The Me-Made Wardrobe
First Dispatch
There is little I like better than to go to my drawer in the morning and select a pair of hand-knit socks. The fact that I have only two pair at the moment makes this a disappointingly rare event. Equally rare is the occasion I get to pull down a hand-sewn skirt, blouse or dress; and it is really with the object of making these occurrences of high satisfaction more regularly attainable, that I am setting forth on this wardrobe project.
For much of my life, the idea of being delighted with socks, hand-knit or otherwise, seemed mind-bogglingly dreary. Clothing in general was a necessity to be endured, rather than a pleasure to be sought. I think growing up with fast fashion meant that I viewed clothes as belonging either to the realm of necessity or of runway fashion, banality or frivolity. Some years ago, however, I began to learn not only of the huge toll fast fashion takes on our environment and humanity, but also of the growing popularity of making one’s clothes. I have always loved making things, and this threw clothing into a new light for me. I picked up a pair of knitting needles after a 16-year hiatus, and was immediately (re)hooked. An interest in sewing soon followed, and today I find clothes and their making to be one of my great delights.
However, I find this pleasure is too often sidelined by other considerations. My hope is that by documenting my clothes-making, I will be giving it a more deservedly central place in my life. I also hope this might prove informative and helpful to anyone considering, or in the midst of, a similar project.
My goal at the time of writing is to finish one sewing project a month. I will also take you along on my knitting and spinning projects, whose timelines tend to be a little less morphous.
One thing I should note: I do not currently have a sewing machine, so all the work you will see here is hand-sewing. However, while I am a bit of a history nut, and enjoy using historical techniques, I am not really in pursuit of a historical wardrobe or any kind of historical accuracy. I really just want to make pretty clothes!
I will say, if you are on the fence about learning to sew, and are feeling daunted by a sewing machine, it is not impossible or even mind-bendingly difficult to sew by hand. In fact, my hand-sewing projects tend to go much quicker than my knitting projects. It is perfectly fine to try out sewing with nothing more than a needle and thread, and to make the investment in a machine later if you so choose. You may even be surprised by how much hand-sewing is still necessary (or at least desirable), and how much of it you start to see even on commercially-made garments.
Without further ado, here are a few projects I’m working on at the moment, and my plans for them.
Linen Skirt
This gorgeous linen has been in my stash for an embarrassingly long amount of time; it was almost the first fabric I purchased when I decided to start sewing. I am in the beginning stages of turning it into a simple gathered skirt. This is the sewing project I hope to finish this month!
Peppermint Socks
I am an incurable sock knitter, and recently got some lovely yarn from my sister to make a pair of socks I am affectionately labeling the Peppermint Socks. I am hoping to finish these in the next couple weeks, as I am planning to start on Christmas knitting early this year, and that will involve a lot of sock knitting!
Traditional Hap
A slower-paced project is this Hap I am knitting from Shetland yarn, Jamieson & Smith to be precise. A Hap is a shawl which originated in the Shetland Islands, and functions as everything from a jacket to a baby blanket. It is knit by a delightfully ingenious method, which results in practically no seams in the garment. I plan to incorporate some color in the “borders” of my shawl, while the edging and center will be in the natural wool pictured above.
Shetland & Silk Lace Shawl
The most ambitious project I am working on at the moment, however, is also the one which, currently, looks the least significant:
This is a rather unusual blend of soft, high-quality Shetland wool with mulberry silk, which I am spinning up on a drop spindle in the hopes of one day, eventually, making something similar to this:
While they were knitting up their Haps for daily use, the women on the Shetland Islands also spun and knit these impossibly fine, gossamer lace shawls to sell. The Shetland sheep produces a long-staple wool which can also be very soft; the best quality wool from the neck of suitable sheep was used to make these masterpieces. It has long been a dream of mine to spin and knit one of my own, and the photos above represent my first baby steps in this direction.
That’s all for today! Keep an eye out next week for some original fiction, and in the meantime I hope you have a stimulating and enjoyable week.