Creating a Wardrobe, part 1

I've been thinking a lot lately about about the SWAPpers out there, and it occured to me that many women entering the workforce (or changing careers) might suddenly have a need for a new wardrobe for a new job. Perhaps a promotion, a change to an authority position, or simply transitioning from a SAHM to a working girl. At any rate, I know a couple of folks who are faced with the problem of changing a wardrobe to fit a new job, and I thought it would present some major problems if one had to suddenly start completely over.





So I've been thinking a lot about how I would start over with a wardrobe. Given limited time (to buy or make) and money for a new wardrobe, essentially the question is where to start.





So this has been cooking along in my little brain for a while and then I happened across this in Time magazine. It is a painting by Wassily Kadinsky, created around 1911:

The more I looked at it, the more colors I noticed. Blues from midnight to royal to sky to palest ice; red from burgundies to rose to pinks, purples, periwinkles, orchids, chocolates, golds, olive green.

Look how many different colors are present. Then notice that they all work together.

So I've decided that a painting that one likes could be used as inspiration for a new wardrobe, just as it could be used as the starting point for decorating a room in your home.

Anyone done this before?

Still Here....

Yes, I'm still here. Just sidetracked. For more than a year.

A lot has happened while I've been quiet. Babies have grown into toddlers, grandsons have started school, and I have retired from the J-O-B. Because I have started a business!

We finished repairing the tornado damage and the new landscaping is gorgeous. I need to take a picture, obviously. And yes, I am now back into sewing.

More to come. Stay tuned.

Collars

Of course, it will soon be time to go back to the J-O-B, and I still hate my clothes. All of them. Another massive closet clean-out will be executed soon. And when I say executed, I really do mean executed. I hate my current wardrobe just that much. Fire? Guillotine? But no hanging. They have been hanging too long already.

First up on the chopping block will be things that don't fit. They don't fit because they are not the same size as I am, they are too tight in certain areas, the armholes drive me crazy, they look like sacks, they are washed to death, and they all look like Grandma clothes. So what I'm really saying is that they don't fit the mental image of myself that I carry around in my head. To realize the mental image I need to lose about 40 pounds (that's a lot of biscuits, yall) and about 15 years.

The first thing may happen (40 pounds), but not in the next four weeks. The second thing? I wouldn't go back to that age. No, thank you. There's a lot to be said for growing into who you really are as a person, and time is the only thing that will get you there.

So although I haven't been 35 in a long time, most of the current fashions can still be worn by a person of a certain age. Modified for modesty, I think most things worn by a 35-year old can be worn by others. Anyone else out there agree with me on this?

Some really cute summer things have been out there on the internet and in the stores and many of them are halter backs. No, thanks. But why not use the cute front and add a regular back to it? That's what I mean by modifying for modesty and maturity. Just because we are aging does not mean we must be confined to square, shapeless blazer jackets and straight skirts. Or does it?

Thinking about all of this led me to Style for a look at the Fall 2008 collections. One of the lead articles is about collars. So I borrowed a few photos to talk about.




This one is by BCBG. Love this collar. It does what a collar is meant to do, that is, it frames the face. Soft, drapable fabrics for this one, preferably in a solid. But I can also see this in a silky print. So feminine. Did you notice the sleeves? They are a little longer, giving the entire top a sort of layered petal look. The length of those sleeves is critical to the look of the collar. Lengthen that jumper by one foot and I think this would work for me. And the model? She needs a biscuit.



This one has a detail you don't see very often. Look at the two collars-one squared, one rounded. A very interesting look. The sleeves have a soft rounded look also. Again, add length to the hemline and I really like this one, too. It's from Yigal Azrouel.




This one, from Allessandro Dell Acqua, has a straight cut across the neck instead of the normal curve. Very simple. The back neckline looks to be a funnel cut, and the sleeves are cut kimono-style. A classic look, to me anyway. The width across the shoulders will balance out a heavy bottom, too.



Next up is this one by Allegra Hicks. It's folded double back onto itself. I'm still trying to figure out how to cut this one. If you have an idea, just go ahead and shout it out.



Here's another one by BCBG. This is a circle collar (notice how it's not gathered into the neckband?) and it's cut of two contrasting fabrics with the bottom layer slightly longer than the top one. I have a pattern around here somewhere with this collar, and as soon as I dig it up I'll post it.



This shirtdress by Lanvin appears to be made of a jersey knit and what caught my eye here is just how minimal the collar actually is. I need a better and bigger photo of this one because there looks like something rolled going on here, but I can't tell what it is! If you find a better photo, please leave me a link to it. It's cut way too low (think camisole?) and I would lose the black eyeliner. But my hair looks just like that when I get out of the shower.



I like this jacket by Y & Kei. It has a military feel, doesn't it? Those look like angled front bands and the bottom band looks to be heavily topstitched, but look at that collar! It really softens the whole look up. I have a pattern here somewhere for that collar, too (I think it's a Vogue). Sigh. I need to dig for it. And did you notice the soft rolled collar on the tank under it?



And last but not least, look at this take on a shirtdress. It needs to be silk, of course, or a really good fake silk, and I actually found a pattern for this one:







Vogue 1017 by Sandra Betzina, the one that everyone seemed to laugh at. Just extend the ruffled collar down below the waist and continue it over to the opposite side. Use the short sleeve without the bottom band/ruffle to get the same effect on the sleeves.

I'm off. Do you feel a massive sew-a-thon coming in this space soon?

Landscaping, Still

The work on the landscaping continues. As you can see, there are plenty of things left to put in the ground and on the ground:

Here's one section that's partly planted:

Here's another section with the first few plants in:

The Brick Men were here today, putting up part of the retaining wall:

And big things like this are parked everywhere:

Although it doesn't look like much yet, we are very pleased. There is still an enormous amount of grading, fill dirt, planting, irrigation pipes, and brick work left to be done.

And just for those who have never experienced it, this is what traveling with twin babies is like:

It's amazing that two itty bitty people can turn a four-hour drive into a seven-hour event!

And this grandmother certainly has developed twin skills, too:

Two Little Peas In A Pod

We're all at the beach, having a little vacation. Of course, these Little Bobbies have been entertaining Grandma. Here they are, posing on the sofa:




That's Little Ruby on the left, and Little Pearl on the right.



Little Ruby comes in at a little over 9 pounds, and Little Pearl is over 10 pounds. So Little Ruby has tripled her birth weight, and Little Pearl has doubled hers. Fat babies!




Of course, Little Ruby is still extracting revenge for being so mistreated while in the womb:




See the sneaky litte smile? See Little Pearl do what she does best? Holler, that is. There is a reason her nickname is Holler Head.

I Finally Found It

My camera, that is. It has been MIA for the past week. I finally found it in the sewing room, of all places. That kind of gives you an idea of just how much sewing has been going on around here, now doesn't it?

That's because we are in the midst of a massive landscaping project. As I'm sure all of my neighbors will agree, our yard has been pretty pitiful since the tornado. Now that all the stumps and stubs of what used to be wonderful shade trees have been decimated by the chain saw and stump grinders, very little is left.

I can describe it in just two words.

Not Much.



There used to be a retaining wall there. It was clobbered by trees and heavy equipment, so the Landscaping Guys have busted down what was left of it and piled it in the yard. A shiny new one will go up any second now.

See the big ugly piles? See the nice front porch? See the not-so-nice view from the front porch?



This used to be our front walkway.



On the right you can see what's left of the front walkway pavers. We're going to reuse those (and about a hundred more) to rebuild the walkway.



See the nice dirt?

But now, oh, my goodness, just look at all of THIS!!!!
















All of those glorious, beautiful living things will soon live in the front yard. There are 100 daylilies, 400 asiatic jasmine, little gem magnolias, elm leaf hollies, stokesia, purple coneflowers, hundreds of daffodils, white zinnias, and about 200 things I can't identify.

We are going for an English cottage garden look, with a basic green evergreen foundation planting with hundreds of perennials for four season color. Also included are 10,000 square feet of centipede sod and a monstrous irrigation system.

It took a whole can of W-D 40 to get that wallet out of my Sweet Heart's pocket.

Pants, Version 1

It's been another exciting day for the yard. The Tree Men returned, and as a special treat, the Bulldozer Guys came, too. We had to move all the cars (I still don't know where mine is--I guess one of the kids drove it off somewhere, and just think, it had a full tank of gas in it, too) so they could get a bucket truck, a dump truck, a bulldozer, two trailers, and too many chain saws and ropes to count into the back yard. More tree work from the tornado, I'm afraid. PLUS, the Bulldozer Guys are here to knock down two old decrepit sheds in the back yard.

How decrepit is decrepit? Well, one of the old sheds was the original outhouse for the big house, so it must have been built around 1890. The termites have had a heyday with that thing. The only thing holding it up was kudzu.

The Duke of Cute was here, too, to watch the men work. He and Pa had a large time watching the men with the big machines.

Last night I sat in front of the TV and basted together Version 1 of the Burda pants pattern. I'm talking about real basting, the kind done by hand. That's right, I basted the ENTIRE pair of pants together (even the hems!) by hand. With quilting thread. Here's a view of the front:



I wore these for about four hours today while cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, and other sorts of bending and working activities. I did this so I could tell if the things really fit or not. So many times I think something fits me, only to have it drive me bonkers if I wear it to work.

I can sit, stand, bend, stretch, walk around, and sit some more in these. They are very comfortable. But after wearing them I realize that this pattern is drafted for saddlebags, which I don't have. All of my butt is behind me. So I need to take about an inch off each side seam from mid-hip down.

Here's the back view:



Again with the saddlebags. With the additional problem of too short of a crotch length. Although these feel really good on, they don't look so good, now do they?

The waist fit is fine, I'm just not sure if it's at the right point on my body. So next I plan to taper out those saddlebags and let out the crotch seams and wear them some more. Then I can make a better decision about the waistline.