Dearest Readers And Needleworkers,
How was your weekend? What are you working on today? I'd love to hear any responses to this mega-pantaloni, which I just finished, adapted from a tiny pair of magnificent vintage trousers - as ever found on the 50c stall in Telese Terme. The fabric print in particular drew me: it has a wonderful optical illusion which makes them look as if there is more dynamic pattern than it is; the bottoms appear to be becoming more white - but they have a uniform pattern all around.
I had SUCH A GOOD visit to the market this past Saturday, with my Czech friend @jendasek here on bicycle on his way north... Met my friend immediately at the first corner of the panchina that I arrived at, with a splendid handmade silk dress in her hands - as I greeted her and asked her what she was finding, she was already handing the dress over to me, and this marked the beginning of a very special 'turn around the table'!
Amongst the select items I purchased, as I was limiting my expense to 5 Euros/ 10 items (this is genuinely very modest for me: the one area of my life in which I allow unrestricted expenditure!), there were this glorious black and white kecks: absolutely tiny wee - possibly even for a child, but so wonderfully shaped and patterned, colour and length jumped out at me - not the kind of item one could instantly put on, but I already had a sense of putting my 'trademark' side strip in, and these had me almost as soon as I got them home and laundered, unpicking the zip and side seams, and prepping another pair - of red woolen trews - for the transformation.
It is very rewarding to make a project like this; a quick and relatively effortless change to a beautiful basic structure: I love finding my way around this kind of vintage item, and making it new and unique. It is such an exciting time for me too, as I got super-inspired and motivated this week spending time with the brilliant @anafae @paradigmprospect and Ana's parents. Such a loving embrace and perfectly symbiotic few days together; this left me all aligned and refreshed in my confidence. And very sure that I no longer need to be stuck in my doldrum of living in a community which - as much as I love them - are not really supportive (nor particularly approving!) of my lifestyle. I was reminded very strongly energetically, that I have to live around folks much more like myself.
So alongside that renewed motivation, I felt my confidence in my reconstructing clothing also rise up: Ana and her mum spent a good couple of hours in my 'boutique' trying on dresses and skirts, and discussing our love of good clothing... A new wardrobe for their new Italian adventure... It was very good to have other women immersed in my fabrics and creations. This is the best feedback one can get!!
So I didn't have a huge amount of money this weekend, but this is not always a bad thing: it just meant that I selected fewer items, and it made me hone in on ONLY the ones that gave me a huge thrill... Two silk dresses - wowee - two pairs of linen trousers (one bright red with coconut buttons, one super-slim with dark blue and a big metal zip), and a few dresses in really interesting styles, including one pink gingham sort of half-finished project dress, which I've already pinned into a new form...
The black and white trousers were a joy to unfold: they had easy stitching to unpick, even if it took a couple of hours, and lovely solid fabric to form and sew into. The red trousers that I used for the side extensions were a bit worn - I could've chosen a more solid pair - but nonetheless they had enough fabric to make a good-sized strip for down the side of the black and white ones. I had to extend one part, at the back of the top edge; it needed to fold over (so I thought) for putting an elastic into - but in the end I chose instead to make the waist-tightening aspect hooks and eyes, not elasticated.
The top and bottom edges were a fair bit of work, on the new part made from red wool: I used hand-stitching for several parts, as it was just nicer, and added to the quality of the garment - the making of it magical again... I like the energetic properties of hand-stitching when finishing a piece; the nature of attention and intent, and how the stitches seal in and complete the aura of the clothing.
The other finishing of these mega-trousers was the sewing of the hooks and eyes; I used this special black thread which is super strong - kind of for jeans - a heavier cotton, which gave me a sense of making these new trews very secure. I thought a little about which way around to put the attaching pieces; this seems the best way, with the hook at the front and the eye at the back, so it-ll sit nicely with the curve of the waist, so as to be held in place and not come apart during use! I hope that they will be a good size for someone (smaller than I!) - otherwise I will put a zip (the same one that I took out from the side of the trouser) in the centre of the back.
There were a few reinforcement aspects which needed attended to also, like how the top edge of the waist in the older trousers needed to be sewn down (again by hand), and how it was better to remove the old belt loops; because I made a new waist-tightening aspect with the hooks and eyes, I didn't see a need for a belt - the shape of the pulled-in waist is really nice on the original garment, and so I wanted to accentuate that rather than hide it under a belt.
What do you think of the new trouser?? I love how smart, eccentric and fun they are, all in one. And how they can be adjusted to other sizes, by just moving the hooks and eyes. I like this kind of simple, versatile garment, and feel that this is the direction I am going: working away intuitively and freely all these months, I get a clearer and clearer picture of what the identity of my busy-ness is; solid, flexible, beautiful clothing, absolutely unique and inimitable, long-lasting - the kind of items that might be passed on and on for years and years. I really like the shape of them too, and wonder if I might be able to re-make a similar pair, if I have a lot of cloth that can be made into trousers.
It is good for me to have moved from a kind of 'economic goals' model of 'business', to a magic-aligned vision of being on the Right Path, and working with materials that are around me - and trusting in the process. This new trust is LIKE confidence, but is a richer-feeling sense of completion and expansion. I'm finding my rhythm in sacred needlework!
Here following are some snaps of the new projects that came from the 50c stall this week:
I hope very much that this post finds you well, and that your day is blessed - looking forward to seeing what you are all sharing today!
www.claregaiasophia.com
