Its taken weeks, but I finally finished my first piece of ''sewing my own clothes lifetime project'' and I think I'm finally over a fear I was developing about not being to do this.
I am enamored with French Country clothing, as it happens, and with Les ours d'Uzes in particular. I adore Magnolia Pearl and some Robin Kaplan too. But mostly it is the gauzy linen fabric in organic tones that I find with Les Ours, and is what I want as a foundation for my clothes. I have had to spend many hours, weeks, time online to find a company that has a lightweight one that I will need because I live in hot Florida and all my fabrics have to be airy and light and I found one I love so much after I wash and dry it, that I sleep with it LOL. I not only love the lightness of linen gauze, but the durability, the way linen ages. the way it washes, and especially its texture. I am very much a texture person, and love quality. I almost don't care about color so much, whether it is subtlety present or even absent, as long as the texture is beautiful, rich and earthy. Les Ours does this exceptionally well, in my opinion. But because I cannot afford their clothing and in fact have not even been able to find out where I can buy them, and ''badly wanting'' is not a good feeling, I decided I finally had to get creative and make my own clothes as previously mentioned, as being helpless, or feeling financially trapped not able to buy what I want, just isn't my way. So I decided if Medieval people can design and make their own clothes, so can I.
And truly the Medieval people have been my inspiration, because they had no schools, no computers, no books, etc, and yet the women of those times were able to design and make their own clothes which many of their styles have lasted into our era! and they even crafted clothing for the Royalty of their age, which means, extravagant designing and tailoring, figuring out how to do something new etc.....and this inventive ingenuity has been my inspiration to teach myself to make what I want.
In fact it is their designs, having been going to Medieval Renaissance festivals every year of my life for 35 years and having alot of their clothes which are made by those who sell them there, who inspired my love of old time, practical design. I am enamored of full skirts, petticoats, peasant blouses, and layers upon layers of clothing, I also love their textures, fabrics and dying systems. In Florida I can no longer wear layers and layers as I used to in New York, so the fabric now has to be very light. I needed a better fabric, namely linen gauze :D or silk.
So I begin sewing.
Can you believe this....turns into something beautiful.....aren't peoples hands amazing???
And proudly I have reverse engineered LOL something I saw which I just had to have, it was one of those things where you just wouldn't be happy without having at least this one piece, and simple as it is, it draws at my heart for it expresses me so I could live day and night in it. My favorite colors are white with ecru together, or any similar pairing.
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| Les Ours d'Uzes |
I looked at this and wondered again about those Medieval people and how they would go about making something by eye....well this is what I had to do. I am self taught in everything I do, and I mean everything. It is almost uncanny why I never had teachers for anything, but I do well.
In my quest to learn to sew either, I don't have teachers, I can't take classes, searching online for how to do something you have specifically in front of you doesn't work, and I'm not going to university to become a designer. Medieval craftspeople didn't do it that way either. I guess I'm a very indepedent person and I do like figuring things out myself, (yet hate getting stuck) and I find there is some organic and natural realism in this process, and my brain functions smoothly learning in this way. This doesn't mean however, that I would refuse any help from anyone who offered in a show and tell format! God how I'd love that!,.....but it's not happening. I'm left to myself, and Self is working very hard in the reverse engineering process. I have had to call in the Angels of Sewing to offer me advise where I was stuck, and I might have had help from an old gray bearded, very calm old smiling twinkling eyed man, expert tailor from some era in ancient times from beyond this world, as I finished my piece yesterday with some encouragement from him *winks*
So last night I finished my first piece which I made from muslin which is another fabric I love. I don't know why people only consider it a base fabric to ''practice'' on, but I love the color, the lightness, that it's cotton and that it's cheap! Perfect for Florida. But it frazzles alot! and I needed to find a way to make neat clean seams without all the frazzle, because I wanted it to be as nice on the inside as the outside. So I looked at a white chemise top I've had for over 20 years that I was using a cutting pattern for the top part because the neck line was similar, and there the seam was so neat, without a serger, and I loved the engenuity of it and that was my answer, I knew I'd do all the seams that I could that way....turns out, as it happens..... again, its called a French Seam. (There is a French theme going on in my life without my help and I find this fascinating!)
I didn't want to ruin any precious linen gauze with an experimental learning process, but now that I know how to do it, at least in my own way lol, I will make another Market Jacket with the gauze and die it pink, using organic materials such a vegetebles which is something else I'm teaching myself, is how to die fabric with natural materials. I believe I'll be using beets for this, for while it is red in color, it dies into a pink. Doesn't pink linen gauze sound delicious? I can't wait until everything I wear against my skin is so naturally soft and organic, I will feel myself like a fruit! :D:D:D
So here is my own piece......
tadaaaaaa!!!!!
''THE MARKET JACKET''
I dyed the lace around the empire waist in black tea.....I adore this color and alot in the future will be Tea Stained!!
I didn't have room for the buttons, I can never get used to the increase in my own size there! and decided to just use ties to tie it closed....very light and airy for hot weather. The skirt is from the store, a beautiful all cotton frilly and full petticoat skirt. I have many skirts :D Notice the peekaboo above the skirt for a little touch of belly skin? so sweet and sexy. :D
I have tried this on several times, and every time, basic as the fabric is, it feels like a luxury. Today my neighbor saw it and fell in love with it, and began a nostalgic expression of why we can't find things like this in the stores, and how she loves the lace and ruffles, etc....so in her too, it inspired some deep intuitive desire for feminine quality in clothing. Tomorrow I'm actually going to Market and I'm wearing this.....I will try to take a picture :D
Thank you for listening and reading. Truly I think I speak mostly to myself. Its like this blog is a journal of mine, for me. A brief one because it is public :D, but still a journal of some sort.
Kind of a love letter I write to me......and anyone else who listens from the heart.....right Pammie?? :D
Here she hangs on my door, ready for me to dress. No, there's nothing wrong with your PC, the walls ARE green, :D "Hellebore" to be exact, by Martha Stewart. I love this spring fresh green in my room.
I'm sharing this post with Katie's Nesting Spot
