Best Of - City Gym Shorts

So I was supposed to be writing about something else today but I made shorts yesterday and I am so excited about them I had to post. These shorts. Wow. No I know what you are thinking….they are just shorts but seriously. How. Cute. Are. They. 

These shorts are the possibly the biggest bang for your buck sewing project I have ever made. And here is why….they are;

• Free - the pattern is free and you can find it here on the ever inspiring Purl Bee. They are called the City Gym Shorts and it is a free pattern for kids size 2 right through to womens size 46 hip. Who doesn't love The Purl Bee?
• Fast - super fast. I think they took me about an hour per pair.
• Cheap - They can be made from scraps as they need tiny amounts of fabric and look great in two fabrics so you only need a small amount of each one.
• Long lasting - what I mean by this is that you can make them two sizes too big (which I love doing for small people as they grow so damn fast!) and they still look ace. They would look better obviously if they fit her but they still look super cute. The photos show size 8/9 on a 6yo who is nearly 7. 
• Beautifully finished - for how truly simple these are, and for how easy and fast they are to put together, you get a beautifully finished garment.
• Cute - I mean come on! Kid legs in floral liberty gym shorts are possibly the sweetest thing ever.

So a couple of quick notes.

1. Part of why these flew together was that I don't pin at all - right up until attaching the waist band! You do need to pin the waistband. If you are an advanced beginner then give not pinning a try. Even the binding. Just go slow around the corners and you will be fine. The worst that can happen is that you need to unpick a bit. With a bit of practice, less pinning will make you very happy and very fast. Note that not pinning will not work as a sewing strategy on slippery fabric, or things like armholes. Or gathers. Maybe I need to write an actual post on things I do to speed up sewing?
2. When preparing the waistband and ironing the edges towards the centre crease (this will make sense when you see the pattern) I make a small change. I ironed one side perfectly to the middle, as directed, but then ironed the second side about 1 or 2mm back from the centre. This means that this second side is slightly wider than the first. When you initially attach the right side of the waistband to the inside of the shorts, attach the side that was ironed exactly to the middle, so the skinnier side. This simple change means that when you flip the waistband over it easily covers the stitch line. I wish I had taken a photo for you! This is a really simple change that makes things much easier and neater.

I talk about my favourite shorts for small boys in this post about Happy Homemade V2 (apologies for the gender streaming!) but I've included a picture of them below to whet your appetite. They are a fantastic project. 

So City Gym shorts - one of my favourite sewing projects ever! Are you a fan?

Felicia x

Around the Traps - #2

There were a couple of things that have got me excited this week.

As part of my Stash Less mission I have been looking at wardrobe planning. As part of my visual diary process and I came across this series by the owner of Colette patterns (via Karen). It is called Wardrobe Architect and it is truly amazing. I'm going to go through the process in order to be more thoughtful about what I am making. And I know it will help me be more satisfied with how I spend my limited sewing time.

The second thing I came across was Ysolda's new-to-me technique series. I hadn't checked in with her blog for a while and I am in love with these. She explains technical things in a non technical way - which I so admire as that skill used to be part of my job in ye olden days - and she does it beautifully. She gives you the why and not just the what. My favourites are this one - which in my 10+ years of being a knitter I hadn't come across - and this one on colour dominance is just fantastic. So very good and so well explained. 

And the last couple I want to point out are from this here blog. Last week on the blog I asked for your music suggestions and you came up with the goods. So much great new music that I am going to slowly trawl through over the next few weeks. And while you are there, go and read the comments on last weeks post entitled Craft as an Equal. There are so many fantastic ideas and resources in the comments - love it! Many super smart women read this blog and I'm grateful you all pipe up with your thoughts.

Till Friday.

Felicia x

P.S. The winners for the giveaway of Kirsten's gorgeous new patterns for Shibui are Lesley Scott and Mion. Mion - you didn't leave your email address so could you please email me at thecraftsessions at gmail dot com. And Lesley - I will pop yours in the post. Congrats! x

Stash Less - Why we stash?

The series where we talk about having a thoughtful stash.

OK. So I titled this post "Why we stash" but I'm going to talk about me to start with. I would love to hear your reasons in the comments as I'm sure I haven't yet uncovered all my reasons. What I do know is that a standard part of beating any addiction, be it cigarettes, sugar, you name it, is looking at your motivation. In order to beat it you have to understand your triggers.  So here goes.

The addiction in question today is stashing, which leads to the question - "why am I over purchasing craft materials"? What is the point of it? How does it make me feel before, and after, I do it? What behaviours am I engaging in, that have led to me having a larger than desirable stash? It's been on my mind a lot, and I have found a few initial answers.

The first is about lifestyle. Until my family recently went through our life change, I had a partner that worked a lot and I had three very small kids. As such, I suffered from a common modern ailment called time poverty. And what made it worse is that I had a lot of time to think. Doing housework for five people, especially when that includes three small grubby ones, means that I  had oodles of time to dream up wonderful projects and objects and ideas while doing things that I was trying to not think about so much, like the washing. Not very mindful I know, but I have never mastered the practice of being able to be in the moment when sweeping. Instead I go to some happy creative place. The thing is that to create all those wonderful things I obviously needed materials and I didn't have much time to go shopping. I may have shopped big when I had the chance, and done a bit of online purchasing, so that when I could make the projects and objects and ideas I had the things on hand. But see the thing was I was time poor, so I didn't get to tackle even a fifth of the "amazing" ideas. Purchasing was a way of getting the thrill of making, without having the time to actually do the making. Sometimes by the time I got to look at the materials, I often couldn't even remember which passing idea I had purchased them for.

The second is another modern ailment - fear of missing out (FOMA). I buy linen when I see a perfect colour because I know I only see it rarely. I buy Nani Iro when it comes out and I love it because I know it is in limited supply and the most beautiful prints sell fast. I buy it even if I don't have a project for it. I do this with other seasonal prints as I know I don't find ones I love often, so when I do I purchase without even having a project in mind. 

A stack of yarn that I've owned for years and never used as the colour isn't quite perfect.

The third is one is even more painful to write as it is even more frivolous. I buy things just because they are pretty and I want to see them, try them, have them. I want to own the pretty things. Errgh. This one makes me like myself a little bit less ;) as it is not in line with my principles. In the last couple of weeks I have had big big urges to purchase some of tonofwool's gorgeous Cormo and also the new yarn from Woolfolk which comes in such pretty pretty colours. Some people like buying shoes. My weak spot is pretty materials.

The fourth one is that I buy because I am looking for perfection rather than making do with what I have. I could make a jumper from a yarn in stash and instead I try to match the pattern to the yarn to make perfection. Which is a totally valid thing to do. Totally. BUT it means that I am not using things that would be 90% right which is often good enough. And it also means that I miss out on the magic of some of the ideas that come from creating from what you have.

So what to do. Here is what I am going to try to do to combat each of these "triggers".

1. Time poverty - I'm going to go back to my visual diary and plan. I think I need to get real about what I actually have time for. Ouch!

2. FOMA - I'm not going to look. I'm not going to wander around the internet looking at shops. Pinterest yes, but online shops no. I'm going to make instead.

3. Owning the pretty - This one annoys me. I'm just going to shut. it. down. Yes they are pretty but if they are pretty without purpose then they make me less happy, not more. I'm going to remember what I tell my kids "stuff doesn't make you happy" and also the Mary Poppins quote "enough is as good as a feast". I have enough.

4. Perfection - I think I may have kicked this one in part. Since embarking on this challenge I have been wandering around my sewing room pulling things out with totally fresh eyes and I am super excited by some of the things I can make. The combinations I am going to get by making do are so exciting. I can't wait to show you some. 

As I said at the top of the post, I would love to hear your reasons too. 

Felicia x

P.S. You can find details of the Stash Challenge here and here. 

Craft as an equal

So I met this bloke, let's call him Mick, at a bar the other night who was a friend of a friend. And we had the pedestrian "what do you do?" conversation. Him "I'm a painter. And a trader and I do a little teaching". And I felt the thing that I always do when I meet a person that identifies themselves as an artist - I felt an impressed, kind of good-on-you respect. The question was then reciprocated. Me "I'm a parent mainly, but also a crafter, and I run a craft retreat". And he said "Oh". And the "Oh" had weight and a flat, falling intonation. 

I was at the aforementioned bar with my very good friend Anna who helps run The Craft Sessions. Before we met Mick, we had been talking about the dividing line (or not) between art and craft, which as a conversation falls into the oldie but a goodie category.

At this point I want to say that I have no solid opinions, or conclusions, from the many conversations I have had over the years on this topic. Some people seem to be very clear on it. I'm still not. My brain gets in a tangle just thinking about it, which is why I find it so interesting. For example are Meg Callahan's quilts art? Or craft?

After Mick said his initial "Oh", I jumped on my small soap box (or on this occasion bar stool) and had a little bit of a rant. "See Anna, that is exactly what I am talking about. There is discrimination based on my mode of creative expression. There is a respect afforded to art that doesn't exist for craft, unless someone crafts for a living, and therefore calls themselves a craftsperson. Craft as a hobby has no respect." 

I love this kind of discussion with Anna. She is so clever I know if I put my ideas out there, she will help me come up with better ones, and often prove me totally wrong ;). Smart as a whip she is.

Then Mick pipes up and says something along the lines of "well what do you make?". I say "mainly clothes", and he again says "Oh", with a similar intonation. Anna shows him a few of my photos on instagram and he says something along the lines of "Wow" and then " ….but in reality, it is a cardigan. What do you want? Are you asking for it to be called art?" 

A valid question. And no, that is not what I am asking for. I guess I just feel a little frustration over the fact that the divide between Art and Craft sometimes seems to include such a large amount of snobbery. When my new friend Mick says he is a painter people assume he is doing something worthwhile. When I say I'm a crafter I feel people assume I make ill fitting jumpers in acrylic yarn. And maybe I'm being totally paranoid but I feel like there isn't yet an appreciation of just how skilled our crafting community is…. or how things have changed with the rise of the internet and the now global sharing of craft techniques and skills. In my opinion craft should be seen as an equally skilled and valid form of creative expression. And sometimes it's not. 

I spoke to Anna the next morning and she said she had some clarified ideas for me which I can't wait to hear. Sadly we haven't found a moment to discuss it this week, so to continue the conversation I would totally love your opinions and thoughts on this topic.

Do you clearly define art and craft? Does it matter to you? Do you feel the art/craft divide? Or in your part of the world are they a seamless continuum? Do you think that I am totally wrong about the snobbery aspect and getting frustrated/paranoid over nothing? Anything else you want to bring up?

I really do learn something new from the comments with each post - and this is a topic I feel I never really get my head around. I can't wait to hear what you have to say.

Felicia x

PS. You are welcome to enter the giveaway of some of Kirsten's new Shibui patterns. Details in my last post. I've been loving all the suggestions so far - so thank you! I'll close the comments on Sunday night.

Music for Craft and another giveaway!

So today's post is totally self serving, but luckily I have a little something to sweeten the deal.

Recently the lovely Kirsten Johnstone of Assemblage who is one of our teachers, just released a collection of patterns for Shibui. I LOVE these. Everytime she releases something new I think something along the lines of "how does she come up with this stuff". She does clever, simple and gorgeous so very well. She has given me a full set of her hardcopy patterns to give away to you today. I have split them in two so two lucky people will win three patterns each. And all you have to do is help me out in the comments.

Which brings me to the purpose of the post. We have been away, and as such I have had no time to find new music. I have been listening to the one album for the last six months - The Head and the Heart self titled album from 2010 - over and over again. Which is fine because it is totally perfect*. But the time has come to find other options before I totally ruin it by over listening. 

So the question today is - what is your perfect album for crafting? I don't mind what genre it is or how old it is and it definitely doesn't need to be any kind of cool. I really just need some new ideas. Even just perfect albums in general would make me happy….

I'll close the comments on Sunday night and draw the winners at random from the comments. You are welcome to enter from anywhere in the world. 

So looking forward to your responses. I might do a little post to summarise your ideas.  

Felicia x

* With the exception of song 9 but that is quibbling over detail ;).