Close But Not Quite

What makes one garment work out great and another not? Perhaps I need to get a life but I find that a fascinating question - the positive, neutral, and negative merging of two three dimensional forms. When I'm out in public, I find myself analyzing what other women are wearing, if the garment flatters them, if it fits them, what alterations are needed, does the color work, and so on.

I remember LOVING the hemline of one woman's skirt and examining it closely as she walked across the parking lot toward me. It was light, flirty, flattering, and moved with her. It wasn't until she walked by that I noticed a long scar on the inside of her leg. I'm sure she thought that's what I was staring at. Opening my mouth probably would have made matters worse. I didn't.

Yesterday, I was fascinated with one woman's hips. She had a tiny waist with high and highly rounded hips that pulled up the back crotch and created all kinds of under butt wrinkles. She needed a different crotch curve with longer length and multiple smaller darts to give her shape. Fascinating. Again, I kept my mouth closed. You can imagine the trouble this fascination could get me into - VBG!

The biggest asset I bring back to fashion sewing from my art career is the shift from project to process oriented sewing. I've learned that it's the creative journey that excites me more than the end product. As one friend put it, you like a challenge and to explore a question.

That question might be how can I get better fit, which led me to sewing two of the same grey cardigans or the question might be can I make something exciting out of this boring cardigan, which led me to chop up and refashion them. Exploring the question allows me to alter, add to, overdye, paint, or embellish a garment and still be okay if it doesn't work out because wadders are a part of the process. However, even with all the benefits of learning that come with that process, it does lead to another question - how can I sew (or buy) fewer wadders.




I bought this sweater a few years ago. It's only okay even though I get comments when I wear it. It's vanilla boring as I described it yesterday although - LOL - I happen to really love vanilla ice-cream, especially with chips of vanilla bean, except that for me the point of ice-cream is to hold up chocolate sauce. The ice-cream isn't the moment; it's one part of creating a moment.

When I wear this sweater, it becomes the moment and the comments are not necessarily compliments. They're usually directed at the sweater as opposed to me and sound something like pretty sweater versus you look great. Pretty is like nice. While it's not a bad word, it's not one of the key words I want to describe my style.

When I showed the re-fashioned cardigan to a friend, she said that's so you. Hmm... the same friend has said pretty sweater to the above. As near as I can determine, the pretty sweater comments stem from the fact that I'm wearing a lighter, more visible color as opposed to black with color which is my preference. I wear a lot of black and because the lighter green color is different, it causes comments when in reality, this sweater is one of those close but not quite garments.

The sweater works because it is close fitting, sits on the shoulder, is waist defining, has a v-neck, three quarter sleeves, and a curved hem, and is made from a soft fabric with sufficient body to skim but not cling.

The sweater does not work because the color is both too light, too dull, and too yellow and the pattern is too predictable, too common, and too lacey for my fashion personality. It feels prissy-ish. I have a love hate relationship with that picot edge.

These observations are of course entirely personal just as your reaction would be. HOWEVER... it's great information for my Fashion Pros & Cons List. This morning, I'm pinning a piece of newsprint up on my design wall and starting a list of the design elements that I think work and don't work for both my fashion personality and my figure type. I imagine a lot of it will be subconscious information, things that I know but haven't verbalized. I'll add more thoughts as they come to me and as more things are written on the list, surprises will appear - some ah ha, oh that's why, info that will help me make better choices.

Meanwhile - can I do something with this sweater? That is a curious question. Either I refashion it or give it away because it's not me. I only pull it out on desperate or down days. I've been debating paint sticks. They'd catch differently through the lace and by layering colors I could - possibly - create a more varied, hand dyed, kind of look. If it was a natural fibre, I'd start by overdyeing it however, the fiber is acrylic so I'll need to do some research into appropriate products first but... ideas are tickling. Most likely, I'll wait until the weather warms up and I can take it outside. It's worth working on AND... so what if it fails. I'm not in love with it now.

THAT is one of the biggest lessons I think creative people need to grasp. That masterpieces are a bonus and that you learn to do the work by doing the work and that failure is a huge and beneficial part of the process. It's only through lots of practice, trial and error, experimenting, growth and development, that we become increasingly confident in our workmanship, our knowledge base, and our creative flow. You can't listen to your inner artist if you never invite her over to chat. Invite her over, get to know her, and you'll be amazed at what begins to develop.

I didn't work on the sweater at all yesterday other than to pin a different waist idea. I cleaned house so that it would all be done today and I'd have two full days in the studio. YES YES!

Have a great day - Myrna

Grateful - a new stove with a thermostat and a light that works

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Personal Growth - Look! Look! Actual yummy muffins. Edible. The guys liked them. I liked them. I can eat these. They are NOT glue balls. YEAH ME!