second year

Hey, it's another blogoversary. Two big years! Toddlin' about. I did not make it an Oliver + S gift, though.

I know my posts are pretty few and far-between, but my blog is actually incredibly important to me. My readers are ace, and you all keep me motivated and inspired to keep sewing, learning and sharing. Friends & family have expressed admiration that I've found an activity I love so incredibly much. I always tell them that I probably wouldn't have become so committed to sewing if it weren't for my blog and the amazing people who read it and support me. I don't want to take any of this (or you) for granted!

This past year of blogging has been a pretty big one, I think, at least in terms of collaboration and participation. Some highlights:

1) I participated in my first Me-Made-May, which was surprisingly easy (aside from the daily photos) because I've actually built a pretty robust handmade wardrobe. I haven't bought any new clothes off-the-rack since August of 2012! Though I do need more sweaters and am scared of learning to knit them. 

 

2) Made several garments in a short time period for Season 1 of the Project Sewn competition, hosted by the Simon + Co. ladies, and won second place! 

3) Stood as a judge in the Super Online Sewing Match hosted by Sew Mama Sew. Congrats on your win, Kelli! 

4) Got Sew Bossy with one of my favorite bloggers, Cirque du Bebe. 

5) Had Corey's cameraman jacket featured on Jesse Thorn's popular menswear blog, Put This On. Men actually visited my blog! A LOT of men. Hai boyz :-* 

6) Bought a better camera (Canon Rebel). This is a minor change because I don't use it that wisely -- and I'm such a noob at photography -- but this has helped clean up the aesthetic of my blog a bit so I'm happy I made the investment. 

Last year for my first blog anniversary I calculated some stats and posted superlatives on my year of sewing, so I thought I'd do it again to see what's changed. I am a grant writer by profession...and a data nerd... so it's only natural that I want to share some measurable outputs.

Between October 2012 and October 2013, I have sewn 66 garments, 51 of which were for myself and 44 of which have made it to the blog. You're probably thinking "Cool," or "wtf get a lyfe." I had both reactions myself. I love sewing but I also just love wearing new clothes, so sewing quickly is important to me. And we all know I'm not making silk taffeta ball gowns over here. IF ONLY, right.

The distribution of categories is similar to last year, no surprise. I wear dresses and skirts 90% of my life. The only difference, really, is my output of men's clothing. In my first year of sewing/blogging, I made Corey one shirt that never got worn. This past year, I made him three shirts, three pair of shorts, and one jacket. And two Henley tees that weren't counted in the total because I finished them after I made my pie charts. He wears his handmade clothes constantly, so it's win-win. Win: I make him clothes. Win: he does the dishes?

Last year, more than half of my handmade garments were never worn or had been discarded, taken apart, or given away in disgust. This year I still have several duds, but most of those were impulse sews that didn't take much investment of time or materials. My UFOs are a different story I refuse to tell, though. Shudder.

Here are some superlatives for the things I've made in the past year:

MOST WORN: definitely this navy corduroy skirt, made from the Colette Beignet pattern. I wore this constantly last fall and winter. It shrunk in length, but I still sneak-wear it to the office and pretend it's acceptable. I wear my other buttonless Beignets pretty often, too, because I like the shape on me, and they're lined, structured and don't flutter around in the wind.

LEAST WORN: I made this white blazer for round 1 of Project Sewn, and I think it's the sole reason I won that round! Unfortunately the sleeve cap is rotated weird, and the lining is sticky, and I promptly stained it, rendering the whole garment basically unwearable. I'm still holding onto it, though, for the memories or something.

MOST READ BLOG POST: Well, actually my most read blog post continues to be the Round Pintuck Pillow Tutorial (people love pillows!!), but as for posts published in the past year, the review of my Janome coverstitch machine is in close competition with the Cameraman Jacket post. Seems like a lot of people have a coverstitch on their wish list, and it helps that I got a shout-out from Sunni (A Fashionable Stitch) about it. Guys, I'm still so glad I bought one. All my knitwear has awesome stretchy hems! It just feels so pro. So Coverpro, if you will.

FAVORITE FABRIC: I think people think I'm crazy when I wear my flamingo dress, but I can't get enough of it. I won this beauty in a giveaway hosted by Marie (A Stitching Odyssey), so it makes me think of my bloggy friend every time I wear it. It's just the perfect fabric: stretchy with great recovery, lightweight but opaque, slinky but stable enough to cut and sew, cute enough for summer but warm enough when layered for winter. And it's covered in flamingos, c'mon.

BEST BLOG SUPPLEMENT: Instagram. Yeah, yeah, I know. Translation: laziest blog substitute. Blogging is already time-consuming enough, so I've always limited my sewing web presence to my blog and sewing-specific platforms like Burdastyle and Pattern Review. I hate Twitter (too much text, marketing, and di@logue confusion), and Facebook is too littered with high school acquaintances saying boring things. To better connect with sewing bloggers elsewhere, though, I decided to try out the visual platform of Instagram. Turns out I love it, and think it's a great way to share behind-the-scenes sewing stuff as well as other parts of my life with fellow bloggers (though it's still mostly sewing BS with the occasional cute animal). Though it's social media, it feels more personal than blog comments. 

Unfortunately its greatness means that I've been resorting to posting finished projects on Instagram and not bothering to follow up with a blog post. The above photo shows a top I made my friend Charlotte using the Grainline Scout Tee and some fabric I won in Liza Jane's recent fabric giveaway! That may be disappointing to some, but it satisfies my "Look what I made!" impulse without forcing me to commit the hours involved in photo shoots, photo editing, text write-ups and linkies. Still love my blawg, though, and I know a lot of my #1 homies aren't on Instagram (yet). Anyway, follow me if you dare: @foursquarewalls

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of hours of commitment, this blog post needs to come to a wrap. Thanks again to all of you who read my blog and encourage and challenge my sewing. I wish I could wrap my arms around the whole globe and give you each a squeeze. Until then... cheers! 

s.o.s. challenge ahoy

Of all the fabric in the online world that I could drop into my virtual shopping cart, what are the chances that I could end up with the exact fabric as one of my familiar sewing bloggers? Is it possible that someone else has as good taste as I do? Apparently yes. I was scrolling through my blog reader earlier this year, and saw a post by Made by Trisha in which she announced her "stashbusting pledge" for 2013. Because she is a good blogger, she also posted a photo of the bust-worthy stash -- for accounting or accountability purposes, I assume. Wait, ooh, something familiar! 

(Trisha's stash)

I spy some fabric in your stash that's also in mine, I commented. Well, besides that gray jersey with the black birds. I DO know everyone already owns that (my attempt at it found here). But that blue and white piece -- is it the blue nautical flag stripe knit from Girl Charlee? Yessiree. This made Trisha's brilliant brain wheels crank. We simply can't pass up this opportunity -- we both own this sister fabric, birthed from the same fabric yardage womb in the same little fabric shop. But if we can't reunite them in person, let's reunite them in spirit! (Let me be clear: this is my dramatized reenactment of our first e-mail exchange, not an actual transcription.)

Introducing our S.O.S (Stashbusting Our Sister fabric) Challenge. Everything collaborative you do in the blogosphere needs a catchy title or else it crumbles away in memory and search boxes. Trisha and I have committed to using our same fabric to make a secret item, then we plan to reveal it to each other and the world on April 2nd. I can't wait to see what she makes with it! We may have similar taste in fabrics, but where will our respective creative processes lead us when it comes to choosing (or drafting...?) a pattern for it? Since our fabric was separated at birth, how similar will their personalities be after all this time?!

The fabric is cute, yes, but the design lines and large scale stripes have given me pause. It's languished in my stash for this long (almost a year) because I don't know what to do with it! It's a ponte knit, so slightly heavier weight than other cotton jerseys I've bought from Girl Charlee. I love it dearly but am afraid of making a bad style choice for it. Of course I did my Pinterest research:

Consensus seems to be a figure-hugging dress with simple lines. Naturally I'm more drawn to the Ruche dress (far left) that actually has a waist seam and some ease through the hips. But my fabric may be too thick to imitate that drapier style.

What do you think? What would YOU do with this fabric? Wait, do you already own this fabric? Hop on over to Trisha's blog to see her announcement of the S.O.S. challenge, and watch our spaces in April for the final products!

2013 goals

Happy new year, kids. We made it! We chanted and hollered and toasted with Art of the Age liquor (Rhuby, yum) and danced clumsily to Beyonce and chugged water all morning. Now the show must sew on.

My blogoversary was in October, so I already did a best-of/worst-of reflection post for the past year. But it's hard to resist using January 1st as an excuse to create a list of goals for my crafting in calendar year 2013. These are actually more like measurable objectives, with the ultimate goal to become a more skilled, efficient and sustainable seamster (and blogger). Keeping with Gillian's theme for the year-end wrap-up posts, I'm writing down five. So, in no particular order:

1. Make three garments using textiles sourced in the USA.

Ooh, that's hippie talk. The primary reason I sew right now is because I enjoy the process, and it's rewarding to create something than I can then wear and show off. I'm realizing now, though, that having this technical skill also means I can actually control the production process of my clothing, which is truly incredible considering the state of the "fast fashion" industry right now. I used to be someone who was thrilled that Forever 21 jeans only cost $9.00, but didn't understand nor did I care to understand WHY they could possibly be only $9.00 and what that meant in the grand scheme of things.

Now that I sew, I can ensure that many of my clothes are made in the USA, but I also want to ensure that I'm using quality and ethically-sourced materials to make them in the first place. I read that 99% of textiles consumed in the United States are unfortunately not made from fibers that were grown, spun or milled here, but there are resources out there for finding sustainable and organic fabrics, both in the US and abroad. I just ordered my first organic cotton knit that is entirely USA-grown and processed (from here). Let's hope I don't botch it.

2. Wear a handmade garment every day during Me-Made-May.

Zoe, who has hosted all the Me-Made months, announced in her own "Hello 2013" post that she wants to host another Me-Made-May. I have not participated in this yet because my handmade wardrobe was not robust or practical enough for me to do so in May 2012. I wear me-mades often but not every day of the week, so I hope that by May of 2013 I will have enough wearable garments to make this possible. I'm always thinking of how I can sew items that will work for my everyday lifestyle, so I hope that by aiming to participate in the me-made month will help me figure out how I can be almost exclusively me-made... eventually.

3. Knit three items.

Er, it's inevitable. I've succumbed to peer pressure. The bandwagon has driven by hundreds of times but finally I hopped on after seeing all these other admirable sewists havin' a rowdy time on board. Over the holiday when I was visiting home, I was seriously missing my sewing machine. A full week of NOT crafting anything? Unbearable. I took the plunge and bought some circular needles and wooly yarn and hopped onto YouTube. I've started my first project -- the GAP-tastic Cowl that Kelli just made as a beginner herself -- and it's going swimmingly (well, after unraveling the first attempt and starting over from scratch). Knitting is certainly different than sewing and I'm not as fond of it yet, but I do love that it's portable, repetitive and has the potential to expand my me-made wardrobe. Makes for a great thing to do while sitting on airplanes or watching HGTV, which describes my holiday break quite well.

4. Get to know my serger better.

I use my serger all the time, but not necessarily to its potential. We have a surface-level relationship, us two. I really don't understand the tension or the stitch width/length/feed required for different types of fabric. When I overlock the edge of a single layer of lightweight fabric, for example, my stitches tend to be incredibly wonky and the loops hang off the edge or the stitches pull and pucker. I usually just shrug it off because no one else will notice, but if I want to be a "good" seamstress than I need to have "good" finishes all around, especially as I start to make more things for other people. So to ensure that I actually get to know my serger better, I must:

• Read the instruction manual all the way through again.
• Watch serger videos, read up on tutorials and tips, or even taking the Beginner Serger Sewing class on Craftsy... if it goes on sale.
• Test different kinds of stitches to better learn how the tension and stitch controls interact.
• Get my serger knife sharpened. Where? Somewhere.

5. Rev up the ole blog.

I like my blog (and I love my readers!) but I know it could be way better. I recently won Hayley Morgan's "The No Brainer Blog" e-book in a giveaway from my friend Dear Abby Leigh, but I haven't really implemented any of what I learned from it yet. I prefer to have my blog be heavier on project content, which is why you mostly only see me active when I have a new garment to show you. But when I'm not sewing as fast or as much, or can only find time to photograph my projects every other weekend, my blog suffers because of it. 

I think I'd like to share more information with my readers as I learn it myself, or start some kind of regular themed post that's still engaging but won't require me to speed-stitch or lug out the tripod all the time. I don't have a plan for this yet, though, so don't expect overnight magic, yahear. But if you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see on my blog or what I could tweak, I'm absolutely all ears. 100% ears.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah! That's a wrap. This all seems manageable, but I do plan to put one of these in Karen's clever "2013 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" resolution jar so that I'm actually held accountable by at least one person. Anyone else have similar goals to mine? Or know of any resources that may help me along the way? 

Wishing you all a delightfully stitchy 2013.

happy one year, me olde blogge

Can you believe my blog turned one-year-old today? My baby's growing up so fast.

It started out rocky... a lot of late nights, bad template designs and grainy head-cropped photos. I felt like I hadn't done enough research on how to be a good blog mom until it was too late. For example, I started out thinking this would be a DIY decor blog -- ha ha ha. ha. -- but all too suddenly I switched to apparel sewing. That's a bloggy no-no: to begin without a clear focus and to choose a blog name that ends up being unrelated to the content. Ah well. But despite that, I quickly became obsessed with my new role, and I was obsessed with my new hobby, so I coddled this baby until I no longer felt like it was just spitting up all over the Internet.

Of course there's still a lot of whining going on, but my blog is one of my biggest joys and I'm so grateful for all I've learned and everyone I've "met" through it. As you know, the sewing community is top-notch; my fellow bloggers and readers are freakin' ANGELS. I really don't think I would have sewn as many garments, or put as much care and thought into the process, or gained the confidence to keep trying new techniques, if it weren't for this blog, the people who follow and support it, and the other bloggers I follow who share the same passion.

So, thank you for an amazing year! Here's to many more. Or, as many as the world can tolerate.

I know most bloggers do end-of-calendar-year wrap-up posts about their sewing. But I started my blog right around the time I became re-acquainted with my sewing machine, so it's really been a year exactly since I started sewing maniacally regularly. Good enough time for some reflections, right? I wish I could say I've had a wildly successful year in sewing, but that's not exactly true. When I look through my project gallery from top to bottom, I'm pretty appalled that I don't even wear or use half of the stuff I've made. But I guess I'm proud of how far I've come, and I love that there's still so much to learn. Sewing is a hobby that almost has no limits (aside from... budgetary limits), which is one of the best kinds of hobbies.

Let's talk numbers first. Above is a breakdown of the categories of stuff I've sewn. I'm surprised I made so many tops because I feel that's what's lacking in my wardrobe -- but my self-stitched tops are some of my least favorite items. All in all, since October 2011 I've made give-or-take 52 garments for myself, plus some accessories, stuff for other people and for my home. Good job! Oh, but of the things I made for myself, I regularly wear only 10 of them (ahhh!), hardly wear 14 of them (ahhh!), simply never wear 17 of them (ahhh!), and have thrown away, given away or taken apart the rest. Ahhh! But I realize that the items I actually wear are some of the most recent items on my sewing resume, so I feel that I am improving my technical skills and learning more about my style and what I actually enjoy wearing.

SO SAD AND WASTEFUL. Ah well, enough pie charts. Onto the happier superlatives...

Most Worn: Minoru Jacket. It's a jacket; of course it gets worn the most! I was happy to pull it out from storage this past weekend, and I've already worn it three times since then. I want another one with some design tweaks, as I'm not 100% switten with the floppy collar, elastic cuffs and the weirdly-shaped pockets that were an accident on my part. Still, I like it and am proud of it.

Least Worn: Red Leaf Shirt, made from a bedsheet. My first blouse ever! My first buttonholes ever! Aw, sweet little blurry headless girl. I didn't know how to ease in sleeves so I left them gathered/puckered because I thought that's how they were supposed to be. I have not wore this blouse once, as it's an unattractive beige color and I don't know what to wear it with. But it still hangs loyally in my closet waiting for its time to shine when I score some catering gig or something.

Most Complimented: Cambie dress. Hey, don't pretend you don't covet those unsolicited compliments on your handmade items. It kinda helps to validate your hard work. Maybe it's the sweetheart neckline or sleeves, but people are always super surprised/impressed that this dress is handmade. I also think it's one of my best me-makes in terms of fit and finish, so you know, yay me.

Cutest in Photos, but Not in Real Life: Colorblocked dress. It makes me sad to look at this dress here and know that it has since been gutted to death. This thing was even featured on McCalls' Facebook page! How could I kill it? Seriously, I made it out of the cheapest broadcloth and polyester lining in the store, the skirt lining had a huge iron fry-hole that scratched my skin, the top buttonhole was completely crooked (I tried to straighten it for photos), the collar stuck out like bonkers in the back, and the bust had enough room to carry around two Chihahuas. The dress had to die. I saved its zipper and buttons and used the fabric to line some baby dresses.

Favorite Fabric: Chevron Pleated Skirt. I loved the fabric then and I love it now, but unfortunately I don't wear this skirt very much because I simply don't know what to wear it with. A ribbed white tank top doesn't cut it. I've been trying to use this as a starting point  for Sunni's "Everyday Wardobe" challenge -- where you pick something you love but never wear, and find a way to make it more wearable, whether that's altering it or making something that will complement it. It's a great idea, but I don't even know what to make that will "complete" this skirt.  While I love the saturated colors of the skirt, I somehow can't decide what color tights/shoes/belts to wear it with. Black? Brown? Gray?!

Most Visited Blog Post: Round Pintuck Pillow Tutorial. Huh? This is from back in my DIY Decor days that lasted a few...days. I made an Urban Outfitters pillow knock-off, and it's my top-visited post by a long shot (like 7,000 more views than the next most visited). Who woulda thought?

Best Use of an Old Sheet: Blue Check Dress. I made several garments from bedsheets and tablecloths throughout the year, but this dress is the most successful I guess. It has a lot of technical problems, but I wear it sometimes just so I can tell people it's made from a thrifted bedsheet. It provokes a reaction that is equal parts amazement and disgust.

Best Spam Comment: see above. I don't use word verification on my blog comments so sometimes I get robot spam. Google always catches it right as it goes through, though, so it's never published for anyone else to see. I love getting the e-mail notifications that contain the spam comments because they're hilarious. The one above is a personal favorite. There are plenty of other good ones, and I'm considering featuring them in their own blog post just to share the LOLs. 

Best Fit: Plaid Shirt for Corey. I know you must be distracted by the USA-themed tiki torch in the photo, but unfortunately I'm just talking about the boy here. I haven't blogged about this shirt, though I worked really hard on it and he loves it. My boyf has a strange body (sorry babe) and he likes a slim cut, so shirts and pants never fit him right off the rack. I made him a short-sleeve shirt before, but apparently the fit is still too loose and he isn't thrilled with the button placement. Men. SO, I set out to create him a perfect long-sleeve shirt, diligently creating a rub-off pattern from another shirt that fits him well in the body but not in the sleeves. I even made flat-felled seams, which I HATE sewing. He rolled his sleeves up high here in the photo, but believe me that they are actually long enough for his freak wonderful arms. Rad.

----------------------------------------------------------

The end. What have I learned in this reflection post on my first blogoversary? Uh, that I shouldn't keep up the pace of sewing 50+ garments a year because I end up with a wardrobe I half-hate? Maybe. But also that I've made some decent stuff and I still love sewing with all my heart. I'm confident that this next year of sewing will be more focused, intentional and informed, which in turn will lead to more focused, intentional and informed blogging. Yaaaay!

Anyway, happy blogoversary to me and it's a happy day indeed. How do you feel at this point of your sewing and/or blogging journey?

liebster award

I'm honored that Janny of Que Linda! has chosen me to receive a Liebster Award. The Liebster Award is a way to feature five "up-and-coming" bloggers who currently have fewer than 200 followers (but deserve more, of course).  Liebster is a German word meaning "dearest" or "beloved." It can also mean "boyfriend," according to the Internet, but we can ignore that.

The official rules for this award are:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog

2. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you

3. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog

4. Hope that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers

Thank you, Janny! She's only had her blog up and running since September but she already has so many amazing tutorials, recipes, and home decor & sewing projects to share. Definitely check out her DIY chevron wall, complete with a downloadable Excel design worksheet to help make your own.


Now, when looking for other bloggers to feature for this award, I had a bit of trouble determining how long some of them have been around and how many followers they have -- since people can follow or subscribe to certain blogs in various ways. I chose Blogger bloggers and went by the Google Friend Connect followers, if they were displayed. These are all wonderful blogs of mostly sewists who got their start in 2011. Enjoy:

basement sewing

curves patterns and pins

idle fancy

ms. modiste

house of pinheiro

.........................................................................................................................................