’t have any thimbles in the house. Our hands were so sore the next day!

    One month later, I bought my first sewing machine and taught myself how to sew and began making clothes for myself. During the pandemic, sewing became an important creative outlet for me and a way to practice self-care during a very difficult time in our lives.

    Fast forward one more time, to the present. I think about death sometimes. Not in a morbid way, but rather the fact that each of us will die someday and that for the most part we don’t know when it will happen. I think about my dad dying suddenly at the age of 64. I think about one of my dear friends from high school dying at the age of 49 in a drowning accident while camping a couple of summers ago. I think about another high school friend dying in a car accident a year ago. And so on. Each time I hear news of the death of someone in my orbit, I am reminded that each day is a gift. I think about how, even though I’ve lived a full and interesting life so far, I’m nowhere near ready to go because there are so many things I still want to do with my life. Like traveling and experiencing the world with my partner. Writing my book. Not to mention all the things that I want to make. Isn’t that funny? I’m not ready to die yet because I haven’t finished all of the sewing projects on my list. Lol. I think of all the things that I want to create. Is that a purpose? I think so.

  • packing for a trip with a lot of me-mades!

    I am just at the tail end of a trip to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. (I came up for a couple of weeks to help out a close friend who is recovering from surgery. We spent a few days in Brisbane last week, him in the hospital and me at a hotel. I arranged to work from my company’s Brisbane office until he was discharged a couple of days after the operation, then I drove him back home to Sunshine Coast. He is recovering well; had his post-op appointment today and has a clean bill of health.)

    Anyway, it occurred to me this morning that I had packed quite a few me-mades, and have been wearing something me-made every day on this trip so far. The list includes:

    • A pair of the Pietra pants, Closet Core Patterns. I made the wide leg cropped view in black twill. 
    • A pair of Pietra shorts, Closet Core Patterns. I used the same black twill for the shorts as I did for the pants.
    • A pair of Lander pants, True Bias. I made the full-length version in a cream twill, with a button fly that uses light brown buttons harvested from an old blazer.
    • A set of Carolyn pajamas, Closet Core Patterns. I call them my punk rock summer pjs – short sleeves/short pants version, made with blue leopard print double gauze on a cream background with hot pink piping. Fuck yeah. These are my favorite pajamas of all time. They are incredibly comfortable and keep me cool in summer and cozy in the spring/fall. I only want to wear double gauze for my pjs now.
    • The Sienna maker jacket, Closet Core Patterns. I made the cropped version using a thick cotton fabric with kind of a loose weave, the color of split pea soup.

    The RTW items that I packed:

    • A dress from Banana Republic. I wore this once during this trip, to the office in Brisbane.
    • A skirt upcycled from a dress that I bought a million years ago from a Calvin Klein outlet store in Northern California, pre-pandemic. I wore this twice to the office last week.
    • Three tops, worn both to the office and while working remotely from my friend’s house; also worn on the weekend.
    • Various and sundry bras, undies, and socks.
    • A swimsuit.
    • A Patagonia Better Sweater jacket.
    • Exercise clothes.
    • A hat.

    I thought about including pictures of myself wearing each of the me-mades for this post, but honestly I’ve had a pretty full-on day at work and I just can’t face the idea of putting each thing on / taking it off and snapping a photo of myself wearing it. I feel exhausted just thinking about it. I’m sure I’ll do better as the blog goes along. Besides, except for the pj’s, I made each of the me-mades during the COVID-19 pandemic, after I had put on a bit of weight. Since then I’ve lost most of my pandemic weight gain and the pants are all too baggy on me now. I really need to alter everything to fit better, but I haven’t prioritized alterations. I’ve had a lot going on during the past, oh, nearly one year. I refuse to beat myself up about it. 😀

    Okay, one photo: A progress shot of the punk rock summer pj’s from July 2022. They were done except for the buttons and buttonholes, which I did later.