I've hermited myself away the last two days trying to finish up three flannel nightgowns that I cut out before leaving for Texas. I just finished the last one. I actually used two pieces of fabric from a very old stash aquisition, and one that I just bought last fall. I was told in no uncertain terms at my last Genteel Arts Academy class that I was a "mere amatuer" at fabric stashing, and this was from folks that share my love of yarn and fiber, too! I have 3 large pieces of flannel ready to be cut out for pajamas and silk for ball gowns, ribbon for trim too, and some sundress fabric I got from Samoa...forgive me if I'm not knitting and spinning so much, I'm in a very acute sewing stage!And while I'm on the subject, I was thinking this morning as I finished up the striped nightgown that sewing is kind of a metaphor for life. You know, you can sew for enjoyment as I do, or you can sew because you want something you can't find elsewhere such as nightgowns that are prewashed/preshrunk and long enough for my tastes out of fabric that IS NOT treated with flame retardant chemicals, or you can go to your favorite store and purchase something that takes you no time at all, nor does it take much thought in picking out. Oh, I buy plenty of clothing, but it's not something I can look at and be proud that I made it with my own hands. It's kind of a journey vs. destination thing. I put piping and buttons on the nightclothes, and finished each seam, all the while thinking that it was "just" a nightgown and I didn't have to do all that extra work. But, like so much in life, I enjoy the process and take great pride in having done it "right" and more creatively. That's why I enjoy making my Civil War reenactment clothing and learning how to make them more authenically and more expertly. You can rush through and just do the bare minimum, or you can enjoy each step even if it means a little bit more effort, but you have more experiences to show when you're done if you just slow down. Knitting, spinning, and weaving are that way too. Too bad my work life gets in the way of my hobbies...
And I'll let you know when my fabric stash is "SELE" status...Stash Exceeds Life Expectancy!
1 comment:
Why thank you, ladies! The nightgowns are for home, I spend most of the mornings in my nightgown working so I wanted to be comfortable. And Claudia (how the heck are you?) piping is really not that difficult but I cheat, I have a piping foot that I bought for my bernina, and I move the needle close to the edge of the piping. The foot rides the piping and also directs the stitching to get right up there into the very edge near the cording. I love it, it's so easy. It's #30 if you have a bernina, I had to order it, I think it's the called the 3 slot pintuck foot.
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