Summer is officially here, solstice, heatwave, all that. So sumer clouts are out and about.
Here's the robe I hand-stitched last year from a Freecycled sheet. I really like it.
I gave it the features I like, such as inside ties, a hanging loop, deep patch pockets, cuffs, the right length not to trip me on the stairs.
Then skirts are just the thing right now.
Unpressed pleats, this cotton blend skirt, made from another Freecycled sheet, has a side opening, stay tuned for the reason
It doesn't pull on the skirt because it's separate from it. And you design the slit and depth to suit your own hand. I used some unbleached muslin and friend-donated bias binding.
And it's not DEI. it's DEIA. A for accessibility.
You can stuff a lot of things in safely, and they won't fall out, because the top is closed, and you access it via the side skirt opening.
This is a centuries' old idea, and is the kind of pocket Lucy Locket lost, in case you ever wondered how in the name of historybounding a person could possibly lose a pocket.
These pockets took the place of tote bags. You could stow away a dozen eggs in a big one, or even transport a live chicken to market, easier than carrying it. Nowadays it works for your phone, Kindle, wallet, banana sandwich, knitting, your choice of size and purpose.
This is more fun than shopping. You make what you want, in your own size, not something a garment designer thought someone like you should have.
To be fair, they're trying to fit a huge range of body sizes and tastes, so they have to pretty much make an average, and most sizes probably fit nobody. By the time you've altered a garment you buy, you might as well have made it how you want it.
Hand sewing puts you in touch with history as very few other tasks do. Spinning, too.
Happy day everyone. What simple processes do you enjoy? Can be anything, mowing with a non motorized push mower, washing dishes by hand, knitting and crocheting yarn you spun, saving and planting seeds. It's all good.
I had actually seen these type of pockets on a YT video by a lady who sews clothing in the olden style using hand sewing or an old pedal sewing machine. A very practical idea that went by the wayside long ago. Should be brought back. :)
ReplyDeleteQuite a few of us are bringing it back. It's a great idea.
DeleteOh, and I love how your robe and skirt and pocket turned out!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteLove seeing your comfy robe and pretty skirt. I have a stash of fabrics, but can’t sew with my shaky fingers. Who knew that would happen! I keep thinking if i can still type (much gratitude here!) maybe I can thread a needle and not prick my fingers too much. Actually haven’t tried to for years, so i enjoy seeing what you can create.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice idea to get a friend to thread a bunch of needles for you, so you can try it again, just to see.
DeleteI can’t believe I finally know how the hell Lucy Locket could lose a pocket! You have made my day.
ReplyDeleteI wondered how many people would say well, stap me, that's what it meant!
DeleteTaking cuttings and growing them on for others pleases me. The cutting and planting are pleasant tasks.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's a nice one. People love to get new plants already started.
DeleteI love ❤️ vintage and I absolutely love this.
ReplyDeleteNew clothes, vintage style, yes, me too.
DeleteGreat pockets on the skit. I always feel lost without a pocket!
ReplyDeleteThis pocket can be two, if you arrange the slits on the skirt and double the pocket on the band.
DeleteDid you use a pattern for the robe? I quite like it and wouldn't have thought to reuse a sheet like that. And pockets! Designers really don't understand women very well or they would make more pockets in our clothes. Who am I kidding? They have no desire to understand women and cut costs by not giving women pockets.
ReplyDeleteI don't use patterns. I use my wingspan to get sleeves right, and measure against another robe to get the length. For the hem I used the sheet hem, saved stitching. You can always cut by using another garment that fits as your guide. Remembering seam allowance, always a good idea.
DeleteWingspan in case it's not clear: measurement wrist to wrist across shoulders.
ReplyDeleteWith so few women's clothing having pockets these day, the old freestyle pocket is a good reminder that the past has some lessons we need to relearn. Thanks for sharing this one. Your robe and skirt look lovely and cool, too. Great use of old sheets.
ReplyDeleteIt's a handy idea and there are YouTube tutorials on how to make them. Yes, an old idea which came back in the form of the fanny pack, but that's bulkier and I think they're awkward.
DeleteYou are so handy! I just don't have the talent you have for making your own clothes. I mostly get clothes at resale shops now. I don't even own a dress or skirt anymore.
ReplyDeleteResale is good. I used to shop either free cycle or thrift stores, not retail if I could help it.
DeleteYou are the woman of a thousand skills and even more talents!
ReplyDeleteI believe that my grandmother, born around the turn of the twentieth century, called a change purse a pocket. Remember change purses? I always thought that's what Lucy Locket lost.
Did she call her bag a pocketbook? That would fit. I have a change purse though I don't use change.
DeleteI've often wondered why more dresses and skirts don't have pockets.
ReplyDeleteHigh end designers: it spoils the hang of the garment. Cheapo mfrs: it's cheaper to make them without pockets, just stitch on s bit of trim to simulate them.
DeleteThank goodness I don't have to transport a live chicken to market.
ReplyDeleteBirds settle down in dark enclosed spaces. In case you ever need to know that. I know from carrying rescued frightened birds in closed boxes with airholes.
DeleteYou do have imagination and talent. I have made a lot of clothes but I have never hand sewed any of them. I can't imagine the time and effort that takes.
ReplyDeleteIt's not as laborious as you might think, to a seasoned maker. For me, by the time I've threaded the damn machine and the bobbin and organized the presser foot correctly on the seam, I could have stitched the entire seam, and kept my temper, too! Ymmv.
DeleteI love weeding!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that about Lucy Locket and pockets. You could keeps eggs in there? Or a chicken? Lawks a mercy.
You could carry eggs safely, not store them! If you were collecting eggs from the coop or outside, you could transport them to the house. Likewise chicken yo market. Or from market to cook.
DeleteI learned how to hand sew in 4-H nearly 60 years ago. My hemming was very neatly done, I was told. Can't say I've ever used my abilities much, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI guess you could, if needed! The trouble is that kids are started on boring sewing so they don't like it. I started making doll clothes from scraps, pretty inexpertly, I was about six, but I thought I was all that.
DeleteExperimenting with my baking recipes is about all I can handle! But it's fun.
ReplyDeleteExperimenting is life. Otherwise, what's the point?
DeleteVery clever repurposing with the robe and skirt and pocket.
ReplyDeleteI like doing this. It feeds my frugal soul.
DeleteI've never been a clothing maker (PJ bottoms for the kids notwithstanding) and I suppose I could have saved a lot of money over the years. Having said that, most of my clothes come from the thriftie anyway (with the exception of underwear!). This summer it's pretty much impossible to find summer dresses in the length I like, new or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI used to use the thriftie more as a fabric source than clothing, except for linen shirts and jackets I altered to suit.
DeleteFunny about how pockets were used to what they can be used for now. Always a good thing to have a pocket. I just love them.
ReplyDeleteI sew using a sewing machine, mostly. But that’s very much a hand craft still — my hands are doing plenty of work cutting, pinning, and guiding the fabric! Plus, I use a mechanical (not electronic) machine. So, I'm going to count sewing by machine as partial hand work! One thing done entirely by hand that I enjoy is pulling weeds. Not for hours, not as a job! But a good half-hour of weed-pulling is fun for me. Because the work I do for pay is so much in my head, I take great pleasure in doing things with my body. I also have a physical disability, and so I’m very proud of myself when I can do something difficult (with modifications) with my body.
ReplyDelete