Thursday, October 28, 2010

Travel and ruffles

My Grand Plan for a dance wardrobe came to an abrupt pause when I realised my holiday down south was looming large. Attention immediately switched to getting my travel wardrobe er... not so much "up to scratch" as getting it to exist at all.

I backpacked for 3 years in my early 20's and had the contents of the pack down to a fine art, but I never really worked out how to pack for shorter trips, in particular how to stay warm but not overheat in variable climates.
People say "layer layer layer" but what does that mean?! Seriously, what does it mean? how do you wear more than one layer to start with, and how does that make you warm enough and cool enough for many climates?

In total despair I bought Travelling Light by Imogen Lamport of Inside Out Style It turned out it was more about travelling light (like the name said Duh! <--- silly me) than packing for different climates. Again there was that presumed knowledge in the audience. But it nonetheless gave me so many other ideas and tips I was really glad I had bought it after all.

Some of it was blindingly obvious - when pointed out! eg everything you take should match each other (she explains clearly how to achieve that). But another point, which was like a lightbulb going off in my head, is taking garments made of non-bulky fabric so they pack down into a small space. I have heard plenty before about "non-iron" fabrics, but I've never read of the concept of packing non-bulky fabrics. A quick scan of the memory of the contents of me backpack that was my home for 3 yrs made me realise I had done that instinctively but never realised its importance.

Anyway, I really do recommend the book, even if all it said about dressing warmly was to (ahem!) layer, and suggested thermal underwear (like wha-???) simply because the book is so GOOD!

One thing I realised is I could do with some nice soft, non-bulky but warm pyjamas, seeing how we will be in the mountains of Victoria and the Southern Highlands of NSW for half the trip and the nights, even in November, promise to be cold.
So I went to my trusty local fabric store and found on special some "seaspray" cotton/lycra knit. For t-shirts it is a tad heavy for this climate, but for jammies I thought it a perfect weight. And the colour is fantastic - in the fandeck of colours that suite me I got from Kerryn, it is right between "lemon" and "lime fizz", a shade usually hard to find. I grabbed it!

I am not the world's most experienced or enthusiastic knit sewer, but I was Inspired. I have no plans to sleep in them, (ok, another tropical thing - not used to wearing much at all to bed, so a tank top and undies will do for bed) but want to be able to lounge in comfort (and style!) in our various accommodations ranging from riverside self-contained cabins, to medium-nice hotels, to friend's homes. I pulled out my favourite "Yoga outfit" pattern for the pants and my favourite t-shirt pattern for the top. Having made both a number of times the cutting and basic sewing was quick.


But how to finish them off? I find the classic band-edge both difficult technically and disappointingly boring in result. I have some leftover dark purple polyester knit from my dance wardrobe project, and I love the combination of it and the lemony-lime fizz. And, I confess, although it is technically a colour that suits me, the lemony-lime fizz is something I have rarely worn before. Getting yellows that suit me has been super-hard till I got the colours from Kerryn. So the purple (a lifetime wardrobe staple) also will bring the garments right back into my comfort-zone.
My inner children (who says you're only allowed to have one?) delight in ruffles, so... I will use a technique I picked up from rtw clothes, and used to good effect previously on this dress.
For this dress I satin-stitched the edges of both the ruffles and the main body of the garment (huge job) with a matching rayon thread. Looks gorgeous.  I attached the ruffle by simply pulling the edge of the fabric taut, and sewing the ruffle straight down onto it. The fabric had enough give to return to normal after a wash. I am not sure my pyjama knit does.

This time I am not only reluctant to do all that satin stitch again, I want to take advantage of the no-fray of knits, and the slightly decontructed look it lends to them. So I simply cut strips of purple; then using a 3mm woven elastic but to 2/3rds the length of the strips, and zigzag, I stretched the elastic to fit the strip and sewed. Wow! First time I've done this but certainly won't be the last. Instant stretchy ruffle for very little time, energy and money. (It's shown in the top photo)
Now all I have to do is attach it. Photos of me wearing the finished project will have to wait till I am down south and cold enough to wear the jammies for long enough to get a photo of them.

As for layering, I figure I can put a cardigan over the top if I am cold. And if I am super-cold I can wrap my sarong round the pants as an overskirt. That is certainly putting one layer on top of another, but not entirely sure that is what people mean when they say "layer". Never mind - can't wait for my holiday!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

My first Craft Market

Darwin's Happy Yess is holding a monthly craft market, starting at the end of this month. I am really excited. Although by Territory Craft regularly hold craft fairs in Darwin already, I do find them to be a bit on the Granny's teacosy side of craft, or bead jewelry. Nothing against bead jewelry, just can't stand 3/4 of a craft fair dedicated to them. So the Happy Yess' Craft Market looks to be a bit more funky and hip.

My friend Kite booked a spot at the new market :-)
Kite has already been holding market stalls at the local Darwin markets, selling her fantastic jewelry out of hand-gathered native seeds and pods, as well as chaine maille. Her partner makes soaps (that are made of such pure ingredients even my sensitive skin can handle them) and I sew and do crochet. So Sunday 31st of October, the Happy Yess is where I will be.

I have never sold any of my crafts before! So it is all new and, characteristically, I am suffering from angst about it. (What would it be like to be one of those people who cruise through life? Sadly I think I will never know.) But a couple of days dedicating my spare time to sorting through my stuff, and I am pretty organised.

I have:
1) Some high-quality second-hand stuff I found at the local op-shops, which for some reason didn't turn out to fit in my wardrobe upon arrival home.
2) A few op-shop pieces I bought specially to try out some ideas for the market.
3)"Upcycled" clothing - clothes sourced from the local op-shops that I subsequently took out some of my creative energy on.
4) The odd piece of clothing I sewed at some point, that I had been collecting for a trip to the op-shop.
5) My crochet hooks.

And last but not least, my piece de resistance .... I am gonna sell ice-cups! This inspirational idea came from my fave op-shop, which sells ice-cups as well as the usual fair. These ice-cups sell like ... well, hot cakes isn't quite the right term, I suppose. And the bowhunter's club also sell them. If I don't get in early and reserve one there, all the kids have eaten them first!

Some of the examples of things I will put on the stall:

This is one of my upcycled skirts. It was a very bedraggled skirt when I got it, simply the grey part, seams in need of a mend, and an old faded black frill half falling off. I fixed the grey bit, redid the frill much more nicely, and styled the back to emphasis the swishy nature of the skirt. Why is this gorgeous skirt not in my wardrobe? Weeeeeell, I am kinda sick of it, I have had it so long, and it isn't really my style.


This skirt is an example of one I really went to town on with my creativity. A Jackie E cotton broderie Anglaise skirt, in spite of plenty of napisan soaking, some yellow  stains were still on it. So I covered them up with crocheted butterflies and flowers. It is one of my fave skirts and NOT for sale! However, this effect is what I am aiming for on some of the other clothes I am putting on the stall.

Here are some close-ups (gees I am proud of the butterflies! I got the pattern from an old, out of copyright Irish Crochet pamphlet online somewhere.)

And an example of something I sewed from scratch, a silk dupion top. Note I didn't sew the cat from scratch, though


My only real worry with all this is that most of the clothes will be around a size 10, ie my size. That would totally piss me off if I was a potential customer- a whole lot of groovy clothes all in one (rather small) size. Hell yeah it would! Especially if said size wasn't mine!

Mind you if they were my size I would feel like I had found a treasure-trove, like I did at the op-shop the other month - a good dozen sewing patterns, all original edition mod clothing, all in my size. All in my pattern stash now, for the grand total of 20c each.

As well as crochet I am keen to try different embellishment techniques. I got two pairs of shoes, one silver strappy sandals, another black high-heeled mules with a cute pointy toe. I plan to make some fabric flowers to decorate them. Something like this from Little Birdie Secrets:
Or this dear little kanzashi flower,


And just for sheer fun, here is a flapper headband with instructions here I found while cruising the interwebs for the above flower pictures. Maybe I can make a few of these two. Hmmmm....

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Dance wardrobe project: Intro

I admit it. I am Dance Mad. Always have been, always will. For the past 7 yrs Argentinian tango has lit my life. A few years ago I started learning salsa too, just for the sheer fun of all those turns and spins. After all that tango, I can usually find something decent to wear in my wardrobe for the monthly Milonga, though there is certainly room for improvement. However, salsa is a different story. My salsa wardrobe is ... well, non-existent, really.

Thus, I am doing a Dance Wardrobe Project.

So, what do I want out of it? What does a dance outfit require? It needs to:
  • highlight the dancer's movement in an attractive way
  • not restrict movement
  • not have the dancer worrying about the clothes undoing/flying open/buttons popping/cleavage falling out
  • looks good when soaked in sweat (hey I know, such an icky subject, but oh such an unavoidable reality)
  • not show the world the colour of the dancer's undies (ok, so call me old-fashioned, I don't care!)
What do I need in a dance wardrobe?
  • plenty of variety (one salsa social dance a month, one milonga a month, at least)
  • things that look good on me
  • garments that are easy to clean and store
  • outfits that don't require thought or fuss to pull together before I go out.
  • all the clothes looking good with all my dance shoes and hair accessories
  • preferably clothes will also work well at tango practicas and salsa lessons (though most streetwear is fine for these)
Heh... clothes that highlight the dance movements flatteringly, don't restrict movement, don't reveal too much. Right. A huge ask! These needs manifest differently in each style of dance.

Salsa tends to have a lot of turning, spinning, the arms are raised over the head frequently - as well as the obvious articulation of rib-cage and hips. Because it is partner dancing, the woman often facing the partner, the back and side detailing of the clothes is at least as important as the front detailing.
Here is a gratuitous vid of salsa dancing a vid to show what I mean.



Watch Salsa videos and dance lessons at DanceJam.com

Hmmm, if that doesn't work out, go check it out at the website while I try to work out how to embed videos here.And here is another lovely salsa video, just for good measure.

Tango has noticeably different requirements. There is more focus on leg movements (though they aren't considered polite when on a crowded dance floor - taking out a fellow dancer with a giant gancho just isn't cricket, you know!) The dancer is facing her partner most of the time, so back detail is important, so is side detail. So many dresses that would otherwise be perfect for tango, have eyecatching detail on the front and plain, boring backs. Such a shame.). Arm movements are minimal. And because there are no quick spins, the risk of the undies on show is a lot less than in salsa.

For your delectation here are some gorgeous tango vids. A bit of soul candy. This first one reminds me of Dance Week's "streets of dance", organised by Ausdance NT a few years back, where dancers seemingly at random started dancing in cafes and on sidewalks. I and my partner were "random" tango dancers :-) The expressions on the chance audience's faces were magical!


And another, further away, but gives a different view of tango.
3of5: Argentine Tango Steps and Tango Music: Buenos Aires, Argen - Watch more amazing videos here



Next post is The Game Plan (finishing up on this one mainly because I want to post this and go get some dinner and see if those videos were embedded properly). Oh, and the next salsa social is tomorrow and I have to get sewing...

Friday, October 1, 2010

Of late in my sewing I have been working with the colour, style and wardrobe structure tips I gathered from Kerryn at Kerryn's Fabric World while on holiday in QLD's sunshine coast this May. I had read many of Kerryn's articles in the Australian Stitches magazine and couldn't wait to see her myself. It was fantastic! Sooooo worth the visit. So was the fabric shop she runs her image consulting business in. However, for all that I learnt, I have decided to take it all with a healthy grain of salt - as I am sure Kerryn would think appropriate!

I understand the "how to look good" industry is about giving women confidence in themselves, and (hopefully) to help liberate themselves from society's merry-go-round of feeling bad about their body and image.

But the underlying presumptions of what constitutes an ideal figure - where are they questioned?
It seems to me we are supposed to be trying to look as tall, skinny, and as tiny femininely curved as possible. And if we don't have it naturally, it is all about illusion, baby.
Is this "ideal" what I really want to strive for?
I understand proportion. I am a graphic designer. I understand the effect of colour and line and volume. This is my work. It isn't that hard to apply it to my body too. But... aren't pleasing line and proportion come in more variations than a tall, slim slightly curved rectangle? I understand these guidelines are for women who don't have that innate gift of design. But the underlying presumption of what we are trying to achieve as women drives me barmy.

In Imogen Lamport's Image Consultant  terms, an X shape. A low-hipped hourglass.
Here are a few figure "flaws" I have

Big muscly thighs
Short stature, all 5"3' of it.

Let's look at Kerryn's suggestions for those wide hips/thighs.
  •  bootleg trousers will pull the sillouette in, narrow the hip-region down, yet the slight flair in the calves will bring the whole leg line into flattering proportion.
  • Shoulder emphasis to balance out the width in the hip.
  • No A-line skirts. Straight skirts to minimise the width of that whole area. At most, a tiny flair at the hem. Interestingly, Imogen Lamport actually recommends A-line skirts for this figure type.
Kerryn also made a number of other suggestions for balancing the figure that affect the look of that area, however I aim to take just one isolated element, the hips and thighs, and test the guidelines.
    So.... here goes.


    Trousers: In my wardrobe I have mostly wide-legged 3/4 trousers  because they are looser, so cooler. I swapped my usual wide-leg 3/4 length trousers with the closest thing to bootleg 3/4 trousers I own.  Wow. Spot on, Kerryn ! I look fantastic in them.
    I chose as simple a top as possible so as not to distract, and took a sewing mugshot of myself.

    I put on my wide-leg trousers again, I can see the difference easily, and think "Yeah but having that slight hip emphasis actually shows off that tiny waist really well." (or is it that these are my fave, most comfy trousers and I am totally biased? ;)


    Shoulder emphasis? Here is the bootleg trousers with a top that emphasises my shoulders. With bootleg trousers, does this top make my shoulders look just a tad "big" now?


     Next, the wide-leg trousers with shoulder emphasis. To me this looks nicely balanced, and very feminine with a touch of quirkiness in the way I pieced the lower trouser legs together (It was a lot of fun to sew, actually!) I certainly don't look as "slim" as I could with closer-fitting clothes, but the proportions are pleasing, regardless.


    Skirts - most of my skirts are A-line. It's the heat again. Stand with your legs close together like you need to in the average straight skirt. Try this in really really hot, humid weather.
    Now bring your legs apart to shoulder-width or more, like you can stand comfortably in an a-line skirt. Understand why my skirts are all A-line, now?

    Well alright... all except for one, long, straight elegant skirt I  rarely wear, that I can test Kerryn's suggestion with!
    A-line skirt with plain top
    Straight skirt with plain top
    A-line skirt with shoulder-emphasis top
    Straight skirt with shoulder-emphasis top

    I can see the differences, but not as clearly as with the trousers. Not enough skirt variety in my wardrobe means I introduced two variables in the skirt experiment - different length as well as different style. Darn! Not good Science. Never mind. I actually think the length is what makes the biggest difference, not the style though. The longer they are, the taller and slimmer I look.
    As to whether Kerryn is right about avoiding A-line, or Imogen is right that they are ideal for us big-thighed x-shaped lasses, I think my climate will have the last laugh. 

    So, what have I learnt from all this? Well, that the "guidelines" do actually affect the way the figure is perceived. And in the way they are held to do so. Hey wow!

    But...

    Uh...

    Can I go play again now? Can I go back to using the choice of clothes to express different styles and suggest different shapes and lines? This tall slim, slightly curvy rectangle business is pretty boring.

    However, this time, I have more options to play with. I understand more clearly than before how the different style lines change the way my body appears. When I feel like being a long slim, tall elegant young woman I know much more clearly how to achieve it. When I feel like being the earthy, hip-centred woman with her feet placed firmly on the ground, I know which clothes in my wardrobe to reach for.