tiny pocket tank

Clothes. I have a weird relationship with them. I actually hate clothes, kind of a lot and for a long time I swore I was not going to be making any for myself, as I can barely stand to buy them. And then I started dabbling, and still I wasn't sold, but it was kind of nice to have some handmade clothes that I was proud of. I still wear my voile tova top when the temperature is right and I love it.

Things are little different now, and I am on a bit of a long-term mission. Earlier this year I read Ovedressed: the shockingly high cost of cheap fashion. And while if I had thought about it, none of it came as a surprise, it was eye opening and made me really consider where I am putting my money and what kind of a system I want to support. I have just been buying cheap clothes and dealing with it for a long time. I can't be the only one who sews that looks at a garment in a store and realizes how poorly made it actually is. If I stop and think about it, I know I can make higher quality clothes that will fit better and last longer and really that is what I would prefer. I don't know how far I will get in the journey, but I am taking the first step.

I started with a tank top. My summer uniform and my fall/winter layering piece. I am beginning with a woven tank top and hope to find a good pattern for a knit one too since I wear those a whole lot, and I am even considering trying this pattern in a knit. This was my test run, using a mint dot chambray from joanns. I do love the fabric and so far I have been wearing this tank top a lot, although it wrinkles a bit by the end of the day as you can see. I used the tiny pocket tank pattern from grainline studio, and it fits pretty perfectly I think, I just need to adjust the armhole a bit because it rubs a little, but since it is a tank, that should be pretty easy, at least I hope so. I am looking forward to trying something with a bit more drape, so a voile version might be up next. The only change I made here was to finish the bottom hem with bias tape in the same was as the neck and arm holes, mostly because I dislike trying to keep a curve curvey when hemming, and it worked perfectly and I may just do that for all of them. I also used all french seams to keep it nice and neat inside which just makes me happy.

So I am starting simple. I am not sure where I am planning to go with this, but even the knitting is part of it, and I am really looking forward to having some hand knit sweaters in my wardrobe. I hope to be making things before the things I have wear out but we'll see. Perhaps the saddest part for me was learning that paying more does not increase the quality of the construction or the social/environmental consciousness of the company making it, so I know that I am doing better, even if the things I make are not necessarily cheaper. I am trying to work up the nerve to make myself a pair of shorts, which I desperately need and really really don't want to buy. 

Stay tuned next week for the big pony club top reveal!!!