365 days without shopping!

Let's be honest girls...we buy too many clothes. This year I have decided to put an end to my constant clothing consumption and re-invent, re-work and recycle my own wardrobe and the wardrobes around me. I will only wear clothes made by my own hands, exchanged / borrowed from a friend (or friendly stranger) or salvaged secondhand. And so starts my good fashion choices, even if I'm only making them for myself.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

The New York Sundress








As I sat down to sew my first project I started musing about the year ahead and all the adventures I might get myself into. Looking down at my sewing machine a question hit me…’ have you forgotten how bad you are at sewing??’ This particular question was spawned by a memory from fashion collage…

I was about to start work experience with one of Australia’s most famous designer labels, which I won’t name (although I will tell you they rhyme with cinnamon). I was so nervous about what to wear that I decided to make my entire outfit. This outfit included a pair of very stylish tweed pants, Chanel style. But perhaps something my garment construction teachers forgot to mention when sewing with loose weave tweed; ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS reinforce the seams, particularly if those seams are under a bit of pressure. Halfway through the day I looked down at my crotch, which was rather exposed at this stage and almost burst into tears. The centre back and front seams were completely unravelled! Looking around the room I spotted several old samples, most of which were pants. I rushed to my supervisor and showed her what happened, hoping she would let me borrow a pair until the next day. She just smiled, handed me a needle and thread and directed me to the bathroom.

With that experience under my belt (which is firmly around a sturdy pair of jeans) I have decided to put off making pants until I absolutely have to. There is also the dilemma of badly needing a swimming costume and other tricky pieces in my summer wardrobe.

I have decided to start with an easy alteration job, leaving the garment construction to another day. The above dress was purchased completely on impulse while visiting New York. I hit the shops with gusto only to discover the thing getting hit hardest was my bank account. Nearing the end of my trip my cousin asked, ‘aren’t you going to buy anything?’ To which I panicked and bought the first decent cheap sundress I came across. What happened was what often happens with cheap impulse buys, after the second wear it lost any elastic it once had in the back and the waist seam fell apart.

My solution: I Unpicked the ties and sewed them on as straps. Then I reinforce the waist seam.

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